AICE Media Studies

 Since the beginning of the movie is zoning in on the main character going on a run through Sarasota, I knew I had to break up the journey.  This will help convey time passing and focus on the environment.  I was inspired by something one of my favorite TV shows does often.  On the reality show, Survivor , they often focus on the wildlife on the island they are shooting on. They use a  jump cut to an animal nearby along with a dramatic sound effect. This is something that adds a feeling of tension to the moment. In my family, we call it “queuing the snake” because it is often a snake they film on Survivor .  When I was out shooting some of the scenes, I went about taking videos of an animal that was unobstructed by foliage. I also found a couple more animals like turtles and birds that I will weave into the story. For continuity, I also took shots with animals and the main character.

    When deciding when to film the movie's opening, there are many things to consider.  Taking into account time of day and weather changes, are a few things to consider for continuity of the story. I wish to film the entire thing during the same time of day because lighting changes can be problematic when editing.   The lighting differences during the time of day can be very apparent if it is not consistent.  I would not want the film to suddenly jump from noon to evening in a matter of a second because I used an invisible cut.  Additionally, weather changes can disrupt the illusion of the film.   If the scene is dry and sunny and then jumps back and forth to wet and cloudy in between shots, it would be very distracting to the main purpose of the scene which is investing in the main character and not discrepancies in the scene.   To solve this problem I mapped out a couple days where the weather is similar.  Filming quickly is a matter...

Finding locations to film scenes should have come into my mind while doing the storyboard. Unfortunately I was preoccupied with imagining how the film would look after editing and not solidifying specific spots. This leaves me with the dilemma of finding a location in my local area that will work for the film.  I have been doing some searching on Google Maps as well as asking friends and family about what place they think of when they see the drawings. My expanded collection of locations has given me filming locations for most of my scenes. One place I am particularly excited to film at is a local park along a bike trail called the Legacy Trail.  There are many opportunities to use various spots on the trail because of the variety of terrain.  I am also excited to include such local iconic spots like buildings downtown and the Ringling bridge.

    Decisions on how to film each shot are difficult to make. I realized when doing my research that each type of shot can really set the mood and focus on the part of the story you want to convey. While doing my story board to prepare for the film, I discovered vast limitations on what it is possible to shoot. I was inclined to make a cool action sequence for the start of the movie with the camera speeding up and slowing down to track various objects. But there were several limitations that I had to realize before jumping in on that vision.      I found a flaws in my action sequence idea for several reasons.   First the camera would have to move extremely quickly and this would cause motion blur. If I had a bigger movie budget, I would try a stabilizer stick for an iPhone or a Film Rig Pro for Smartphones. It is a smaller version but the same concept of what the movie productions use for the cinema cameras. This equipment is really necess...

     Sound is a powerful mood setter. Using sound and music a dramatic or intense, or calm, or many other moods can be achieved. Augmenting the mood of the viewer is important. A scene that involves the finding of a wondrous artifact can be scary or joyous depending on the faint music played in the background. I wanted to use this to my advantage when editing my movie. So I thought about where I want to add music. I want to make the crashing of the spaceship seem scary and tragic. I want to make the finding of the magical glasses seem wonderful. I will find royalty free music for these sections.

   

       After lots of contemplation and working out logistics, I have decided to change the beginning of my film.  The opening scene in my original design included a spaceship that would crash into Earth.  Originally, I imagined this crash to be a stop motion section of the film.  The spaceship was going to be made from Legos . I thought it would be neat to build the spaceship and the Legos would allow me to have the spaceship slowly break apart piece by piece and one frame at a time. Also the viewer would see the crash from an outside perspective. This would then fade to me walking. I have decided that a stop animation at this point would be an aggressive plan.  It would require me to learn an animation program in addition to filming all the other parts.         So I have altered the plan.  I have instead opted to add a clip of the spaceship crashing into earth from a ground perspective. I feel this will add a g...