CCR!

My eyes hurt from editing, enjoy <3

Click also here to see my ccr

Okay, bye, that's all

🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁

I present you my film opening

Click here to watch it 

Hope you enjoy it!

Project Reflection

Reflecting a little bit

I wanna start by saying that for my last year of high school, in my senior year I really wanted to take a class that I would never see myself taking (this class) but I have to say that I learned a lot this year, this class made me think in such a creative way that not all of the classes allow you to.
Now, this project was a rollercoaster of emotions. It is true that more 3 heads think better than one, since the beginning at brainstorming the ideas for the movie to the final touches, I noticed that I'm not very quick at making certain decisions because I tend to be a perfectionist. In a lot of moments, I had to ask for my friends' opinion and then reassure what I was thinking, or remake it. On the other hand, with this pandemic, I know that for many of my classmates and I was really difficult to continue with the project, either because of time management of just things that happened and made the production process more difficult.
There were a lot of inconveniences along the way, the title, for example, it was a process of two days. It was a long list of possibilities that varied according to the genre, to Brandon's mental illness, to Thomas and Brandon's friendship, and the internal problem that was happening in Brandon's head. After a lot of consulting and list-making, I was able to decide the perfect movie title.


I wanted my movie idea to be something related to the health field since I'm really passionate about it and I want to become a health professional. I decided to represent a character that you don't see in many films, a mental illness person with schizophrenia. It also involves that self-doubt and lack of self-reliance. Since my character is a person who is emotionally dependable on someone else, who is not even real, I wanted to include the dependability and lack of emotional freedom that a person gets when they are so attached to someone and suddenly that person leaves. It does just leave, that person takes away the feeling of comfortability of the emotionally dependable person. I based this idea on a personal story, it is not the case that I have schizophrenia or that I was emotionally dependable on someone, but that when I was little I had a friend who was so attached to me that I never realized that she was missing her freedom of feeling whatever she wanted, she would ask me if something was right or wrong and depending on what I would say, she would follow that idea. One day I just left and started to talk less and less to her and realized that I was doing her a favor.

Fast forwarding the situation, I had to change completely my film opening because of the coronavirus pandemic. The week that I was going to record, people started to self-quarantine, I got sick, and was home alone without a ride. But that didn't stop me from thinking of a solution, I created a whole new opening with the same characters and same plot, but I created the pictures and the mise-en-scene.
The editing process was I think the most difficult part, it became a routine of staring at the screen trying to make the problems fix themselves, to editing and deleting a lot of material.

In the end, I can say that I'm really proud and passionate of how it came out and wanna thank everybody who had to put out with me these long weeks of process. Also, I'm really happy that I got to learn all these techniques and be able to apply them not just to a WhatsApp video that my mom asks me to edit, but to a project that got out a lot of my creative self.

Editing

Ah, the struggle 

Editing the video was one of the most complicated parts, I was using Wevideo as the primary editing software. Although it is easy to use, it doesn't have some advanced editing options that I was looking for, so I ended up asking for help from my cousin's husband, apart from having Premier he is a pro in editing. I actually gave him leeway on editing after I showed him the basic idea of the concept that I had, I, of course, explained to him what I was going for and what I needed to be done, he proceeded to edit the video. On the other hand, I did another like 2 edits to have candidates for the final product just because I wasn't 100％ happy with how it was coming together.
I'm gonna attach a video here for you to see one of the candidates, disclaimer this one is not the final project.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_WmEprZyDAdZZNWAi_nIQ7a23-R1kndD/view?usp=drivesdk

Now, for the actual final project, I used Wevideo but I had to do just layers and layers of video, text, and audio. Because this software doesn't have the option of adding a shadow to the text, I created it by doing two layers one in front of the other, one with the actual text and the other one with a dark color. 

Also, in the version above you can hear the rock version of Happy Together in the middle, I decided to take it out because the only purpose I decided to include it was because Brandon, the main character, is really passionate about rock, and after hearing it how it was in the video I felt it was just out of place so I took it out. I also came across the problem of not being able to separate the two bedrooms, so when it goes to the shots in Thomas' bedroom I changed the temperature, the tint, and the lighting to make it more obscure.
At the end of the day, and after hours in front of the screen, I'm really happy how it came out :)

Filming day

INK? Never heard of her

I had to create what Brandon's and Thomas' bedrooms would look like, so I had to print all the posters and pictures that would represent Brandon. Also, because I want it to take it back in time, meaning that I wanted the movie to take place in the early 2000s as opposed to 2020, I had to look for inspiration in some late 90s movies like 10 Things I Hate About You and tv shows like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to see how Brandon's bedroom would look like and what kind of posters would be hanged. I ended up choosing rock bands like Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kiss, Green Day, and more, due to their popularity during the 90s and early 2000s. Got to say... I kept some of these posters just because I love that music and I print them really well.

Also, I found some props around the house that resemble the early 2000s. Although I was hesitant if I should use the cassette or not, but I remembered that when I was little I had cassettes so I decided to use it in the video.

I incorporated the pictures of the characters' childhood into different parts of the wall along with the posters. The final result for Brandon's bedroom: 

<3

Target Audience!!

I can't believe I haven't talked about the target audience. It is important to know what kind of audience you are transmitting your message to. They are the ones that will purchase the movie and aid to distribute it.

Age

My age range is going to be between 18 and 25. Because my main character is 22 years old, I want my movie to be intended towards a younger but mature audience due to some explicit language that will be appearing in the movie. I feel like at this age people are more aware of what they are watching and I want my audience to be able to understand some of the sensible content that will take place throughout the movie. Especially when talking about a movie involving violence and mental illness.

Gender

This movie is intended for both, women and men, though initially would involve in the opening a female actor, later in the movie the female actor becomes an important character in Brandon's life. I have found that women watch more drama films than men, but men are more likely to watch a drama film that has violence and involves mental illness. 

 

Storyboard(ing)

Here's my first idea for the opening, is the resumed version but the concept of it is clear. It opens with a pan of the portraits of the two of them hanging on the wall as it goes down. Then, a shot of the two of them vibing and dancing in the kitchen while one of them does the dishes. A series of close-ups and mid-shots of them dancing later is shown as the door knocks, Brandon stops the music and goes to open the door. Then, a third actor Sara, which would have been me, appears at the door with English history books to do a project for the Literature class at their university. "Ready to do the project, Brandon?" I say to him, to which he responds "Yeah yeah, come in, I just want you to meet someone first. Sara, I want you to meet Thomas." Then a shot of the house empty is shown to demonstrate the idea of Thomas being imaginary. In the end, a mid-shot of Sara confused on the left third and on the right third the movie title "1+1≠2"

On the second storyboard, it would be more focused on the objects that they have representing them. For Brandon, it would be his posters, all the pictures with Thomas, a ball because he likes to play football, a guitar, all his clothes spread in his room along with his shoes and stuff. Then Thomas' room with nothing because well, he's imaginary. This idea is an alternative to the first one, it has just a little presence of the main actor in case I am not able to film Jose (Brandon).

Now, due to social distancing, I can't go over to my location nor film with my actors. I have some ideas to resolve my problem:

•  I can do the second idea, but I would have to change the actor or I could do my makeup to make me look like Jose. 
• To do the second idea I could also ask Jose to film the bathroom scene at his house, the problem with this idea is that I wouldn't have control over the way it is shoot. 
•  For the first idea, it would require a lot of editing, but it could be done if I ask Leo and Jose to film the scenes by giving them specific directions.

Hello? Where's the movie name

I think is really hard to find a name that can represent their story and that will be appealing to my target audience. So far I found that short and concise names work better, but also it has to be a subtle approach to the plot or problem of the film. I'm trying to figure this out before editing to make my life easier. 

So far I have these options:
- 1 + 1 ≠ 2
- Lonely Together
- Reality sucks
- Outside my Head
- Memories of an imaginary friend


Because of my target audience, I'll have to decide a name that goes accordingly and fits the movie. Otherwise, I'm not going to be happy and the audience will not "purchase it."

🍺Virus

Changes 

So! It just happens that a worldwide pandemic happened while I was trying to do my project. Due to social distancing, I have to limit myself to film the opening. I made some changes but the spine of the film opening will continue. I'm going to film like a representation of the relationship between the two characters while trying to show that Thomas is an imaginary person. So my idea is showing two bedrooms, one of them is going to be messy and like you will see that the person that sleeps there uses it every day (duh), while in the other room will be intact as if nobody was sleeping there. I'm also going to show pictures of the two of them, BUT unfortunately, I wasn't able to take the pictures on time, so I had to photoshop their pictures to show their friendship for the portraits. Now, below you will see my creepy intention of photoshop

Scheduling like a responsible student

Recording 

Okay so, I decided that I want to upload my schedule just now because I finally have it figured it out. Is simple... But I feel it's going to work, also If I ever have to record I'm letting myself have more time just in case I have to make any changes in the production.

The 10, 11, and 12 I'm taking pictures and proceeding to have all the props for the recording, and the 21th is the so waited recording day. That way I'll have all the spring break to edit and see what's missing. 

Group Critiques

Todayyyy, we were put into groups to help shape our stories and maybe take some new ideas. Now, based on what my group discussed about my movie, I think I might either change the way I'm going to portray the "recollection" of memories because it can be seen as a montage and we don't want that. 
They liked my idea of Thomas and Brandon, I told them that I didn't want to put in the beginning the idea of Thomas disappearing because I didn't want to bore the audience the rest of the movie. 
I'm definitely going to do the shot with the two of them in the kitchen and then a third person coming in to see the perspective of the other person. 

Developing my second character

Thomas Scott 

He's 22 as well, he is almost the opposite of Brandon. He's calmer but at the same time a goofy character. He's the type of character that likes to have influence in what others think, often to his own benefit. He is just a chill friend to talk to, an easy-going person.
Since he's an imaginary friend, all these traits can only be seen by Brandon.

This one to the left is my friend Leo, I chose him to play Thomas because of his personality and just his way of being is similar to Thomas.





The Hangover

OKAY, so Alan... This character is a child at heart. He has no understanding of social norms, nor he cares to learn about them. He is childish and just dumb-acting but at the same time, he has intelligence in things that nobody would think he has.

Developing the main character

Brandon Lage

Brandon Lage is a 22-year-old with schizophrenia. Although he has a very serious mental disorder, he is able to live a "successful"  journey by himself... And his best friend. When you first meet him, you think of him as a jerk and just a bad person, but the few people that have got to know Brandon, find that he's a really interesting person with a smart mind and an odd personality. He is at the peek of having a series of good things happening to him, having a steady job, paying rent in time, and having his life in order, but at the same time, he struggles with his own mind as he goes through a mental disorder that he doesn't accept he has. His best friend,  his brother almost all of a sudden disappears, which leaves him with an internal problem though he is emotionally dependent.



Now, the picture you see is my friend Jose. I asked him to please play this role because I think he resembles how Brandon would look like and he doesn't have to do something alternate from his reality. He has this serious and angry face but once you get to know him he's really chill and cool person. The thing is I have to see how can I dress him because I want to base my movie in the late 90s and the early 2000s                                                


A Beautiful Mind

I got inspiration from the character of John Nash in a Beautiful Mind to construct Brandon. Nash is more of a rude and arrogant person and you see him struggle when he's trying to socialize. Since he has schizophrenia it was a great example for me to see how people with this mental disorder are portrayed and see an example of how the sudden changes and thoughts are shaped by the hallucinations that they have.  

Lars and The Real Girl

Also, I want Brandon not to be a character that stands out, but rather to "blend" with the rest of his community. The only thing that sticks out is his odd way to socialize. Like in Lars and The Real Girl, Lars has also a problem meeting new people but he is a personality disorder. 

Song request!!!!!

So I've decided to request 3 songs: Happy together, Sunflower, and other one that I haven't decided yet but is going to be copyright free.

Good thing I already have the good to go for Sunflower. BUT it was a headache to get the licensing, I had to:
-Go to the FAQ section of Sony records and look for a website or phone number
-The website didn't work,I thought it was me at first but then I found out that it was deactivated
-Then, I had to send an email to general concerns, which I did get a response. They sent me two emails, one with a waiting number, and the other one had the website link (which didn't work) and two phone numbers. One for non-profit, me, and the other one for commercial stuff. 
-Then the next day I tried to call again and I got the email that I wanted initially. So I wrote them
-In less than an hour got a response back telling me that I could use the song :)

-This was in the course of two days, so it was something like
9am: investigate Sony Records website
10am: after not finding anything, sending an email to general requests
5pm: getting the two emails, calling the phone numbers, clicking in the website that I knew it wasn't going to work because I previously tried. I even asked Mrs. Stoklosa if I was getting scammed  
6pm: Nobody answered after like 6 calls, so I left a message
The next day...
3pm: Called again (I'm intense, I know) but they answered! And I got into the mood of Karen, get me your manager (not really), but I finally got the email for the licensing request. 
4pm: Got a response back saying that they didn't have the copyright for that song but I could use it if give them credit
4:01pm: :)

Other than that, I'm still waiting for the response from the Turtles and still trying to find a copyright song just in case.

Schizophrenia or Paraphrenia

I want my main character, Brandon, to have a mental disorder. Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder, people with this condition tend to have a different perception of reality combination of hallucinations, delusions, and extremely disordered thinking and behavior that impairs daily functioning. Paraphrenia is a mental disorder characterized by an organized system of paranoid delusions with or without hallucinations. 
The difference comes to the age range which affects. Paraphrenia affects elderly people and schizophrenia can affect people from their early adulthood. 
Since Brandon is imagining his friend all his life, for him to show symptoms of schizophrenia he would have to show changes in his mood, hallucinations (of his best friend), and sudden changes of behavior. 
People with schizophrenia often have speech symptoms like incoherent speech, rapid and frenzied speaking. Also a lack of emotional response and fatigue are often seen. 

Delusions and Hallucinations 

Delusions and hallucinations aver very common in schizophrenia. Most of the time, people with this mental disorder will experience auditory hallucinations, like hearing a voice or many voices. This a combination of positive and negative symptoms for schizophrenia. 
In this case, Brandon would have a combination of all, auditory, visual, olfactory, and tactile hallucinations.