Today in class we were asked to reflect on our rough cuts, then let a friend who hasn’t seen it give us feedback and criticisms. Shown in bold are the questions we were presented with, and below the answers. Here were the results :^)

How much continuity does the video have? Are there any places where the continuity can be improved? How?

The video is lacking continuity in some areas since there are some shots missing which would have provided context. For example, the red cloth which is emphasized in several scenes, yet purpose is never explained or shown towards the end of the film.

To what extent is the video readable as a film opening? Can you understand that it’s an opening? Why or why not? What can you do to make it more readable?

I think it is only somewhat readable as a film opening. so far at least, considering it lacks a lot of elements which would have displayed so. For example a title card, credits, etc. In addition to this, the opening is somewhat convoluted as the story is difficult to follow without the plot being explained.

To what extent is the video readable within your chosen genre? Can you tell it’s a horror/thriller/comedy/coming-of-age etc.? How can this area be improved?

I think it’s definitley readable as a film opening for a thriller as it contains many stylistic elements made for the purpose of making the viewer uneasy. The lowkey lighting, imagery of the static tv, props (pill bottles) to name a few. Not only this but our actor Katelyn played a creepy role in the film which was shown to have provoked a jolt in everyone I showed our rough cut to.

Partner with someone who doesn’t know anything about your video. Record their answers to the following questions:

What is setting (time and place)? How can you tell? Motel, night, due to dark sky and sign.

Who are the characters? How can you tell? Unknown protagonist, and phantom, pictured in the film

What is the movie going to be about? How can you tell? Psychological thriller/ sci-fi horror, ghost of unknown origin is  in the film

To what extent is it readable as a film opening? Not very readable, due to no signifying factors (like title cards etc), seems as though it’s just part of the movie.

To what extent is it readable as a thriller film? Very readable due to the appearance and disappearance of the phantom

Overall, how might the clarity of meaning in the video be improved?

Add some title cards to signify it’s the beginning otherwise it is very well done.

Overall, what are your ideas for how the above aspects of the video can be improved? Reshooting? Better editing? Sound? Rewriting parts of the script? What are your next concrete steps? Ambient music, title cards, etc. otherwise very well done

If you thought my mise en scene series was over, you’re wrong. B^) All jokes aside though, today will be the last installment… Lighting.

Lighting was an important factor when filming our title sequence at the motel.

In fact, I’d go as far as saying lighting played the largest role in creating meaning visually.

As production designer, I opted for lowkey lighting, as this would conform to the genre conventions of thriller films, as well as make our sequence appear more macabre. Everyone agreed with this preposition.

Effects of Lowkey Lighting

• Creates tension due to its mysterious and dark atmosphere
• Controls how much of the surroundings and characters are revealed
• It sets the tone, mood and creates a dangerous association with enigma through the shadows and dull shades.
• Refer to any scene with a high lighting ratio, especially if there is a predominance of shadowy areas.
• It tends to heighten the sense of alienation felt by the viewer, 

Due to the dark environment we were filming in, we required the assistance of several external light sources. Pictured above are me and Katelyn holding iphone lights to cast light on our actor Robert. Pierce, the director, observed in his viewfinder what looked best and instructed us to shift our lights in accordance to that.

However, to our dismay, we found that the Canon we were filming on did not capture images well in the dark. 😦 To remedy the issue we did the only thing we could do.

We got more lights. At one point there was five phones shining on Robert. Pierce also figured out how to increase the aperture on the camera, making the ease of seeing the visual images a lot easier.

Now that we have our footage captured, we will send it to Ben so he can manifest our rough cut. We all decided that a blue light or hue he would add during color correction would best aid in the aesthetic of our film, as well as construct a dream like, or fantasy environment.

Sources Cited

• http://naomimore.weebly.com/horror-lighting–camera-work.html \
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-key_lighting

Not like I expected any less, but the room was a total catfish.

And I mean it.

There were unknown stains on the sheets, the carpet was detached from the wall, and certain appliances that were *supposedly* guaranteed with purchase of the room were missing. (For instance, the fridge..the bedroom door etc.)

However, the whole shooting experience was fun, definitley one for the books.

Our Shooting Schedule: 

1:00 PM:  Pierce Thomas (Director), Katelyn Wagner ( Cinematographer), and Robert Thomas (Actor) are to meet up at Pierce’s house and carpool in Roberts vehicle to the shooting location; a Super 8 Motel in Tampa, Fl.
2:00 PM: Check-in time for the motel room

4:00 PM:Editor (Ben Isaacs) and I are to arrive at the filming location to begin filming. Unfortunately, I had to be at work until 3 so I could not arrive earlier, otherwise I would have.

It should be noted that the check-out time is at 1:00 PM Sunday afternoon, so we can stay as long as necessary to film.

And boy, did we end up using that in our favor, because we ended up staying at the motel a lot longer than anticipated.

In fact, a good 5 hours longer than expected. We stayed at the motel until 1 am.

Would you believe me if I said we still didn’t finish? Because we didn’t. We ran out of time, so we were forced to create an alternative ending to our original script, as well as adjust the script since the room was not as expected.

Though the experience was very educational, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about the end result of our film sequence. I fear our time spent here will be in vain if the shots look rushed.

Fingers crossed we’re able to put together a decent rough cut, and fingers crossed we won’t have to return to retake the footage. :,)

To star in my film, I proposed to employ Pierce’s brother, Robert. I believe Robert was the most appropriate actor for a film for a variety of reasons. For one, Robert has experience working in theater, so I was confident that he’d be flexible when instructed and given directions to follow. I also felt like he matched the image I had of our main protagonist to a T. My first impression of Robert is that he was serious, stoic, and kind of stone faced. He doesn’t show much emotion. Since our character is trapped within his own mind, haunted by the trauma of escaping death and losing his sister, I felt like his calm demeanor would create an interesting juxtaposition.

Our next actress is Katelyn Wagner, who will be playing the phantom of Lionel’s dead sister and is also the cinematographer in our group. We felt this was most convenient since Katelyn is comfortable around the camera & scheduling would not be problematic. Katelyn also has a very feminine appearance which, again, would provide good contrast to the spooky and disturbing nature of her character’s role.

𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓻𝔂𝓫𝓸𝓪𝓻𝓭: a sequence of drawings, typically with some directions and dialogue, representing the shots planned for a movie or television production.

Though ideal as it may seem, no good film crew spontaneously picks up a camera and begins filming their movie without having a plan. Every good film begins with an idea, where the idea is then developed and fleshed out. This case is no different with our film, Lucid Elucidations. Creating a storyboard will help make things easier during the production stage, sparing us the time we would have spent to figure out which shots we’ll need, and which ones will be scrapped.

After our director, Pierce, created his script detailing his vision for our film, our cinematographer, Katelyn, immediately went to work on developing a storyboard.

Katelyn has prefaced this storyboard with the emphasis that she isn’t an artist, though I think it conceptualizes our ideas for shots quite well. 🙂 The title sequence will begin with a master shot of the setting, followed by a push in on sleeping Lionel and tracking/ midshots of his interactions after he leaves his bedroom. As with everything, this is a loose construction of the shots our title sequence will consist of. This is, of course, subject to change as we may find it necessary to add or subtract certain shots.

Sources Cited: 

• https://www.vyond.com/resources/what-is-a-storyboard-and-why-do-you-need-one/
• https://www.dictionary.com/browse/storyboard

Throughout the process of filmmaking, we will be utilizing a variety of technology. To shoot, we will be utilizing a Canon EOS Rebel T4i camera that we rented from our teacher Mr. Engle, in addition to our partner Katelyn’s iPhone X to attain shots that aren’t possible on the Canon. To edit, we will use Sony Vegas Pro. The specifications of these technology will be thoroughly discussed in my partner’s blogs, however, I will discuss the condenser mic we will use to record the auditory effects in the film.

The condenser mic we are choosing to use is a “CAD U37 USB Studio Condenser Recording Microphone”. (a wordful, I know). After extensive research (because I am a grandma when it comes to electronics), I discovered that this mic could simply be plugged into my computer whilst I recorded sound. To practice, I recorded my voice, and the sounds of me tapping various objects to gauge the level of sensitivity this mic recorded with. I discovered the mic did well at minimizing background noise (for example from my fan, and loud family) and isolated the main source of what I was recording. This is going to be extremely helpful when we shoot, since ambient and subtle sounds are going to be a major feature of the film. Some sounds I may record consist of: air conditioning, footsteps, tapping, moving bedsheets, dripping water, turning sink faucets, and breathing.

My mic has a sensitivity rate of -40dBV @ 1Pa. This is quite impressive, however, to compare, I searched for the most expensive condenser mic I could find. The result was one over $3,000, called the “Manley Reference Cardioid Microphone Large-diaphragm Tube Condenser Microphone”. Alternatively, this one has a sensitivity rate of 17mV @ 1Pa. Of course, this isn’t necessary in our ~low budget~ film, but it did provide some insight as to the importance of recording professional sonic effects in film.

Sources Cited: 

• https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/RefMic–manley-reference-cardioid-microphone-large-diaphragm-tube-condenser-microphone?mrkgcl=28&mrkgadid=3303549794&rkg_id=0&product_id=RefMic&campaigntype=shopping&campaign=aaShopping%20-%20SKU%20-%20Studio%20%26%20Recording&adgroup=Microphones%20%26%20Wireless%20-%20Manley%20-%20refmic&placement=google&adpos=1o4&creative=285689015649&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=CjwKCAjw7MzkBRAGEiwAkOXexAnDbOtC4AQ8ky5N7mw4tD63TblhvStusZfxerG_rAM-RMFvr5rsMhoCoEoQAvD_BwE
• http://cadaudio.com/products/product-application/u37#specs
• https://www.analog.com/en/analog-dialogue/articles/understanding-microphone-sensitivity.html
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74B41tDH7bU&t=185s