CCR

https://clyp.it/id1imebd#

Major and Minor Tasks!

Major Task:

google drive link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByC0j5gFMqUQV0dkVVpsNHpTYlU/view?usp=sharing

Minor Tasks:

postcard advertisement

website: https://cassandrasecada.wixsite.com/carouselofficialfilm

Final Thoughts

Wrapping things up, I have so many thoughts running through my mind. Mainly, why didn’t I organize myself better beforehand but I am still proud of what I have done with the obstacles I have ran into. There is a point where you have to let go. I have a very difficult time doing that and I find that with every project I make in AICE Media Studies I am taught the lesson more and more. This is not the last thing I will ever make and so it doesn’t have to represent everything I want to say with my life, it can just exist as itself. That being said, I am pretty unhappy with the audio in the film. At times it is just so distracting it ruins the scene for me, but audio is something that I understand I will get the hold of with practice! In addition, I need to improve my sense of pacing when writing for a film and I also wish I had allotted myself more time for editing but I can’t go back now.

These final postings are very bittersweet for me because I have adored this class so much and knowing that it’s coming to a close is saddening. Bright things are ahead though.

Thanks for tuning in!
Cassie.

Titles & Downloads

The title card. I've also decided to use cinematic bars for the film but
that's mainly because I got excited about Premiere's fancy options!

Besides filming I’ve spent a bunch of today updating my computer to the latest Mac operating system in order to download a free trial of Adobe Premiere Pro CC to edit with. I mentioned this in a previous post but to sum it up I had quite a couple of issues with iMovie and decided that it was time to try something new. As you can see, I've attached a little screenshot of the film’s title card which I'm very happy with. I’ve decided on calling the film ‘Carousel’ because I really want to touch on the cyclical nature of longing in this film and I believe that the word carousel, referring to children's merry-go-rounds, will clearly translate this idea as they center around a circular motion.

In other news, I am also on the hunt for a song to edit into the ending scene so that when Isabelle stumbles upon Kimi she hears her before she sees her. Not only would I like to incorporate the technique to build tension but I also think it would reinforce the way Kimi’s character carries a ray around her. All of the dreams are vibrant with color and otherworldly, so in turn I would like to mimic that atmosphere with music when Isabelle meets her.

Talk soon,

Cassie.

Coming up Roses!

Hello! So, I’ve been doing some planning (what’s new?) and I feel like despite the major stumbles I’ve had along the way something is finally clicking. First, in the midst of all the madness I forgot to tell you a few things. Michaela wasn’t available in the end so I actually got my friend Kimi to portray the “dream girl.” In addition, the pool scene wound up feeling out of place in context so I cut it from the film. Before shooting last week I altered a bit of the plot, making it so that Isabelle gets recurring dreams of a girl, investigates the dreams, and runs into the girl in real life but shuts her away. I thought this would more directly communicate what I’m trying to say about the cycle of loneliness in longing, wanting to reach out but never acting on those wants, even in dreamlike scenarios. Instead of ending it on a roundabout, I decided to end it with her having another dream but this time with a different subject to directly translate the idea of a cycle in a way that felt more fit.

I have made a shooting schedule for Wednesday through Friday, scene by scene, and finished touching up the storyboards on my phone. I've attached a few examples alongside the schedule! I've also have been working quite a bit on the film's website and postcard advertisement. I have decided that for marketing purposes I want to attach teasers alongside general information about the film on its homepage to entice audiences. In regards to the postcard ad, I have been constructing a visual of Kimi's face surrounded by hanging sheets that fall over Isabelle as she sleeps. I believe that this will justly translate the idea of Kimi's looming presence (or what she represents) in Isabelle's everyday. After filming I will use screen shots from the footage of both parties, overlay the images as so, and trace the final product in pen to create the illustration.


Talk soon,
Cassie.

Just Kidding

still from shooting

Reflecting, I cannot believe that I was able to film as much as I did in the day I had. I was originally going to film it on Saturday and Sunday but I was only able to get one shot of my brother on Saturday before he asked to film it all Sunday because of the work he had to do. Filming itself was very stressful and in the end I wasn't able to complete the shoot because of time. I have definitely learned a lot from this experience, however, so it wasn't a complete waste. I really have a difficult time shooting anything if I have not storyboarded/ shot listed it ahead of time and I had to be much more spontaneous on this shoot. In addition, many times I had planned to film in a certain place and then realized it was way too crowded and had to move a scene. I also wasn’t able to get that many takes of anything and when the last couple of scenes came around my brother had to go to bed because he has work tomorrow.

still from shooting

still from shooting

I think my primary takeaway from this experience has been that I need make decisions quicker and stick with them. When looking at my blog/ journey, it’s a lot of back and forth. Here I am jumping back once again and I apologize for my inconsistencies. The choice is final (and my only one now) that I will simply have to get everything (with the exclusion of two scenes I've already shot) all day Wednesday and Thursday morning and go back to my initial idea. Taking into account that it is spring break, I feel calmer because I will have more hours in the day to film as opposed to right after school until eight. A detailed shooting schedule is to come of the exact times I will be shooting exact scenes from the film. In addition, I am working on my CCR and card now that I have sealed the deal.

Talk soon,

Cassie.

A Solution

Quick note before reading: I wrote this last night but forgot to post it which is why I refer to Saturday as tomorrow and not today!

Mark with a beautiful hat.

After meeting with Ms. Stoklosa we both agreed that it would be best to move quickly with the time that I have left. Filming everything over again on Wednesday (when I’m back from my trip) would be too late, and so I am currently planning the details of shooting with my brother, Mark, in NYC tomorrow and Sunday. I’m going to continue with the general thematic issues of loneliness and connection but because I have less time to film, am less familiar with the area, and have fewer resources in New York, actor wise, I’m going to steer away from scenes involving two or more people and/or the outdoors. Instead, I’m going to follow a man who recently moved to New York. Upon moving he finds himself rather isolated and realizes that the city is not the romantic idea he had of it. By chance he stumbles upon an old phone in the trash and takes it home with him out of curiosity, eventually playing its voicemails left feeling connected to and haunted by the idea of the owner. At the end I want him to find an old text that contains the owner’s new number and for the two to have a long conversation where they open up to one another.

I still have to write the script, so I don’t think I’ll be sleeping tonight! Nonetheless, I am excited about this. Things are looking up.

Talk soon,
Cassie.