Filming Day 1

Since we arranged the room setting the day before, filming went as smoothly as we could have arranged it.

I got to Nicole's house earlier than our actress did, to finalize the set, and double-check we had everything. Though we did run into some difficulties with timing, we were lucky enough to be working with a good friend- who didn't mind staying a bit later than expected. Jessica, our main actress, had experience with acting in our school's musical theater program- which also made her a good choice for the role. 

We actually had decided to work with her a while back, so I coordinated her outfit, and hair with the doll's. This is a very important component in establishing the doll to be a reflection of her. 

Once Jessica arrived it was just a matter of grouping similar shots together, and following the storyboard as closely as possible. The fact that we had previously numbered the shots, and matched the dialogue with each shot helped a lot. Not having to spend time figuring out when things would be said saved a lot our much needed time.

We did run into some issues with audio given that Nicole's camera wasn't recording the best sound. To solve this, we ended up taping my phone to the end of a broomstick as a make-shift boom. This way we were able to get much better sound quality without having to edit the audio from the camera. 

A shot that proved to be a challenge was a the top view shot of Jasmin animating. Nicole had to stand on her desk, with her tripod held on its side, 
as she used her free hand to stabilize the camera- needless to say, it was a 
pretty interesting sight to behold. Another shot we struggled with was the shots from inside the stop motion set. We wanted to show Jasmin reaching into the box, but even if we cut a hole in the box, the shot looked awkward. Eventually, we just cut out the back side of the box, and shot through there. 

Overall, it was a pretty successful day. Although we had scheduled to shoot both scenes today, we got all the footage from Jasmin's room done. We realized it was a bit unrealistic to shoot all the things we needed in one day, so we scheduled to shoot again Tuesday. Hopefully, I'll have some stills to show by then (expect them to be added to this post or to a later post). 

(We still want to color correct these to make the orange a bit more subtle but here's some progress)

Until next time!

Blue Isn't The Warmest Color

Today we worked on set design primarily. We had to transform Nicole's room-which we chose to film in out of convenience- into Jasmin's. This proved challenging given that Nicole's barren, turquoise walls completely clashed with the warm, lively vibe we wanted in Jasmin's room. It was important to establish this tone during this scene not only to establish character, but to make the contrast even more evident with the previous portion of the intro.

The first thing we had to resolve was Nicole's walls. We had to look for all the posters we could find to make this room feel like a geeky film enthusiast lived there. The actual content of the posters wasn't too relevant, given that we were shooting at a shallow focus, and most shots were close up anyway.  

Right away the fluorescent bulbs stood out, no matter how covered the walls were, that turquoise would always show through. We tried to compensate for all the blue by covering all the lights in her room(as well as some extra fill lights) with yellow and red cellophane paper. We even hung up trendy fairy lights to distract from the ugly blue.This looked okay to us, but the camera was still picking up the mopey-colored walls (Nicole if you're reading this don't take this personally. It's not you, it's your walls).

We were pretty bummed out (maybe it was the blue getting to us) BUT THEN,

I suddenly remembered this tricked I picked up from a video I watched a while back on white balance. Basically, If you manually set the camera to recognize a color as white, it will emphasize the colors opposite to it in the color wheel.Using this method, we could make the "white" a blue hue, and thus cancel out the turquoise in the room. We got a pretty interesting effect. Although we lost some contrast, I think we should be able to correct that in after effects. 

Another thing we worked on was the stop motion set. Before I got there, Nicole had pre-cut a cardboard box to use as a base. We then painted it a base color of orange to give it a warm, confident, and happy feel. The rest of the colors were just colors that would complement orange/yellow. Still, we made sure they didn't contradict the overall intended feel of the scene. 

Puppet Chaos

Since my last post, Nicole and I got together and worked on the script. First we laid out the basic things Jasmin would say, and then while discussing lines and inspiration we thought it would be interesting to incorporate references to film noir films in the interrogation scene. However, I think its best for me to discuss which lines we kept/modified once filming is done. 

Storyboarding Madness

Two weeks have passed and this is really starting to feel like a tangible project. I last met with Nicole on Friday and we discussed storyboarding and writing. Since then, I've started working on a stop motion puppet(which I will discuss later on). Nicole is taking care of the script, and I'm working on storyboards.  Despite the fact that I've spent about eight hours on this project this weekend alone, I'M EXCITED. 

Anyway let's get into the shots! 

So our film is gonna start in a dark room with a close up shot of a gun pointing to the top right third of the screen. The camera then cuts to an over the shoulder shot of the doll in the foreground, with a dark figure in the background- paired with a reverse shot. We wanted to start the film by creating a sense of mystery right away, keeping the figure in the shots obscured for the most part, with low key lighting, and a creepy monologue. 

Jasmin only comes into the light when she slams her hands on the table as she furiously interrogates the puppet. Throughout this sequence, Jasmin is  the largest figure in the frame, and takes up most of it- thus, establishing her as having "primal control" (I picked up this term from a video I watched a while ago). In the context of her taking control of her life, and looming over the inanimate version of herself, this choice made sense to us.

In one shot, however, the viewer sees them stare face to (clay) face, and the doll is elevated so that their eye levels match- further reinforcing the confrontation, while creating a slight, temporary change in hierarchy to illustrate her inner conflict trying to figure out where she stands.

The scene follows the same guidelines I mentioned above: low key lighting, visual hierarchy, and slightly unnerving shots. As she says a line of heavy weight, there's an extreme close up of Jasmin's mouth. I also included a zoom on her hands as she slams her fists on the table to make the rapid motion all that more jarring with fast editing. These techniques are meant to create a sense of mystery, as well as to make the viewer uncomfortable with anticipation. As Jasmin reaches for the gun, the camera follows her actions until the point where the gun is facing directly at the camera. This shift from the beginning shot-where the gun was pointing to the side- to a more balanced one is meant to convey the idea of her being more assertive and making up her mind, ready to pull the trigger. 

As she pulls the trigger, a graphic match from the gun barrel to a camera lens transitions into the next scene. Where we see her animating a stop motion film. We want to emphasize her enthusiasm and dedication by having the actress move lively in between the shots, yet be very still as she takes the picture.Symmetrical shots are also used to convey that she has full control over what's happening inside the mini-set. This order contrasts greatly with the messy "set design" of her room.

As her mom calls her to go downstairs, she continues to work until she calls her a second time. Then we cut from the sequence of her animating meticulously, to a wider shot of her room, as she struggles to find her sweater in the unknown sea of papers and clothes. We plan to use jump cuts to show the progression of time.

Once she finds her sweater we wanted to have symmetrical, balanced shots as she puts on the sweater. Close ups and quick cuts will allude to the fact that the sweater is important, and that she's very particular about the way she gets dressed. 

As she leaves the room we see a a kind of point-of-view shot from inside the set. As if the doll was watching her. Nearing the door, Jasmin turns back and a shot reverse shot of both Jasmin's and the puppet's eyes alludes to a sense of confrontation. Then Jasmin delivers her last line, "I'll get back to you later," and the door shuts close as the screen goes black. This would be our title screen, but we tragically do not have a title yet.

 

Aluminum Wire

Okay for some reason I thought it was a good idea to make a stop motion puppet for the first time in this project. I've always enjoyed stop motion films, but next time I watch one I might just break down crying because of my newfound admiration for the craft.

I used a handy YouTube video to teach myself the basics: like making the armature, and making sure my puppet's ego wasn't too big so that it doesn't topple over (or maybe it was something about not putting too much clay in the head). Anyway, I went to my local craft store and unknowingly signed off my soul as I signed the receipt for aluminum wire, Styrofoam, and air-dry clay (yes, I got the wrong type of clay).

Once I was home, I sketched my character, and laid out how the armature would sit within it. Little did I know this was the last I was gonna see of my finger tips. Turns out, as the handy YouTube video pointed out, I have to either use a power tool, or twist wire by hand. I didn't think twisting wire was too bad when I first started, but by the second wire arm I had twisted, I started to seriously question my life choices. 

Okay maybe it wasn't that bad, the armature actually came out pretty okay. For my first time trying, I'm pretty proud of what I accomplished. It stood up without me adding anything, so that must be a good sign. I was planning to have more progress done by the time of this post, but you can blame aluminum wire for that.

Finished Armature!

H. (2014, January 24). Retrieved March 18, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsBH9na2xNo

STORY TIME

I'd first like to apologize for my inactivity. This past week was quite busy to say the least (blame aluminum wire). That aside, STORY TIME. 

I think for this to make sense I should go over major, overarching plot points, and general shifts in mood rather than specific details.Nicole and I are interested in experimenting with a non-linear plot, so it's best for me to give background information, and then detail how we're gonna portray that. 

Timeline

To give some background, our main character (temporarily named Jasmin) has always enjoyed her artistic endeavors alongside her childhood best friend- let's call him John for convenience. Jasmin and John had always enjoyed the same bands, praised the same old time movies, and even made short films together. John and Jasmin shared the same child-like spirit/creativity that I discussed in my previous post.  

As they grew up, John grew apart from this kind of atmosphere that he now deemed somewhat unnecessary with the pressures of high school, and college on the horizon. However, he was still supportive of Jasmin, and helped her in her projects whenever he could. 

John's supportive attitude changes when he starts dating a girl, who doesn't really like Jasmin (let's call her Alexa for now). Not only does she find her childish and immature, but she's also skeptical of Jasmin because of her sexuality. In other words, Alexa sucks. John then kind of molds his personality around Alexa's and starts to agree with her beliefs- ultimately pushing Jasmin away even more. John also kind of sucks.

Following this we see a shift in Jasmin's character. She feels as though if she tires hard enough to revive the spark that her and John had, they will become best friends again. Jasmin tries harder than ever to be that happy person she wants to be and impress John. Tragically, this irritates john because he feels she's trying too hard to be something she's not. John quickly becomes tired of this, confronting Jasmin about her not being "genuine" and acting "fake." 

She doesn't take this very well. She feels that nothing she ever enjoyed had any value in it because it was all "fake." Jasmin completely removes herself from all the "childish" things that made her happy just because she wants John to be her friend again. She essentially blames herself for John's lack of interest, and decides to change her way of being completely.( This is where the "murder" part I referenced in my last post comes in, but I'll get back to that later) 

Evidently, her logic was faulty in that just because someone no longer appreciates the things that make you happy doesn't mean they're not valid. She realizes that after trying so hard for someone's friendship, she's not really happy. So the resolution is her coming into terms with who she really is, and validating her interests as well as the fact that she doesn't need someone's approval for the things she likes. 

SHE'S ALIVE (well, sort of)

After brainstorming for quite a while with Nicole over the phone- which consisted of a lot of excited gasping and screaming- our main character seems to be coming to life.

Regarding the stereotypes we are challenging, we decided to most notably challenge the "spicy Latina" trope and the notion that the sexuality of a lesbian/bisexual character is all there is to their personality. Staying as far away as possible from the various costumes that Hollywood has specifically tailored for these groups.

I feel like challenging LGBT tropes won't be as hard. Given that the problem with a lot of LGBT characters is that they are either one-dimensional, and/or irrelevant to the plot. We want our character to be visibly LGBT, but we don't want that to be a defining characteristic- because (shockingly) that isn't the case in real life.

Regarding Latina tropes, we are completely staying away from the objectified "spicy Latina" stereotype- which depicts Hispanic women as inherently promiscuous, unintelligent, and loud. Not only is this racist in the sense that it perpetuates the view of non-European cultures as "exotic", but it severely limits the ways in which Latina girls can see themselves on screen. 

Our main character is a quiet, yet assertive individual who is not at all concerned with anyone's view of herself but her own. She's smart and seemingly confident, without any over the top 

Our Protagonist

Our story will follow a student in her last years of High School, who can be best described as someone with a child-like spirit. She's not particularly excited to grow up, so she surrounds herself with things some may regard as childish, but she genuinely enjoys them- it gives her a sense of comfort. She's perceived as laid-back, though she doesn't care much what others think of her. Still, this relaxed, amicable attitude makes her well-liked by her circle of friends.

She entertains herself with the arts. Though she knows she can't really draw all that well, and that her neighbors are tired of her trying(and failing) to hit that high note from that obscure musical, she enjoys herself and that's all she cares about. She keeps posters all around her room,and even has a play dough mini-set for an "experimental stop motion film" she's been telling her friends all about for the past year (you didn't hear this from me but this stop motion film is relevant later on).

Now you may be thinking: 
"Wow! how funny, quirky, and original!"
(that's me trying to type sarcasm out, not that one would think in punctuated sentences)

Listen... you may be right, but buckle up because I swear it makes more sense in the end. The reason for her character being so seemingly fabricated is because she is; there is a clear disconnect between who she is, and the way she presents herself. Let me explain myself, the girl you "meet" in the beginning of our story is nothing like the one you get to know in the end.

Essentially, our story is about her personal journey to figure out who she really is, and the underlying causes for this fabricated version of herself she's so attached to. 

In the beginning, she would the overly happy, child-like, amicable person dressed in thrift shop finds that everyone loves. She has this whole attitude of independence, freedom, and conviction that she finds comfort in. Though little does she know, she has inadvertently put herself in a mold. The rising action would deal with her realizing she doesn't know who she really is, which would lead her to want to figure that out. Ultimately resulting in her addressing her attachment to her childhood, and the underlying causes of it- reaching a more balanced state of mind. 

While brainstorming, we pictured the climax as her metaphorically killing this alter ego- but I'm getting ahead of myself! I'll discuss the plot more definitively in my next post!

Until Next Time!

Research Research Research

In my last post, I outlined that the writing process would go as follows; 

         1. Character Research

         2. Plot development 

         3. Choosing Genre 

Since then, Nicole and I agreed that a large part of our production would address representation tropes of particular groups who are often misrepresented. We both believe that representation is one of the most powerful tools media offers to shape public opinion. When used in the right context it can not only create connections between different groups, but it also has a really powerful impression on the people within that group.

Naturally, our next step was to discern which misrepresented group we would focus on. Focusing not only in the least represented groups(because oh boy the list is endless), but also groups we could provide our own insight to. Ultimately, we decided to build our story around a Latina, who happens to be part of the LGBT community. 

Then came the research part, so bear with me as I try to make numbers seem interesting.

A recent study by USC found  Latinos among the most underrepresented groups in media, stating that while the US population is 17.4 percent Hispanic or Latino, only 5.8% of the characters in their sample of 11,000 characters were Latino. That's as if a box of cookies was advertised to have seventeen varied cookies, only to find five lonely, expired cookies in the- hold on, that means you'd be seeing more than you get- FORGET I SAID ANYTHING. The point is, this doesn't accurately portray society.

This is even more alarming when you take into account that Latina women are an even smaller fraction of this 5 percent (38%). Even then, the little exposure Hispanic women get is often through a fetishizing lens that reduces them to sex symbols ( being the most sexualized out of the identifiable minority groups at 39%). 

 

When a group is not represented often, and misrepresented when it is, people without any experience with that group shape their opinion of that group based on the very limited scope presented. Stereotypical representations can also have an impact in shaping the views of the people within that group. Since TV and Film celebrities have inevitably become role models, people's opinions on what they should and shouldn't be are deeply affected by representation. 

Regarding LGBT representation, I sourced GLAAD's 2016 Studio Responsibility Index, which studies yearly progress in LGBT inclusion in film. The findings outlined that:

• Only 17% of the major studios samples had characters that identified as LGBT
• Of these 17%
• 77% were men
• 23% were women. 
• Regarding race
• 72.3% were white
• 16.6% were Latino
• 8.6% were African American
• 6.4% were Asian or Pacific Islander

Clearly, women of color are the least represented LGBT group.

GLAAD clarifies that criteria for these statistics is based on the Vito Russo test, which is similar to the feminist Bechdel test. According to the test, qualifying characters must:

• Be identifiably LGBT
• Have significant character development that goes beyond their sexuality/identity.
• Matter, in that their removal from the movies would significantly hinder the plot. 

Obviously, these are very baseline requirements for what an LGBT character can be, but they help outline the problems with a lot of LGBT representation.

So what?

What's the relevance of all this? Well I didn't write this post just to whine about how unjust Hollywood is (though it is). The reason for outlining what's wrong with the representation of these groups is to better illustrate what we will NOT do. Undoubtedly, there are problems within the film industry, but what will we do to challenge these long established prejudices?

We hope that by challenging the outlined negative tropes (and the ones I omitted), we will write a character who presents a fresh perspective of what an LGBT Latina is/can be. A dynamic protagonist whose identity revolves around the truths universal to all humans. A character that challenges the preconceived notions that media has ingrained in society about Hispanics and LGBT people for decades- thus, widening their perspective.

In my next post, I will be discussing both character and story more definitively.

Smith, S. L., Choueiti, M., & Pieper, K. (n.d.). INCLUSION or INVISIBILITY? GENDER MEDIA, DIVERSITY, & SOCIAL CHANGE INITIATIVE Institute for Diversity and Empowerment at Annenberg (IDEA) Comprehensive Annenberg Report on Diversity in Entertainment (Rep.). Retrieved March 10, 2017, from University of Southern California website: http://annenberg.usc.edu/pages/~/media/MDSCI/CARDReport%20FINAL%2022216.ashx 

2016 GLAAD Studio Responsibility Index. (2017, January 12). Retrieved March 12, 2017, from http://www.glaad.org/sri/2016

And So It Begins

With only five weeks left until the project deadline, my partner Nicole and I have decided to start our (terrifying) exciting journey towards producing a two-minute film opening. Nicole and I have worked together multiple times in other projects, and we know our faults and virtues pretty well; Nicole's forte is in editing, while my strengths are in the pre-production/visual development process. Luckily, our skills complement each other.

Because we truly believe that a great film is based on story, and a good story is one with well-developed character, our first step to developing the plot is character research. Once we have established the type of character we want to portray, and what tropes/conventions of representation we want to challenge(or adhere to), our character's story will essentially tell itself. A definite story will then facilitate us choosing a genre that best fits the tone and theme of the plot.