Pepperjack or Swiss?

tech·ni·cal·i·ty teknəˈkalədē/ noun the specific details or terms belonging to a particular field.

So Chey and I went over all the footage we had today in order to start the process of elimination.  Going into the process, we both felt very defeated, expecting to have little to no substantial footage to work with. Much to my surprise, every single intruder scene we filmed came out well!!!  All we need to redo are the scenes in which the two teenage girls are talking.  In order to further amplify our progress, we fixed all the sound issues and finalized the editing of the intruder scenes so we have more than half of our scene finalized. Speaking of sound, we also added a little suspenseful tune to the background of our intense scenes.  At first we could not stop laughing because the music was so overwhelming and seemed like a cheesy (hence, my post title) scary movie production element; however, after manipulating the tune, we were able to add a new dimension to our scene that further intensifies the aura of the scene.

I also created some credits and I love how they came out. Messing around with the fonts, I paired together "Chalkduster" and "Courier New" (this process has made me a font title expert) and love the feel it entails. I also added some transitions and threw in the color red to further deepen our theme. (Yes, I am aware that some of the titles are not up for long enough. do not fret, this will be fixed) I am so so excited to see our final product because the footage we have now looks so good!!!

Stuck Up White Girl Names

per·son·al·i·ty pərsəˈnalədē/ noun the combination of characteristics or qualities that form an individual's distinctive character.

Ok so today Cheyenne and I re-scripted.  Last night, I did some research as to how exactly to write a script because I am not exactly a scriptwriter (unless planning out conversations in my daydreams count) . This source was very helpful just as a foundation to build upon. It presented the full format of a script and we followed it excitedly, feeling very professional. As we were going through the process, one of the major setbacks we came across was staying away from cliches. We want our scene to be anything but cliche and stereotypical.  This is a bit difficult being that our scene is two teenage girls doing a project while they have an unknown visitor alongside them under the same roof and teenage girls are the epitome of cliche. I suggested we actually create the characters prior to scripting so we have a good foundation and can add dimension to the scene, as opposed to merely having filler dialogue.  The reason we hadn't done this initially is that we wanted focus to be placed onto the intruder; the two girls are just an accessory and are not the main focus of the film.  This approach did not go very well as our dialogue scenes resulted to be very irrelevant and stilted.  Another method of preventing the scene from being overtly familiar is by making the two girls opposites who were paired together for a project as opposed to best friends. Naming the characters was our way of giving them personality and really making them come alive.  One of the girls is very focused while the other is your typical stuck up white girl. So, introducing for the very first time on the big screen; Grace and Lindsay.

"How to Write a Screenplay: Script Example & Screenwriting Tips." How to Write a Screenplay: Script Example & Screenwriting Tips. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2016.

Poppin' Pills

clue klo͞o/ noun a piece of evidence or information used in the detection of a crime or solving of a mystery

I forgot to mention something super exciting!!!! Remember how we were struggling to find an object to be utilized as the "clue"? The object on which the death symbol was to be placed on? Well lo and behold, we found one......a pill bottle.  Whilst frantically searching around for an object that is  intriguing, but not too out of the ordinary, we came across this magnificent piece.  A pill bottle effectively foreshadows the ending of our film...shhhh...while simultaneously creating enough suspense to draw the viewer in.  Chey and I both were very pleased with our unexpected choice and we hope it excites the viewers as much as us :) 

Make Sure You Lock the Doors

co·or·di·nate  kōˈôrdəˌnāt/ verb bring the different elements of (a complex activity or organization) into a relationship that will ensure efficiency or harmony.

Cheyenne and I met today and we are on the same exact page (thank God). I was a bit worried that we would come across some disagreements regarding the changes we need to make to our film, but we both had the same viewpoints.  Ultimately, we decided to write a substantial script (as opposed to our previous plan of improvising).  Hopefully, we will get this done tonight, leaving us with enough time to re-film.  Honestly, I do feel a bit overwhelmed as the due date is slowly approaching and we are quickly approaching the borderline (ha ha get it). This weekend is my birthday weekend but I am postponing the festivities so that I can work productively on this project and get some effective footage so we can progress to further editing (talk about dedication), 

One of the primary issues we are facing is that we want to refrain from making the dialogue in our scene filler dialogue, but as of right now, this seems to be inevitable.  Ideally, the focus of Borderline should be the intruder; who she is, what she wants, why she wants it, etc.  Our fear is that if we add further dimension to our characters, focus may be shifted from the intruder to the two girls, so our original plan was to make dialogue as limited as possible.  This video gave me a few tips and tricks as far as scripting goes; however, I fear that it may become too cliche and unnatural.  One of the cringe-worthy lines in our original footage was "Yes, I locked all the doors".  Looking back, both Cheyenne and I completely hated ourselves for even including such a horrific line in our film.  Here it is for your amusement: 

"What to Do (& Not Do) When Writing Suspense into Your Screenplay." No Film School. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.

Love/Hate

dis·ap·point·ment disəˈpointmənt/ noun the feeling of sadness or displeasure caused by the nonfulfillment of one's hopes or expectations.

The project which I seemed to love the day we filmed now seems to be extremely lacking.  Luckily, there is a substantial amount of time to mend the issues prevalent.  Issue 1: scripting.  The scenes of the two teenage girls talking seems very stilted and, well, unnecessary.  The content is merely included as a filler, resulting from a lack of dialogue development.  Due to our limited time on filming day, the script was prominently improvised and this definitely shows.  Ultimately, I would like to re-film this entire sequence and add something with much more depth and relevance.  

As far as the intruder scenes go, I think they are very effective, aside from a few external sounds that take away from the scene.  Overall, though, the ambiance created directly matches my vision, through the lighting, shaky camera movement, and sounds of planes passing, wind howling, and crickets chirping.  Here is my favorite shot: 

I am going to bring up my concerns with Cheyenne tomorrow. Hopefully, we are on the same page with everything.  Redoing a whole sequence will require a great deal of time and effort, however, I do believe it is inevitable in order to create a project we can have pride in. 

Chop Chop!

me·tic·u·lous məˈtikyələs/ adjective showing great attention to detail; very careful and precise

While filming entails excitement and joy, editing requires unwavering attention to every single detail, regardless of it's seemingly minuscule importance.  For this project, iMovie has been my most treasured friend.  Lacking a professional camera, everything has been filmed on none other than my iPhone.  This is extremely convenient being that I am able to edit Borderline regardless of where I am; however, certain features are unavailable, thus hindering my capability of editing easily overlooked aspects.  Hacks for iMovie have been useful, but still has not allowed to me create a production I am overwhelmingly proud of.  The positive part is that we have made a great deal of progress as most of our footage has been obtained, leaving our primary focus on editing.  

"How To: IMovie for IOS Basics." IPhone Hacks 1 IPhone IPad IOS Blog. N.p., 20 Jan. 2013. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.

Shhhhhh

frus·trate frəstrāt/ verb; to cause (someone) to feel upset or annoyed, typically as a result of being unable to change or achieve something.

Sound.  A blessing and a curse.  In the past, I have put together a couple major productions, however, sound has rarely been a priority in them being that one was a silent film and the other a music video.  This has made it difficult and, frankly, annoying to have to deal with the aspect now.  Visually, our film came out extremely appealing and something I am very proud of. On the other hand, the audio is very choppy and does not flow very well.  I have done some research in hopes of finding specific sounds that we can layer into the film in order to add the feel of suspense we are seeking.  I found this website for free sound effects we can utilize to amplify certain sounds.  We will also be incorporating some folly sounds, such as the door closing.
Suspense films incorporate several layering when it comes to sound.  In order to gain further insight on this, I researched the epitome of suspense movies, Hitchcock, allowing me to incorporate some of his ideas into our film. We did make limited progress on the issue of sound the night we filmed; Youtube Audio Library.  A suggestion made by a classmate during a very helpful meeting last Wednesday, Youtube Audio Library provides a wide variety of copyright-free sounds we can incorporate into our film. Cheyenne and I found 2 songs that add to our suspenseful scene as well as the juxtaposing nonchalant scene involving two girls ignorantly working on a project; here they are.




"FOLEY." FOLEY. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.
"The Sound of Hitchcock: How the Director Used Sound to Create Atmosphere & Suspense in His Films." Open Culture. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.
"Tags." Freesound.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.
"Youtube Audio Library." Audio Library. Youtube, n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.