Collection of Final Props

    I hoped to follow up an absence of posts with something of importance yet still I remain in a sort of waiting period until later this week. Over the weekend I did complete one thing. I spent the past few days in Chicago visiting my brother. In that time I stopped in at a large second hand shop in pursuit of several new hats, as I have a strong interest in such accessories. While there I spotted some clothing items I needed for my film, most notably, basketball jerseys and cargo shorts. I am still without puka shell necklaces but I intend to close in on those soon. Unfortunately that is all I have to comment on. By the end of this week I should have further information regarding filming.

Film Dates

As of now my filming plans for spring break are just about solidified. My friend Noa has successfully acquired a large amount of equipment. This includes a steadicam, a go pro, a shotgun mic and several lavalier mics. All of which was rented from Ithaca High School’s digital media department. A loose plan is set to do some tech trials and/or minor filming in the latter half of next week. A few of my actors will  not be in town so no major filming will be done but there are several smaller shots that may be possible to do next week.

"Barnsong"

I missed class this past monday and as a result missed watching the film “Barnsong” a  project done by a former WISE student. I felt that viewing a film documented process of a past student may be quite beneficial, so I went in earlier this week to watch it in Ms. Lord’s room along with a few other students.

“Barnsong” was a documentary made as a part of the WISE program that documented another students project which was to construct a barn. The film was quite brief, likely around twenty minutes, yet I felt there was a lot to take away from it. First and foremost, I found it comforting to know that these projects are not always fully polished and achieving of all goals that were initially set. Both the barn construction project and the documentary itself were slightly rough and unfinished, this is not to say they were lacking in quality they just clearly had things left the student would have hoped to achieve. This helped me in seeing that maybe it’s not entirely about completeing as much of the project as possible, there may be some importance in just making sure what part you do end up producing is quality work that you put a full effort into completing.

Another key thing I drew from the viewing is that my project pales in comparison to the hard gritty work done in barn construction. My workload may be substantial but at no time will I need to drag trees from the woods and feed them into powerful machinery. In short there’s much more I could be doing, but luckily am not. Making me even more determined to produce something of quality.

Lastly, even in the short span of the film, progress is seen in the skills of the student raising a barn. There’s a scene where he is speaking about how much time was initially required to complete a task was greatly undercut as he completed the task for a third time. This is to say that things will get easier and that as my project and many others projects continue on, they will grow more efficient, and development will occur which is much of what the WISE program is about.

Looking at Past Projects

     Today in class I received a former WISE student's project to both evaluate and draw from. Although I have yet to look through it thoroughly I did take time to read through their reflection, research commentary, bibliography and their first entry.
     For this students specific project they ,in collaboration with one other student, created a documentary focused on their fellow seniors in their last semester of high school. This documentary was made with the idea of it being a narrative of the students given little attention due to them being so near graduation.
     If there were a particular component of their reflection that was most useful to me it would be the long list of unforeseen challenges encountered throughout their process. Challenges that sometimes arose from areas initially seen as a simple step. It's important to see the inevitable roadblocks that will require you to alter your project, it's easy to be deterred by this sort of conflict if you are unaware of how common the issue is.
     It's interesting because the largest problem this student faced was scheduling which is something I predicted and have experienced in my own project. This issue of finding shared free time among many different people is a much more troubling task than it may seem. They mentioned that if they were to do it over they would be more organized creating a confirmed schedule among all those involved. It may have been beneficial to them but I have an inclination that for me it may be useless, those who have agreed to act in my film are not exactly known for being reliable. This produces some concerns for myself, most notably that I'll be squeezed for time regardless of how many precautionary measures I take. With that said ease comes in the form of a sentiment found repeatedly in the former students project I received. Through all the issues to overcome and the shortcomings, the project remained to be incredibly fulfilling, that it may not be entirely about the final product but also the journey that gets you there.

Toeing the Line

    As the first week of filming rapidly approaches I fight with the dilemma of what is and what is not school appropriate. The question arises in most if not all scenes,  most often linked to the foul mouthed nature of many of the characters.
     For this upcoming week I am finding there is a lack of work to be done and as a result a lack of content to fill a required blog post. The script is nearly finished in it's roughest form leaving me with little to write until I am able to run through it with actors. Unfortunately I can move filming dates closer to today due to conflicting schedules and absence of equipment. I was considering taking a look at the music I would like to use but without any footage it's somewhat difficult to select what fits best. Because of all of the above this week will go as follows. In addition to concluding the script and general touch ups I will be trying to find more creative ways to include what I want while still keeping it appropriate. Also I will hopefully find my remaining props at reduced prices.
    I will be leaving Ithaca by train on Wednesday night, this travel will force me to endure 13 hours of mild discomfort but more importantly plenty of time to finish whatever writing is left to be completed because it is almost certain no sleep will be had while traveling by way of Amtrak trains.
Here is to hoping by the end of spring break I will have a finished script and filming underway.

Polishing a Script

    As the four week week mark approaches so does the completion of my initial script. This benchmark is just about on track with my plans at the start of the project. Although there is some work left to be done on the script I have made time by preparing to film while still in the writing stage. What is left for the script is improving transitions, connecting scenes and adding to the story line mostly in the form of jokes.
    By the end of next week at minimum I'd like to be entirely certain with at least four scenes from the film in order to film them over break. I will be out of town Wednesday through Monday of next week so I would ideally hope to be filming Tuesday. Tuesday would consist of tech testing with my friend Noa who has graciously offered to help me with the film. Unfortunately many of the actors in my film will be out of town for a good portion of the break. This leads me to think it may have been smart to shrink the cast in order to make scheduling easier.  With that said I am confident with the dynamic created by all my main characters. I am still working on a time but currently I am hoping to sit down later in the break and film at least one of the scenes with many cast members.
     In addition to the film over break I'd like to gather up the rest of the props I've settled on to this point. This shouldn't be too difficult but it will likely take up much of the a day. In terms of positive news I have received confirmation that I will have access to a quad copter for filming. Although I have yet to mention this device it is very exciting news because it makes many of the shots I was hoping to test out possible.
    The only serious roadblock I face currently is the weather. I would like to have the film appear continuous but the weathers inconsistencies and the snows refusal to leave is providing some issues for continuity. Hopefully the snow dissipates before the week after next, beyond the issue of realism is also that the perpetual overcast weather requires much more lighting than the much preferred sunshine. Don't get me wrong , I adore winter and it's bitter cold but it is less than ideal for filming.

Peer Blog Respond

       I chose to read over Lili Delotsang's blog and Gavin Wentzel's blog both classmates of mine.

     Gavin Wentzel is currently making an album for his own project. This involves the playing of various instruments, recording, and mastering of the tracks. Although Gavin's posts are somewhat infrequent the ones written consist of concise plans and description of progress. It's also evident through his posts that he has a true interest in both music in general and his own project. I hope to see videos and photos of equipment used or small excerpts from songs in the works. The posts are brief now but I assume this is at least in part due to the being in the early stages of the project.

    Lili has chosen to analyse the current state of the supposed "American Dream". She's chosen to come at this subject through the perspective of immigrants and their experiences in the United States. As mentioned in her own description this particular study is pertinent to her own life and the Ithaca community. She herself being half Tibetan and living in a community with a very racially diverse population, the topic of immigration is often a discussion piece. With response to her in depth posts and personal connections to the subject I think it's fair to say she has a passion for her project which is a necessity in my opinion. I think in addition to this strengths are found in the depth of her posts and a well balanced blend of formal and informal writing. The only weakness I see now is more than likely due to being only a few weeks into this project. The weakness is simply that the focus is somewhat broad currently, I would like to see it grow more focused as the project progresses.

Prop Run and Construction

        Not much has changed since Sunday evening, most notably though, I have finished constructing my refrigerator box/ skateboard cart. Now initially this consisted of simply taping a pair of skateboards to a refrigerator box. Unfortunately this plan was far from perfect.
        As one may guess, half broken skateboards are not exactly predictable, in either the direction they travel or their general functionality. In the context of the film I need them to travel in a relatively straight line for a substantial distance. The first cart traveled no further than 10 feet before sheering off to the left dramatically. I attributed this to the left board which I had taped together, I assumed I had taped it slightly crooked. I un-taped and re-taped it with the help of a level. I pushed it down a hill once again, I started with greater hope for success yet a similar feel of failure upon seeing gradually slide of the right side of the road. This went on for something like ten trials before I reached the a working set of weighting and alignments of the boards. A project I hoped and expected to require no more than ten minutes, turned in to closer to an hour.
        With that said I am fairly certain it will now run straight 4/10 times with 70-15 percent certainty so that's progress of some sort. Congratulations to me.

Acquiring of Props 3/15/15

     Over this weekend I have been looking to acquire the props necessary for filming the completed scenes. Although I still have plenty left to find I did find several key props. One scene I hope to film during the upcoming break requires a contraption that involves two skateboards and a refrigerator box. Due to the fact that all money required for the film will come out of my pocket I chose for more frugal methods of obtaining these items. For the box I will be visiting appliance stores on Monday and will check if they happen to have any from sold products. The skateboards I have already obtained. I have a friend that skates and they happened to have many either worn down or broken boards, luckily for me I do not boards in fine condition so after a few minor fixes I now have two boards that should work. There are also several clothing items I need to find so I will likely visit the second hand shops in town, here's to hoping they have what I need and I can save a few dollars.There are a few higher priced items that I will not be able to buy at a reduced price but the list of items is small enough at the moment that the money required should not be a huge concern
        As a follow up to the mention of tech trials, I have found a scene and a time that only requires myself in terms of actors. It is also a scene that I hoped to include a variety of shots so it should be perfect for testing the equipment. I am still trying to find a date to film a few of the scenes that require most if not all of the cast.
     
   

Transitioning to Filming - 3/13/15

I met with my mentor for the first time this morning and we discussed general plans for the script and certain directors I should look at for possible inspiration. When talking about the order in which I was going to complete pieces of the project he recommended that I mix the writing and film together.
     I've decided to heed that advice, due to being very inexperienced with film making I imagine my project will benefit from experimenting with equipment to figure out what works best for me. Sometime in the next week or two me and my friend who has agreed to help with this project will test the cameras available along with lights and mics to figure out what most accurately fits my idea for the film.
     The scene I am most confident with, in terms of its current content, includes all of my main characters. As a result of this it was difficult to find a time when everyone was free. The date of filming is not rock solid currently but it's looking like it will be sometime over the upcoming break. This should give me time to polish up the scene in question and also continue to write more. I hope to use this scene as sort of a test run and an indicator to my limits for this project so I can write my script accordingly.
   

Film Inspiration 3/11/15

         Yesterday morning I received a film recommendation from my mentor in response to me explaining my choice of involving stereotypical douchebags in my film, early 2000's douchebags, those that sport puka shell necklaces and frosted tips, colored sunglasses and over sized basketball jerseys. The film recommended to me was James Merindino's SLC Punk.
   A story of geeks turned punks. The two main characters, Stevo and Bob, in the film are written to portray the stereotypical anarchist punk of the mid 1980's. Now the film details a much more serious story than my own, one filled with drug abuse, mental breakdown, and savage beatings. With that said it did give me a number of ideas about writing these stereotypical type characters. I expect to make serious modifications as my characters are intended to be a parody. So yes for the past day my research has consisted of viewing SLC Punk.

Examining Schedules

        Over this past weekend I sat down with several people I intend to work with and discussed what their schedule would look like for the rest of the year. One of the larger uncertainties up to this point was how timing would work out when I reach the stage of filming. To combat this I received rough approximations from actors so I would consider moving certain people in and out of scenes to make sure I could execute them as planned. Obviously I don't want to seriously alter the films plot to accommodate people but I'd like to what I can especially in these earlier stages of the project.
        Although not much has changed story wise in the past few days I'm deciding to include a factor that is usually present in my writing. After including my personal support for social justice in many of my work this year particularly I had decided that this project I would not include any of my own sentiments, and just stick to comedic purposes. Today I changed my opinion on this and intend to deliver a belief of my own on the topic of social  justice in my film. It will not be the centerpiece or likely much more than a brief scene yet I feel it's important to include it. Not to say it means much in a some high school kids short film but you may as well spread these ideas of equality through whatever medium you're able to regardless of how small or large the platform is.

Week 1 progress 3/6/15

Since my last post things have been uneventful for the most part. Due to busy schedule these past few days it has been hard to find time to sit down and write for an extended period. I intended to hold a second table read this weekend but I decided to hold off until I have completed many of the scenes I have started writing and polishing the piece.
    Most of the writing that has been done in the latter half of this week has consisted of editing and minor tweaks to polish this first draft. Although it has been difficult to find writing time I have been reading plenty from David Trottier's book I mentioned earlier in the week. I have read plenty on efficient ways to keep dialogue lively and purposeful. In addition to that I have been reading about many of the overused methods in script writing and the simple alternatives that add much more to the piece. An example of this was to avoid including the term beat in your writing. Beat refers to a slight pause in the action or speech of a character so it's easy to replace beat with a more descriptive observation of their action.
    Beyond the writing stage I recently completed an essential prop list and estimated a price for the items included. I then drew that amount from my own money and intend to make a trip within the next week or so to collect the required items.
    Lastly my mentor meeting this week was cancelled on account of illness but I intend to complete what I can through an email correspondence with my mentor. For now that is all.

Developing Distinct Characters

As of late I have been focusing a lot on developing a unique voice for each character. Sometimes it is easy to slip back into a voice you’re comfortable writing with and it can make character indistinguishable from one another. This is something I have been working to avoid as I know I have had a tendency to do so in the past.

I also spent much of my time looking over the scenes I have written and figuring out the best way to order them and connect them to one another. Thus far I have really just been writing scenes with little concern for their connection to others and viewing them mostly as a way to reveal the tendencies of individual characters.

For the most part my story has remained the same just a few modifications here and there. The only big change I have decided on is being uselessly excessive in the final scene of my film. I will not divulge any specifics but it is certain to involve fireworks. This decision really comes from just wanting to make this project as much about an enjoyable experience as it is about creating a well made film. As for now that is all the news worth sharing regarding the project.

Initial Scriptwriting and Gathering of Actors

For the the two weeks prior to today I have been writing up my initial script, as of today the page count is fifteen. While writing these pages I have also outlined several scenes and the general arc of the story. I’ve decided on a story that consists of five main characters, I have found an actor for each of these five roles also.

Going into this project I expected a decent amount of difficulty out of the gate and this was very much an accurate expectation. When it comes to writing dialogue and fleshing out distinct characters I have a grasp on it and feel comfortable with the task. What causes issue is the both the matter of formatting and adapting to a medium which requires that I select camera angles, transitions and scene descriptions. Now it is true that it is not necessary for me to write in camera directions into my script, yet seeing that I am also the director that work will have to be completed by me at some point in the process so I have committed to including it in the script.

As you can imagine, being essentially void of any experience with scriptwriting my work thus far has included many questions. These first two weeks have been just as much research as actually writing if not more. What I quickly learned while writing was that online community of screenwriters is almost never in agreement on formatting nor do they have a website thought of as the standard. As a result I purchased a book called “The Screenwriter’s Bible” by David Trottier, which was suggested to me by several writers I am in contact with. It has since been my go to for research.

Another thing I quickly learned was that much of scriptwriting is tedious if you’re without software that does much of the formatting for you. After a quick search I found the program Adobe Story which has done all that I need from it.

Thus far I have read through eleven pages of my script with my actors and received positive feedback, I intend to share it later on this week with my father and my mentor as I expect they will give me more constructive criticism.

All and all I am greatly enjoying the project and look forward to completing the script and getting to filming.