Mia's A Level Blogs

  These are a couple pictures from outside of my front door. These are both from filming the first couple minutes of the short film. The issue with these is the angle, lighting, and sound. The plan was to use natural lighting. I took advantage of the daytime to record this. I needed a way to record this and tie it into my films genres. The lighting isn't a typical convention, however, I lowered the exposure to create a darker atmosphere. Originally I was going to record very low to the ground. As we see on the left picture the attempt was there.  On the right picture I went a little higher. This result was the one used in the film. This was a mid shot which allows the viewers to see the door handle and the important pieces of the door. What is not seen in these is Abby behind the door. We had Abby on the inside to open the door. This way it adds a suspense and question to how the door opened by itself. Steering away from the brightness and focusing more on the noises and omino...

 Postcard are a must in the film industry. They work as a great way to promote films. They include awards on it to caught the attention of anyone interested. The short film "Us. Them. Me" is a perfect example. This short film is about a couple who is struggling to stay together. They are having mental issues that are tearing them apart. This short film is directed by Quincy Woo. "Us. Them. Me" won a few awards such as "Official Selection", "Best Dramatic Short", and "Best Actor in a Short Film". All three are plastered on the postcard to show that the short film is worth watching as it was popular enough the win such awards. The postcard I focused on was a huge inspiration to mine. This is my postcard for my film. I used Adobe Photoshop to create it. The practice from the Preliminary assignment helped immensely. I used the same technique with the underlighting, low exposure, and movement. I tried to follow the postcard closely, therefor...

I LOVE YOU, RIGHT? MID SHOT OF HOUSE DOOR Distance ambient sounds of street noise, door creaks when swung open EXT. HOUSE IN HUDSON FLORIDA FADE IN/OUT INT. HOUSE - MIDDAY FAST TRACKING SHOT TO SLOW TRACKING SHOT TILL FIRST BEDROOM Suspenseful music overlays FADE IN/OUT PAN SHOT x3 AERIAL SHOT OF BONNIE Faint sounds coming from Bonnie's phone MIDSHOT BONNIE "No, not right now!" JUMP CUT TO KITCHEN / LIVING ROOM Ambient sounds of trees and wind overlay END SCENE 1

Since my film is a horror/thriller/drama the music is very important. In scene one alone, there is foley sounds, dialogue, and soundtrack. I am being very intentionally with sound. Sound will carry my film and pop out the genre. The foley sound added at the end of the clip is the sound of wind and trees. To add to the alone feel I wanted a shot of the door and outside. To do so, I cracked open the back door and put the curtain over it. Making the curtain sway with the wind. The original clip doesn't capture a quality sound. I went out back and took a video of the trees for the wind sound. I then extracted the sound from that video and overlayed it on the clip of the door. Intentionally enhancing the sound. https://youtu.be/NWaNW-aYhVY?si=hoCitHdBTJNJ6nkd   This link is the first video in my sound usage blog. I used the beginning 0:02 - 0:12 in my clip. I used it over the tracking shot before entering the bedroom. The use of this adds to those thriller conventions. To follow the sou...

To start filming, I decided to start with the beginning. The opening scene is described, however, now it is filmed and edited. I structured this in a way for the audience to automatically see an issue. Alongside knowing the genre. Doing so, I had the slow antsy shot to the bedroom door. Followed by multiple pan shots of the room. This will allow me to put the credits over the shots as well. After the pan shots, I recorded Bonnie on her phone covered in her blanket. She then spoke aloud to someone. To show her illness from the start, I took some shots outside of her room around the house showing no one is home. In the scenes I used dark lighting by putting my brightness down before recording. This way, the video will be pre-dimmed. Other lighting techniques were artificial and ambient lighting. Artificial lighting is used in the bedroom and hallway. I used the artificial lighting on my ceiling fan to show where Bonnies room was. Since I had it on for that shot, I kept it on. Ambient lig...

 Filming starts once again! In the opening scenes I started filming, I used only one actor, Briana as Bonnie. There was one more person used to help us get the scenery needed. My friend, Abby, assisted us with whatever we needed. For the first scene, I wanted a tracking/establishing shot. To do this, I didn't want a handheld camera so, we improvised.  This is a behind the scenes picture of what we came up with. We used my nephews chair to push along the floor to achieve a not-shaky clip. The candle was heavy enough to stay on the chair without moving. Therefore, allowing me to hold the phone in place ensuring it wouldn't fall. All whilst Abby pushed the chair in the direction I said. This took multiple tries since we had to experiment with different angles and items. Using props and helping hands will be and is essential for my film. I couldn't have got that shot with only Briana and I. Especially when using lighting like in the preliminary exercise, I needed help to hold t...

 So it starts! I created my instagram account for my film! The name is "I love you, right?" as explained in a previous blog post. I made this the username for now. I have to set everything up before I begin posting. I need to add a name, bio, description, and posts! The films I researched had their name of the film as their username. I followed this as it allows easier pathways for people to find my short film.  Most instagram accounts for films give a description or an outline of the content. Along with basic information about the director. If its the directors page, they have their achievements, information, etc in the bio. I will follow this as well. That way everyone knows its me and they know what i'm doing. I want to get as close to a real directors page as possible.

Instagram is a common way to promote a product. Since social media has taken a huge toll on everyone, they use these apps all the time. When trying to widen an audience, social media is a great way to do so. When researching, I realized how I want my instagram to be set up. I want a darker feel to grab that sense of horror, thriller. The content I will post will tie into the drama aspect.  Its hard to find short films on instagram, however, movies are very accessible. This being where the films "Sightless" and "Lights Out" came from. Each film has an instagram account that fits the aesthetic i'm going for.                                       Lights Out:                                               Sightless:                ...

The app being used to edit my short film will be iMovie. I've been apart of media studies for two years now. For every single assignment I used iMovie. Containing everything needed to perfectly edit a clip and/or clips together. iMovie makes editing fun as it’s free and has many components and buttons to mess with.  When using iMovie they have a choice of transitions. These include none, theme, dissolve, slide, wipe, and fade. For this genre mix and pacing I will be using either the none option or theme. The none option allows for quick transitions between clips. This will increase intensity in my scenes. If I wanted a dramatic switch between clips that is when I'll switch to the theme. Theme transition goes black for a second before the next scene is shown. When messing with the editing app, I realized I needed a name for my short film. I wanted something that hints at her illness whilst also adding drama. This is when I thought of "I love you, right?”. As it foreshadows ...

In order to complete my final project I used multiple different technological devices. These devices include my computer, phone, and iPad. The iPhone 16 pro max is the phone I currently have. This phone is the most important device. I will be using it to film and edit. Additionally, my phone helps me transfer pictures and images to my iPad and computer needed for blog posts. My computer is a MacBook air. I bought this computer in August for school purposes. My laptop is what I use to do these blog posts. It is very efficient until a couple of days ago. Currently having technical difficulties with it. However, I will get it fixed later this week. In the mean time, I am using the iPad 10. It is very simple to navigate. Making it easier than my computer to write these blog posts. As of now, I will be using this iPad to complete blog posts.

Same as women, men use stereotypes and counter-stereotypes in film as well. In film, men express their characters with different styles, traits, personalities, and other things. It is rare in film when men carry feministic features and traits. For men, common stereotypes consist of: Aggressive Independent Tough Blunt Cruel Not nurturing Reserved Logical Stereotypes don't apply to all men. A perfect example of a man that follows and counters men stereotypes is the character ‘Noah Calhoun’ from the film “The Notebook”. Noah is hardworking, aggressive, independent, reserved, but also caring, understanding, loving, and nurturing. Noah was a true man that found the perfect mix of characteristics. He learned to find a soft spot for his love, Allie. I want Lucas to resemble this mix. Lucas will show stereotypical behavior corresponding to tough and independent. To counter, he will be caring and gentle with Bonnie while she struggles. I want to represent Lucas as a warm touch, a reliant sa...

 What pulls the characters together in a scene is how they are represented. It shows their personality, relations, capabilities, and overall character. In order to determine the characters, this film needs stereotypes alongside counter stereotypes. Although everyone is different, they still fall under categories. Common stereotypes found in women: Dependent Submissive Emotional Talkative Indecisive Gentle Kind Nurturing Now, these don't relate to all women, however, these are common stereotypes found in this gender. In movies such as Cinderella, she aligns with women stereotypes. Cinderella needed a man to save her. She was dependent, submissive, emotional, gentle, kind, etc. These stereotypes allow for the viewers to understand her character and how the story will play out. In contrast, women similar to ‘Jo’ from the movie ‘Little Women’ go against typical women - like stereotypes. Jo is adventurous, opinionated, dominant, independent, educated, and logical. All of those character...

 The ending is going to be a completely different atmosphere from the beginning scene. This scene includes Bonnie and Lucas. They are going to be experiencing an emotional and personal moment. Within this scene the song “The Good I’ll Do” by Zach Bryan will overlay this. There's a specific verse from this song that’ll take place for this scene. The line goes “   Grabbed me by the hands,  Just as callused as I am,  And say you're proud”. To go along with the music I'll have Bonnie and Lucas handing hands while gently rubbing them.  The lighting in this scene is intended to be lighter. To reflect the happy mood of Bonnie. The setting is my bedroom since it’s  Bonnies most comfortable space. Lighting is going to be high key to capture the expressions of Bonnie and Lucas. Experience such as this: Camera angles and shots used in this scene are close up, two-shot, over the shoulder, and extreme close up. This scene is important to my film as it will leave a cliff...

 My opening will automatically show the horror/thriller genre alongside the isolation aspect. To obtain this, I will use specific lighting techniques, camera angles and shots, editing, and sounds.  My opening scene will begin at my front door. The scene will be establishing shots taken at a low angle. The establishing shot will contain no actors. The scene will consist of a tracking shot from my front room and hallway to my bedroom. Having this starts off the film with unease, creating a horror feel straight of the bat. Having the ground level shot builds suspense as well. Establishing the short films main genres. To and to the horror/ thriller feel I am recording at night. Using the natural lighting through the house windows. To show which room the audience shall focus on, I am using artificial and ambient lighting from my rooms ceiling fan, which will be seen under the door. Dark lighting is common in horror/thriller films; being why I am using it frequently. Editing and sou...

Bonnie and Lucas will resemble Marissa and Ryan from the O.C. This year, I only have two actors. I had around six last year. The difference in the genres and storyline is why I will have two only. For my story, there will be a common theme of isolation. I added Bonnies boyfriend to the story for the drama side of my horror/thriller based short film. The main idea is to have Bonnie suffering from oneirophrenia. As described in previous blog posts, I wanted to have Bonnie in a relationship that way she isn't entirely ‘alone’. Since I am a 17 year old girl, I want someone for Bonnie to rely on and keep her grounded. Stirring away from the typical horror /thriller conventions. Adding a counter stereotype of romance that survives throughout the film. This will make for an attention grabbing short film. Having only Bonnie and Lucas will outline the intimacy of their relationship. It will give the audience a clear understanding of who to pay attention too. I was going to originally add a ...

 I haven't explained the characters and their names, roles, etc. So here is the cast introductions! Briana Welch will be my main character! … again! Briana is in media studies as well. We help eachother out a lot. One of those helping hands is with media studies. We are both each others main actor. Briana plays out my roles very well. She is easy to plan with as she is very reliant. She is comfortable with acting for me. I know she will do great as she has in the past! Briana will be playing the role of Bonnie. Briana Welch as Bonnie Noah will be playing the role of Bonnie's boyfriend, Lucas. Noah has also acted for me in previous projects. He is silly and easily distracted; however, he gets the job done at the end of the day. His positive and goofy personality makes for a fun atmosphere. Noah will play the part of Brianas boyfriend with ease. Noah Burchard as Lucas Bri and Noah are two of my closest friends, meaning they will do everything in their power to help me out. Even t...

 I want to incorporate different song usage within my film to show the drama genre. My favorite genre is country music, therefore that is what I will use. My top artists are Morgan Wallen and Zach Bryan. I used Morgan Wallen for last years project, so I want to include Zach Bryan. A couple of songs I was thinking about are ‘The Good I'll Do’, ‘Smile’, and ‘Let you down’. These may change depending on the filming process. These are my brainstorming ideas; if anything changes I will speak about it in future blog posts. ‘The Good I’ll Do’ is a song by Zach Bryan in his American Heartbreak album. This song is a definite to use for my final scene. I will describe my final scene in a separate blog post. I plan to have it over the scene and they will be doing something similar to the lyrics I choose. ‘Smile’ is a single from Morgan Wallen. This song is calm and sad. Since my film is more on the darker, sad side I want to include a scene where the main character is genuinely smiling. Which...

To understand the world of film, I researched different film festivals to see how they operate. I came across a couple interesting ones called "Screamfest Horror Film Festival" and "Drama International Short Film Festival". https://screamfestla.com/articles/events?page=1 Screamfest Horror Film Festival is a horror film festival founded in August 2001. It runs every year for 10 days in October. Their website is extremely easy to navigate as it is divided into simplistic sections. They have a specific section to submit your films so they can undergo review. Giving anyone a chance to have their horror film broadcasted in October. they have many famous pieces over the years. They are a non-profit organization that aims to launch small corporations and make them into something. Heres a couple famous pieces they have streamed.                                                 ...

Horror and thriller movies need specific elements to grab attention of different audiences. A main element needed is sound. Music, voiceovers, ambient sounds, dialogue, etc. Horror and thrillers need music overlays to build that suspense. A horror film with no music wont create a dark, antsy atmosphere. Which is crucial to the film. To achieve this, I will include the sounds I listed. Ambient sound will be used when including foot steps and sounds someone would pick up in real life. To create suspense I mention foot steps. This is common in horror movies so the audience can anticipate a jump scare or something will happen. Dialogue will also be used frequently throughout my film. When viewing short films similar to my idea, they use voiceovers to create hallucinations. These voiceovers will be used solely for hallucinations. If the character isn't hallucinating then the person will be regular talking on camera. This way its still confusing on what is real and whats not, although, t...

For a horror/thriller/drama genre short film I am going to need a wide variety of camera angles, shots, and movements. Important shots to include in my short film could be: Long Shot / Wide Shot  Full Shot  Medium Shot  Close Up  Extreme Close Up  Establishing Shot  Two Shot Over-the-Shoulder Shot (OTS) Point-of-View Shot (POV) Shallow Focus Tracking shot The top priorities for these camera shots listed above will be the establishing shot, close-up, full shot, and tracking shot. I will include the list however, I will focus my skills on these particular ones. For reasoning, suspense is built through proper editing, sounds, but also the camera shots. Within horror/drama genres they have to catch the expressions of their actors. This being said, I will have to focus on capturing up close shots such as close-ups. For thrillers, they need that action side, for this I will need the further shots like full shot and tracking shot to show action and location. The t...