The Film Opening!

Here is the link to the film opening!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1p8azlLRHyqaShaOJC6SBJwzGx7s9Cjpk/view

A lot of thought and hard work went into this. I feel as if my vision for the film opening was realized and I am very happy with the result! Thank you for sharing this exciting journey with me. Till next time!

CCR

Here is the link of my CCR!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6xWGXSiEyqYVDRiOXo4OTJ6YUVmdURwclBRZndyeFoxWHdZ/view

Enjoy!

Update

So here are some big updates I want to write on here before I explain it on the CCR. SO, from the beginning, I anticipated having the quote that my grandfather wrote down which inspired me to make the movie in the film. However, after many tries of trying to record the audio of that, it became increasingly difficult to acquire. First off, my grandmother cannot actually deliver the lines because of her health. I tried with my mother, but there was an element of youth in her voice that just didn’t feel right. Ultimately, once I put Chopin’s Prelude in E Minor in with the visual footage I had edited, I felt like it was already complete. To me, there is an unbeknownst monologue happening within the song, due to Chopin’s brilliance. The somber tune translates the sense of loss, yet hope, grief, yet resolution, and most importantly, a sense of nostalgia. I truly think that it is right to keep the quote out, knowing that it was my own inspiration to make the opening sequence. I want this film to appeal and resonate to those who had a similar feeling of nostalgia for the past, and this decision to keep it a montage can fulfill that. Later today, I will post the CCR where i can go even more in detail, and the actual film opening!

Finally Done!

Today, I added the sound I wanted to. I was very fortunate that I picked a piece by Chopin that was very easy to edit to. When I put the sound file in, I almost had to do absolutely no modification to the timing of the editing, because the puzzle pieces fit so well together. I showed my project to my mom and she was very pleased with the outcome, noting that she liked the different vibrant colors and the color scheme I picked. 

It’s been quite a journey creating this film opening. Many weeks of hard work have paid off since I am quite pleased with the result. I am so happy to have shared this journey with you and for you to see all the different elements that culminate in making a film. It is not as simple as it seems, it takes a lot of thought, trial and error, creativity, and patience. Hopefully, I carried all of those virtues throughout the duration of the project and created and engaging film opening. I still have some last minute tweaks but overall, I feel as if I have finally crossed that big mountain and reached my destination: the achievement of creating my first film opening!

Next week, I will upload the final product. Here’s for all my future endeavors into filmmaking!

A Step Further to the Finish Line

Last night, I finished editing the film opening! I first looked through all the footage I had and then picked out my favorite takes. I almost forgot to add the production company I created in the beginning of the the 2 minutes. The end product is 2 minutes 3 seconds. I might play around to see if one shot goes on for a few seconds too long and see if I can bring it down to 2 minutes flat. I ended up using various shots of my grandmother while having the shots of the painting she owns and the natural environment around her house try to tell the story of this feeling of longing for a picturesque and idealistic place left behind. Although I was hesitant to include her, I did end up using a clip of my little sister as a younger version of my grandmother, hoping and trusting that the audience will connect the two characters are the same but in different times. I put that shot next to the shot of my grandmother, so that both seem parallel and congruent, almost as if both character do the same thing. So, the visual element of the film are pretty much done, but I have to add the sound elements tomorrow. This will include the price by Chopin that I chose and the voiceover monologue done by the character of Maria, my grandmother. 

I have been playing with the idea of renaming the title of my film. Originally, I intended for it to be called “Maria”, a simple, but effective title. But I have been wanting to maybe change the name to “Nostalgia” which is the topic of the monologue done by the character of Maria. I just feel as if it embodies what I want to express by making the film better. Changing the title is a really easy fix, so it will be no problem.  

Chopin Tunes!

Today in class I was on a mission to find the appropriate score for my film. I went on killertracks.com, where I can pick it various songs without the threat of infringing on a copyright. So, I logged on and entered in the search bar “classical music” thinking that was adequate enough. However, I got around 500 results and just the ones in the first page were so far off from what I wanted (Celtic music wasn’t particularly the vibe I was going for) that I kind of freaked out. How was I going to listen to 500 different clips of music in time?! I previously knew that I wanted a piece by Chopin, so I googled whether his music was copyrighted. The consensus on the Internet was that if the music. Was composed before the 1900’s, it’s not copyrighted, but the recording of the music can be. As impractical as I am, I thought, well perhaps I can record someone playing a Chopin piece in real time. The problem was that I do not know anybody with the least bit of talent in piano ability. The solution to my minor and temporary problem was very simple. It occurred to me that killer tracks probably had a version of a Chopin piece on their website, so I looked it up. The piece I decided to go with was Prelude in E Minor. Although one could consider that piece to be a bit somber, I found it appropriate for the tone I was trying to establish. I think the song will help me establish the same feeling my grandmother, the main character has, about her sadness and longing for her home country. Now, the task of actually figuring out how to attach the sound file to the film!

Not So Great Day of Filming

So I finally filmed the scenes with my little sister who would be playing the younger version of my grandmother. We went to my backyard and I filmed some scenes that mirrored the ones that I already filmed. In my backyard, I have a coconut tree that is finally giving a few coconuts, although they are not ripe. I decided that including the coconuts partially in some of the shots would make interesting and engaging shots. However, while filming the scenes and rapidly became disillusioned with the idea of having a younger version of my grandmother be presented, or at least as the majority of the opening film. I think the venture was too grand and didn’t make a realistic jump. The fact is, my 90 year old grandmother is visually very different from my 13 year old sister. It didn’t seem like they were the same person, maybe because of the fact that I personally know them, but it just didn’t feel right. So, in order to ease the feeling that the day was wasted, I settled a battle within myself by leaving the possibility that perhaps I can put one or two shots of what I filmed with my sister, but having the majority be my grandmother and the paintings she owns. I often feel as if there have been many changes to my plan for my film but in reality, this is how films are made. There will often be changes that have to be made and no matter how difficult it can be dealt with, it must be done for the sake of the vision of the filmmaker. Hopefully, whatever it is that I envision can be transcribed into this short 2 minute film opening.