Today we discussed the end of the class and everything that we need to do before then. Afterwards I spent most of class completing the SPOT review and scheduling out everything I still need to do.

in regards to my Remix a Story project, I am still in the process of editing the film. I realized this last weekend that I accidentally didn’t film one of the transitional scenes between shots, so I will have to figure out a work-around for it. My main concern while editing this project is that its purpose is very clear. Though it seemed obvious on paper, I want to make sure that same effect is achieved in the film.

Why I did it:

As things start to wrap up, there are more and more loose ends that must be made neat. Because of this, keeping everything straight is pretty important; I don’t want to sabotage my grade. That said, what I have left isn’t too daunting, I just need to stay focused.

I told my reviewers that I was going to add some sound effects and other background noises to add to the realism of the shots. They were onboard with this idea, but actually gave me some good reasoning as to why some of my shots should stay quiet. Through doing this, part of the awkwardness I’m trying to capture will really be apparent. As more of the movie falls into place, I will get a much better idea of what needs to happen holistically.

Still from a scene of the rough-cut.

I’m a bit behind schedule today in terms of filming. One of my actors was unable to shoot this weekend, so I have not yet captured some critical scenes. Because I will only have the camera for one more day, I’ve decided to have the other actors play multiple parts. I’m really not crazy about this because I want the audience to clearly understand that these are different characters. That said, I might be able to twist this to my advantage: in order to “sell” the different characters, I’m probably going to have to incorporate some outlandish costumes/mannerisms to keep each character straight. Hopefully this will add some extra humor.

Why I did it:

As Moltke The Elder said, “no plan survives contact with the enemy.” Rarely do our plans go perfectly. My situation is no different, so I have to adapt or die, essentially. While that sounds dramatic, it really wasn’t that difficult to rework the screenplay. Though this has given me another constraint, I greatly hope that I can repurpose it into an affordance.

For today’s at-home class session, I did most of the grunt work for my project; and by that, I mean I went and picked up the camera and lighting equipment from the Innovation Space. Similarly, now that I have the storyboard complete, I’ve started compiling the script. Though it’s not complete, the main ideas are present. I’ve even considered leaving the script simple, so that my roommates can have more wiggle room in their performances. I guess we’ll see what works better.

Why I did it:

As I’ve stated in my previous post, this weekend is when all of the filming for my project needs to get done. As such, Everything needs to be ready to go as soon as possible. With the acquisition of the equipment and the basic script complete, I should be ready to film.

Documentation plan:

Because my project is a film project, using credits is the most logical way to document my sources. That said, a vast majority of what will be done for my project will be of my own doing/design, so keeping track of everything will probably be much easier for me than for someone who is creating a website. Of course I will cite my source story and credit the actors, but other than that, my credits may be somewhat short.

Pretty simple but focused class today. I worked exclusively on my storyboard and got the framework down for the story arc. I think the elements of the story are just ridiculous enough to still be considered a “fairytale,” even though it is set in the modern day.

Why I did it:

It’s really important that I go into filming this weekend with everything planned out. There won’t be a huge amount of time to work and I don’t want to take up all of my roommates’ time, so efficiency is key. With the framework in place, the meat of the project will fall into place much more easily.

Storyboard 1

Storyboard 2

As this week starts, project 4 finally feels like it’s moving forward for me. In class today, I created a schedule of deadlines to keep me on track. I tried to take into consideration everything that I’ll have to deal with–though knowing me, I’ve likely forgotten something. Regarding my timeline however, I’m most concerned with the actual filming aspect. Because I am relying on my roommates’ help (which they have graciously offered), filming is the only aspect of the project that isn’t entirely within my control.

Why I did it:

By nature, I am a very forgetful person. With my timeline in place (and programmed into my phone), I want to do everything I can to stay on top of this project. Planning everything out beforehand also made me think through things I hadn’t previously considered–like, will I have enough time to finish the script and pick up the camera on the same day? I should be able to, but had I not planned it out, it would’ve been a nasty surprise come the time.

Below is my current timeline of events (to be completed by that day).

Wednesday 4/15:

Storyboard basic framework (essential scenes, but not camera moves or scene framing)

Friday 4/17:

Script complete

Pick up camera/lighting equipment from Innovation Space

Sunday 4/19:

All footage to be captured over this weekend

Tuesday 4/21:

Return camera/lighting equipment to Innovation Space

Wednesday 4/22:

Very rough mix (no synced sound with external boom mic or post-production effects)

Tuesday 4/28:

Final Mixing done (includes post-production, sound-production, and optimization for viewing)

Hosting (Post to youtube or other web hosting service)

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Okay, so for today’s class we focused on gathering resources and fleshing out our ideas for the Remix a Story project. Our blog post today was supposed to discuss our story, which part we were using, the genre, and how we were planning on going about things; however, I’m doing things a bit backwards… I am not sure what story I’m going to use yet.

While it may seem like I’m putting the cart before the horse, I don’t necessarily see it in that way: I’m undecided about my story, yes, but I am very sure of my process, i.e., I know how I want to go about things. I am really interested in filmmaking, and though I don’t have a huge amount of experience with it, I believe I know enough to make a high-quality project.

To that end, I have reserved a Sony PMW-EX1R camera and a Lowell light kit from Virginia Tech’s own Innovation space. With these, I shouldn’t have any constraints in the making of my project. My roommates have also graciously agreed to act in whatever I decide to do, so that is also very helpful.

As professor Gardner mentioned in class, we should “focus our struggle,” so I want to find a story that doesn’t challenge me too much. I want the filmmaking itself to be my challenge.

By Friday, I should have my story and be ready to dive headlong into this!

Reserving the necessary supplies from the Innovation Space.

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Of course, the only real issue is popularity. Were I to sign up for the site, I’m not sure with whom I’d share any of my photos or videos. thinglink had this covered, though. With pretty effective integration with other social media, all of my friends could see anything I’d share, which is a big plus in terms of convincing me to sign up.