Filming the morning announcements today was actually a lot of fun. I thought that the whole thing was going to be stressful all over again, but it wasn't at all. I admit, I was a bit anxious before we started, but as things progressed, I felt more optimistic. I guess what made a difference this time was that we didn't have to get a perfect take the whole way through. We were able to stop and just pick up where we left off. In fact, we even finished with fifteen minutes left to spare. That's crazy.
The scripting process was actually a bit messy. We spent so much time organizing the way we would write it. When it came time to actually start scripting, Alexa, Spencer, and I just kind of stared at the screen and wondered how the hell we were going to start. We had to make sure that everything flowed well together. We wanted the reporters and the hosts to have an easy conversation. Also, we knew that the pre-recorded material also had to fit into the conversation somehow. I think the beginning was the hardest part. As soon as the three of us started writing, everything just kind of fell into their respective places.
Question of the Week with Daisy and Alexa was also really fun. I was able to walk up to people that I didn't know and asked them questions. Okay, so our question was "What are you doing this summer?" It's not exactly the most interesting question ever, but we got some good answers. On the other hand, we also got pretty bland answers. I'm just glad it turned out looking good after editing.
Around school, I have been talking to friends outside of the magnet and film. A lot of them seem to be thinking that we're not going to have an interesting show. On one hand, it makes me mad because they're judging us and they've yet to see a single episode. On the other hand, it only fuels me to prove them wrong. I have a good feeling about our morning announcements for tomorrow. Our beginning and ending are going to epic!
Overall, for this project, my greatest pride is the fact that I helped write the majority of the script. I'm glad that it was so easy for the talent to follow the script. There were no hitches and the script served its purpose well. I know that we have a bright and exciting future ahead of us next year.
I can't wait!
Friday, May 31, 2013
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Crash and Burn
I cannot even begin to explain the rush of emotions I felt during and after the whole process of the "how-to" video. During the filming, I was just downright frustrated. Nothing was going right. Because the actors would lose their place, so would I. I know that Lemos was telling me to pay attention to the screens instead of the script, but I just couldn't! Plus, I gave my cameramen a set list of shots. I didn't wanna just call on them and they're not on the shot that I intended them to be.
Our whole set burned and crashed to the ground. It was like a fire consumed it and nothing was left but ashes. I. Was. So. Pissed. We spent a lot of time making and putting up the set only to have everything fail on us. It just makes me think that we could have put that time and effort into something else. Ahh, these what-ifs are killing me.
Alexa didn't have a headset either. It sucked because I wasn't able to communicate with her. Maybe it wasn't that big of a deal, but it certainly couldn't have hurt to be able to talk to her the way I was supposed to.
Quite frankly, everything just went out horribly. I joked about it before, saying that we would have an amazing opening sequence and a crappy video... and that's exactly what happened. Plus, we didn't get to put in the two graphics we were meant to have. We didn't have an ending to the show. Added to insult, we went over the time limit.
They say that the blame isn't on me. But I feel like it is! Come on, I'm director. I feel like such a failure. I should have made sure that my talent knew their lines. I was all over the place while directing my crew. Overall, I just felt like I did a crap job. It just sucks to go from my successful Sticky Webb video to this horrible mess.
Our whole set burned and crashed to the ground. It was like a fire consumed it and nothing was left but ashes. I. Was. So. Pissed. We spent a lot of time making and putting up the set only to have everything fail on us. It just makes me think that we could have put that time and effort into something else. Ahh, these what-ifs are killing me.
Alexa didn't have a headset either. It sucked because I wasn't able to communicate with her. Maybe it wasn't that big of a deal, but it certainly couldn't have hurt to be able to talk to her the way I was supposed to.
Quite frankly, everything just went out horribly. I joked about it before, saying that we would have an amazing opening sequence and a crappy video... and that's exactly what happened. Plus, we didn't get to put in the two graphics we were meant to have. We didn't have an ending to the show. Added to insult, we went over the time limit.
They say that the blame isn't on me. But I feel like it is! Come on, I'm director. I feel like such a failure. I should have made sure that my talent knew their lines. I was all over the place while directing my crew. Overall, I just felt like I did a crap job. It just sucks to go from my successful Sticky Webb video to this horrible mess.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Life as Director... Again
So once again, I was chosen director for my group. I do not mind that much because I thought that the director job for this specific project seems so much fun. I get to boss my people around and yell at them when they don't do that they're supposed to. But really, in all honesty, I think I have a really great group.
Throughout this week, I have revised the script, made the shot list for the cameramen, and created the lighting plot with Patricia. It seemed like so much work. It kind of is, but I still managed to get everything done. We also already have our whole stage setting figured out. It is now only a matter of putting everything together.
We are doing our first practice tomorrow. I'm a little anxious about it, but at the same time I am also very excited. I haven't really had an practice with being director. In fact, I've even made a list so that I know what to say in what order. I might just be psyching myself out, but either way, you can never be too prepared :)
Throughout this week, I have revised the script, made the shot list for the cameramen, and created the lighting plot with Patricia. It seemed like so much work. It kind of is, but I still managed to get everything done. We also already have our whole stage setting figured out. It is now only a matter of putting everything together.
We are doing our first practice tomorrow. I'm a little anxious about it, but at the same time I am also very excited. I haven't really had an practice with being director. In fact, I've even made a list so that I know what to say in what order. I might just be psyching myself out, but either way, you can never be too prepared :)
Friday, May 10, 2013
Finally
After two years of waiting, our chance of making the morning announcements is finally here! Of course, there are still things to do, but those things are meant to prepare us for next year. I am so excited!
I really like my group for the "how to" video. My group consists of people that I know and trust. The script writing and treatment was a bit hard for me. I could not really think of a good idea. My first treatment was a no go. I absolutely hated it. When it came time to script writing, I wrote a completely new different idea. I liked it a lot better than the first one.
However, when it came time to choose which script we were going to do, I really wanted to do Patricia's idea. Her "how to" is how to make a scrapbook. I know it may seem boring to most, but I love the idea! I love it even more, knowing that the pictures we are going to use involves the SkillsUSA team. Since the San Diego trip, we have all gotten really close. I could not have of a better way to showcase that to everyone else.
I have really high hopes for this project. I have my eyes set on being either director or technical director. Both jobs seem to be really fun. Even though the director job seems extremely stressful, I like the whole idea of it. I am also more software savvy than camera savvy, so technical director seems like the job for me. Well, no matter what job I get, I will make sure to do it properly.
I really like my group for the "how to" video. My group consists of people that I know and trust. The script writing and treatment was a bit hard for me. I could not really think of a good idea. My first treatment was a no go. I absolutely hated it. When it came time to script writing, I wrote a completely new different idea. I liked it a lot better than the first one.
However, when it came time to choose which script we were going to do, I really wanted to do Patricia's idea. Her "how to" is how to make a scrapbook. I know it may seem boring to most, but I love the idea! I love it even more, knowing that the pictures we are going to use involves the SkillsUSA team. Since the San Diego trip, we have all gotten really close. I could not have of a better way to showcase that to everyone else.
I have really high hopes for this project. I have my eyes set on being either director or technical director. Both jobs seem to be really fun. Even though the director job seems extremely stressful, I like the whole idea of it. I am also more software savvy than camera savvy, so technical director seems like the job for me. Well, no matter what job I get, I will make sure to do it properly.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Overwhelmed with Life
In spirit of film noir, I wanted to share this black and white photo of me... with my unfinished schoolwork. I'm gonna cry. *tear* It's almost 2 am and I'm not anywhere near done. Cry, cry, cry.
UPDATE: Okay, so it's 3:28 am now. I'm still awake. Holy... I'm probably not gonna get any sleep. Plus, I still need to look for music and sound stuff for our film. FUHHHHHH!
UPDATE: It's 4:26 am. Yup, I'm not getting sleep. AT ALL. I've gone almost 24 hours without sleep. Wow. I'm done with everything. Time to look for music. Yay...
Giving Credit Where Credit is Due
I didn't realize how dedicated I was to film up until these last few weeks.
These weeks have also made me realize how much I really need a car. Before this project, my dad was able to pick me up at any time, because he didn't really have a steady work. During spring break, he got a steady job and is currently working in Downtown L.A. Because of this, I don't exactly have a ride home. Honestly, I've been like a freaking nomad. I've been hitching rides from everybody. It's not exactly the best to do. But hey, it's necessary. Plus, I still get home somehow.
I've been going home really, really, really late. Along with Daisy, I've been staying inside Lemos' room trying to edit the heck out of this project. Right now, my eyes are begging me to sleep, but I can't. Because of this project, I haven't exactly had the time to do anything else. I have my SAT subject tests to worry about this Saturday, and I haven't even studied for them yet! At this point, I think I'm probably going to do horrible on the test.
Despite all the obstacles I've gone through, I still dedicated my time to this project. I skipped 4th, 5th, and 6th period today! Plus, I spent my lunch and whole after school filming and editing. Let's just say that I spent half of my day today just doing film. When I left Lemos' room today, I felt satisfied with myself and my group. Our film turned out fantastic, considering we were still filming today.
That's another thing, my group was at such a disadvantage because everyone else was already done filming. We barely filmed our principal scene today, and that's the most important scene out of the whole film. It's not only the beginning, but it's also the end of our film. All things considered, we got everything we needed to get done. Admittedly, we still have a few things to do tomorrow, but we can easily get them done.
For the first time, I'm going to address some group issues. I've tried to avoid them before, but I cannot hold it in anymore. I have gone through so much frustration, tears, and stress for this project only to give credit to those who do not deserve it. Basically, half of our group never showed up to any filming/editing days. I'm not naming names, because I'm pretty sure Lemos knows who they are already. I understand that everyone has things to do. I get it. I have things to do too. So does Alexa. So does Jose. So does Daisy. And so does Mark. But either way, we still choose to set aside our own time to work on this project. I resigned my job, for Pete's sake! I mean, there's absolutely no excuse.
They work during class time, but that's not enough. I'm not going to say that they haven't done anything all, because they've done some stuff. Some. Not a lot. They're probably gonna read this blog post. They're probably gonna hate me. They're probably never going to talk to me. But hey, I'm only speaking the truth. And you know what? Sometimes the truth hurts. Deal with it.
I read Erika's post and saw her apology. Honestly, I have to apologize to her too. She couldn't exactly do her job as producer because I didn't help her as much as I should have. As director, I should have told her the exact locations and times we would film. And really, we were just going along with the flow. We really didn't have any set times to do anything. Whenever we did plan something, things never went according to plan. The schedule always had to be rearranged. Even for Erika, that's a lot of work. So I make my apologies to her.
I'm only giving credit where credit is due. It's not fair for me to be expected to give credit to those who do not deserve it as much as others. I watched everyone, some of them my friends, struggle, get depressed, cry, and break down because of this project. But there were also some people who didn't have a care in the world. They could eat and sleep at night, while some others couldn't because this project consumed them. Making it worse, those people had the audacity to complain. If they wanted things done, then they should have showed up.
Because they didn't show up, several members of our group had to take over other jobs. Honestly, despite being given specific jobs, we were actually all over the place. The microphone was always being held by different people. Sound design became more of a group effort. We refused to let the group suffer simply because one person didn't show up to do the job. I love our group. We supported each other all throughout this project. I couldn't have done it without them.
I'm not gonna say what time I left Lemos' room today. Let's just say it was really late. I promised myself that I wouldn't leave until I knew that we were in a good place. And I really think that we are. Whatever we need to finish tomorrow will get done. Finally, this project is coming to an end. Can't say that I'm not happy, because I am. Oh God, am I glad that we're done with this project by 3rd period tomorrow! At the same time, my group and I are not quite done yet. Our project will go places. It will be turned in to multiple film festivals. Hopefully, it will win some too :)
These weeks have also made me realize how much I really need a car. Before this project, my dad was able to pick me up at any time, because he didn't really have a steady work. During spring break, he got a steady job and is currently working in Downtown L.A. Because of this, I don't exactly have a ride home. Honestly, I've been like a freaking nomad. I've been hitching rides from everybody. It's not exactly the best to do. But hey, it's necessary. Plus, I still get home somehow.
I've been going home really, really, really late. Along with Daisy, I've been staying inside Lemos' room trying to edit the heck out of this project. Right now, my eyes are begging me to sleep, but I can't. Because of this project, I haven't exactly had the time to do anything else. I have my SAT subject tests to worry about this Saturday, and I haven't even studied for them yet! At this point, I think I'm probably going to do horrible on the test.
Despite all the obstacles I've gone through, I still dedicated my time to this project. I skipped 4th, 5th, and 6th period today! Plus, I spent my lunch and whole after school filming and editing. Let's just say that I spent half of my day today just doing film. When I left Lemos' room today, I felt satisfied with myself and my group. Our film turned out fantastic, considering we were still filming today.
That's another thing, my group was at such a disadvantage because everyone else was already done filming. We barely filmed our principal scene today, and that's the most important scene out of the whole film. It's not only the beginning, but it's also the end of our film. All things considered, we got everything we needed to get done. Admittedly, we still have a few things to do tomorrow, but we can easily get them done.
For the first time, I'm going to address some group issues. I've tried to avoid them before, but I cannot hold it in anymore. I have gone through so much frustration, tears, and stress for this project only to give credit to those who do not deserve it. Basically, half of our group never showed up to any filming/editing days. I'm not naming names, because I'm pretty sure Lemos knows who they are already. I understand that everyone has things to do. I get it. I have things to do too. So does Alexa. So does Jose. So does Daisy. And so does Mark. But either way, we still choose to set aside our own time to work on this project. I resigned my job, for Pete's sake! I mean, there's absolutely no excuse.
They work during class time, but that's not enough. I'm not going to say that they haven't done anything all, because they've done some stuff. Some. Not a lot. They're probably gonna read this blog post. They're probably gonna hate me. They're probably never going to talk to me. But hey, I'm only speaking the truth. And you know what? Sometimes the truth hurts. Deal with it.
I read Erika's post and saw her apology. Honestly, I have to apologize to her too. She couldn't exactly do her job as producer because I didn't help her as much as I should have. As director, I should have told her the exact locations and times we would film. And really, we were just going along with the flow. We really didn't have any set times to do anything. Whenever we did plan something, things never went according to plan. The schedule always had to be rearranged. Even for Erika, that's a lot of work. So I make my apologies to her.
I'm only giving credit where credit is due. It's not fair for me to be expected to give credit to those who do not deserve it as much as others. I watched everyone, some of them my friends, struggle, get depressed, cry, and break down because of this project. But there were also some people who didn't have a care in the world. They could eat and sleep at night, while some others couldn't because this project consumed them. Making it worse, those people had the audacity to complain. If they wanted things done, then they should have showed up.
Because they didn't show up, several members of our group had to take over other jobs. Honestly, despite being given specific jobs, we were actually all over the place. The microphone was always being held by different people. Sound design became more of a group effort. We refused to let the group suffer simply because one person didn't show up to do the job. I love our group. We supported each other all throughout this project. I couldn't have done it without them.
I'm not gonna say what time I left Lemos' room today. Let's just say it was really late. I promised myself that I wouldn't leave until I knew that we were in a good place. And I really think that we are. Whatever we need to finish tomorrow will get done. Finally, this project is coming to an end. Can't say that I'm not happy, because I am. Oh God, am I glad that we're done with this project by 3rd period tomorrow! At the same time, my group and I are not quite done yet. Our project will go places. It will be turned in to multiple film festivals. Hopefully, it will win some too :)
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Frustrations and Stress
I would first like to start out and say that I really love our film. I do. I love it to death. Even before we were chosen, Alexa and I had already decided that we were going to do our script no matter what. We love the story so much that we are willing to suffer for it. But it is killing me. The past two weeks have been full of frustrations and stress. I cannot go a single hour without thinking about our film.
Oh, film... film, film, FILM.
My life has been consumed by film. Guess what? I resigned from my tutoring job because I can no longer afford to miss Wednesdays or Thursdays. Those two out of three days in the week have become so precious. Every minute, every hour, and every day counts. I can't eat. I can't sleep. I can't think. My thoughts are now constantly consumed by our film. Are we going to be able to follow the schedule? Are we going to finish tomorrow? Are we going to finish at all? I'm the over-thinker kind of person. Added to that, I'm also rather paranoid at times. Now that the deadline is quickly creeping up on us, over-thinking and paranoia has become an issue. I'm constantly thinking of how we plan on accomplishing this film.
So, so, so, so, so, so, so many issues have come up since this film project started. I shall first start off with the fact that a certain someone, I'm not going to name names, has bailed on us, not once, but TWICE. The first time around it was very understandable. We knew that there were things to be taken care of. Because of that first unexpected incident, we had to rearrange our schedule. And that was fine. Besides, at that point, our schedule wasn't exactly final yet. That was the first week. The second week, I took the liberty of planning out what we're going to do on every single day. The day comes for this someone to show up, and once again, it was a no show. The worst part is that we were not informed. We were left no message. No sorry. No anything. Once again, the schedule had to be rearranged. This time, the situation was not acceptable. This week was supposed to be our final week to film. I had the entire thing figured out. I was so sure that we were going to finish. But alas, things never go according to plan.
Secondly, as co-directors, Alexa and I can pretty much control anything else that goes on around us: cinematography, editing, sound design, locations, setting, lighting, etc. However, it just so happens that the one thing that we cannot control is the thing that is killing us. Go figure. Actors. Acting. We cannot control how an actor is going to act out a scene. We cannot force an actor to remember his/her lines. We cannot force an actor to keep a straight face and stay in character. The worst part is that our actors are not part of the class. It's not their grade. If they choose to, they could abandon us at any moment and we'll be left to fend for ourselves with an unfinished product. The possibilities are endless. I know that, in real life, actors are not always going to be your friends. But in real life, those actors are getting paid. Our actors are doing it only because we asked them to. They are doing us a favor, not the other way around.
I have never felt so frustrated in my life. I had about a million breakdowns today. At any moment, I could have chosen to blow up at my group or just walk away. But I didn't. I needed to stay strong, not only for me, not only for Alexa, but for my entire group, my friends. I stayed away for a while and let Alexa take the lead because I just needed to take a breather. I needed a moment to myself so that I could calm down and remind myself that everything is going to turn out fine.
Ever since I departed from my group, I have been feeling this horrible guilt at the pit of my belly. I was acting like , dare I say it, a female dog to everyone in my group. When asked a question, I would answer in one-worded answers. There comes a point when being nice just isn't enough anymore. The first week, I was all about being nice. I begged. I pleaded. I was ready to do anything they wanted me to do as long as we could get that day's shooting done. This week was it. No more being Mrs. Nice Girl. If I didn't start taking it seriously, no one else would. Still, maybe I could have been not-so-mean about it. Strict, but fair.
Despite it all, I still have high hopes for this film. We may have not shot a lot, but what we do have is amazing. I owe it all to my actors, cinematographer, and director. Without them, this film would be nothing.
Oh, film... film, film, FILM.
My life has been consumed by film. Guess what? I resigned from my tutoring job because I can no longer afford to miss Wednesdays or Thursdays. Those two out of three days in the week have become so precious. Every minute, every hour, and every day counts. I can't eat. I can't sleep. I can't think. My thoughts are now constantly consumed by our film. Are we going to be able to follow the schedule? Are we going to finish tomorrow? Are we going to finish at all? I'm the over-thinker kind of person. Added to that, I'm also rather paranoid at times. Now that the deadline is quickly creeping up on us, over-thinking and paranoia has become an issue. I'm constantly thinking of how we plan on accomplishing this film.
So, so, so, so, so, so, so many issues have come up since this film project started. I shall first start off with the fact that a certain someone, I'm not going to name names, has bailed on us, not once, but TWICE. The first time around it was very understandable. We knew that there were things to be taken care of. Because of that first unexpected incident, we had to rearrange our schedule. And that was fine. Besides, at that point, our schedule wasn't exactly final yet. That was the first week. The second week, I took the liberty of planning out what we're going to do on every single day. The day comes for this someone to show up, and once again, it was a no show. The worst part is that we were not informed. We were left no message. No sorry. No anything. Once again, the schedule had to be rearranged. This time, the situation was not acceptable. This week was supposed to be our final week to film. I had the entire thing figured out. I was so sure that we were going to finish. But alas, things never go according to plan.
Secondly, as co-directors, Alexa and I can pretty much control anything else that goes on around us: cinematography, editing, sound design, locations, setting, lighting, etc. However, it just so happens that the one thing that we cannot control is the thing that is killing us. Go figure. Actors. Acting. We cannot control how an actor is going to act out a scene. We cannot force an actor to remember his/her lines. We cannot force an actor to keep a straight face and stay in character. The worst part is that our actors are not part of the class. It's not their grade. If they choose to, they could abandon us at any moment and we'll be left to fend for ourselves with an unfinished product. The possibilities are endless. I know that, in real life, actors are not always going to be your friends. But in real life, those actors are getting paid. Our actors are doing it only because we asked them to. They are doing us a favor, not the other way around.
I have never felt so frustrated in my life. I had about a million breakdowns today. At any moment, I could have chosen to blow up at my group or just walk away. But I didn't. I needed to stay strong, not only for me, not only for Alexa, but for my entire group, my friends. I stayed away for a while and let Alexa take the lead because I just needed to take a breather. I needed a moment to myself so that I could calm down and remind myself that everything is going to turn out fine.
Ever since I departed from my group, I have been feeling this horrible guilt at the pit of my belly. I was acting like , dare I say it, a female dog to everyone in my group. When asked a question, I would answer in one-worded answers. There comes a point when being nice just isn't enough anymore. The first week, I was all about being nice. I begged. I pleaded. I was ready to do anything they wanted me to do as long as we could get that day's shooting done. This week was it. No more being Mrs. Nice Girl. If I didn't start taking it seriously, no one else would. Still, maybe I could have been not-so-mean about it. Strict, but fair.
Despite it all, I still have high hopes for this film. We may have not shot a lot, but what we do have is amazing. I owe it all to my actors, cinematographer, and director. Without them, this film would be nothing.
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