After the Break

     We didn't do any work over the break because we weren't assigned anything for class. We also wanted to relax since school and the pandemic has taken a huge toll on our lives. School is our main priority however we also just needed a mental break from all the stress and work. We didn't film over break because we wanted to focus on our mental health. We also didn't want to bother our crew and get them out to film during their break as well. We planned to film the weekend after the break since we mainly planned the schedule before and over the break. We decided to start filming the weekend of December 5th and December 6th. If we aren't able to film that weekend, then we will most likely film the weekend after. Most of the filming will be finished in one weekend. We are planning to meet up and film only the scenes that have our other members in the scene. We will most likely finish filming in those two weekends if any inconveniences happen. We're going to try to finish filming before the midterm week and winter break happens. We want to be focused on studying for the midterms. That week can also be very stressful trying to balance school and work as well. We also don't want to film over break either since we want our members to relax. We don't want our actors to be forced to film over break either. One of our actors contacted us and informed us that she isn't available to film with our group. We contacted another person to try and fill in her position. We don't have a confirmed answer yet but we're trying to stay positive about the situation. Our plan if we can't get a replacement is to edit the script and scenes to fit the number of members we do have.

Marketing the Movie

    For today, we continued on marketing our film. Last time we focused on getting the website up. Today we are gonna continue with adding onto the site. We planned on finishing putting all of the required information up on the website. My partner and I each made separate social media accounts for our film. I was responsible for the Instagram and Youtube account, while my partner was responsible for the Twitter and Facebook account. We used the same email that we created for the site so all of them have the same contact. After creating the accounts, we had to chose and make a profile picture and promote the movie. We then proceeded to add the social media links to our website. It took a few tries to see which link was correct. We also had to preview the site to see if the links actually worked. We added the headshot photos of our participants. We divided the information thats going to be on our site. I was focused on the synopsis, film festivals and where and when the film is being released. I researched the different film festivals that are local and international. My other partner were doing the reviews, photos, crew and cast. She reached out and received the photos and decided on the different roles. We had some difficulty changing different features like the fonts and photos. We both had input on the synopsis of the film. We wanted the description to show the film isn't a traditional love story without giving too many details. 

Creating the Website

     Today, we had to create a website to market our film. I started off with wix.com to create the site because it's free with many options to choose from. I created a new email to use specifically for our film. I didn't want to put any personal information out there as the contact for our film. The email was the name of the movie because most professional films have one dedicated for that specific film. I filled out the information on the site to get started with out business. We chose film to be our main purpose for the website. We then proceeded to chose a layout for the website. They originally gave us 6 options to from. We were aiming for something more simplistic so our info stood out the most. As we finished with the main format of the site, the website was finally official. It was exciting to see the site up, especially because I never done anything as professional before. We mainly explored how to edit and the different customizations the site had. We tested out different formats and colors to see which one looked the best. We added sub-categories to separate the different information that was required on the site. Wix already had subtitles for these categories which included cast and crew, reviews, trailers and etc. Having these formats out was very helpful in suggesting of what else we could add onto the website. We also could create out own subtitles and add photos and captions to it. We mainly just wanted to put the film description on the site. We also reached out to our participants for their photos to put onto the site.

Storyboard for Short Film

 

      We finished the storyboard for our short film. We were able to get a better picture of what our film will look like. Since we are in quarantine we did this short film together over the phone. One group member printed and drew half the pages while the other was on the phone helping and giving feedback. Then, the member who was giving feedback printed the other half and did the drawing while the previous drawer gives feedback. The storyboard also helped us if the weather is not our friend the days we film. Umbrellas easily fit into the film since high schoolers often go to school even in the rain, so we will just film in the rain. The beginning of our storyboard shows Alicia, the main character, getting up and looking through her closet. These first squares show the layout of her room and how her bed, dresser, and closet are all right next to each other. Then when Alicia's friends call her we at first see a split-screen between her and Audrey. In the screenplay, it is written differently but we decided to go a different way where Gen would not enter the split-screen until she starts talking. We thought this change would emphasize the joke she makes and make the characters more memorable since they are not all introduced at once. They end the call and in the storyboard, the screen goes black. In the screenplay, this is not clearly written as it just says the call ends. We decided we should have the screen go black and then transition into the next scene. We thought this would make the next scene more dramatic and that's what we wanted. These girls are supposed to be fashionable and have all the attention on them so we thought the transition from a black screen to this next scene would emphasize that. In this scene, the girls also meet Eric and Willow. These two groups banter back and forth and we decided it should be filmed in a way so that the audience can feel the comebacks. We thought close-ups could accomplish that because then it feels as if the little quips and comebacks are being said directly to the audience. Also, there is a close up that shows Alicia in front making a remark while Gen and Audrey are behind her. This represents the power structure in the friend group with Alicia being on top. We put a lot of thought behind this storyboard and are glad we were able to get a clearer picture of our short film.

Planning Blog for Short Film

 We are planning on beginning the filming process for our short film December 5th. This date may be subject to change, but it is what we are planning on as of right now. We can get all the filming done in a day but if not we can finish December 6th or the following weekend. We have multiple filming locations. The first locations are three bedrooms. These can be filmed at the same time since it is the actor's individual rooms so they can film themselves saying their lines. The second location will be a sidewalk. This sidewalk is located near one of our group member's house. The third location is Dairy Queen located near Fort Lauderdale High School. We have six participants including the group members since we have six roles in our short film. Since Covid-19 is still severely affecting Florida we will try to be as cautious as possible. Most participants don't leave their houses a lot unless for school and none of them go to large social gatherings. The first scene is relatively safe since each actor can film themselves in their own house. The other scenes will still be safe to film since we will most likely be the only ones their and our group is only six people. These locations are also outside in open space so we don't have to be close to each other besides filming. We will also wear masks when not filming. Our props include skateboards, telephones, food, clothes, and backpacks. The costumes will have two opposite aesthetics. The three main friends wear more traditionally feminine clothes consisting of soft pinks, blues, purples, yellows, and greens. While the main groups rivals the "skater" kids wear baggy clothes or jeans consisting of darker colors like black. We are excited to start filming and have high expectations for our film.

Short Film vs. Feature Film

 I’ve watched a short film and a feature film version of 9. The short film was only 7 minutes long while the feature film is an hour and 20 minutes long. Both films had many similarities while being completely different. The films had a similar plot, setting, and characters. One of the biggest contrasts was the dialogue in the feature film. The short film had absolutely no dialogue. In the feature film, it portrayed the different dolls more than the short film did. In the short film, there were only 2-3 different dolls shown while the feature film introduces everyone and their personality. The length of the movie gave more of an opportunity for plot development. For example, in the feature film, it shows how the souls of the dolls were taken and how the dolls were created. In the short film, it's very vague and doesn't explain why or what the ragdolls are trying to do. The feature film also gives more of a background to what happened to the world. While in the short film, the dolls were just placed into the apocalyptic environment with no particular goal or reason. Both films had similar core elements where the dolls were saving the others from the robots and freeing their souls. While I enjoyed both films, I prefer the featured film more. It gave more background to the characters which helps create a connection with the audience. One of my favorite parts in the feature film was when 9 found out that the other dolls are souls from the same scientist. In the end, this information bonded the group together which was really heartwarming to me.

Research 9: Featured Film

 I had to watch the featured film 9. The film is based on the short film 9. The film is an hour and 20 minutes long. The setting looks was an apocalyptic place and damaged from the revolution. The main sound in the film is dialogue, ambient, and incidental music. The plot is revolved around 9 rag dolls. The rag doll, 9, is the last doll built by a human to help save humanity on Earth. When 9 wakes up in the studio, he starts to wander around the place. As he explores the area, he finds one of his friends, 2, however, he was taken by the robot beast shortly after their meeting. Another doll, 5, finds 9 in a struggle and try to take in to care for. In their sanctuary, 9 gets to meet the other dolls. There's the main leader of the group which is 1, he controls and rules what the other dolls to keep them safe. The 8th ragdoll is the biggest and he's the "guard" of the group to make sure they're following 1's commands. 1 explains to 9 what has happened to the world and how they're supposed to be discreet. 9 and 5 start planning their rescue for 2, despite 1's disapproval. They ventured out towards the industrial buildings and found 2 locked up in a cage. When they tried to free him, a robot started to attack them only to be saved by 7. 9 found a device that took the soul of 2 to power the robots. The other three dolls eventually escaped the robot and 7 led them to a library. At the library, they found the twin dolls 3 and 4 to help them find answers to defeat the robots. They eventually found a correlation with the devices that awakened the machines only to find out that doll 6 was studying them. The dolls go back to the church to tell 1 about their new knowledge only for it to cause an argument. They were ambushed by a robot bat creature and had to relocate after the damage. After figuring out that the devices were from humans to create the dolls, 1 started to diminish their ideas which caused the group to drift. 1, 6, and 8 were attacked by the machines and took their soul to power more robots. The other dolls realized that the device with the symbols was what contained their souls and put them into the robot to fuel them. The remaining dolls, 3, 4, 7, and 9 help save the others by removing the piece from the robots. 9 put a sequence into the device which released the souls of the other dolls into the sky to free them. In conclusion, I very much enjoyed the featured film and the journey the ragdolls had to go through.