MUSIC MUSIC MUSIC UGHH

I've made blogposts about music before, but now I'm REALLY (in depth) looking for music. It is literally the hardest thing ever.

I know background music can either make or break this project and I just need to find the perfect track. I've downloaded one so far, and I thought it was good but there's this one repetitive chord throughout the track that kind of ruins it. I've played it back a few times (over the film opening, by the way, I finished adding all the clips together) and it's not the one... so the search continues!

OKAY UPDATE MID-BLOG (I wrote the paragraph above about an hour ago... but I think I figured it out!) So y'all know that one track I downloaded that was good but had that one chord that sounded like wind chimes that basically ruined it (literally just talked about it). Well since we're going to incorporate diegetic sound into the film opening, I lowered the music right at the part where the freaking wind chimes come in so you can't really hear it.

I'm still going to look for other music, just in case. I'm also going to get input from others to see if the music truly matches the opening.

Happy witching hour!

Season 2 CAOS (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) comes out Friday! Are y'all excited or what?

Finished filming!

Hey y'all! Yesterday we finished filming. Kaylin picked me up and we went to her house before picking up Alexia because we had to experiment with the lighting to make sure it was good. We initially planned on using yellow lighting to look like a normal light for the seance scene, but we thought the red lighting would suit it better, so we changed it.

Testing out the lighting!

Once we picked up Alexia, we literally played with Kaylin's puppies for 30 minutes, then we started filming. Once we started, we soon realized that our shot list is over 2 minutes, which is the limit for the film opening, so we had to take our a few things that helped with the build up to the seance. That was super frustrating, but I still think it'll be okay in our final product. 

These are a few shots from our film opening: 

I've been really busy working everyday and haven't had the time to look into music that much, but I plan on dedicating a good portion of Sunday to just looking for music, so I'll update you guys then! 

Happy witching hour!

Another day filming

HEY Y'ALLLLL! We got together again for filming but honestly... we didn't get much done because we had a MAJOR distraction. That major distraction was pupppieesssssssss! Kaylin fosters dogs so her house is basically one big play pen of dogs. So OBVIOUSLY we couldn't ignore them... we probably spent too much time with them.

Okay anyways, back to the purpose of this blog. FILMING! Yes! As we filmed more today, we adjusted a few shots and movements to incorporate into it and I think it worked out well. For some reason, we had the most difficult time recording the shot where Alexia is pulling into the driveway. We had Kaylin do it because first, it's her mom's car, and second, Alexia can't drive. BUT, it was still so hard to stop at just the right spot because she always got too close to the camera and more importantly, ME. 

Footage of Kaylin nearly killing me! HAHA.

We're going to meet-up Thursday and finally finish filming! Woohoo!

Happy witching hour!

Marina has entered the building

Hey y'all! Today Kaylin, Alexia, and I all met up at Kaylin's house to continue filming. Our intent was to you know... actually film, but that's not what happened! We underestimated the time it would take to assemble the box (placed on the doorstep) and we didn't film. But we spent a lot of time focusing on the mise-en-scene, which is really important.

We focused a lot on the spell-book. To make it more authentic, we added random Latin words and "witchy" symbols and even burned the edges of the pages. We had our actress, Alexia, write most of the latin words and symbols because she can write in calligraphy (we're not paying her enough... or at all actually).

While she was doing that, I was drawing "MARINA" across the box. And after that, Kaylin, AKA A PYROMANIAC, started burning the edges of the pages in the book (again, to give it that authentic, aging look).

Although we didn't film, it was overall a productive day! We have our box wrapped and prepared for the next time we start filming. I'm pretty sure we're filming this Thursday, we're going to attempt to finish... (key word: attempt.) I'll keep y'all updated.

Our completed box!

Happy witching hour!

HIT THE LIGHTS!

Hey y'all! In this blogpost I'm going to be talking about lighting!

Typical spell/seance scenes are portrayed in dark rooms with the candles serving as the main source of illumination. But, since we can't rely on the candles for the lighting (due to lack of professional+advanced equipment), we have to have another source of lighting. Which is why I asked my friend, Julia, who has a light projector, if we can borrow it for a few days. But I totally forgot she's in Paris all spring break, SO we had to figure something else out. Then I remembered I had a light projector, but mine has patterns on it so I just took the cap off and BOOM!

We've got our lighting down boys and girls,

happy witching hour!

I feel a witch in the room...

HAPPY SPRING BREAK WOO! I'm literally working all break (everyday no exaggeration, so that's fun!) Okay anyway, it is confirmed we are filming Monday afternoon. I'm think we're going to try to get most of filming done. If anything happens, we still have time to reshoot and fix things up before April 7th.

Now lets talk music. Finding music for this film opening is literally going to be the hardest thing EVER. I've made the executive decision and decided I am not going to look any longer on Killer Tracks, I searched different moods, genres, etc. for an hour and nothing! This is when Mrs. Stoklosa came in and recommended Purple Planet and the audio library on YouTube. I didn't look too in depth into these two but I can already tell they're a lot better, so I'll keep y'all updated on that.

My friend Carly let me borrow her witchcraft book! I was hoping it would look more authentic, made of leather, etc., but it's very cheesy looking and was literally bought at Hot Topic.

We're not going to use it, so I just ordered a leather book on amazon that looks more authentic (it's only $6 plus $6 shipping because we need it by Monday and has relatively decent reviews.)

Let's hope I'm not wasting my money...

Happy witching hour!

The editing begins

Hey y'all! Kaylin didn't go to school (yes again) so I was on my own yet again!

In class today I finally started putting the footage we got from last Saturday together! I think it's okay for now... when I first put it all together I wasn't too confident about it and honestly didn't like it. But, that could be because we haven't found the background music yet. I tightened up the editing a bit and now it looks a lot better actually! I feel like it'll get even better once we shoot the rest of it this upcoming week. Usually, I edit my AICE media studies projects on Final Cut Pro X, but a few months ago I got Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2018, so I'm using that to edit. I first learned how to edit on Premiere Pro (in my TV production class) and I think I'm more knowledgable with the program so it's better to use it.

We're filming more next week (Monday, I think), but I still have to confirm with Kaylin and Alexia! I'll keep y'all updated.

Happy witching hour!

UPDATE: I'm using Final Cut Pro now

So so lonely...

Hey y’all! Kaylin wasn’t in class today so I was all alone! But, I was texting her and she said that she can buy the candles tomorrow at target for the spell scene. I already discussed in a previous post that we're going to use pillar candles, but the ones in glass containers because those are significantly cheaper than ones that aren't (I'm not sure why).

I started editing the shot list we had already made together in class because we're still not exactly sure how to transition from her looking up the message on google translate to the scene where she tries to "summon" her boyfriend, Ben. I was thinking of doing a close up track shot of her shoes as she walks into the garage (the camera follows her into the garage), and we'd have the door close behind her and the screen go completely black. I'll discuss that more with Kaylin when I see her next.

Kaylin and I were planning to film this Saturday, but Alexia (our actress), is going to Tampa Thursday-Sunday so we have to postpone! I'm fine with that though because I'm not going out of town spring break next week and neither is Kaylin so we have the whole week. I'll keep ya updated!

Happy witching hour!

Kaylin broke her keys

HEY Y’ALL! Time to further discuss our first day filming!

We changed things up a bit from what we initially drew on the storyboard. Instead of having the girl frantically handing out missing posters, we had her put them on the windshields of random cars in the parking lot. This was because we realized the hassle of having to ask random people at Town Center at 11am if they can be in our film for school... we took the easy way, but it still looks good! Since we adjusted the events a bit, we had to think of other shots to use. We used 2 track shots within the first scene, but I was hesitant to do so because of the repetition but Kaylin told me that it'd actually reinforce the importance of what is being conveyed (the girl's boyfriend/friend is missing and she obviously cares since she's putting up so many missing posters), so I'm hoping that when we start editing, it'd turn out good.

To show a transition from Town Center to the girl’s house, we filmed her getting into her car and backing out of the parking spot. Since Alexia (our actress) doesn’t have a car, we used Kaylin’s moms car, but Alexia wasn’t totally sure how to put a key into the ignition and this SOMEHOW happened...

Kaylin fixed it it's okay (I think)

Other than that, I feel like our first day filming was successful! It was also really fun! I can't wait to film the rest of it within the next few weeks.

Happy Witching Hour! 

Alexia and I communicating to Kaylin on how we want to cue the scene

Group Discussions + Filming???

HEY Y'ALL! I was feeling sick yesterday so I didn't go to school and I missed the group discussion during class ughhhhh. I wanted to get input from others! But it's okay I still have a few more chances to do so. Kaylin told me that people in her group discussion were pitching title name ideas and they came up with: The Hunt, Scavenger, and Scavenger Hunt. I'm going to be very blunt. I absolutely dislike all of those. I still have no idea what I want the title to be, but not those. That sounds so aggressive but it's true. PERIOD.

I printed like 14 missing posters (we most definitely did not need that many) so rest in peace to the ink in my printer. First day of filming was today! I brought the posters, a stapler, our storyboard, my phone and my Contigo because you gotta stay hydrated!

Kaylin, Alexia(our actress), and I linked up at Town Center around 11:30-11:40am. We had a few issues with our first opening shot but fortunately, we solved them quickly. We planned on using a stapler to staple the missing poster to a tree, BUT, the staple I brought doesn't allow you to open up and actually staple... so we put tape on the back and just made it look like she stapled it.

Sneak Peek of our opening shot

I'm going to continue discussing our first day filming in another blogpost because I don't want this one to be too long! I'll post it tomorrow so stay tuned!

Happy Witching Hour!

Song of the Blog (I'm not going to start to copy Kaylin with her song of the blog thing but this song is too good not to share): If You Didn't See Me (Then You Weren't on the Dancefloor) by JR. JR.

HAVE YOU SEEN BEN?

HEY  Y’ALL! The intro is back now because I can’t think of another one. Today in class, I worked on the missing poster and actually finished most of it. It’s 11:05pm right now and I just officially completed it!

I'm missing I guess... also my photoshop skills are on point

When we were doing the storyboard a few days ago, Kaylin and I never reached the seance/spell scene (the ending of the film opening), so I decided to quickly make a shot list of the last scene! I thought that maybe we could use a few close up shots of the girl gathering candles, a lighter, and a picture of her boyfriend, but Kaylin thought it’d be better if we had all those items in the box already, and I agree with her. Kaylin also really wanted to burn the picture of the boyfriend during the spell, but typically when you see someone burning a picture during some sort of spell, it has a negative connotation (possibly foreshadowing a death). Which is when we both realized that, although we’re not creating the entire film, the plot could revolve around the woman being given an evil spell that actually does NOT work in her favor and how she deals with it.

ALSO WE’RE STARTING TO FILM THIS SATURDAY OH MY GODDDD! I can’t believe were actually doing this I’m worried but also excited. Kaylin and I are planning to meet up at town center at 11:30am on Saturday to film the first scene of the opening. I will keep y’all updated if anything changes.

Storyboarddddd

Hey so… Kaylin and I finally put our 2 brain cells together and started our storyboard! It’s not the prettiest. I’m fully aware Kaylin isn’t artistically inclined and drawing is definitely not her strong suit, which is why I made the executive decision to draw it instead. I say that as if I can draw myself (I cannot).

We know how we want to map out almost everything so far, shot/movement-wise, but we are still unsure how to approach the “summoning scene”. We aren’t actually going to show the woman during the summoning, but rather her gathering the materials for it and setting everything in place, such as the candles, potion mixtures, etc. We’re only doing a film opening, so we don’t want to give away or show too much.

Me being so extremely proud of our storyboard 

I think Kaylin and I are going to start filming this weekend, most likely just the first scene when the girlfriend is putting up missing posters and asking strangers if they have seen her boyfriend. I’m going to put my skills from creative photo class into use and photoshop a missing poster! I’m going to try to start it in class tomorrow if we have time after we finish the storyboard.

We’ll see how it goes,
happy witching hour!

Need to stop at A.C. Moore

Okay I’m tired of my intro being “hey y’all”... so for now I’m just going to start the blog-post however I want, until I find something else to start with. I’ve had a super busy weekend so I haven’t been able to do any further research and such, but I did briefly look into what to use specifically for the "seance" scene.

I was looking into candles and I’m still not sure which type we should use, either taper candles (only $1.79 at A.C. Moore) or pillar candles, which are thicker. I’m leaning more towards the pillar ones because first, they’re cheaper since we don’t have to buy a candle holder, and second, I’ve seen more seance scenes with normal pillar candles. Kaylin and I still aren’t exactly sure if we want the girl to drink the potion (given in the shoe box) or maybe have her sprinkle it on the picture of the boyfriend, but I think we should use these glass vials from target, because they're the cheapest I found. Since I'm going to be the missing boyfriend, I think were just going to use my senior picture from the yearbook, to show the woman trying to contact him and/or locate him.

Tomorrow in class, we're going to start the storyboard together and hopefully get most of it completed. Kaylin and I tend to diverge from the work we're supposed to be doing at times because we always get distracted by something we can discuss at another time, we still get our work done though!

I'm tired,
happy witching hour!

More shots and such!

Hey y’all! Today, I thought shot list got deleted from google docs, but I was just being incredibly dumb. I literally started checking every single google doc I’ve made in the past month, but THIS WHOLE TIME, it was in my most recent doc… just on the second page (apparently I didn’t think of scrolling down). That wasted about the first 5-10 minutes of the limited class time we had due to a guest speaker.

Once I finally found my shot list, Kaylin and I finally started getting down to business! We encountered a few bumps because we didn’t exactly agree on everything we had planned, but eventually we came to a verdict on certain shots. It’s scaring me that this project is due in a month from today, Kaylin and I have to be on our A game! Next class were going to start our storyboard and hopefully we’ll start shooting sometime during the week next week.

I forgot to mention this before, but Kaylin found an actor for our film opening! Her name is Alexia and she’s Kaylin’s friend from debate. I was so worried we wouldn't be able to find a reliable and decent actor, but I think we’re good!

Peace,
happy witching hour!

Shots and Such

Hey y’all! Yesterday, Kaylin and I planned to make a list of the shots we want to use on our own, and next class we’re going to compare each others ideas and build off from there. I’ve already made a list of shots we can use, but I didn’t finish the list because I procrastinated and don’t have time to finish it because I have to study for AP gov. But, I’d say I have a pretty solid list and several cool shots we can include!

So, I was thinking the first shot should be a POV (a close-up) shot of the girlfriend stapling missing posters of the boyfriend (me, apparently), so right off the bat you know the main conflict.  I’m not going to list every shot I came up with because it isn’t necessary; I’ll show that in the storyboard once Kaylin and I confirm the shots/movements we’re using. Although, I did think of a really cool shot (maybe not that cool) we can use: an overhead shot, above the woman, as she opens the box she found at her doorstep, to show it in its entirety. I’ll discuss more shots/angles and such once we share our ideas tomorrow.

Anyway, Kaylin and I had a little disagreement on how we want to end the film opening. She wants to end it with the girlfriend mixing potions (created by following instructions in the book/note) but I WANT to end it with the girl preparing a seance. I know it’s going to be a bit difficult, we’d have to take lighting into big consideration due to it’s dark setting, but I think it could be done! I feel as if the seance is a major part of how I envisioned this opening, and without it, it wouldn’t reach its full potential. Tomorrow we’re starting our storyboard so we’ll see how this goes.

Happy witching hour!

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina season 2 comes out April 5th I'm so
exciteddddd

"You Say Witch Like It's a Bad Thing"

Hey y’all! Today in class, Kaylin and I started planning out the sequence of events in our film opening. Initially, we said we were going to do that individually over the weekend, then come together and share our ideas in class, but that didn’t happen. So instead, we did it together in class.

We changed a few things we had originally planned. Rather than starting off abruptly, with the woman frantically asking random people if they have seen her boyfriend, I thought of having it start with her putting up missing posters of her boyfriend. I feel like if we wanted to start chaotic, it wouldn't really match the rest of the vibe/feeling delivered in the rest of the opening.

As we were planning the sequence of events, Kaylin and I officially figured out that we are going to have a shoe box at the woman’s doorstep, and it’s going to contain items such as multi colored liquids, leather bound spell-book, sage, lighter, crystals (many of these items Kaylin and my friends already have). In the spell-book, we are going to have a paper sticking out (parchment paper to show it has aged) with Latin writing written on it, from here, the woman starts researching it and starts messing with the spells and potions.

My next blog is probably going to explore some shots/movements I want to incorporate into the film opening, and a few other things!

Signing off,
happy witching hour!

The Summoning of Diana Spellman!

Hey y’all! Today, I did some brief research on witch related conventions and seances!

Since Kaylin and I are planning to incorporate a seance/summoning in our opening, I looked into how seances are usually portrayed in films and TV shows and I immediately thought of a scene from one of my favorite Netflix originals, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. In this scene, Sabrina and fellow witches are trying to summon Sabrina’s dead mother in order to get certain information from her (I’m not going to explain what because it’s sort of a long story and not exactly relevant). During the seance, they placed candles around a dark room and used a personalized item of the person they are trying to summon (her mother’s wedding dress). In our opening, we plan on having a woman trying to contact her missing/presumed dead husband, so based on typical conventions of seances/summonings, we’re going to make the setting for this particular scene in a dark place (a garage, or any room with the lights out) and have the woman use a personalized item or photo of her boyfriend with candles surrounding her.

I highly recommend this show by the way! There’s a lot of dark themes relating to Satanism and the supernatural, it’s very intriguing.

Unfortunately, I have not gotten any news back about any potential actors to play the girlfriend. Someone better pull through... I'll keep y'all updated.

Signing off,
happy witching hour!

Group Discussions!

Today in class, Mrs. Stoklosa gave us the opportunity to get into groups (with people other than my partner, Kaylin) and discuss what we plan on doing for our project to get some feedback. I really like this because it allows our work and ideas to be critiqued from another perspective that may not be so biased.

While I was telling them our plot and the whole witch shebang, I swear one girl in my group was looking at me like I was crazy! But she actually really liked the idea and so did the others in my group, which I was happy to hear. As we were discussing, I told them how we wanted to start the opening chaotic, with the girlfriend frantically asking people if they had seen her missing boyfriend, and they recommended a few editing techniques, such as using slow motion with close-ups to show her frustration (after asking people if they had seen her husband). Honestly, other than that, I didn’t get that much feedback from the people in my group.

At the end of class, I walked over to Kaylin and she goes, “WE LITERALLY HAVE NO TIME FOR THIS PROJECT! LIKE 5 WEEKS… WE NEED TO START DOING THE STORYBOARD AND PLAN OUT HOW WE WANT IT ALL TO LAYOUT THIS WEEKEND!” I totally agree with her and am going to start planning it out this weekend, but I feel like it still hasn’t hit me that we have such little time to complete this entire project.

I’m going to reach out to a few of my friends to see if they’d be interested in taking part in sorcery and help us summon a missing boyfriend!

Let's hope it goes well,
happy witching hour!

Footage of Kaylin and I texting every girl in our contacts to help us film
(what's a blog without Kardashian gifs?)