Edit, Edit, and more Editing

     The editing process resumes. I started this day by finishing up on editing the jump cuts of the different items being placed. All I really needed to do was to just tidy it up a bit and make it flow nicely. During the beat I placed one clip where Gordon runs with the ball towards the film. At first I thought this wouldn't look right as it wasn't like the jump cuts and doesn't go with the beat but it turned out fine. Following this was a short black cut where there is about a second or two of the screen just black. It then starts up again as the music changes in rhythm and thus beginning the montage. I looked through my file and went clip by clip to see which ones are the best and which ones I would use. I started putting some clips on the timeline and would cut them to make them fit and flow well. I also experimented with the speed of some of the clips. For instance, I would change a clips speed from 100% to 110%. This would make Gordon look better and faster with the ball without making it obvious there's a change in speed. I also took advantage of one of the effects I learned about called warp stabilizer. This effect would make a clip a bit more stable and reduce the shakiness to the best of it's ability. I tried it with a few clips and some worked really well and some didn't. I still wanted the effect of a handheld camera so I only applied the warp stabilizer to a few of the clips.

     Once I finished the first stage of the montage, the next part is to introduce the other character. I put a clip of Daan saying goodbye to Diego then walking over to the fence to see Gordon play. This is when I came across my first obstacle. How I originally this scene is to have the music go quieter and hear them talk. The problem I came across though is the audio clip of them talking is too windy. To solve this, I texted Daan and Diego and asked them to do a voice over. The next time I see them together I'm going to record it on my phone. I will also put an outdoor sound of the trees swaying and birds chirping on top as well. When I edited this bit I also made the music gradually go lower and then back to the original volume when it goes back to Gordon playing. The other problem I have about this bit is that there is a bit of weird void missing. I need to record another scene of Daan to make the transitions of the clips flow right. I asked Daan if he too is willing to go back and film and the nice friend he is agreed.  

     

Learning

This blog is just a quick update of what I am doing and how I'm beginning the editing process. I texted Gordon and asked him if he was available to finish filming next week Wednesday after school. He confirmed he was available and it was alright.

I recently have been watching YouTube videos online to teach myself how to use Adobe Premiere Pro. I have already learned so much and I think I am comfortable to begin editing the footage I have. I began with the basics by learning the very simple steps like how to upload clips, where to place them in the timeline, etc. I also learned about some of the tools available to use. I started by watching videos about the basic functions so I could get a feel to the program and begin practicing and playing around footage. I started by getting the folder with all my clips from filming day and putting them on on display for me on the bottom left of the program. This allows to me to click on a clip to see what is is then gives me different options on what to do with it.

After watching a few videos on YouTube, I thought it was my turn to put it to the test and try to start putting what I have together. I began by buying the song Runnin' by David Dallas for about a dollar. I put it in my folder and dragged it to the timeline. The editing has officially begun.  I played around with a few clips and dragged a few to the timeline without the audio. In the song there is a part where the beat goes very well with what I wanted to do with the jump shots that I was inspired by Edgar Wright (I talked about this in a previous post). I was a bit worried they wouldn't look good as I thought the beat went a bit fast but boy was I wrong. It goes so well with it. This is all I did for this day of editing. I would carry on the next day.

Next step

     After the first day of filming I was really quite proud of myself when I looked at all the clips I recorded. The next step is to begin editing. I don't have any video editing software and I don't want to use a free one that limits things I can do. I've decided to use Adobe Premiere Pro but there is a problem. It's quite confusing. Luckily I have an easy solution. I'm just gonna have to watch videos on how to use and play around with it. Around half a year ago I bought my camera but I wanted to learn how to post process my pictures. I bought a subscription for a package of Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. I started getting quite into it and began watching videos on YouTube on how to edit my pictures. I practiced a bit and quickly improved in a matter of days.

     I'm going to start watching YouTube videos on how to use the software and hopefully I will pick it up as easy as I did with editing photos. Luckily because I learned how to edit photos and have learned all about contrast, exposure, white balance, etc. I shouldn't have a problem with color grading the clips. The only thing I really need to learn is how to use the software itself and the different tools and things that can improve the video. As soon as I start watching some videos I will begin editing the footage I have and playing around with it. I might edit some clips I recorded when I went to Wynwood with my friends when I was trying to attempt a B-roll. This could be good practice for me before I start editing the actual project but I'm not certain I will actually do it. It depends on how busy I am with school and my job. 

Filming day

     It is here. The most important day so far of the project in here. I woke up, got ready, waited until 4pm and then drove to the fields. I arrived first with Gordon and Daan arriving shortly after. Daan brought our other friend, Diego so that he could help a bit. Because I was a bit worried with time, I decided not to start chronologically and start with the jump cut shots of the different objects placing down on the floor. I filmed each shot separately and got Gordon to place each object where I was facing my camera. I learned a cool little trick to make the shots look better. The trick was to zoom fast a bit as the objects are being placed. This will create the feeling of the motion. I looked at the clips I recorded and I’m really pleased with them.

     I then filmed Gordon playing around with the ball. There is a low angle shot of him running with the ball close to his feet. Another of him running close to the camera leading him to shoot at the goal. After a few movements I asked Gordon to do, I then asked him to just do him and mess around with the ball. He ran and did tricks around the field. During this I filmed it all in one take so that when it comes to post processing, I will cut and take out certain parts of that shot to put in the montage. I then wanted a shot of him standing and just looking out. I started by placing the camera on the floor towards his boots and then spiraling around his body and ending up on his face with the sun behind him creating a sun glare off his face.
   
     After filming him mess around with the ball and kicking it in the goal, I then filmed a few close up shots of the ball going in the net. I got Gordon to throw the ball in the corners or the goal whilst I filmed it. At this point, time was running out and the sun was beggining to go go down.
 
    It was finally Daan’s turn to act. I started by getting him and Diego on the side walk with me behind them. They talked for a few seconds as they walked until Diego says goodbye to Daan and gets in his car. This is when Daan spots Gordon training and walks towards the fence to look at him play. I then filmed a shot of Daan approaching the fence and looking out at Gordon. After, I went behind Daan and filmed an over the shoulder shot of him watching. This shot first focuses on his shoulder and fence then on Gordon through the fence. This shot came out really good and I’m really happy with it.

Something to mention about most of the shots I recorded, i wanted to do a lot of them with the hand held technique. I did this to show the feeling of actually being there. Not all of it is hand held but mostly the montage when I was on the field with the protagonist running with the ball is handheld.

     Unfortunately light started to dim down at this point. I still needed to record the very beginning of the opening and the end. I decided to not film the beginning and instead film it another day. For the end, I was able to film that. It was around 7:30pm when the golden hour really stood out. This is when I filmed the ending to the opening. I had Gordon walk towards his equipment as he rested his headphones on his shoulders. When I edit this part, I will lower the music. He then proceeded to change his shirt and gather up his things. I shot a medium shot of him walking towards the car until he stops. This is when the protagonist see's Daan resting on his car. I wanted to create the same shot in different angles. For example I recorded an over the shoulder shot of Gordon looking at Daan, then an over shoulder shot of Daan looking at Gordon. This then will follow the same concept but with be an extreme close up on both their faces.

     So for the most part the filming is pretty much done. I just need to schedule another day to record the beginning. To be honest I think filming another day might be useful as I can then really spend more time on parts I might have missed or envisioned after this filming day. I might film more of Gordon playing just in case there isn't enough footage and maybe I can get some better results. The second day of filming shouldn't take too long and i'm sure I will be alright.

Final preparations for filming

It’s the day before filming and there still isn’t much to do but I’ve had a thought. I thought about what else I could do to set up the filming day and realized I didn’t pay much attention to mise-en-scene.

   At first I thought about the protagonist wearing a shirt of a famous soccer team so that it can give the audience more information about the character and what team he likes, but I decided to scratch that. The reason is because I don’t want there to be any biased thoughts. For example, if I make him wear a Real Madrid shirt, Barcelona fans would like him less. My favorite team is a team called Tottenham hotspurs and our biggest rivals is a team called Arsenal. If I watched a movie that shows a character wearing an arsenal shirt then I would look at that character differently. I don’t want people to judge the protagonist on which team he supports. So I texted Gordon (protagonist actor) and asked him to bring a few shirts that doesn’t show a famous team. I don’t mind if it’s his local team he plays for but as long as it is not a well known I’m ok. I also asked him to bring his headphones, bags, and just general things he takes when he actually goes to practice.
 
  I am hoping tomorrow goes well and that we have enough time to film everything. The problem I have is Gordon can’t film until later the day so we are going to try and film it all before we run out of day light. The one advantage of filming around this time is the benefit of having the golden hour available. My plan is to have the montage and beggining to be in full light day when near the end as the protagonist is begginning to leave, it would be around golden hour. This shows the audience he has been practicing for a few hours in the two minutes of screen time. It will let the audience know time has past. I’m just hoping we film it all but if we don’t it won’t be the end of the world. We will just have to come another day whenever we both are available.

Now What?

     So everything seems to be sorted out and I am ready to film. I'm not going to lie, I really am not too sure what else I can do to get ready for shooting. At the moment, everything is ready and I'm just waiting to film the scene. My friend Daan agreed to play the other character in the opening and is free to film on Friday. He is actually really excited to be doing this but is quite upset I didn't give the main role to him. I'm sure he doesn't really mind that much though
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     Although I'm at a bit of a standstill, I have been thinking of camera shots I would like to attempt. I would definitely like to take an establishing shot of the fields as the car pulls up to the parking lot. I don't know how I could do this but I am definitely going to try my best. I have realized there are quite a few shots I want to take that will be challenging. It's all a learning process though. I'm going to be experimenting different ways to get pull off shots that are quite difficult for a student with no budget, no high-tech equipment, and no crew. It's just going to be my two actors that will be helping me. If I fail at these shots I envision then so be it, at least I attempted them and can learn from it.

The Music Struggle

     In the previous blog I talked briefly about what else I needed to do before I begin filming. I needed to find the song that will be playing during the opening and get a tripod or something I can use that will stabilize the camera. Thankfully I have completed those tasks! Well kinda. The stabilization thing I have sorted. I am going to borrow my friends tripod. As for the music, well that's a different story.

     I wanted to have an upbeat song that is quite hyped and makes the audience bump their head or tap their foot to the music. So in a previous post, I talked about Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes being the song I would like but unfortunately I can't use it due to the copyrights.  Then I remember a brilliant game I played a year ago called Tales From the Borderlands which had a great soundtrack. I was hoping to find the right kind of song that I could picture it going with what will be shown on screen, and I did. Busy Earnin'  by Jungle was the perfect song. I went on YouTube music policy to see if the song could be used and not copyrighted but guess what. It was. So I needed to find another one. I looked through the playlist of the game and found another song, Pieces of the People we Love by The Rapture. I checked this one and thankfully I could use it. Although I really like the song and think it will do well with the opening, I personally think the other two songs I wanted were better. So because I just couldn't let it go, I kept searching to find a better one.

     I tried thinking of other ways I could find good songs and so I thought about one of my favorite YouTube channels called Yes Theory. This channel is a really inspiring channel that focuses on getting people out their comfort zones and say yes to more opportunities. One thing they are great at, is their editing and their song choices. I looked at their playlist they made and found another really great song called Bills by Grandson. I can picture it going quite well with the scene and so this is my number one choice for now. The song is catchy, and has a great beat that will definitely make people bump their heads to. 

Almost Ready To FIlm

     I finally have a date for filming. Next week Friday the 23rd, we will be going to regional to film. I asked Gordon yesterday if he was available this day and he agreed. So when I think everything is sorted I still have a problem for the other character that will be in my opening. I still don't have an actor for this role. I have asked around and I still haven't found one. So what will I do? I will have to maybe change the scene a little.

     An idea I have thought of is to get another one of my friends to be in it and take the role of the older man. Instead of the film being a traditional root of the student and the mentor, I am thinking about changing it to be about two friends trying to reach their goals by helping each other. It literally would be almost the same to my original plan of the man spotting the protagonist and watching him train. It just would be another kid around the same age watching and him realizing how good the protagonist is and how he wants to train with him. This idea is just as good as the other one in my opinion as I think it is different. We have seen the mentor and the student route many times for so long now and I would like to try something different.
 
     For the actor, I am thinking between two of my friends, it just depends which one wants to do it more and if even one of them will be available. So hopefully I will have that sorted out. That just leaves me two more tasks I need to do before I start filming. I still need to get a tripod for more stabilization and most importantly I need to choose the music. This hopefully will be done for the next blog post.

Organizing Everything

    So what now? Start filming? Nope. I wished it was that easy but it isn't. I still have things I need to do before I start filming. I've got to get actors, locations, dates, and more. Luckily I have sorted a few of those out already. 

     For my main actor I will be using one of my best friends, Gordon Phipps. He is a great soccer player that plays for Cypress Bay and will be joining the USF team next year. He is the perfect athlete I could use. He agreed to my request and is willing to film whenever I need him. What I don't have is an older actor for the other character in the opening. I will be asking around if anyone knows someone that would be willing to help. 

     For the location, I have decided to shoot it in Regional by YMCA. I am still undecided on filming on a big open soccer field or the small turf field. I think that decision will be on filming day as I will get a better picture on how I want it. 

     Filming dates has still not been decided but I will be decided it soon. Once I have a few more things sorted out I will make the date.

Filming day is coming soon and I'm quite excited to film it. Hopefully we can film everything all in one day before the light runs out but if not, I'm just gonna have to get a day with similar weather. 

 

The plan

    I finally finished planning the opening. I went online, searched up "storyboard template", printed two copies, and drew the plan for the scene. I kind of divided the opening into three parts: beginning, middle, and end.

Beginning: 

     The movie opens up with the protagonist, a teenage boy in the car turning into a parking lot. I going to attempt an idea I have had in which the camera is changing positions around the car going from shot to shot all in one take. When the car parks, the protagonist gets out the car and walks to the field. He puts his earphones in and the music begins playing. 

Middle: 

     As the boy gets to the field, he puts down his bag and lays his equipment in position. There is going to be a camera shot of the boy putting a cone on the camera lens to give the effect of it being placed on the ground. This idea is very similar to common shots Breaking Bad used. We then see the teen run with the ball, kick the ball and just train on his own with the music. 

End: 

     The protagonist finishes training so he goes to the bench, and takes a seat. He then removes one of his earplugs and the music goes from the main sound being heard to background music. He then puts his equipment away and notices the man watching him. The boy stands still looking right back at him until the man walks away. Turns to black.   

Research

     The past few days, I have been researching and gathering information that can help me for my opening.

 One of my favorite films is Whiplash by Damien Chazelle. In this drama there is a constant feeling of tenseness that leaves the watcher on the corner of their seat. One of the great parts of the movie is the opening itself. You are instantly grabbed into the movie after witnessing the tense scene. In this opening we are instantly introduced to the protagonist playing the drums. We see him practicing on a drum kit sweating and working to get better. This is quickly interrupted by the harsh drum teacher that teaches the highest level class. He intimidates the protagonist and makes him feel a bit bad about himself. This short scene instantly gives so much information about both characters and really opens the movie to set up the plot.


     This opening has given me an idea on how I want mine to be. Since I love the idea of a mentor watching and judging the student, I want my opening to be a bit similar. I'm going to have my protagonist training on a field playing soccer whilst a man is watching and judging him. The protagonist wouldn't see this man until the very end of the scene.

     The whole movie concept with the whole mentor and student thing from Whiplash has really led me in the direction for my movie idea. Whiplash is one of my favorite movies that's so ingeniously directed and made. I think throughout this process, I will be looking back at Whiplash for inspiration and ideas.

     Like I said on a previous blog post, Baby Driver by Edgar Wright is another movie that I will be looking at for ideas. It is such a good movie with a great sound track. The music that goes along with the action creates the style. I think that is why I loved it so much. One thing I learned from re watching the opening is the way the music went in sync with the the diegetic sounds. For instance in the opening, we see a car chase between Baby (the protagonist), and the police. Every movement baby did went in sync with the music. The engine turning on, the gear stick changing positions, honks of other cars, and so many more. This made the opening significantly better and yet hard to notice.


     When in post production, I am going to try my hardest to get the music to go in sync with the kicks of the ball and other diegetic sounds. I think it will be challenging but I'm going to try my best.

My Equipment

     I have an update on the opening ideas. Since I want it to mostly be music, I have come to the decision that I don't want there to be any dialog in the opening. I have chosen this because of a few reasons. One of the biggest reasons is because of my equipment. After looking at some examples of previous student work, I couldn't help notice the quality in sound. Some of the videos I watched were really good but the quality of the sound just threw me off. Unfortunately, I don't have a microphone that can produce decent sound so the alternative would have to be my iPhone, and from what I learned in the foley project earlier on in the year, it's not great. Having the music for the majority of the opening will allow me to use only a bit of sound recording. This decision works perfect with my plan and I think it's the right choice.
 

 Talking about equipment, lets talk on what I do actually have. Luckily I bought a new DSLR camera last year so that will be an advantage. It does a pretty good job recording and I've learned how to use the camera to it's fullest extent. I don't have a tripod which is not good but I have asked a few of my friends so hopefully I can borrow one or I will just buy a cheap one online. As for my editing software, I'm most likely going to use Adobe premier. That pretty much goes for what gear I will be using. I'm sure I'll find use of more equipment, but for now, this is what I will be using.

Building the Foundation

     I managed to get an idea of how I want this opening to be. A few months ago I saw the movie, Baby driver and I absolutely loved it. I think the reason I enjoyed it so much is due to the music going along with what is being shown on screen so well. The main character would always be listening to music and would always function well with it. Thinking of the movie got me remembering the opening. There wasn't a single word said and only music playing over an intense car chase.  This gave me an idea to have a similar opening where my main character would put on some earphones and music would be playing on screen. As the music is being played, the character will be training on a soccer field alone. This would be a little montage of him with the ball kicking and running with it.

     For the song, I originally wanted Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes but it's got copy right claim. For now I am gonna leave it and hopefully I will hear a song that will suit my idea. As for the actual story plot itself, I'm still trying to think of ideas and put them together.

Introduction

     So it begins. My name is Jamie Levene, I’m from London, England and I’m a senior at Cypress Bay. The project we have been getting ready for months is finally here and I’m both excited and a bit nervous. When choosing what to do for my project, I thought about it quite a lot. I wanted to do something that’s right for me and is the most enjoyable. It then became an easy choice to choose the film opening. I want to do something with film in the future so choosing the film opening is both a test and practice for me. I think doing the film opening will be an overall better experience over the magazine.

     Then there was the decision of having a partner or to go solo. One of my friends did ask me if I wanted to be in a group but I ultimately decided to be a lone wolf and be independent on this project. I chose this because I want full control of the decisions that will be made through this process. I don’t want to rely on someone else and I want the final project to be done purely my me and not someone else. It might be a bit more challenging doing it on my own but I like to challenge myself and see what I can do.

     After completing step one, I moved on to step two which is choosing the genre I want my film to be. My decision is to do a sport drama. This was really easy for me to decide as soccer is a big passion of mine so putting two of my passions together (soccer and film) seems like a good idea to me.