Filming: Day 1

Today I started filming for my final production. My actress got to mine at about 5.15 and we had a thirty minute brief about the character, the script, the camera movements and I answered questions that she had. She had brought with her some interesting clothes that she thought could represent the character of Lia rather well and when she put on all the attire, she looked a lot like the original Lia that I had thought of. She brought with her a black poofy skirt with lots of netting, green leg-warmers and a dark green vest top. I added some blue accessories and black Converse so that I was able to stick to the original colour scheme and keep all the connotations of those colours. When it came to hair, I thought that something a little immature might suit the character and so my mum styled my actress' hair into bunches and I then tied silver ribbons around each bunch into a bow. For Lia's make-up, I decided to have dark blue eyeshadow with black glitter liner on the top lid and black eyeliner on the lower lid. I then extended the line from the lower lid across on of my actress' cheeks so that it expanded into a pattern which I then highlighted with more glitter eyeliner. Overall, she looked pretty weird, and very much a social outcast.

My set looked like a proper bedroom although there were a few problems with where to put everything that I didn't want in shot.

Lighting was another problem. Because it needed to be dark, to then get the lighting right so that it didn't look obvious was very difficult. If it was too dark, the footage was grainy and if it was too light, it didn't look like night time. In the end though, and with the help of my brother, we got the level of light pretty much perfect. Every detail is still visible and yet it is obviously night time. When it came to the flashing lights from outside, my brother (crazily if you ask me) volunteered to go out onto the balcony off the room, into the cold and dark with a powerful torch and shine it into the bedroom. He discovered that using a newspaper to cover and uncover the light beam looked more realistic than turning the torch on and off. Flashing the torch by turning it on and off looked a bit amateurish and the newspaper added a bit of fading and a professional touch to the light. I noticed that when the light shone into the set, it looked like a searchlight. At first, I thought that the light should be more dispersed but then I thought of the connotations of the searchlight image. The outsiders are looking for Lia, waiting to take her away. She's wanted by them. So in the end, I left it as more of a searchlight.

Filming went pretty well. I got a good performance from my brother with the lights and my actress as Lia along with a few outtakes that I can laugh at later. I had to do most shots more than once as I wanted it just right and I could tell that after a while, everyone was getting a little bored of me being so pernickety. However, I managed to get most of the shots done and only have a few more shots and my titles to do. I think that I may need to lengthen the footage a little with some cutaway shots and establishing shots so I will do them another time.

All in all, a good days work I think.

Revised set

Because I changed the location of the set for my production from my bedroom to my parents' bedroom, I drew out a new set plan to see how my props will work in this location. A drawing of my new set plan is shown below:

I've certainly got enough room to film but my only concerns are about how it will all look in the dark. I'm due to start filming in a few hours so hopefully all will go to plan. I have moved the furniture around and am now beginning to put in my props.

My parents' bedroom before:

My parents' bedroom after (unfortunately, the dents in the carpet where the bed used to be are quite prominant so I may have to adapt my camera shots so that they are not seen):

And this is the balcony that I'm using to my full advantage to shine bright lights through into the set so that they are at a level or slightly higher height to the set and so it should look more realistic.

I've not got long now until it gets dark so I need to put in my last few props and wait for my actress to arrive. I am also going to try out a few camera movements before she gets here so hopefully it won't take as long to shoot as I will know exactly what kind of shots I am after.

I should have a post about how filming went posted within the next few days so hopefully, I won't have to report about any disasters.

Pictures from filming

Here I am showcasing a few of the pictures from filming. Left you can see Tricia in costume. Granted, the picture isn't very clear but you can see that I managed to stick with the original colour scheme that I wanted (black skirt, green top & blue accessories). I put her hair in bunches to convey Lia's immaturity and used silver ribbon to give an extra childish touch.

To the right you can see the make-up that I decided on. I managed to use my original idea of drawing a strange pattern on the side of her face to show Lia's 'unusualness'. For this I used black eyeliner and a touch of glitter eyeliner so that it glimmered in the light coming from outside.

To the left is a shot of the set with 'Lia' sat at her desk writing her letter. On the board in front of her you can see the newspaper articles that I made to show Lia's interests and commitment to her hobby.

Creating Newspaper Articles

For my film opening, I need to have lots of newspaper articles about aliens and alien-related stories to show Lia's obsession with the extra-terrestrial life forms that could be outside our atmosphere. Because i couldn't find any real newspapers with stories about aliens, I turned to the Internet for stories. I found lots by just looking on Google and found a surprising amount on the BBC website. I printed off several articles that I found onto grey and yellow grainy paper which I found lying around (i thought it would look more authentic than plain white paper) but it looked far too clean cut to be from a newspaper. I ripped around the edges of each article and screwed them up but they still didn't look very realistic. For some reason, I thought that screwing up an article and chewing it would make it look a little more like a newspaper. It tasted disgusting but it actually worked! The paper looks a little more like newspaper paper and the text is a bit smudged like it is in a normal newspaper. This unfortunately meant that I had to chew all of my articles to make them look more authentic. It wasn't pleasant... I've now left them on the windowsill so hopefully the sun will fade them a bit to make them look like Lia has been displaying them for a long time and has therefore been an unusual being for quite a few years.

Almost ready to film

ACTRESS:
I'm almost ready to start filming. I am currently arranging a date with my actress to film and am arranging with her about what she will be wearing and doing in this role. I sent her the script and Lia's character biography so she has a little while to try and understand the character and how I vision the final cut.

LOCATION:
I will be using my parents bedroom as Lia's room. It is bigger than my bedroom which will give me more to work with and it has a balcony opposite a wall so that would be perfect for the flashing lights. The lights will actually be level (or even slightly higher) than the room and so it will look more authentic. I am going to have to move a lot of my parents furniture around to make the room how I have planned it to look but my parents have given me permission to ruin their room for the day.

COSTUME:
The pictures of the costume that I posted will probably not end up being the final costume as my actress is a different size. I would like to keep the same colours in the final costume as I think that they reflect the personality of my character well. Currently, I am arranging a costume with my actress.

PROPS:
I have almost all of the props that I need. I have all of the bedroom furniture required and a fountain pen, paper and school books. All I really need is some magazine articles about extra-terrestrial activity. I can't imagine that I would be able to get real news articles about such things on proper newspaper paper so I will probably end up making my own. I will try and get articles off the Internet and then crease and stain them to try and make them look real and a little decayed to show that Lia has always been different.

LIGHTING:
My dad has a powerful 'million candle' torch which he is kindly letting me borrow and my brother has volunteered to operate the torch even in the knowledge that he will be standing outside in the dark for a while.

MUSIC:
I need music for both my action and the title sequence and while I have found some music on the Internet from stage shows that would fit well, I am not sure about the rules for using music that has already been released. So, my brother and I were talked about how we could collaborate and produce our own music for my movie. My brother plays guitar and drums and I have a very clear vision of the kind of music I am after so together, we may be able to produce something that fits both the action and the opening credits.

Lia: Character biography

Name: Lia Hurton (In Italian, the name Lia is considered to mean ‘uncertain’ which is perfect for the character of Lia in my film. Because of its meaning and the unusual way in which it is spelt [usually you see ‘Leah’], it gives my character individuality and a sense of uniqueness.)

Age: 18

Hometown: A small village in rural England. (It had to be set in a rural village as I need somewhere where there aren’t a lot of houses so that when I film, the flashing lights won’t disturb anybody. It is set in England, purely because my actress, Tricia, is English and I don’t think that putting on an accent is a good idea as is would probably not flow like a real accent.)

Personality: Lia is an unusual girl with unusual interests. She doesn’t conform to the norm of teenage girls in the sense that they go out, enjoy shopping, getting dressed up and hanging out with their friends. Lia is a loner, alone in her own world. She tends to be in her room studying, but not for school. She has a passion for the worlds beyond ours and is fascinated with the thought of extra-terrestrial life forms roaming the universe. She longs to be away from society and be free to explore her passion, a passion which worries everyone who knows her. It envelopes her life, much to the dismay of her mother who longs for Lia to be normal. Lia is a quiet individual but focused on what she wants and believes in. However, she is also a loving being and longs to find somewhere where she feels that she belongs.

Clothing:  Like her personality, Lia’s clothing style is also unique and unusual, some may say weird. She has no sense of fashion and that is clear in her choice of clothing. She mixes and matches random colours that often don’t go; but that reflects her quirky personality. Her look is quirky and laid-back, a style that doesn’t take a lot of effort to achieve. However, I think that there should be an element to the costume that shows that she tries to be like every other girl her age and that she tries to be fashionable.

Below are a few photos of a type of outfit that I think Lia (if she were a real person) would wear.

This is a random mash of clothing from my mum and my wardrobes. I think that it shows a laid-back personality of the character wearing it (in this case, Lia) and I also thought that the colours reflect her state of mind quite well. According to http://crystal-cure.com/color.html, the colours black (for her skirt), blue (for her top), green (for her jumper) and yellow (for her tights) mean the following things:

Black is a concealing colour and is misunderstood. It is said that in times of fear, black contains the energy of the unknown. It is also mysterious, providing a sense of potential and possibility. You dress in black if you want to become inconspicuous. Blue is a calming colour and is the colour of truth and moderation. Blue gives a feeling of distance and therefore, the energy of the colour blue allows us to look beyond and increase our perspective outward.

 Green symbolizes self-respect and well-being. It is a healing colour. Green contains the energies of nature, growth and desire to expand or increase. However, the colour green is often linked to jealously. Yellow symbolizes wisdom and brings clarity and awareness. It provides relief from panic, nervousness and exhaustion. I therefore think that these colours in the costume reflect Lia rather well as a character. It subtly lets the audience know almost everything about her character but you, as a viewer, would really have to think deeply about it. I think that this outift for Lia also shows how she is laid-back (with the jumper and t-shirt) as it is a bit frumpy. Yet the skirt with the embroidered hem shows that she tries to make an effort to be girly.

'Soul Beneath' Set Plan

Below you will see how I visualise the set of the opening few minutes of 'Soul Beneath'. It shows the bedroom of the protagonist, Lia, which will be the location for most, if not all, of the opening few minutes. I have shown the layout of the set with how I think the lighting effect will work and in red are where I think I could have various camera shots. Because Lia is an unusual girl and this film would be unusual also (in the sense that it doesn't conform to the mainstream mould), I want to experiment with camera shots and have some that you won't typically see in a mainstream movie. Also, I think that I need a lot of different camera shots that I can cut up during editing so that one shot is not too long and monotonous.

After drawing this plan, I took some photos of the kind of set that I was after. I took the photos of my room and while I don't have the right props yet, all the main things were in the right place as shown on my plan. The main thing that has to be with my set is that the window needs to be behind the desk so that the flashing lights come from behind Lia's head. My room would be ideal to film in but because it is on the first floor instead of the ground floor, it would be very difficult to do the lighting unless someone brave was willing to stand outside, in the dark, on a ladder, turning a very bright torch on and off for a while. I may be able to use my living room if I can rearrange it to look like a bedroom as that is on the ground floor but it would take a lot of work to move out the TV and sofas and bring in a bed and a desk. Also, my living room has a woodburner in it which would probably give away that the location isn't really a bedroom.

Basic layout of set

View from the window



A view showing the window behind the desk



'Soul Beneath' Storyboard

This is the first storyboard for my film opening. I’m only showing the main eight frames though I am sure that when it comes to shooting I will add various different frames so that there are not lots of long frames which could make the opening seem boring and monotonous. Also, after drawing the story board, I thought that it would be quite interesting to have some cutaway shots to subtly highlight important props or characters in the film. Maybe I could have a brief shot where the audience see Lia’s mum but I’m not sure yet as I don’t want to give too much away in the opening.Also, i apologise for the terrible drawings.

Inital ideas of casting of actors, location and props

I need to start thinking about my finished production now so that I can work out a time schedule to get everything done by. I am quite happy with my film opening because it should be quite easy to shoot - i only need one actor, one set and few props.


ACTOR:
To play Lia, I need someone who can act (obviously) and really get into the character of Lia. Lia is a rather unusual individual and so I need someone who can fulfil the quirky need I have for my character and not be embarrassed about the costume I'm going to make her wear. I am using my friend Tricia to play Lia. She does drama, so can therefore act and get into the character's mindset. She isn't easily embarrassed and because we have a good relationship, it won't be awkward for me to ask her to do something differently or for her to ask questions about the character.


SET:
I need to shoot in a bungalow due to the fact that I will need to have someone outside flashing a light into the room, possibly on top of a small stepladder so that the audience can see that the light is coming from above the house - where you would expect a UFO to be. Luckily, Tricia lives in a bungalow so using her bedroom as Lia's bedroom is very possible. Also, she lives close to me so it would also be convenient. If we needed more space, I have another friend who lives in a slightly bigger bungalow. Problems would be that I will probably have to rearrange the rooms as I vision Lia facing away from the window when writing, not side on to the window, which is what it would be if I left the room as it is set up.


PROPS:
-Newspaper articles (print off internet or find actual news articles on UFOs and outsider beings)
-Desk
-Fountain pen
-Paper
-Powerful torch(es)
-Bed
-Chair
-Quirky pictures or ornaments (to show that she is different)
-Clothes (to scatter around the room)


COSTUME:
At the moment, i vision Lia wearing:
-A khaki green short sleeved jumper
-Black leggings
-Either denim skirt or tutu
-Long stripey socks
-Ankle-high Converse


Her hair is plain, hanging limp around her shoulders. On her face is intricate black patterns around her eyes.


CREW:
-Director
-Producer
-Editor
-Cameraperson
-Actor
-Person(s) to hold torch(es) and make it/them flash outside

Script: First Draft

Today in class, Miss Brogan gave us a document which told us about how to layout and write a script. We then pushed on writing our own scripts for our film openings. My first draft is below. I will probably come back to it and edit it many times before I actually shoot as no doubt i'll get new ideas.

“SOUL BENEATH”

FADE IN:

INT. BEDROOM – NIGHT

A hand writing on off-white paper with a FOUNTAIN PEN.

LIA (V.O)

Mum, we both know I don’t belong here.

View of the bedroom. Lia is hunched over at the desk against the back wall. NEWSPAPER ARTICLES are clearly identifiable on the wall though their contents cannot be read at this distance. It is visible that Lia has mid-length brown hair and is wearing a short sleeved khaki jumper. From behind the camera, BRIGHT LIGHTS are slowly flashing and illuminating the articles on the wall.

LIA (V.O)

Normal girls wear make-up and have girly gossip session. Normal girls watch movies together and go out shopping. Normal girls read magazines and flirt with boys. I’m not like that at all. I’ve always known that.

Side shot of Lia. Her red trousers are now visible. Around her head is a neon headband. Flashing LIGHTS are becoming more frequent.

LIA (V.O)

I know why now. And I’ve finally found where I belong.

Close up of the LETTER. Words ‘I’ve finally found where I belong’ highlighted.

Shot from the desk surface looking up at Lia. Her face is decorated in black patterns. Bright lights flashing behind her.

LIA (V.O)

Don’t come looking for me. I’ll be happy there.

Shot back to letter. Lia writes, ‘All my love,Lia xxx’

Shot of the room. Lia gets up from the desk and walks to the camera.

Side shot of Lia walking to the window. The flashing LIGHTS are brighter and more frequent. She smiles to what she sees on the other side of the window. Lights become brighter and so frequent they envelope the scene.

OPENING TITLES