Filming

After school all of us went to one of Vincent Mango's band practices to start shooting for the film. We are starting backwards because the scenes of them playing their instruments is towards the end of the film opening. However, Wonda and I especially enjoyed filming because we finally got to know the bandmates better. I was friends with one of them (Alejandro) since he goes to Cypress. but everyone else was just an acquaintance. After talking and getting to know them as people, rather than characters, I think we have better knowledge of how to execute the filming in terms of introducing the characters.

The only problem we encountered was time management and getting full attention of all of the bandmates at once. There was a friend that came to see the band play and help them with one of the songs they might play at an upcoming show, so they had to focus on that, while also focusing on filming. Camila got some great close up shots of the instruments and establishing shots as well. We did have a problem with lighting, because the video came out a tinge yellow, but we are hoping to use a great editing software to fix the color. This weekend we are heading to the skate park to film Shaggy's scene, and the Korean market for Izzie. I'm so excited to film these scenes because we have more room for creativity!

Camila is filming Izzie (lead singer.) We did some close
ups of his hair while he sang.

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Music

When of the more important parts of the opening is the music and how it will pair up with the shots since there is no dialogue. It's great we do not have to ask permission for music, nor look for uncopyrighted songs since we are using music directly from the band. We are deciding between the more upbeat songs throughout the opening, and use another song for the band practice scene.
Vincent Mango's music ranges from upbeat to more rock which is great, because we have numerous options for the film. However, we can't really choose a song until we gather footage.

Camera Equipment

Camila had various friends who had more quality camera equipment. We do not have a tripod for an iPhone, but I have a tripod for a camera so we asked around for a camera to borrow. Fortunately, Camila's sister sent her camera from UCF so we can start filming this Wednesday at brand practice.

Characters and Backstories

Since our opening is focused on introducing the main characters, we are creating a backstory for each bandmate through setting.

1. Shaggy: His traits are more conservative and he is the more serious one in the band. However, we wanted to use the skatepark as a setting because it will add movement to the film without using fancy camera equipment and Shaggy is pretty good at skating.

2. Alejandro: He is extroverted so we are using funky and bright costuming to convey his character. However, he is really focused in his studies. The setting will be the library, going back to more textured backgrounds, we think that the book shelves will add to a more pleasing aesthetic.

3. Izzie- Probably what most people call "angsty teen boy," Izzie is more contemplative and quiet amongst the bandmates. But we also want to convey his reflective/analytical attitude. We are using a Korean market with bright colored sodas to contrast his dark colored costuming with the cool textured background. We then switch settings to his simple/bland room where he lays downs, drinks his soda and basically does nothing.

*This is probably my favorite part of the opening, more because there is a lot more misc en scene involved and editing. I want to do a lot of symmetrical shots and hopefully make the colors pop against his clothing.

4. Andy: Into photography, he will be looking at a Polaroid and adding pictures inside of his photo album. We are still working to create more scenes with Andy, other than the polaroid, and photo shots.

Changes After Break

Throughout our spring break we didn't keep in contact that much, thus we didn't produce any footage or cook up new ideas. However, when we came back we brainstormed more ideas that led to some changes in out pre-production which pumped me up even more for the film. Frankly, I wasn't too excited for the film opening since I kind of settled for the concept of the film s (I wanted to do something more experimental.) However, it's best to work with that you have and think outside of the box.

Character Head shots

Since we already have our actors for the film opening, we wanted to focus on each bandmate's backstory for the film. We are using a lot of the photos taken for the band as inspiration for each characters. These head shots will give us inspiration for our shots. Since we want to center the misc en scene of the opening as symmetrical and balanced as possible, the head shots gives us an insight of how we want to shoot the main characters. The whole group agreed to make shots of the character to be straightforward and balanced against a funky background the represents their attributes. 

Student reactions and Korean markets
I was absent for peer review on Friday, but Camila filled me in and said they liked the concept overall with the band and using their music. They also liked the fact we will focus on introducing the characters, rather than a conflict.
That Friday, I did some of my own research on misc en scene. All of the group members want to focus on color manipulation through out the opening. But I also want to experiment with funky backgrounds in the movie to reflect each of the bandmate's character.

And so it begins...

Today Camila, Wonda and I discussed the overall concept of the opening film. It was a lot easier than I thought. For my movie pitch project we took days to finally decide what the plot would be. However, we all decided we were going to do a film starring a local band, Vincent Mango. We were inspired by the film Dope, specifically the set design. Throughout the movie there is a disparity between the darker tones of the neighborhood and bright colors and graphics to contrast this. Also, Amelie inspired us to hopefully manipulate color throughout our opening film to visually appeal to audiences. We haven't started researching specifically for drama, indie film but all of us had great synergy when creating the concept of the movie opening. Today's brainstorming was productive and inspiring. We really want to focus on introducing the characters (bandmates) in the opening, use colorful graphics, and creatively introduce the title of the movie. I am really excited to delve into the visual aspects of the film, set design, since it's my favorite facet of film making.

Amelie was a huge topic of discussion when we first started brainstorming.
We may not necessarily use this color scheme, but we want to model the
idea of the director, where the tone of the film is primarily conveyed through
color manipulation. 

This particular shot uses color and composition to appeal to the viewers.
I definitely want to introduce the characters with meticulous costume design that
reflects the overall misc en scene of the film and music they play: indie rock.

This is a photo of the band, Vincent Mango. We were inspired by
with the filter used and the prominent cool tones in the picture.
There is a dichotomy of darker and cooler shades which creates a more
mysterious ambience.