CCR

After endless hours of editing. Finally. Google Drive was giving me issues which was not a fun time. Here is my CCR.

Click here...!

Lo and Behold

Project: finished

I’m: satisfied

I present to you, Conceal :)))

Reflecting...

This  portfolio project further developed my directing, editing, and cinematography skills. It has truthfully provided me with so much knowledge and experience that I am grateful to have. From the beginning, it was naturally an overwhelming feeling to take on such a large task. I didn’t trust my time management skills and questioned my creativity at times. I had never planned so extensively on a movie I’ve made as much I have with this project, and I realized how beneficial it is to slowly map everything out.

I was able to try out new techniques that I hadn’t had the chance to before and experiment more with my editing software. Specifically, I tried color correcting for the first time. It was rather difficult, but I feel I achieved the cold, dull, look I was hoping for. Writing the screenplay was most likely my biggest challenge, since I struggle with writing strong dialogue. With the assistance of my actress, I felt I wrote the best screenplay I have yet. I focused a lot more on lighting as well, attempting to make the bathroom I shot in more dark, and even using a professional light for my second scene. I definitely have greatly improved the most on how to develop tone efficiently through all these methods.

I faced obstacles along the way due to the quarantine situation, but I was able to develop a new story that allowed me to film entirely in my house. In terms of the extremely limited resources I had, I feel I made the most of the situation I was placed in, regarding my limited choices regarding actors and setting. Not having the same amount of time and weeks to formulate my new idea was honestly not as large of a setback as I had thought it would be. I came up with my new plan rather quickly and was able to discuss it with Mrs. Stoklosa, which gave me a lot of reassurance.

While directing my sister on what to do since she was the main character, I realized the importance of communication with your actors to fully enhance their performance. I would just be telling her to repeat the shot/line instead of specifically guiding her on what I wanted her to do. This led to some frustration and tiredness behind the scenes that could’ve easily been avoided if I had explained myself better. It was a journey, between changing my story, and adjusting my shooting schedule to my sister’s busy school schedule, and keeping myself motivated during quarantine, but ultimately I am proud of what I was able to come up with. I loved seeing how the footage I filmed came together in the end, as well as my progression as a filmmaker.

Color Check

As previously mentioned, most of the lighting in the bathroom where I filmed was very warm, which Idid not fit the tone and atmosphere of my movie. During post-production I sought to create a colder look, and alas I have succeeded. Under the color tab on Adobe Premiere Pro CC, I adjusted each shot’s contrast and exposure, and added a filter. Here are some before and afters! Editing is everything.

DaProgression Is Real

I went on DaFont to find a font for my title screen :D  Also I came up with a title for my opening: “Conceal”.

As in concealer, the makeup product since Krystal is a beauty guru, and the word conceal as in the reality of her situation is hidden from the world.

Anyways, since my opening conveys a serious tone, I wanted to keep the font simple and not too stylistic. Here are the ones I’m choosing between:

Finally! Editing!

As per the title I began editing today! To be blunt, this is the part of the process I enjoy the least, since I am extremely meticulous about every single little detail. This sounds like a positive quality an editor would have, but for me it makes the process much longer and tiresome than it needs to be. However, once I sit down in front of that computer, it’s grind time baby!! I was able to edit the first scene of Krystal getting ready in the bathroom. My brother has already messaged me videos of him saying his lines via WhatsApp so I will work to insert them smoothly once I begin editing the second half of the opening.

Here is a picture of my timeline so far:

Changes :0

I am probably going to omit Krystal’s monologue in the beginning where she is speaking directly to the camera, about to review a makeup product. My sister is not gonna be content with this decision because of the sheer hard labor we both went through whilst re-filming it 87 times. But I had an enlightenment and realized:

• It does not flow well with the rest of the clips
• It is pretty dang cheesy
• It is unnecessary  
• I will probably just transition into the second scene with a sound bridge of her voice pleading to the male off-screen

I feel this augments the mystery even more, since we don’t have an awkward monologue of Krystal saying hEy gUys wELcOmE bAcK tO mY yOuTuBe ChAnNeL in the midst of all the drama.

Filming!

That’s a wrap on filming folks. It went along much more smoothly than I anticipated. This was difficult to schedule since my sister has med-school work from early in the morning to about 8:30pm (yes she really works that long it’s blasphemous), and her bedtime is a little after midnight so we really had to be as productive as possible within this time crunch. My sister and I had the giggles for a while, but we were able to get down to business and film the entire opening within the span of a few hours.

For the first part where Krystal is getting ready in the bathroom, I wanted to emphasize her exhaustion through the makeup design. Using eyeshadow, I added on to my actress’ pre-existing eye bags. The makeup may seem a bit harsh but it was necessary for it to be visible on camera. Here is a before and after:

I had some issues regarding the lighting in the bedroom where I was filming because the light bulbs in my house have a strong yellow hue that are not visually appealing to me. I decided I could solve this through color-correcting in post-production, since I do not have any lamps in my house large enough to provide a better lighting source. The short monologue of Krystal introducing her character also took us a while because my actress kept making boo boos and I also wanted to shoot from various angles.

However, on the bright side my sister and I actually had fun filming this project! Yay quality sister bonding time teehee. I plan to compile my clips and get my brother’s audio recordings first thing next week!

I Am A Screenwriter.

Title says it all. I have completed my screenplay for my new opening. Coronacation has done me well.

Also side note the name of my main character is officially Krystal, with a K for added quirkiness since that’s what the kids like nowadays. 🤪

I focused more on introducing Krystal’s character through the short monologue she says when recording her YouTube video, and then having that brief conversation with the man off-screen to not reveal too much but still allude to the conflict. Personally, I am quite the improviser when it comes to these film projects - I will NEVER disrespect my planning and this phenomenal blog, but many of my good ideas are come up with on the spot. Especially dialogue. So this screenplay is subject to change of course, but I think about 70% is pretty solid with my vision. This will also aid my brother (I hope) who has officially agreed to voice act from his apartment in Seattle, Washington. I feel splendid right now. 

It may seem slightly short, but I want most of my opening to include pauses and uncomfortable silences to increase the tension as well as the overall uneasy tone.