Cambridge Blog Post 17

    Today is the day that I begin my filming. We had to make a couple of changes to the filming date. At first, we were supposed to film on Monday, 3/14/22 at 7:30 pm. After some discussion, we had to move the date to Wednesday, 3/16/22 at 7:30.

    I had a track meet yesterday, and at that I was able to talk to the owner of the warehouse. Due to a miscommunication and a failed relay of information, he did not know when we were filming. I told him Wednesday 3/16 and he said that worked for him. However, when I got home, the main character asked to do it a bit earlier and proposed a time at 6:30 pm. I got that confirmed by the owner and we are good to go.

    I will be filming today at 6:30 pm at the warehouse. I have to make sure that all of the supplies are brought, including the camera, the airsoft gun, holster, vest, and the actors. I will have a second friend there to help me take pictures and videos of the filming for the blog.

Cambridge Blog Post 16

    This class, we conducted a group discussion. We got members of different groups and we discussed our projects and ideas. After we discussed, we gave each other advice for different portions of the project that we needed help on. 

    They gave me advice on how I should end my film. Because I am ending my film with someone being shot to death, they recommended that I end the film without actually showing the kill. I will be changing the ending to fit the appropriateness of a school project. It will not be much different so it will not be a huge deal. I enjoyed this group discussion because it provided me with a lot of confidence.

    

Cambridge Blog Post 15

    For this blog post, I will be discussing the research that I did on color grading in preparation for the editing portion of the film. I watched a video on YouTube that I will reference and include below for further use. 

    1. I will need to create a null object above the final film cut to allow for the creation of color grade

    2. I need to track the motion of the camera by picking a spot with sharp edges

    3. I have to make sure that the target is on the null layer and then hit apply

    4. I need to create a new solid with the darkest part of the image as the color to keep consistency

    5. I will need to turn off the new solid so that I can see the original film layer

    6. I have to make sure I use the pen tool to draw out some spotlights created by the actual lights in the shot. 

    7. I need to change the blend mode to subtract and then add a mask feather

    8. I will have to create ellipses and add it to the area around the light (surrounding the ellipse)

    9. Make sure that the solid layer is parented to the null layer

    10. Create a large ellipse in the middle of the shot

    

Some extra notes I have are:

    - keep the attention where it should be

    - shadows and color grading can be strategically added to draw the viewer to a certain area of focus

YouTube. (2015). Create a Cinematic Look with After Effects Tricks! YouTube. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fmxbAv3XtI&ab_channel=Kriscoart. 

Cambridge Blog Post 14

     Until I can film this weekend, I am going to be conducting research on possible film editing techniques. I also wanted to attach the video of what I want to base my final seconds of the film on. It is a scene from the first John Wick where he finally gets the revenge he has been desiring. He kills the main antagonist. This video of my inspiration is included below.

    I like the way that John Wick comes in slow motion from the blur of the camera. I believe that I want to do that as well. Because my friends warehouse has different rows, I want my character to come around the corner of one of those warehouse rows. I do still want to keep the slow motion. 

    In the next few days I will be conducting research on color grading for these types of films, and I will be posting blogs based on that.

Cambridge Blog Post 13

    Recently, I have began thinking of dates for filming this project. I want to make sure I have time to get editing and research on editing done. I want to make sure my sound is also well done, which will take time because I will have to Foley some sounds. 

    I recently contacted my friend who's father is allowing filming in his warehouse. I asked him if we could film the weekend of 3/12 to 3/13. That way, I can have that necessary time for post production. I am awaiting a response from him. I also asked the friend who is allowing the use of his airsoft gun when he would be available to film, and he said that he may be able to on the weekend of 3/12 to 3/13. Today I asked him to confirm the date for me. 

    As I am writing this post my friend is asking his father for me if it ok to film that weekend. 

Cambridge Blog Post 12

    Within the past few days, I have been planning the filming days. I have been talking with one of my friends who is going to star in the film, and who will let us use his airsoft gun as a prop for the film. He will star as the main figure in the film that will be chasing down the victim. I will still have to decide who will be the main victim character, so I will talk to a few people soon about whether they want to or not. As I update that list I will be sure to update a post or create a new one to include that information.

    This week I had a discussion with the teacher, who expressed concerns about trying to film in the dark. But after I explained that another plan was to film in my friend's dad's warehouse, she expressed an excitement in that idea. I believe that I want to update my plan to film in that warehouse. That way, I don't have to worry about the scene being too dark, and I will be able to get as much detail as possible. 

    I asked my friends father about filming in his warehouse and he said that we could. This is a huge step and I am excited to see where this film takes me. I will post updated shots and scenes in the next blog post, as well as any other updates.

Cambridge Blog Post 11

I have included the new shots that I have added to my previous blog post below. They are also available on the updated post.

Shot 6: This is a new shot that I am inserting into this post. I would like there to be a shot before the subsequent shot in which the figure places a weapon case down and opens it up, revealing the weapon. I also want to show his hand go onto the weapon, and then the shot cuts to the next one. This way the figure is set up and the viewer knows what is in the figures hand.

Shot 10: For this next shot, I would like to have the same shot type as shot 6, where there is a low angle close up of the figure preparing the weapon. This time, I would like more facial features to be visible because I want the figure to be showing intent and visible anger.

Shot 11: For this shot, I want another over the shoulder where the focus is on the gun. You can see the hand on the gun as he is doing final inspections. At the end of the shot, he cocks the gun for the final time and he walks off. 

Shot 12: In this next shot, I want there to be a muzzle flash from the left center of the screen. This shot will be the final blow to the victim. The victim will fall to the floor, and will lay there for a second.

Shot 13: In this next shot, I would like the figure to emerge for the first time. They can emerge from either around the corner of the warehouse or from the darkness. The victim character is still lying on the floor, blood leaking from somewhere on his body. This shot will be in slow motion as the figure is revealed fully, including face, for the first time. 

Shot 14: This shot will be the final shot in the film opening. I would like this shot to be right after the previous one, in which the title of the film appears right as the figure leaves the shot. I want to use the deep bass sound at this moment as the title appears slowly, or fades in. Perhaps it is possible to make the music become loud for an instant to symbolize this end, and fade out as the picture fades to black.