Why We Won't Be Filming Over Break

     Before break started, there was many stresses happening at school. Midterms was one of the main focuses during December. Many of our cast were busy studying and working. We didn't want to put any more pressure on them during break. Winter break is a time for every student to relax and rest from school. We didn't want our film project to be a burden on them, especially since it's not their assignment. We are just going to work with what we've already filmed. First, we're going to edit the clips we've filmed from the first shoot. Then, we're going to document the scenes we still need. I've been planning with my other partner what our schedule will be once we get back. We've contacted our actors about our new schedule. We're trying to take precautions so no inconveniences happen the next time we film. We asked if they can be available to film. We were thinking about filming after the holidays or when break ends. This gives us an idea of what we're working with. It also can help us with what we can film and if we need to have another filming day. However, for now it's a time for us to relax and enjoy the holiday season. We decided not to do much work over break. Especially since we know how stressful school has been lately. We hope our new plan will continue flawlessly.

Script Changes

      In our script, we had a different group of people we were originally working with. One of our members had to move away due to some personal problems. We didn't think it was much of a difference since it was just a side character. We tried to find a replacement actor for that one specific person. We had other people as an option but it wasn't confirmed that they are definitely able to film with us. We decided to change our script since we would have to anyway. We first had to rearrange our crew and the different characters they were playing. We went back into the script and just changed the names of the actors to be easier during filming. We changed it to the crew that was available for the original planning.We decided to make a backup script in case one of our actors wasn't available. We had to change the location of a scene to be outside since it was more convenient during filming. We also had to tweak parts of a scene to remove a side character. Also at the end of the film, we changed the scene so two of the girl friends are out of the scene. Everyone we're filming with has a different schedule to film. We didn't want to have to rely on the actors that weren't needed in a certain scene. After our first filming day, we decided to change some lines in the script. We wanted the lines to match the personality and humor of our actors in real life. We also altered some scenes to fit more in later. Some of the lines were too detailed that weren't necessary for the film. We're planning to reshoot to correct and fit our script.

Day 1 of Filming

      Today is December 12 of 2020. We decided to meet early at 11 A.M. to start our shoot. Each of us had some plans already that day. Which is why we decided to start so early so we can also finish early. We decided to change our scene to be outside near the pool. There was no one around to keep us safe from exposure to any germs or virus. The pool also had more space and less distractions for our actors. We had to test shoot to see if the audio could be picked up. We didn't have the opportunity to use the school camera so we improvised and shot on our iPhone. We decided to film the scene several times for time management so we wouldn't have to film again. We also wanted extra precaution incase the original shoot didn't was too long or short. We filmed one completed scene for the script. We went through many obstacles during our shoot. Our male actors weren't able to come that day. We decided to just reschedule to film their scenes at another time. We decided to film as much as we could without the boys in the scene. Overall, there was 2 mains scenes we could film. When we were filming, we went off script but still along the lines of the original script. We wanted our actors to be able to express themselves but still get the point across in the film. As we kept shooting, we realized we couldn't film much since our other actors weren't available.

Replacement Actors

      We've had many difficulties trying to find replacement actors for two members of our crew. One of our actors unfortunately had to move away due to personal issues. We as a crew supported this person and understood their struggles. We just thought we could do the movie without this one character since they were a side actor. We just planned to change the script without that one character because the story would still work without them. We gathered our crew and tried to schedule when to plan. We originally planned to film on December 5th, which is a Saturday. Due to the pandemic, many of our parental guardians aren't comfortable with this gathering to film. This leads to one of the main actors not be able to come that weekend to shoot. Most of our members decided to get tested to ensure our health and safety. Also, a few of our members were occupied with their own personal life such as practice and work. This caused two of our other actors to also miss out on the shoot that weekend. Overall, we decided that it wasn't the best time for any of us to film. We rescheduled the filming week. We also decided to find some backup actors in case any of the main actors weren't available to shoot when we rescheduled. We reached out to some of our mutual friends and asked if they would be interested in filling in those positions. We had a person that was confirmed able to come to shoot when we rescheduled. We didn't have anyone else to reach out to replace. We thought we could edit the script to fit with the number of actors we have. We will plan out our schedule for future occurrences.

Music Choices

     After we finished marketing and planning out our scenes, we decided to figure out more aspects of our film. One of the main categories we had to figure out was the music in our film. We didn't want to reach out to any mainstream artists for our film. Due to the fact that it would take a while to get their permission for copyright or might not even answer at all. We didn't want to risk that occurrence so we decided to choose copyright free music that you can find online. It would be more efficient and easier overall in the editing process. However, we still managed to run into some problems with copyright free music. We wanted different music to fit in with the characters of our movie. Most of the free copyright music online is mainly basic or not what we really expected in a modern film. We experienced a similar problem for one of our previous film projects. In one of our AICE Media Studies AS Level projects, we had to find music for this film. We went with a piece of copyright-free music at the time because we were warned about the same problem I previously mentioned. We thought about putting the same music into this short film. We also are going o add different songs that matched the tone of the scene. For example, in the fun and happy scenes we were going to add upbeat pop songs for those specific parts. While in our sad scenes we were thinking about adding dramatic music to emphasize the mood. We didn't choose any specific genre for each scene. We mainly just want to have a more creative way to provoke feelings into the audience that included music. We are still searching for music that would enhance our short film. We hope to find the perfect fit for our movie.

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.