Life After . . .

Next semester I have registered to take FST 330- Producing w/ Buttino and FST 302 w/Pack (wait listed). If I get into FST 302 I think it will go along great with FST 330. If I do not get into FST 302 I will register for another FST class to take its place. Due to the fact that I am a Business and Film Studies double major, I will not be able to allott as many credits per semester to film as other film majors. I will also be taking ACG 203, FIN 335, and MKT 340  . . . YIKES!!!! In addition to that I will be a new RA at the Seahawk Village and a continued Health Promotion Peer Educator so, needless to say I will be incredibly busy.

New Role

My role for the Wild Card assignment is extremely different from roles I have had in previous production groups this semester. For this assignment I will be the grip/lighting designer. This position is going to pose as a challenge for several reasons: (1) I know VERY little about lighting (2) I am going to have to surrender the control that I am use to having as a producer or DP (3) I am going to have to find a way to showcase my creativity through light design. However, I realize that all of these are reasons that I in fact SHOULD be the grip/lighting designer. For this position I am going to explore ways to manipulate light and allow light to convey an active meaning and mood for the film. I am going to experiment with natural light, artificial light, gels, bounce boards, reflectors, and even after effects to fortify the project.

Wild Card Overheads

Hotel Room

Hotel Hallway 

Hotel bathroom

Hotel Lobby 

Editing Lab . . .Enough Said

Sound editing is a foreign language to me but after this experience I can say that I can understand the language but probably couldn't speak it. I really owe my sound editing progress to the SOUND GODS that are Audra and Ryne *slow claps*! They are amazing and taught me a lot about sound editing basics. This project has given me a new found appreciation for the ability to manipulate sound during post-production . . .the raw sound recording is just a diamond in the rough but editing shines it up and makes it all nice and pretty. Sound editing is meticulous and requires a sensitive ear, hopefully as I continue this project in 3B my ear for minor details will become sharper and I will become more adventurous with sound.

Sound Recording Rookie

Sound recording . . . .the aspect of film that i am probably least confident in. This project was extremely necessary for me to gain some experience and confident with sound and I couldn't have had a better group. We all had our ideas about what sounds we wanted to create and thankfully there was not to much overlapping in sounds. I think we all tried to capture a lot of everyday sounds that we are all exposed to but rarely take time to appreciate. For my sounds I pretty much tried to capture sounds that I could capture simply in my apartment such as toothbrushing, bacon, soda can, and pots and pans. However, since I missed the "walla-walla" question on my midterm i also decided to capture some in Hawks at dinner time. I think i fully understand that term now! A few obstacles I ran into while recording were the noise of my upstair neighbors stomping above me as well as levels spiking during certain parts of a sound recording. For instance in the toothbrushing recording levels spiked when the sink turned on but came back down when the brushing started and so on an so forth. Thank goodness for post production editing!!!!!

Master Shot . . .Master Editor

Editing the Bran and Park project was a completely different experience than editing the Documentary project. For one, editing a narrative is so much easier due to the guidance of the pre-visualization materials and the chronology of the script. Our group managed to record a few seconds under the 12 minute recording allotment and I think that it help us immensely. We did not have to filter through all the extra footage and scraps that comes along with editing documentary interviews and b-roll and we were able to focus more on the variation of coverage and effects. Editing for Bran and Park was a great experience and everyone pitched in to create an agreed upon cut of the scene. This project particularly exposed me to challenges of sound recording and editing which is a much more prominent part of filmmaking than i could have imagined. Spending countless hour with my group mates and other film majors in the editing lab at 3 am is always a memorable and stamina testing experience!!!

Pre-visualization/Re-visualization

The pre-visualization aspect for our group, like other groups, was very tedious and definitely a learning experience. We found it difficult to accurately represent our vision for the project through overheads and storyboards. However, the process did emphasize the importance of detail orientation and articulation. The feedback from the class helped us consider a different potential for our project that we might not have otherwise thought of and although it was frustrating it helped us know that we lacked clarity in our creative vision. We were encouraged to redo the storyboards and overheads before shooting to ensure a maximally effective production and I think that our new and improved pre-visualization materials gives a more accurate and elaborate guide for the final product. 

MASTER SHOT . . . MASTERPIECE

For the Master Shot Project my group consisting of Audra, Michelle, Kateland, and Kelly decided to get together for a creative brainstorm session in the library. During the two-hour session we ruminated an array of tone and plot applications for the very generic Bran and Park script and what we decided on is GOLDEN!! Once we were all able to agree on the direction of our Master Shot sequence it was easier for me to know how I as the producer could contribute to the execution of the project. In addition to the administrative role I will play, I will also assist in wardrobe and set design. Through various props I aim to create a very masonic and ominous set. Some of these props include rings, goblets, flags, etc. However, in contrast to the set design we want our main characters to maintain a collegiate and “fratty” look which will be represented in their wardrobe. 

Documentary Interview Project Reflection

Shooting the Documentary Interview Project is easily one of the highlights of my semester. Grace, Sarah, Naomi, and Kayla were so much fun to work with and I think we worked extremely well together. Everyone in the group is patient, helpful, creative, and respectful of the ideas of others, which is probably why everything ran so smoothly. Shooting vox pop was a great experience, it required the group to think quickly on our feet, improvise when needed, and tested our creative flexibility. The expert interview shoot was incredible. I feel like we got really lucky to have such cooperative subjects and stylized location. All other factors aside, I think that the success of our documentary experience is attributed to the group’s genuine interest and passion for the subject matter. Tattoos and the art of tattooing is something that we all found inspiration in and that inspiration made it easier for the group to agree in the direction we wanted the film to go in.    

Expert Interview Storyboard and Overhead

Production Schedule 

Friday February 1st

1:00 pm Equipment pick-up

2:00 pm Arrive at location (Hardwire Tattoo Studio)

2:30 pm - 6:00 pm Expert interview and b-roll

Saturday February 2nd 

2:30 pm Arrive at location (Flaming Amy's Burrito Barn)

2:45 pm -4:00 pm Vox Pops 

Director- Grace/ Director of Photography- Hillary/ Lighting- Sarah/ Sound- Naomi/ Producer- Kayla

Interior: Hardwire Tattoo Studio
MCU: Mike at drawing desk (brick wall)- expert interview #1

Mike expert interview overhead  

Interior: Hardwire Tattoo Studio
MCU: Jason in personal workspace- expert interview #2 

Jason expert interview overhead 

Documentary Interview . . .Snapchat and Tattoos *wink wink*

For the Documentary Interview Project I have the pleasure of working with Grace, Sarah, Naomi, and Kayla. Our project will be shot at the Hardwire Tattoo and Body Piercing Studio in downtown Wilmington. Through various vox pop interviews and a few expert interviews from tattoo artist our documentary will explore individuals emotional ties to their tattoos and the motivation behind tattoo artistry. We want to receive a candid perspective from both the recipients of the tattoo and the tattoo artist.

Expert Interviewee: Jason (in house tattoo artist)

Location: Hardwire Tattoo and Body Piercing Studio

Tone: emotional, adventurous, and sentimental

Ten questions for expert interviewee:

• ·      How long have you been tattooing for?
• ·      How did you get started tattooing?
• ·      What is your favorite style of tattoo & why?
• ·      What does it mean to you to give a tattoo that is so significant to someone?
• ·      What is your favorite tattoo & explain the tattoo?
• ·      Why does it have meaning?
• ·      What’s your favorite tattooing story?
• ·      What would you say to someone who thinks negatively of tattoos? 
• ·      What was your first tattoo experience like? [getting a tattoo]
• ·      What was your first experience as an artist like?

Vox pop footage will be shot in front and around the tattoo studio

Three questions for vox pop interviewees:

• ·      What is your favorite tattoo & explain the tattoo
• ·       Why does it have meaning?
• ·      What would you say to someone who thinks negatively of tattoos?  

Light Observations

 Rain and Stop Lights

The journey from Raleigh to Wilmington is something I have experienced way too many times to count. I often go home (to Raleigh) on weekends to spend time with my family and return just in time for school on Monday. Usually the drive is very mundane and uneventful and I generally leave and return around the same time each trip. The only thing that shakes things up a bit is the random MONSOON’S that Wilmington loves to unleash without warning during the fall semester. Darkness and torrential down pours make for a less than desirable travel conditions. However, one thing that always catches my attention is the way the stoplights diffuse themselves into the slippery wet road. The road becomes a canvas of red or green puddles that seem to hold their color even when splashed in or disturbed. This catches my attention because it makes it difficult to see the lines on the road but is also very distracting.

 Nana and Her Stripes

Up until my first year of college I went to West Texas every summer to visit my Nana and cousins. One thing I can say about West Texas is that there isn’t a sunset IN THE WORLD that can compare to the sun that sets over Big Spring and Midland, Texas. Specifically, I remember how the amber light entered through the windows of my nanas ranch and the way it warmed your skin when it touched you. I remember the cast shadows of the blinds that stripped my nanas face as she routinely washed dishes and looked out the widow at us playing. Knowing that she was walking down the hallway towards us because I could see her warm shadow first.