Outline and Script Writing

Hey lovely blog reader! I hope you are having a marvelous day! I have some exciting news to share. I not only created an outline for my short film but an actual script as well. Who would have thought this day would come? 

OUTLINE

SCRIPT

While I am very please with my script, I am very worried about the technical aspects of my film. The right music, editing, shot composition, color, etc is super super important. To ensure that my short film turns out well, I need to be careful and not overlook those very important aspects. 

At the end of my short film, the main girl is going to cut her bangs... very badly. I don't want to give myself a disastrous haircut, so I ordered a wig. I was not able to order the wig from a previous blog because it would not arrive until the end of April after the project was due. That's because Amazon is not fulfilling many orders that are not considered "essential". Wigs are definitely not considered an essential item. However, I was able to find a blonde wig that was able to arrive this week. It was honestly the only one I could find. I would rather the wig be brunette so it would look a bit more realistic, but I guess I'm not going to be able to channel my inner Elle Woods. 

By Tuesday, I would like to have all of my shots and start editing. I know that it's late in the game, but remember to take into account all of the obstacles that I had to face. 

BANG

Hey lovely blog reader! How are you doing? I have good news! I have finalized my idea for my short film. Now that I am no longer working with my friend Elly, I had to come up with an idea on my own. While it was a grueling task, I have decided to create the short film BANG. It is going to be about a girl that decides to cut her own bangs after a breakup with her long-distance boyfriend.  I thought BANG would be a funny title because the sound BANG is very abrupt and sudden and loud and so is the decision to cut bangs. The title seemed fitting to me. I don't think it gives too much away because its not called BANGS, just BANG. You would understand the title once you reach the end of the short film

Anyway, I ran the idea by my teacher and she was totally on board. This short film idea is something that can easily be executed in my home while under quarantine. I am going to play the main character and I am going to get my boyfriend to play the character's boyfriend. I do not have a finalized outline or script yet, but I know one difficulty that I am going to face is filming the scene with her boyfriend. Maybe I can facetime or skype? 

Over this week, I am going to try my best to create a script as well as get a bit of footage. I do not want to stress myself out and I will see what I am able to accomplish.

I Have an Idea!

Hello lovely blog reader,  how are you feeling today? Personally, I feel very tired. Lounging around my house all day just makes me feel tired. Even when I do productive tasks like organizing my room and working out, I still feel tired. Anyways, with the due date fast approaching, it is essential that I come up with a project for a short film. I still do not know whether I will be working alone or as a duo, I brainstormed a few ideas.

One idea that I had was making a short film about a girl who is debating cutting bangs. I have been debating doing this myself so I think it would be a neat idea to explore. I would start the film out with the girl seeing other people with their bangs cut, her debating it, and then, in the end, she cuts her bangs. However, I want this film to be a bit comedic. I thought it would be quite comical that after the countless hours of debating whether or not to cut her bangs, she ends up cutting them too short. In the end, she will just laugh. Maybe like a joker type of laugh. This film could be more of an experimental film, showcasing her emotions and such. Since I am limited to shooting in my home,  the actors I am limited to being me, my 16-year-old sister, my 10-year-old brother, my parents. I would probably star in it as the main character. Also, I don't want to mess my hair up so I think that I can buy a wig on amazon or clip-in bangs. 

I would want to play with color and lighting to make the short more engaging and dynamic. This is an idea, but I think this is the one that I'm going to roll with. The idea is simple and something that I can definitely execute in the comfort of my own home.

A potential Schism

Hello lovely blog reader, I hope you are doing swell!

Elly and I are very good friends. Recently, we have been getting in many arguments over this project. Elly is a very organized person and likes to have schedules for things. She values order in her life and she will get very stressed in situations like this project. I used to be like that, but over this past year, I have learned to calm down. I used to stress over every assignment I was given. I would stay up till 3 am with 100s of flashcards memorizing test material. This year, I told myself that I wanted to relax. And that is exactly what I have been doing. Thus, our ways of approaching this project are causing us to fight. Elly has requested to work by herself and I respect her decision. While this may or may not be approved, I think it is still very important to brainstorm ideas. 

As you know, it took me quite a significant amount of time to come up with our original idea. having to start from scratch means going back to the sate of having no idea what to do. I have been pondering a few ideas, but nothing substantial. With the project being due very soon, I have to come up with an idea in 3-7 days, and that is still pushing it. Luckily, I am in quarantine and have lots of time to accomplish this without the project looking rushed. 

It always works out in the end. I always tell myself that. It will work out. No worries!

The Best Way to Get Inspired is Just to Watch Some More Short Films

Hello lovely blog reader! I have yet to come up with an idea for a short film. Please do not come to me. I had an idea...but then all the coronavirus stuff happened and *poof* gone. I have been trying very hard to come up with an idea, but I feel like I have not been feeling very inspired lately. Maybe its because all I do is lounge around the house(that's probably it). 

I watched 2 short films in a bid to get inspired.

The first short film I watched was called PAPER. Its a 7 minute short that I found on youtube. It's about a girl who is trying to make it in the modeling industry. The film begins with the girl and other models against a solid white background. They are all in white tank tops in black underwear. They are all judged and sized. The main girl runs into another one of her fellow models in the bathroom. The model she runs into is a bit more experienced. She tells her that being a model is not glamourous in a way. She even goes into horrific detail about how she would count every single calorie, even going as far too searching up the calories in a breath mint. The short film features shots of the main girl doing everything that the experienced model is talking about: extreme exercising, dieting, etc.

The film utilized music to convey the girl's feelings about the events that are taking place. At the end of the film, for example, the music in the background gets very intense, showcasing that the girl is overwhelmed with emotion. Also, the dialogue was super important because the words the experienced model was saying was paired over what the new model was doing. This film focussed on a very simple story. It was very easy to follow and I liked the simplicity of it.

Another short film that I watched was called The Elevator. This short film was only 3 minutes long. It's about a guy who gets into an elevator and more and more people start coming. He notices the maximum weight is 2000 pounds and becomes very freaked out when many overweight people get in the elevator. He even takes out a calculator to try to determine if it is over the maximum. Then, an obese man is approaching the elevator and the man decided he needs to get out. he then gets into another elevator in which all of the people are coughing and sneezing. That's how it ends. There is very little dialogue, only when the man says excuse me to get out of the elevator. Rather, the film fixates on the man's facial expressions while he is dealing with everything. Also, the music playing in the background is elevator music. This also was quite humorous because the music is so calm but the man is very stressed. It was a very clever juxtaposition of the two. I really enjoyed the simplicity of this piece as well.

I'm glad I watched these two short films. Maybe inspiration will hit soon!

Examining ANOTHER Experimental Film

Hey blog reader! What's up? I hope you are doing well! 

After watching "Wake Up", I became more intrigued about experimental films. Thus, I watched another experimental short film called 5 Films About Technology. The film was composed of 5 "mini-films" all about people and the way they use technology. The mini-films featured "relatable", humorous instances in which technology can hinder, us not help us. For instance, in the first clip, we see girls sitting down for brunch. They are all on their phones. When the waiter comes to bring their food, they immediately get off their phone..but just for a quick "thank you" to the server. Then, they immediately take out their phones to photograph what they are eating, most likely for social media. This clip showed how people go out to"hang out" but in reality, are super disconnected. This mini-film ended abruptly, in the middle of them taking the photo. Classical music plays as a transition into the next short clip. Each clip is cut just as you are beginning to laugh. There was nothing unnecessary that was shown.

This short film was also created in square format. I think that was GENIUS because of its reference to how humans rely on technology and view the world through technology. The film's utilization of abrupt cuts and music transitions really helped to make the piece comedic. Since my partner and I are limited to very few shooting locations(our houses), it was a glimmer of hope to see that I can make a short film that is about a very simple topic. Also, if we utilize editing techniques and such, we can turn a simple story into a masterpiece!

Examining an Experimental Film

Hi blog reader! I decided to watch an experimental film called "Wake Up". It begins with the girl waking up in the hospital. She is disoriented and wants to leave. Once she escapes, she is amazed by the world around her, especially the fact that people are consumed with technology. People are pretty much unaware of her existence because they are so mesmerized by their screens. At the end of the film, we see the girl viewing a girl get hit by a car who was looking at her phone. It is the same actress. Since the film is experimental, it's not confirmed who the girl that got hit by the car is. The girl is waking up from the coma but she is also waking up to the notion that people need to be less engaged in their screens. 

The film utilizes sound to help portray the girls feeling as she escapes from the hospital.  In the hospital, a song plays that is very mellow and elevator-music like. When she escapes, the beat dramatically drops to show her feeling of happiness. At one point in the film, the girl approaches a collection of people on their laptops. The sound of multiple people typing can be heard in the background. There were so many people typing all at once that it sounded like a swarm of cicadas. I thought that was a unique way to highlight the idea that people were not doing their own thing, rather collectively just immersing themselves in another world. Towards the middle of the film, the girl
dangles herself off a ledge and in the background, you can hear diegetic car sounds that help explain the danger of the situation. There was also a repetitive, anxiety-inducing sound in the background to help convey the seriousness of the situation. Another sound aspect I liked from this film is when the girl is walking and you can hear all the thoughts in her head. It's a bunch of incessant whispers repeating reminders over and over. It showcased how all of our worries are in our own head. 

The sounds used in the film really stuck out to me. They aided in making me feel the emotions the girl was feeling. Also, I noticed how important it is to have a good actor. The girl's acting was extremely good and made the film feel more "real'. Elly and I better take some online acting lessons. Anyway, I'm glad I watched this short film because it opened my eyes to a new type of film making.