Editing Pt.2

     I am nearing the end of editing so I am still on track with my schedule. I have also, however, like yesterday, ran into issues that could have been avoided. Through the second half of the film opening, the baseball sequence, I am interspersing clips of the mother character preparing food, from earlier in the first sequence. The audio however for those clips are useless so tomorrow right after school, I will have to recreate the sound effects, or the whole shots if aligning the audio seamlessly is too difficult. 

     I have gone through and edited what I could of the film opening without those sound effects, and I am concerned about going over the 2 minute time limit a little. I am currently standing at 2 minutes and 18 seconds. I am not sure what I am able to get rid of in order to lose the storyline. I will try to have some friends or family watch it to get their feedback.

     This is what the timeline of my 95% complete looks like- aside from some audio tracks-

Editing

     This week has been my spring break so I have been keeping it relaxing. I have still been slowly editing the film opening throughout the week. It is a pretty long process, and I have realized some issues I wish I had foreseen earlier. I really wish to I had given the characters more strong dialogue in the second half of my film opening, to really establish who Tomas is, as the main character's best friend. I also wish I had more shots of the playful interactions with the main character and other extras and other smaller characters.

     I do like how the first shot and scene came out, with a single conversation that travels from one area to another and gives clues to the type of person and character Neil is. While editing, I noticed that not all of the clips were as bright as the others. So through the editing software that I am using; Adobe Premiere Pro, I am able to adjust the look of the clips in many different ways. This is a screen recording of how I am correcting the exposure and brightness as well as contrast of the clips:

Second Day of Filming

     My second day of filming took place on Saturday in my home. The only actors needed to be the main character Neil, and my real mother who is playing his mother in the film opening. There is a pretty continuous stream of dialogue between the two characters which only took a little time to nail down after rehearsing with the characters. In order to capture this audio as the camera travels through the house, I had set up two cell phones and used the microphone of the headphones taped to the character's chest to record the audio from both of the characters directly and I had both of the characters clap on camera to sync all of the tracks.

     It also took a couple of days to bring the props over to my house and arrange them throughout my room and the bookshelf in the family room. The longest part was cleaning my room and hiding my stuff to make enough space to clearly see the props. 
     I am downloading the footage to my computer and going over it, to find the clips I can work with. I hopefully have all the shots and clips I need. I do need to capture good sound bites of the mother chopping up vegetables and sounds of the bats and gloves as well as when the ball hits the bat. 

Reflection on the First Day of FIlming.

     The first day of filming was fun, exciting, a little nerve racking, and warm. We thankfully didn't experience any serious issues when filming. Finding an open field was very easy, but one situation did present itself within just hours of filming time. Extra after extra who said they could participate started dropping like flies. However, when it came time to filming, I only had 4 extras other than the main character, and I had someone just take a few pictures of me filming too. 

     When it came time to filming, I was able to use my good friend Tomas' DJI Ronin which is a very fancy stabilizer for a DSLR camera. It is a little heavy but totally worth it for the smooth quality of the shots.  

     Filming took about an hour an a half long, after getting everyone settled from wanting to throw around the baseballs for fun. I also went through everyone's role which I can now just sort of understanding the pressure of a director or choreographer when putting together a full-scale production. 

     In tomorrow's posting, I will discuss the experience when filming the first long scene of my film opening which took place in my house. 

  

Tomorrow is filming day and I was gathering together the last of the necessary props. I purchased a styrofoam ball to pain and look like a real baseball in order to hopefully get some close-up shots of the impact of the ball. Also, tomorrow morning I am going to Party City to look for "scarring Make-up" to have some visual effects with a wound. I also had some downtime to play with three of the lenses I own to look at which I think would work best for the first half of the opening, inside the home and room of the main character. I think I like the look of the 18-55mm lens as opposed to the 50 mm lens. It offers a wider view which is better because I can always get closer to the subject but I am limited in space to get a wide enough view on the 50 mm. I am now just finalizing my thoughts and ideas for the baseball scene that I will be filming TOMORROW! I'm equally excited and nervous as of right now. 

Step By Step

     Last night I picked up the last (at least I think) of the props that I will be using in the room of the main character in the first half of the opening sequence. Last night and this morning I was also searching through Youtube Audio Library looking for more quiet and ambient songs that I can use behind the dialogue.  I found some baseball cards in a closet in my dad's house, to lay across the desk in the room and across the room, and also some decorative baseballs. I also will place cameras and other objects so they are present in the shot to show other traits and hobbies of the main character. I also made sure to have enough baseballs to use while filming so I won't have to chase after each ball following each shot.
     I plan to incorporate more happy music while the friends are playing baseball. After halfway through this second scene, I plan to slowly introduce a rising heart rate sound effect over the happy music, that slowly becomes louder leading up to the suspenseful tension release of the main character being struck. The happy music playing will stop to reveal only the heartbeat to represent that the main character's injuries are serious. Much of today I have also been cleaning my room to make space for all of the props and so they will be easily insight when it is time to film. T-2 days until filming; I can't wait!

Movie Title, Filming Date, and More

So, this upcoming week I am planning on finally filming. Tentitevilly I will be filming on Thursday (In 4 Days!) I'm very excited and a little nervous. Tomorrow I am gathering together all of my props, and organizing them and starting to set them up. After juggling through my friends' schedules, we are hopefully filming Thursday.  As of now after the main character, I have 3 for sure extras and HOPEFULLY a few more.
The theme of "Life throwing you a curveball" has really resonated with me over the past day, and I just think that the name "Curveball" is a fitting title for my film. While filming I plan to incorporate bright lighting hopefully if the weather permits. This should keep a lighter mood at the beginning of this scene and will only get slightly darker after the main character is struck with the baseball. I am still also slowly searching for ambient music to match the tone I am looking for.
Thursday this week is an early release day from school so I will have even more time to shoot during the day, and there is no school the following Friday, so if I need that will be my back-up filming day.

When Life Throws You a Curve Ball...

     I was talking to my dad about my story and he had brought up a very thoughtful insight to the story; How does someone react in response to life throwing them a curve ball. This phrase ultimately means that someone is faced with an unexpected disturbance or challenge. This concept can be used across many scenarios of life and for all people. In the case of my film opening, this concept is both metaphorical and literal. 

The main character's best friend is the one who is up to bat while he is on second behind the pitcher, obstructing his view...The symbol used by baseball players for a curveball is two fingers, similar to this: 

I plan to have a shot or two incorporating this symbol to hint towards this theme in the story of the film...The pitcher wants to throw a curve ball and the main character, standing behind the pitcher does not see the sign, where the batter hits the ball beaming straight for the main character just in view of the batter. The main character and his best friend who accidentally hits him with the baseball must overcome unexpected challenges from this figurative and literal curveball. 

(I am still trying to work out a good day to film between all of my actors. Tonight, I am going to be an extra in my friend's film opening, and hopefully, I will also use him as an extra in mine. )

Curveball Symbol Photo: cfarnsworth2015, ~. “Two Fingers Is the Sign for a Curveball...” (Wvncc) Academic Support Center, 21 Sept. 2016, wvnccasc.com/2016/09/21/two-fingers-is-the-sign-for-a-curveball/.

Conventions

     There are some common conventions I plan to embrace and challenge surrounding the characters as well as theme and genre. Dramatic films are focused on serious subjects and possible real-life situations. The conflict or situation within my film is common and very possible, without being able to intervene. A baseball is hit by the main characters close friend and is unseen and hits the main character causing him to collapse around his friends. Other conventions of dramas are to evoke emotion within the audience, and I hope to achieve this by showing a lot of character development in the beginning so that the audience can relate to the character and sees the character as a very nice, caring, and loving person. This also sets up a common convention of the characters must go on a “journey” which would in the case of this story, be the recovery of the main character.

     Many teenager character conventions revolve around cliques and groups such as distinguishing the jocks, the nerds, stoners, cheerleaders, etc. Or the themes regarding “teen issues” like peer pressure, being an outcast, or depression are common in teen-focused films. I plan to stay away from conformities of these conventions, my story doesn’t have a need for distinguished groups like nerds or jocks, they are just a group of friends having fun playing baseball like they always do so anyone can relate to them. I also want to focus on more serious issues than the petty “teen issues” often found. The conflict is the sudden injury to the main character, and the whole story of the film being the focus on his recovery delves into deeper concepts such as more serious personal struggles or familiar issues that arise from the stress and struggles. The characters in similar types of films such as “The Goonies”, represents teens as very close in a bond and friendship which is a mood I hope to convey. 

The Goonies Kids Photo: Rothman, Michael. “'The Goonies' Turns 30: Where Are They Now?” ABC News, ABC News Network, 7 June 2015, abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/goonies-turns-30-now/story?id=31534000. 

     I am still searching for posters and other props to use in the room of the main character. I have searched through local arts and crafts stores, as well as Walmart and only came up with a few new props. I have found a couple of posters to add to what I currently have around my house, and I am still planning on going to Target or through the mall to look for other props.
   
     I was thinking to film this weekend of the 15-17, however, most of the actors I would be needed may be busy and so I will possibly need to change my shooting date to that Sunday the 17thh, and or the following few days. I myself will be helping my friend shoot his film opening on that Saturday, he has a different teacher than myself, and we have been good friends for a while. Hopefully, I will have 6-8 of my friends be able to act in the film opening, but the majority of the focus is on the main character, and maybe one or two other characters.

   I'm pretty excited to start filming, but only after I have all of my props together, another thought I had was to film the opening nonchronologically. For the first half of the film opening, it is just the main character and his mother, so it is much easier to film that whenever, but I need to give all of my hopeful actors enough time for a heads up so they can all be ready to film. Most or all of the props I still need to find would be used in the first half anyways so I may film this part after the outdoor scene playing baseball.

     I have finished a pretty basic and conceptual storyboard. It took me a day or two as I have been pretty busy helping out around with family this weekend. I think this will give myself and the characters a little map to follow when filming to make it go as smoothly as possible. 

     Most of this first page will be pretty accurate, while the second page I mainly just put the most important things to cover in the second half of the film opening. There will be much fast editing and fast pacing in the second half. 

     My next task after completing a simple storyboard will be to finish gathering information on props and gathering those said props to start filming! There are still different ideas I am struggling with deciding on during the film opening, but they don't seem like significant decisions. 

     I am currently in the works of slowly drawing together a storyboard. I should have it completed by tomorrow where I will post it on here.
     I just recently remembered that my friend who would be playing the main character will be gone during Spring Break so I will have to work around him while still giving myself enough time on the tail end of the project to finish, by filming the week prior to Spring Break.
     A type of look that I am going for in the 3 or 4 kids is similar to the look and clothing of the children in the films The Sandlot, and The Benchwarmers. It seems like a pretty common appearance in many baseball oriented films with kids present. The clothing should not be of any issue to find or put together. Toward the end of the film opening, the main character will get stuck with a baseball and is very injured. I am thinking of having the ball hit the character in the head as of now. One of my close friends is very handy with make-up visual effects so hopefully, I will be able to use some of her expertise in making visual effects to make the film opening more believable and enticing.

The Benchwarmers photo: https://thebenchwarmersstudy.weebly.com/blog

The Sandlot Photo: https://espn1530.iheart.com/content/2017-10-20-25-years-later-heres-what-the-kids-from-the-sandlot-look-like-now/?load_more=eyJzbHVnIjogIndja3ktYW0iLCAiYmxvY2tfaWQiOiAiYWYxNkUiLCAiY29uc3VtZWQiOiB7IjAiOiAzOTcyfSwgInBhdGgiOiAiL2NvbnRlbnQvMjAxNy0xMC0yMC0yNS15ZWFycy1sYXRlci1oZXJlcy13aGF0LXRoZS1raWRzLWZyb20tdGhlLXNhbmRsb3QtbG9vay1saWtlLW5vdy8ifQ==

     I must begin to type up or at least fully put into words, my image for the film opening. I will be typing up a script as well as drawing a storyboard (although I am not the best drawer) in the coming day or two. My personal deadline for this is Sunday night. I have previously used the online script writing service, Celtx. 

     After growing to understand the software, I found it very easy to use especially since it has much of the correct formatting used to assemble scripts. Such as the scene heading, characters names, scene direction, and dialogue. 
In order to create a storyboard more neatly, I will just be printing out an outline of the layout.








     I am still searching for music like I had mentioned in my previous post, and I have however come across a few music choices while searching for a more light, ambient tone. This will be playing for the first half I believe and I will need to find another song for the more active second half of the film opening. I have primarily looked and found the songs on Youtube's Audio Library Another idea I had come across was to have a very long anticipation for the sort of climax of the film opening; using a snare drum, at the beginning of the second half as it will only drum so slowly that is is barely noticeable and slowly increases speed and tempo until the main character is struck with the baseball. Release all the built-up tension, I do still need to find music to accompany this into the final shot of the film opening. 

Celtx Photo: https://www.celtx.com/index.html 
Script Outline Photo: https://screencraft.org/2015/05/07/elements-of-screenplay-formatting/
Storyboard Layout Photo: https://boords.com/storyboard-template

In Search For Music

     In the search for music... I have a few sources in mind that have copyright free music. I have previously used the websites Bensound, as well as InCompetech, and I have only looked at the different music and sound effects provided in Killer Tracks. 

     A few of my friends in my class, as well as our instructor, have recommended another service, Youtube's Creator Audio Library. Just searching on the website for a few hours, I defiantly have found more unique songs and specific sound effects that aren't really offered on Bensound, or InCompetech. 

     I am able to search for specific types of sound effects such as if I search "Baseball" under sound effects, it will give me all available sound effects associated with baseballs, such as sound effects of a baseball bat as well as the gloves and balls. I am also able to look up generic outdoor, summer, ambient sound effects. 

     When searching for the right music I want to find something with a filling, ambient tone, because I don't think I am looking for any real silence in my film opening so there will be sound to cover the whole production. I also want the music to be a neutral tone, not sad and not overly joyful or distracting either. Youtube's Creator Audio Library gives me the ability to search for tracks and songs that are within my timeframe for the film opening on 2 minutes. The home page is constantly updated and new tracks are always added for anything you could think of from bowling sound effects to a cartoon 'face stretch' effect. Within searching for the right music overlay, there are multiple different filters to search form to make finding the right music easier by eliminating the obvious types of music I want to gear away from. 

Audio Websites:
https://www.bensound.com/ 
https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/ 
https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/music
https://www.killertracks.com/

Stumbled Upon Props

     This past weekend I spent at my father's house which is currently in the process of being packed up as we are planning to move in a few weeks. I did, however, yesterday, stumble upon some of the classic baseball gloves, and bats, and other memorabilia.

     All of this was unboxed and I know that my dad and older brother both cumulatively must have thousands of baseball cards, so I should be able to use those as well for props in the first half of the film opening, in the main character's room.

     I still now need to find some more of the baseball mitts and baseballs themselves that are most likely packed in boxes right now, ready to be moved. I also need to look further into posters of baseball players or other more generic posters. I may also need to consider finding a 'plush' baseball to be used when the main character is hit to make the shots appear more believable. I will start to look on Amazon so I could possibly 'knock out two birds with one stone,' by purchasing posters and the baseball prop at the same time. I need to keep in mind the size and make sure it is as close to a replica as it can to be most believable.