Editing softwares

 So while my heart truly just wants to use my simple iphone InShot app to edit this project, my brain knows that that is not the right approach to this project. As I lead up to the end of this project, I need to settle on a editing software that I can use to facilitate my editing process. Since I know editing is not my strong suit, I have some criteria that whatever editing software I pick has to fit. It needs to be free, easy to use, and has many editing options.

So after some research, these are the two softwares I am considering choosing between:

Adobe Premier Pro

Pros:

-Already familiar with 

-Have free access to

- Gives profesional results 

Cons:

-A little hard to use 

-Still figuring out all its features 

IMovie

Pros:

-Seen people work with IMovie 

-There are many available tutorials 

-Cool features 

-Easy to use according to users

-Free 

Cons:

-Have never worked with 

-Could take me some time to figure out

-Have to install it in a Macbook

Overall, I think I am leaning towards using Adobe Premier Pro mostly because I have already worked with it so I am more familiar with it, even though it can be hard to figure out at first. I also know that I will be able to edit exactly how I envision it because I know it has all the features I need. So I guess it’s settled, Adobe it is!

Sources:

https://www.trustradius.com/products/imovie/reviews?qs=pros-and-cons#overview

https://www.trustradius.com/products/adobe-premiere-pro/reviews?qs=pros-and-cons#reviews

Scheduling problems

 Okey so I have come across some problems with my schedule and I still have not begun filming and I am falling behind. So I feel the best way to solve this is to walk through my problem and talk through it so I can solve it! Let’s go!

So first of all, my original time frame to be done with my filming is not going to be possible. I originally had planned to film this weekend but an important trip came up and I won’t be able to film. So, with spring break coming up, I am now short on time. I have a trip to Argentina that will last my whole spring break so I won’t be able to film during that time either. At first I thought that I could maybe film in Argentina? But to be honest that will simply not work out, I won’t be able to bring my camera and the setting would simply not work. That means that the only time I have to film for now is the beggining of next week monday-wednesday. Technically I could also film when I come back to my trip but that will be very tight on time. 

So for now, I am going to try and film during the beggining of next week like I said, and anything left I have to film I can finish when I come back from my trip. And for the spring break time, since I won’t be able to film, I tought I could work on my CCRs for now.

While my time frame is now kind of messed up and I know the last thing I wanted to do was to cram this project I think I can definetly work around this and make it work!

Props and setting

 So for the setting of my film opening, I am extremely grateful the setting is in a home. Having the ability to film in the comfort of my own home makes the film in process a lot better because I get a lot more time and comfort to film. While using my house as my setting is definitely has its pros, I think I need to talk about some negatives. First of all, since both of my parents work from home and I also have two brothers plus a dog lets just say my house is not always fit for filming. I will need to ensure no one is home whenever I film to ensure sound and film quality which is a little easier said than done. With this in mind, I know both of my brothers are out of the house often and I guess I will just have to bribe my parents into leaving…its fine they wont mind… I think. No but seriously, I’m sure they can just stay in one side of the house and it will be fine since I will only be using part of the house in my film opening. Anyways that takes care of part of my setting situation.

Since in the first few seconds of my film opening the main character is driving a car, and I will have to be inside the car driving I do have to wait until I get my liscense… funny enough tho I get it in exactly a week. Since some shots will need me to be inside the car alone, I need to ensure it is legal! So yeah, I will have to film those shots later once I finally get my liscence. That should be no problem tho because I will hopefully pass my driving test and make it possible for me to film those first few shots of the car.

Overall, I think being able to chose my house as my film setting will aid in my overall process. Not having to depend on weather and daylight is also a positive because it will allow me to use my time in whatever way I like. It also helps that I know exactly what my setting already looks like since I spend so many hours here. It is also helpful that I have the ability to change around the setting details such as tables, decors, light, etc since it is my own house. All in all, I believe my setting is an overall positive in my film opening process.

Lets act!

For my film opening, to make this project easier to film and to not have to torture another human being, I am going to have to be the main character. Having to film myself is not something I am exactly excited to do, let’s just say I am not the most camera loving person in the world. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good picture here and there, but having to act and play a character is a whole different deal. I hope those acting classes I took in third grade come in handy for this project because I really want my main character to be able to portray emotions that can allow me to connect to my audience. 

People always say that the eyes are the window to the soul. For years, especially with English being my second language, I would never understand what they meant. I feel like I finally get it. They really can be, especially in film. You can know exactly how a character is feeling just with their eyes. I found this cool picture that illustrates just how powerful a characters eyes can be. They can change a film tone and meaning, the character does not have to say a single word but you can still feel what they feel, depending on their eyes.

You might be wondering why I have been talking about eyes for so long. Well since most of my film opening will not have dialogue until the very end, a characters facial expressions (especially their eyes), is something I wanted to think about and reflect upon. Since I will be acting as the main character, in this case the girl that gets murdered, I need to channel my inner “Psycho”.  This picture of Janet Leigh is a great example of great facial expression that basically scream at you and tell you exactly what the character might be feeling or experiencing.

This is all to be able to do my best when I portray my own character in my own mystery film. I want to ensure that in these seconds of my film opening you get to know at least a little bit of the characters with their facial expressions and body language.

Plotting a plot

Okey so it did kind of take me a while but I finally got most of the details done for my plot. It took me a while because I truly was not sure what I wanted to do and what I could fit into my film opening time frame. Since I’m doing mystery, I really want to work to build suspense in my first few shots and really try to engage my target audience that I previously discussed. I created a rough little storyboard of the different shots I want to include in my film opening. Creating this storyboard really helped me put all my ideas on paper and helped me get organized.

Storyboard:

Okey so my film follows this girl that gets murdered…wow creative right?! Okey yes I know that mystery murders have been done before but that does not mean that I can’t do a murder for my mystery film opening. What it does mean is that I have to make it creative and interesting. I really want to work on using a film topic that has already been done hundreds of times, like a murder, and it turn it into something that is mine and unique, as well as something that my target audience will enjoy watching. I am still trying to figure out how exactly I can make that happen, but for now I have my basic plot done and now I can start brainstorming different cool aspects I can add to my film with things such as lighting, props, characters, etc. My main point is that I finally set down my plot. Now I have to make it real!