Behind the Scenes

Here is a bit of behind the scenes photos from the filming of "A Delicate Thought."

  This photo is of the blood that we used during the shoot. I didn't really have the traditional materials on hand to make a solid version of fake blood. So instead I used a mixture of ketchup and syrup to compensate. The ketchup had the red hue and splatter that I was looking for in the murder scene. The syrup added some texture and prevented the ketchup from spreading too much to the point where it was too obvious that it wasn't blood. A layer of plastic rap was layed below the concoction while 4 layers were laid on top. This was due to my innate desire to have a clean floor and making sure that my actor didn't get a stain from the weird smelling "blood."

  In terms of editing I used Adobe Premier CC in order to place the shots in sequence, add titles, place music, and record my voice over. The software, while jarring on the surface, was relatively easy to use as I was able to learn the necessary components of the software by browsing YouTube for tutorial videos such as this. I would highly recommend this tool to anyone looking for a relatively easy way to attain a professional looking video. Just be careful about exporting as the quality can be changed by a small set of options that I didn't see when I posted my portfolio project. The software costs 20 dollars in a monthly subscription, however there is a 30-day free trial that will definitely suffice in terms of using the software for the purposes of finishing the editing of a film opening.

Source:

Learn Premiere Pro In 20 Minutes! - Tutorial for Beginners:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hls3Tp7JS8E&nohtml5=False

Critical Reflection

The critical reflection for the opening of "A Delicate Thought."

Link:

Critical Reflection: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-W4XcHs0S8&feature=youtu.be

Final Project

Here is the finished opening of "A Delicate Thought." Hope you enjoy!

Link:

A Delicate Thought:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvNsCzw9Wqg

Schizophrenia

 Schizophrenia is a serious issue that afflicts 1 percentage of the World's population as stated in 2009 by MentalHealth.net. The definition of schizophrenia defined by MentalHealth.net as a brain disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally. Going off this definition, Paul's abnormality with reality will be through his victim by the name of Rick, the man he kills in the very beginning of the opening of the film. I plan to have Rick seem a bit Ethereal in nature as he commentaries of Paul's life, sort of communicating his thoughts but then inserting his own playful opinions in the various matters. In order to further present him as an abnormality I'll have him change shirts to represent Paul's various emotions at different moments, changing Rick's behavior in some way.

Sources:

MentalHealth.net on Schizophrenia:http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/conditions/schizophrenia

Editing the opening

 Editing is a essential part of the film making process as the sequence in which a shots are placed can either make or break a film. This video  by Filmaker IQ discusses the history and importance of editing in detail and how it helped the art of filmaking grow into unexpected levels of creativity. The editing in the film opening is integral in communicating what the film is about and how it should feel. For my particular film opening I take inspiration from the Monogatari series and their New Wave inspired way of editing. An analysis by a youtube channel named RCanime discuss the editing in detail, and how the creators make the mundane seem interesting through various fast cuts, inserts, and color correction. I want to apply this same type of editing to my opening in order to communicate how interesting the mundane life of a sociopathic hitman is, hoping to communicate an underlying meaning of how Paul feels as though he is being played in his life.

Sources:

Filmaker IQ on editing : https://youtu.be/6uahjH2cspk

RCanime on editing in the Monogatori series:

Setting

 I recently scouted a location for the film shoot. Before I continue I would like to establish what I am looking for in terms of tone with the cinematography. Inspired by this IO9 article concerning tone, I am aiming for a more bleak and oppressive tone that supports the underlying theme of the monotony of everyday life. The ways in which this is made achievable are through the use of color and composition. Channel Criswell's video on color discusses this in depth by analyzing how the various color schemes of films such as "The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)" and "O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000)" help the audience experience a certain type of feeling in a certain type of way. This idea is described as associative coloring in a film. With that in mind, what would a bleak tone be associated with? Whenever something is bleak or mundane I believe the color gray, or more dark and monochromatic colors more than communicates the bleak atmosphere of a mundane world due how soft and dark the colors are. But what wold the colors be without a setting? The setting for the first part of the opening was a tough nut to decide on, but in the end a empty house would be the perfect choice.

                              The emptiness of the house can serve as a metaphor for how bleak and empty Pauls life seems to be at this point. Using some color correction with gray and dark tones, I believe this may result in quite an image of Paul and his current feelings about life.

Sources:

Channel Criswell's video on color: https://youtu.be/aXgFcNUWqX0

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014):http://www.grandbudapesthotel.com/

O' Brother Where Art Though? (2000): http://www.amazon.com/O-Brother-Where-Art-Thou/dp/B00003CXRM