Production Filming Day 1

    Day one of filming was very successful. Day one is designated for the indoor scenes, so all of the scenes that are set to be filmed in the bedroom, dining room, kitchen, and bathroom. Today was definitely the longer of the two filming days due to the reliance on indoor locations that is conventional of the specific subgenre of coming-of-age films that my production adopts. 

    I began with the set design. I scattered makeup, perfume, jewelry and the flowers on my dresser to create an altar in which the girl takes items off and where the flowers will eventually die on. A before and after picture of the flowers is below. After designing the set I took some images for the digital component, my Instagram page, and then I began filming. 

    After filming a few initial scenes, I began to take pictures for the posters. I will detail this process further in a future blog this week when I move on to the design of the print component. 

    I then moved on to the kitchen scene where almonds are counted in a glass jar. I had two jar options, as detailed in the video below. I ended up choosing the glass bowl as the footage looked cleaner and it felt more sterile and intentional- which was exactly what I was going for within my production. After, I moved on to the pea scene in the dining room, which required some rearrangement of furniture. I had to move the dining table to ensure that the window did not interrupt the shot. The framing of this specific shot was meticulous as I wanted for the tablecloth to be in the shot as my dress was this green color with pink florals that matched very well with the tablecloth. This was an intentional decision that allowed for my central character to blend in with her environment, making her less noticeable and almost passive in the narrative. For the close up shots of the peas, I ensured that the peas were arranged in a perfect circle and for that circle to be ruined by her fork. This was also intentional and was executed well over film. 

    When sunset arrived, the 'darker' scenes were filmed in my bedroom. I had to put in eye drops to act as if I were crying, which was an interesting experience, but the footage came out well. 

    

    The last interior scenes that I have to film will be of the flowers when they eventually die. This may take a few days, but to accelerate the process, I took the flowers out of water, so hopefully that is effective. For the digital component, the Instagram page, I also plan to create a post of the progression of the dying flowers, detailing how they looked each day as they died. I thought this would be good content for the behind the scenes category, so I will take a picture of the flowers each day to track their progress. 

 - Lauren ♡

Planning- Shooting Schedule

 

        Update: When searching for planning materials, I arrived upon this website. The website provides templates for so so many different aspects of planning- from storyboarding to scriptwriting. I will definitely benefit from many of these materials to remain organized throughout the duration of the planning phase. 

    Back to it. A shooting schedule is definitely necessary in order to achieve smooth filming days. To ensure that there is alignment in my vision and the production outcome. Shooting schedules are also efficient to ensure full preparedness when the day arrives and, when shooting at locations that involve travel, to have all of the necessary materials on hand so that the production process doesn't become delayed. 

    I began the curation of the shooting schedule by searching for templates. Acquiring a template would be the most efficient method of making the schedule as it serves as a guide in what to consider. After some searching, I arrived upon the template that is indicated below. I conducted some minor alterations to ensure that the schedule I create is effective for my situation. 

Click here to view my complete shooting schedule!

- Lauren ♡

Planning- Mise-en-scene

 

    For the trailers, mise-en-scene elements are of the utmost importance, especially with the themes of femininity and perfection that my trailers adopt. The first place I went to develop the costuming is my closet. I own a pretty decent amount of dresses, which is what I have chosen best depicts the attempt of feminine perfection, so gathering potential elements of costuming wasn't difficult to come by. The difficult part will be narrowing down. I do plan on incorporating more than one outfit in the duration of the trailers to display the length of the narrative. Below, I have attached images of potential costuming. It is also crucial to pay attention to minor details such as a manicure. To develop the seemingly perfect image of this young woman, it is necessary that she has a manicure. A light pink, short french tip is the most common depiction of the clean, feminine look. I am going to use press on nails so that I do not have to commit to a full manicure. I have also attached a picture of the nails below. For other elements regarding makeup, I will lean toward a clean, flawless makeup look. For hair, I will do curls and possibly a hair bow to further elevate the femininity. 

Here is the nail set

    Another crucial element of mise-en-scene within my trailers is the props. The first scene in the first trailer I will produce includes a slow, floating camera pan over intricately placed makeup, perfume, jewelry, and the flower (really any props that set the narrative in a feminine atmosphere) on the young woman's dresser. I searched in my jewelry box for pieces that depict femininity such as pearls and flower printed necklaces and bracelets. For makeup, I just pulled a few glosses, mascaras, and a few beauty tools. I also found some polishes and a journal that I thought may be useful. I have attached photos below of the props:

    In addition, the pink flower/ flowers. I have yet to decide if I want the flowers to be in a bouquet or singular. I plan to go out to the market and buy flowers tomorrow, so I will update this blog and include a photo of them. 

    After a quick trip to the good ole Trader Joe's, I decided upon lilies. I chose these lilies because they're just so dang gorgeous. No. I am only joking. They are pretty, but the significance of pink lilies is the most important aspect of this choice. Pink lilies symbolize grace. Gracefulness. What my central character strives to achieve. They are also popular for funerals... just an extra little detail. 

    

- Lauren ♡
 

Print Component

 

    For the film promotion package, the print component entails the production of a poster advertising the film. The choices within the poster are dictated by the distribution plan (whether the film will be released theatrically or directly to streaming services). With either direction, the key art must be evident for marketing purposes. 

    With a theatrical release, there must be the title, key art, production credits, and a tagline. Within the production credits is where the theatrical release deviates the most from the streaming release. Theatrical release posters include a longer list of credits at the top or bottom of the poster (detailed below). The tagline is also different from the streaming release, involving a line that conveys a certain aspect of the film that the producers desire to convey. There is no specific outline for this line, therefore allowing for full creative freedom in what the line says. 

    With a streaming release, there must be multiple thumbnails with key art, the title, and minor production credits. For the streaming release, it deviates the most from theatrical release due to the multiple thumbnails aspect. The purpose of producing multiple thumbnails is to gain a wider viewership. Due to streaming services existing online, there is a level of control that the streaming services garner, enabling them to alter the poster that is displayed to comply with each customer's interests (the algorithm). The example that Ms. Stoklosa provided aided in explaining this aspect with more clarity- when a customer's algorithm on a streaming service indicates their interest in romance films, the thumbnail that displays in their feed for a romance film will concentrate attention toward the central couple- more so than a customer that interacts with action films more, they might want to focus on a comedic aspect of the film. This will draw them into the film more effectively. Despite the divergence in the content on the multiple thumbnails, the branding consistency must be maintained. The title should be in the same font and font color to maintain this consistency. 

    The past few weeks of research and planning have led to the conclusion that my film will benefit most from a streaming release.     

    I will research the streaming release posters for a few media texts to further my knowledge on the necessary components. 

Blonde (2022)

    The Blonde (2022) streaming release posters utilize a consistent color palette, maintaining the branding of the film. The colors are red hues that transition to pink, which are typical shades to convey femininity. The consistency in the font color and font further the branding that is created, with an intentional font choice that conveys femininity. The posters both have a release date, September 28, and the streaming service in which it will become available on, Netflix. These are crucial details to include on a streaming poster as, contrasted from theatrical release posters, the film will only become available on a specific streaming platform. There are minor production credits on both posters, but they are not full production credit lists like theatrical release posters have. 

To the Bone (2017)

    The To the Bone (2017) streaming release posters create branding consistency through the color palettes that are adopted. The grey, muted tones display the melancholic branding that is being conveyed. With these posters, there is an inconsistent font color, which is definitely something to avoid when producing these streaming release posters. The first poster displays the streaming platform and date in which it will be released, while the second poster fails to do this. There are minimal production credits, limited to actor and director names. 

- Lauren ♡

Planning ⋆˚࿔

 

    Brand Identity Prism- Social Media

    [Backstory time] At the beginning of this school year, Ms. Stoklosa had us complete a 'brand identity prism' to convey our own personal brand. This was a very self-reflective task- it allowed for each of us to reflect upon what makes us.. well us. The prism entailed the following components: physique, personality, relationship, culture, reflection & self- image. 

This is what a brand identity prism looks like- it is an organized depiction of the components that I detailed below. 

    For the digital portion of the portfolio project (social media page), a brand identity prism will immensely aid my planning process. It will allow me to remain organized and depict an initial image for how my brand will appear and remain cohesive. After completing research on other media texts' social media pages, I have been familiarized with aspects that are conventional and non- conventional to the social media marketing pages for films. I acquainted a sort of dos & don'ts list if you will. I created a blog post detailing this process, you can find that in one of my recent posts, prior to this one. 

Physique:

On the Instagram, there will be a heavy presence of the color pink, specifically a light, pastel pink shade. I intend to make the pastel pink a visual motif within the film in general, so all of the typography will appear in this color. This choice originated from research that I conducted that acquainted me with color theory. Pink is conventionally used as a representation of femininity/ innocence. For the typography, I intend to use a cursive font as it is a reinforcement of these feminine aspects. Below is a depiction of what the profile picture for the Instagram account will look like. This is a draft. I feel that it may not be readable, so further edits will occur (I was thinking maybe increasing the black border, without it conflicting with the light aesthetic that I have going here).

Personality:

Calm, more centered around the aesthetic of the film rather than the actual promotional aspects- I want it to be immersed in the narrative's purpose rather than eye-catching promotional tactics. The main vision is for the social media page to remain in the narrative world. 

Relationship:

Interactions with the audience ential the inclusion of small clips from the film- to tease them if you will- about the release of the film. For this section, I also considered including purchasable merchandise if I can appropriately create that. 

Culture:

Values young girls who are coming of age that deal with body image issues. Assuring them that they are beautiful in their current form and do not need to change anything about their appearance. 

Reflection:

As a psychological drama, the scenes are implicit of disorders regarding young womens' appearances. The messages uncover the parts of media that have low representation. 

Self-Image:

Understanding that the film may be sensitive to some viewers and the concepts addressed are not pleasant, but believes that they are a necessary aspect of the modern world and they should be addressed in the media. 

- Lauren ♡

References

https://nofilmschool.com/color-psychology-in-film

https://digitalsynopsis.com/design/film-movies-color-psychology/

Planning ๋࣭ ⭑

 

    For the initial planning portion of the portfolio project trailers, I compiled a document where I simply emptied my mind- I wrote down everything from color schemes to shot ideas. This process was extremely beneficial to my planning process as I now have a more specific idea of how I would like aspects of mise-en-scene, shots and music to be represented within the trailers. This process also allowed me to compile my filming spots. I want to include my bedroom as a primary filming location, but I also would like to employ a local parks' butterfly garden due to the visual appeal. I visited this garden quite a while ago, but when I visited, it was just so so stunning and it somehow clicked with me during my brainstorming process that the location would be, potentially, a perfect location.  In addition, I was able to produce a title that I feel is so so fitting and perfect for my plot- it is Porcelain. 

    When brainstorming ideas that resonated with/ symbolized perfection, I arrived upon a Smithsonian article that details the symbolism of porcelain dolls as perfection and delicacy. These are aspects that are critical to the development of my plot, making the title of the film very appropriate. 

Here is a link to my planning document

- Lauren ♡

References 

Hart, M. T. (2022, November 1). How porcelain dolls became the ultimate Victorian status symbol. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-porcelain-dolls-became-the-ultimate-status-symbol-180980945/

Group Meeting ۶ৎ

 

    The first group meetings during the span of the portfolio project took place today. The meetings, particularly the one that happened today, are immensely helpful to the development of the portfolio project. They give us a chance to share our projects to a smaller group and offer suggestions/ be offered suggestions. It provides us with insight from a varied outside perspective, which is immensely productive.

    So here is what went down:

        Nikita 7606- Nikita has the majority of his short film already planned. His film centers around a character who has a mundane life and attempts to 'fix' it by resorting to drinking and drugs to numb his boring life. The ending was an overdose that ends in his death. So yeah. Prrrretty depressing. His plan is clear though as far as costuming goes, he plans to use typical, everyday clothing, he mentioned a misfitted suit. The color scheme is well established- using grays/ mundane/ muted tones pre- drug use and a shift to brighter colors during the period of drug use. 

        Nico 4888- Nico has a general idea of his short film. His film's central character will break the fourth wall. He described the character as egotistical, similar to Ferris Bueller. The conflict arises when another character (antagonist) tries to steal the 4th walls' attention I guess you could say. I love this idea- the entire time he was explaining it, I just imagined Ferris. He doesn't have much of the specific details like costuming/ filming locations all that good stuff, but he says he will get all of that sorted out this weekend. Promisingggg. No he will, just jokes. 

        Andrew 7558- Andrew talks about a possessed person who ends up killing their sister within his short film. The plot seemed pretty developed, but similar to Nikita's, this one is interesting. It is very dark. Well, I guess it's supposed to be. The genre is dark comedy. He mentioned that the comedy portions are being written by Joaquin, so I know this boutta be pretty good. It's a very bold idea, but with proper execution, it will be great.

        Lauren (ha! thats me!)- I was suggested to create a metaphor for the internal struggles of my central character. When I addressed my prior research of the text Black Swan, a few of the group members suggested that the internal struggle be portrayed in a similar fashion as this film. Since my mise-en-scene elements are the most developed portions of my project in this current planning phase that I am in, I detailed all of that jazz. I think this was definitely a good suggestion to develop a metaphor as it will draw a closer audience connection to what is actually occuring. 

        Audrey 7396- Audrey has a very well- developed idea for her short film. She details that the film will be introduced by a therapy session that takes place a year post-events that she will depict while the therapy session occurs. A voice over will serve as the narration to the visuals that depict the events. The costuming that she mentioned is developed well with the therapist in typical professional clothes and the central character in unplanned clothing. The coloring of the therapist's office will be mundane, neutral colors, which is a really good decision. I really really liked the idea, I think it will turn out well. 

        David 4840- David. The idea for his comedy short film is so so cool. He plans to revolve the narrative around a central character that is kind hearted. He likes to perform good deeds. A penny is what decides his fate and teleports him to different countries. David is going out of town -to Spain and England I believe- over spring break, so he plans on filming the central character being teleported to these different countries. Honestly, I admire his dedication to the project, being on vacation and all and still filming.

        Kenna 4440- Kenna is producing a coming-of-age film revolving around a technique rather than a plot. At least at this moment. She plans on employing a still shot from the perspective of a seed (that eventually grows into a plant) that a young woman is gifted. She goes through many traumatic experiences, breakups and all that, but she finally realizes at the end that she was still growing (as communicated through the plant's growth). I love love this idea- I feel that its super innovative and- if executed well, which I do not doubt- it will turn out really sweet!

Here's the group!

- Lauren ♡