I finally found out what I wanted the name of the title to be! My short film will be called, "A blink away"
I decided on this name because it can be interpreted in two ways. Those who watch the trailer or the short film will think this phrase is figurative, meaning Leo is so close to the mom she could blink and find him again. However, it is also foreshadowing what happens at the end of the film, where he was literally a blink away from reality.
I begin editing and started to look closely at the piece I am creating!
As I was playing back the scenes, I realized I would have to redo some shots and rethink the concept a bit. This is due to the fact that you can see people walking in the background of some of the shots, While this is normal in public places, when Isa is at home there should be nobody in there with her, so a couple of legs in the back makes the shot unprofessional and fake. I also noticed some shots were a bit shaky, so I would like to be able to redo them to be able to get stiller shots.
I also noticed there was a flaw in my plot as I was rewatching my work. In the story, Isa is supposed to think that she kidnapped a kid and mistook him for her missing son. For that to be possible. there would have to be two boys, her son and the boy she kidnapped, which I do not have; therefore, I would have to tweak the idea a bit in order to make sense of the plot. What I’m thinking is to make it seem as if she finds her son in the park and she’s very excited, she takes him home and calls the police to let them know that her missing son is found. This way I would only have to have one boy play the part because I wouldn’t be able to find two little boys who look the same and would be available to help on the same days.
Now I have to be able to tell my friend and schedule another day for me to be able to go back and re-shoot the scenes
Hey guys! I wrapped up filming and am very please with what I have been able to accomplish.
Many things will be post-production, such as the edited police sirens, so I have my work cut out for me. Regardless, I found this very fun to film. I had to redo a couple of scenes, for example, when Isabel takes the boy to the bathroom because she is paranoid that the cops are there. I redid this scene a couple of times in order to get Bekah into the character and get more emotion out of her. I found it really easy to film Leo’s parts because he was mostly standing still with no expression on his face. Whenever she spoke to him he showed no expression, which caused her to be more remorseful and further develop her paranoia.
I mostly had trouble with the POV shot of Isabel blinking. Basically, when she was on the phone with the police officer and she overhears the police officer saying that she was just imagining everything and there is no kid, I wanted her to be staring at Leo, and with a literal blink of the eye, he was gone. Honestly, I think I was thinking too much into it because I kept trying to use a shirt, for example, but I wanted to include the eyelashes by getting pieces of floss, coloring it black with eyeliner, and taping it to the shirt. This did not look good because eyelashes are curved. I was getting frustrated and decided not to be stubborn, so I looked up videos online. I felt so stupid that the method could be that simple! I got a beanie and I wrapped it over my phone and then closed the beanie over the camera slowly.
While it was painfully simple, it still took me a while to close the beanie at the right pace. Her blink could not be too slow because the purpose behind this POV shot is how quickly reality can change. However, in that blink I had Leo move out of the frame so it was just one long take, but since I moved the beanie so fast, it just didn't look good on camera. I finally decided to make the scene in slow motion. When she overhears the officer, her vision blurs and she dissociates and drops the phone. Since she slowly turns towards Leo, her blink is in slow motion as well and there was time for him to get out of the frame.
Honestly, I did not know how frustrating it could be to film something that is just a couple of seconds long, but I'm glad I was able to figure it out!
I'm so happy I finally came up with a title for my film!! I want to call it "Inconstant" with the tagline "Nothing is What it Seems".
I came up with this name as I was explaining the concept to my mom. At one point she described Isabel as "Inconstante" in spanish and I liked the verbiage. This word can be used to describe both Isabel and the film itself. Isabel's mental stage is very inconsistent; She has her sane moments, but her manic episodes and hallucinations turn everything around. I also liked the title because it foreshadows what happens at the end and presents the idea that the lens through which the audience will watch the film is not the most reliable. My young target audience will has grown up believing what the media presents to them. It is for this reason that they will also believe that Isabel's story is being told straightforward. The plot twist at the end that she has schizophrenia is the inconstant part of the seemingly predictable plot.
Today was my first day of filming and it went well!
I decided not to write a script for this because many scenes do not have much dialogue. This is done not only to demonstrate Isabel's inner struggle but also to keep my target audience attentive to what is going on. Since my younger target audience tends to have a shorter attention span, including sporadic pieces of dialogue will keep their eyes on the screen. The first thing I filmed was the playground scene where Isabell "kidnaps" the boy. I decided I wanted to shoot for three days and each day working with a different part of the plot, so I would film the climax and end on two separate days. I'm glad that I did not do a script because Bekah was a natural. I often gave her stage directions and when I filmed, she thought about doing it exactly as I told her rather than acting and making it look more natural.
Taking advantage of spring break, I went to a local park in the middle of the day when it was most full to film the flashback scene from when Isabella was playing with her son at the playground. I then waited a couple of hours for the kids to leave in order to get to the park all alone. In those couple of hours, while I waited, we filmed the opening scene. We went back to the house and I filmed the establishing shots and Isa getting out of bed and ready to go to the park. Upon going back to the park, I filmed Isabel sitting alone at the bench looking at the empty playground in order to juxtapose the flashback from reality. We had extra time so we also shot the "kidnapping" scene where she sees a boy who looks like Leo and takes him back home.
Hey guys, I went looking for the props I am going to use!
I will be using a family friends house which they have let me use because they’re going to be away during spring break, so I have the chance to move around the rooms a bit. They have a younger son which is perfect because I can use that room for the opening shots. I also thought of the idea of putting all of his toys in boxes because it is a way of demonstrating that the boy isn’t there anymore. The idea of the boxes of toys shows how Isabell is still waiting for Leo to come back but is trying to move on. This also works in my favor because I won’t have to fill the room up with many props, as long as I have a couple that are just on top of the box, it can be portrayed that a boy used to live there.
I really want to emphasize the social class they live in, which means that Leo played with hand me down toys or did not have as much as other kids. I found old toys of mine, as well as some of my actressess's toys in order to show worn down, ragged items. I will also include other details around the house to hint at Isabel's lifestyle. For example, she will not wear clothing with brands and will drive an inexpensive car. There will be Bustello coffee in the kitchen during one of the scenes, which not only represents a cheap drink alternative, but also shows her Latin descent. A stack of bills will also be seen around the house. It is mostly small details, such as low popcorn ceilings, which also bring it together.
Bad news! As I was looking at the Google Form I made for potential actresses in the film, I realized that only a couple of people actually filled out the form. :(
Of the three girls, two did not fit the character of Isabel. Although they had experience in acting, they were blonde and did not look Hispanic. For my film, it is important that Isa is Latina because I want this piece to reflect how society treats those in a lower social class, specifically Hispanics. The other girl who was interested is Hispanic and fit my character well, but she was going on vacation during spring break which is when I intended to film. I could have cast her, but that would mean I had to postpone filming for a week and that would just set me back even more.
The good news, however, is that I was able to find someone else!
I had initially thought my friend could act as Isa for the film because she fit the character perfectly, but she did not like acting or being filmed. However, once I told her my situation and begged her for hours, she decided I could cast her. This worked out perfectly because she has a younger cousin who is six years old that can play the part of Leo. The idea of the two actors knowing each other is a good idea because that way they will both be comfortable with each other and get along well. I had planned to hang out with her during the break, so I will take time before we meet to film. Although my sign up sheet was not successful, I think it worked out for the best because I was able to find a much better person to play Isabel!
Hey guys! Today I had my second group meeting and it went very well!
It is crucial to make it clear to establish that Isabel lost a child without explicitly stating it. This is where I was seeking input because this needs to be clear in order for the audience to understand the reason behind Isabel's mental illness. My classmates helped by suggesting to use the set design to suggest this idea in the beginning. For the opening scenes, I can include shots of an empty children's room as well as toys, but no sign of a kid. The car Isa drives can also have a booster seat as well as have shoes on the floor. They also brought to my attention that this only establishes that Isabel has a son, not that she lost it. In order to now let the audience know that she no longer has a child, it was suggested to use flashbacks.
My peers informed me that constantly switching back and forth may be a little confusing, but it can be done with effective lighting techniques and costume change. By using brighter hues in the flashbacks where the kid is present, it will juxtapose the blue-hued reality she is currently living. By also changing her costume design and mannerisms, the flashbacks will be further noticeable. Isabel will be wearing makeup with bright colors and a smile on her face in her flashbacks, whereas in the present time she is in darker colors and has a melancholic expression. By creating a noticeable difference between past Isa and the present one, it will be clear to the audience when a flashback occurs.
I will have to focus a lot on post-production editing as well as set design in order to convey the message that she once had a child who is now lost. Through the props, costume design, and lighting, this will be made evident. I was glad to have this meeting because it helped me solidify the story through the eyes of the audience!
I was looking back at a previous post and realized I am behind schedule :(
Linked here is the blog post about the Calendar I will be addressing!
The calendar I created weeks ago no longer fits what I have been posting about. I created this calendar as a guideline, but I have found it difficult to stay on track. When I created this, I had left a week in the end to spare, just in case something went wrong. However, it meant I would have fewer days dedicated to research. As a result, when I began writing these blogs, I realized there were topics, such as social criticism and character avatars, that were necessary to address. If I had followed the schedule, I should be filming next week, but I have yet to cast the characters and create a script! However, I do not regret it because dedicating time to the research components has allowed me to create a deeper analysis of my target audience, which will drive my cinematographic choices in order to gain their attention.
The topics are written on the calendar no longer fit my plan, so I have to create an updated version of it. What I have written there will just be pushed back a week. For instance, this week I was supposed to blog about typography, set design, costuming, and light scheme. This will be addressed next week, or maybe even while I am filming. For the days I set apart to film, I wrote "Filming" but did not say what exactly I would be blogging about. Therefore, some topics such as set design and the light scheme could be discussed during filming and give me even more space to generate new topics. As far as filming goes, I am going to film during spring break, which begins on the 19th. This will also increase the chance of availability for actors since many people are staying home this break and will have free time.
I'm glad I was able to sort this out because not staying on track was stressing me out!
Hey guys, today I am finalizing the story outline!!
The film opens in silence, with a nondiegetic sound of a clock ticking as several shots of the inside of Isabel's house are displayed. The shots include her messy kitchen, an empty kid's room, and her sleeping alone. Her alarm rings and she wakes up to take pills and drink coffee before going on a walk. She begins walking around a school park watching the parents with their children. As she does so, she begins having flashbacks of Leo. The flashbacks include her pushing him on the swings she sees before her and sitting on the bench with him which she now sits in alone. The clear distinction between Isabel then and now will be marked by the costume design, lighting, and her attitude, which indicate that she was once happy. However, these flashbacks turn dark when she remembers that she left Leo alone in the park to grab something in the car and was unable to find him when she went back. Back in real-time, a boy that looks like Leo appears before Isa and smiles at her. Taken aback, she begins asking the boy if he is Leo, but the boy is mute. She walks away and sees the kid following her, so she takes him by the hand and they go to the car. Ecstatic she buckles him into the car seat she still has and drives away.
She arrives back home and starts to fix the boy's food until she hears police sirens in the distance. This breaks her hypnotic-like trance and she realizes what she had just done. She realizes that is not Leo and begins to freak out upon discerning that she had just kidnapped a kid. Isa goes to pick up the phone, but quickly puts it down and is in an internal conflict with herself as she questions whether to report herself or not. Hearing the sirens again, she becomes paranoid and believes the authorities already know what she has done. She panics and takes the boy to her bathroom and locks them both in there. The boy simply stares at her as she begins pacing back and forth waiting for the police to arrive. She begins apologizing to the boy, explaining what she had done and why but he simply stared back again. Isa realizes the cops are not actually after her, but after confessing everything to the boy, she knows what she must do.
Isa unlocks the door and they both leave the bathroom. She makes the boy sit on the couch as she picks up the phone and calls 911. She tells the officer that she has kidnapped a boy and that he is sitting with her right now. Another officer is heard on the phone saying, "That's just Isabel, she does this at least once a week. Just leave her alone she will realize soon enough".The story flashes back to when she found the boy in the park, when she was driving him home, when she was preparing him food. and when they were in the bathroom, except in these flashes the boy was never there. Now revealed to the audience that Isa has been imagining everything, it flashes back to the present time where she is on the phone with the police. Confused, she hangs up and looks over to the boy, only to find out he is not there.
While I finalize the story concepts, scripts, and scenes, I need to begin looking for actors. It is important to begin looking for them now in order to be able to schedule appropriate days to shoot the scenes.
I created a google form where people who are interested in playing a role can apply to see if they fit the character. The form includes name, age, the character they are interested in, physical description, dates available, and Instagram account. While the physical description they provide can be helpful, the Insta account will give me more insight into the person and if they resemble the character. This google form is mainly focused on the casting of Isa and the police officer. Since Leo is a little boy, I will need to get in contact with cousins and family friends for his role.
In order to get the attention of people, I will be creating flyers calling for actors/actresses to play the parts. During this week, I will be posting the flyers on Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter and will be checking next week to see who filled out the form. I think posting these flyers will not only help cast the characters I envision but also serve as a great advertising tool for my film. My target audience is mainly teens and young adults, so promoting the casting towards where my TA spends most of their time will certainly get their attention. Even if they do not audition, the constant exposure to my flyers is a marketing technique itself to start introducing my film, so I get to kill two birds with one stone!
Hey guys! I thought I should start looking for people to cast Isa Ramirez and her son Leo! I have a couple of ideas as to how I envision each character. I used the website facemaker.uvrg.org to design what I imagine them to look like. I know that due to limited casting options my character may not look the same, but this will help further develop the identities of the characters.
I wrote a little about this in my last blog post and wanted to elaborate more on it, so I will be covering the social criticism of mental health.
In the final scene of my short film, Isa will realize she was hallucinating when she said she had kidnapped a child. The police officer's reaction to this is what I want to represent in this social criticism. As stated before in the last blog post, Isa came from a low resource and dysfunctional household. When her child "dies", she is completely devastated with nowhere to turn. The police officer is meant to represent the hypocrisy found in the powers of authority in our community. An officer is supposed to be a leading example and role model as to how society should function and how people should act. The fact that this one brushes off Isa's illness shows how authorities often act on situations when it is too late.
The NCBI reported that "In a survey that included respondents from 27 countries, nearly 50% of persons with schizophrenia reported discrimination in their personal relationships. Up to 2/3 of these people anticipated discrimination while applying for work or looking for a close relationship" "Generally, people want to keep greater social distance from a person with schizophrenia than from someone with depression. For unclear reasons, this social distance has increased during the 21st century. One possible reason might be that the process of deinstitutionalization increased public discussions about community psychiatry and associated perceptions of risk." This represents how society thinks today. Due to the growing sense of individuality, many people often think of themselves and lack community involvement. Therefore, something that is deemed as risky such as schizophrenia, is a mental disorder that people do not want to get involved with.
During the 21st century, the growing use of technology has caused isolation among people and as a result lack of empathy. As a result, people like the cop in my film will not act upon a situation until something bad actually happens. The fact that Isa is not being helped is also a criticism of the distinction of social classes. While there are therapists and psychiatrists to help with her disorder, it is not something she can afford. By the officer disregarding her illness, he is demonstrating that those who have less money are deemed as less important. This creates the thought of, "If they don't have the money to help themselves, why should I even do anything?
Hey guys! I know I promised to come back with the survey for the adult section of my target audience, but I came up with a better idea instead. I want to make the main character a teen mom, that way my target audience can be narrowed down and I am able to market it better. When I was conducting the survey for the adults, I realized their options were the opposite of what the younger end of my target audience liked. Within the drama genre, they were most interested in romance and violence rather than illness and society. This is when I realized it will be too difficult to direct my film towards such a large target audience. Seeing as I am a teenager myself, I believe it will be easier to market a film to a target audience around my age since I will know some information firsthand.
The idea of including a teen mom is going to make the TA identify more with the main character. Although many teens are not moms, they do go through mental health issues that are more relatable when it is presented in a character their age. In addition, this will make the casting much easier. As I was beginning to think who I could cast, I realized I had very limited options because not many adults have the time or interest to play a part in this film. A teen mom is much easier to find since I know many people my age that want to act.
With this said, my final target audience will be teens and young adults ranging from about 14-24. It is known that this age range has a short attention span, therefore I will try not to make the film heavy on dialogue in order to keep the audience engaged. I will also be focusing more on society's influence on the main character's mental illness as a way to try to resonate with the TA. Since my last survey showed that they enjoyed action/violence, I will additionally try to include scenes with sudden movements or camera jerks.
I know I'm super indecisive and keep changing the idea, but I really think it is starting to come together!
A Blink Away finished product! Film: https://www.wevideo.com/view/2143390901 Instagram: _ablinkaway Postcard Ad:
