MP2 Summary Post

Exploration of Ideas

After the previous film I made which was within the gangster genre I have temporarily switched to the science fiction genre. Inorder to allow myself a creative break as well as time to learn about lighting I did not direct this film. Instead I worked with Andrew Khuu as the director of photography. This was not so much to alter my focus for the year but to practice the art of cinematography. I was also trying to see if the science fiction genre was one that I wanted to pursue. For now though, it seems as if I will stick with the gangster/crime genre. Personally I just find it easier to create as well as blend with other genres. For this reason I might move more into the direction of a crime thriller for my next project.

Planning

The investigations that I performed this marking period were selected to aid me in creating my next project. The first investigation that I performed was a lighting investigation. This was obviously intended to help me set up lighting seeing as how I was the cinematographer for this last film. The main reason for this switch was because I talked about how in my last film I felt there was a lack of good cinematography. This way I was able to focus my efforts solely on the cinematography this time around. The next investigation that I performed had to do with creating music for a film. This investigation is actually more relevant for the next project I have in mind. For the science fiction project with Andrew I don't anticipate I will be working on a score for the film. For my next film however, I really want to use music to build suspense and add emotion to a scene. The next investigation was about photorealism when it comes to CGI. Since I'm working on a science fiction film and I knew how to use blender I decided to try compositing. I wanted to create a 3D location in blender which could be used as a set in the film. the goal was to make it appear as real as possible. Most of the limitations came from a lack of time and crew. Since I was working by myself I had to model everything, texture or find textures, light and compose the scene, and render the final image. I didn't want to spend an abundance of time modeling 15 different air-conditioning units either. The rest of the investigations weren't so much for the planning of this film but future projects. When creating the VFX it was absolutely essential for me to communicate with Andrew to capture his vision. Since he was directing the project I did my best to adhere to his expectations. One thing that made creating the look of the 3D scene easier was creating a concept art board. Andrew and I added art we found on the internet to a board to achieve the look he wanted. Using art as a reference made it much easier for me to understand what it was he was looking for. Without a reference I would have had to redo a lot of the work I did. Since I wasn't director I didn't have to worry about gathering release forms or getting a crew together. I did however work with Andrew to create the premise for the film as well as contribute ideas to the storyboard.

Production

 
There were a few lessons I learned during the making of this film. One of the biggest had to do with shooting against a green screen. Since I was doing the VFX I knew how it would come together in my head. Everyone else however, had to rely on me giving them a depiction of what was going on. In the above clips you can see just how confusing it is to block and act something like this. A major complication was the way the room was set up. The green screen did not go down to the floor which prevented us from filming a full body shot. Using a full body shot would have made compositing so much easier. Also lighting the actors became a challenge because of the limited adaptability of the studio lighting. When it came to performance it was a lot like theater acting. I had to tell Aiden and Andrew where the wall they were standing against was. It became a very confusing and difficult process to communicate what was to occur in the scene. Andrew also had ideas for shots that weren't what I was expecting. The overall experience was one that I do not wish to return to quite yet. The second struggle came when Andrew, Tristan, and I filmed the final scene of the film. We were filming outside, in the rain. It was cold. It was painful. The hardest part was having to ignore the fact that my hands were going numb while I tried to act. It didn't help that there was a scene where I had to lie on the ground. My prop gun holster had also malfunctioned and kept falling of my belt. This film had some of the biggest hurdles I have had to face and I can only imagine there will be more to come in post-production.

Evaluation

When starting this project I wanted to create something that looked sci-fi. Above is the first test composite that I created. The biggest challenges that I faced were working with visual effects. Like a previously stated I didn't expect it to be so challenging. I have gained a new level of respect for films that use VFX throughout. I have also gained a new respect for actors in science fiction movies because you need to create a world in your mind. The amount of creativity and imagination that is required to perform well as an actor against green screen is insane. Also shooting with Andrew taught me many things about being prepared for a shoot. When making the last film I learned the importance of planning and adapting. This time however, Andrew taught me the value of coming to a shoot with many layers of backup. While shooting in the rain Andrew brought extra batteries for the camera, 9 volts for the microphone, and SD cards for the footage. I learned that sometimes you can better create your original vision so long as you come with multiple plans of execution.

Integration

For my next film I plan on implementing a few of the things I learned and altering my process in the following ways. First of all I will avoid shooting in uncomfortable weather. The day that we filmed in the rain was one of the most painful shooting days I have ever experienced. Water is a nightmare on set when you have to worry about protecting your equipment. Worse than that it was also cold without the rain making it even worse when you were wet. The takeaway from this experience is when shooting in the rain make sure it is a suitable temperature. That also goes for shooting outside in general. The last thing you want is an uncomfortable crew and cast because it will show in the final product.The second thing I will change is when shooting green screen I will have reference images on set. The amount of time lost trying to communicate to actors and crew in order to get a good performance is saddening. Simply being able to point to a picture would have saved so much time and prevented so much confusion. For future projects I plan on using concept art more often. When creating the feel of the world images save time and resources. Using references for a mood/vibe board is crucial for creating a cohesive and consistent tone in a film. Overall, the making of this film has helped me to better visualize my final product and refine the visual consistency.

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