Hey! Since we are reaching the final aspects of this project, I wanted to lay out what I'll be doing for this week
1. Edit the short film
- Find music
- Color research?
-Finalize final product
2. Continue promo for short film on social media
-I'm aiming to post twice or three times a day, mainly BTS footage or additional image promotion, such as screenshots from the film itself!
I'll keep y'all updated throughout the week!
I started making the postcard, and I'm pleased with the front of it, but I'm having trouble organizing the back of it.
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| I wanted to keep the front sweet and simple, reusing elements I have used for the two previous promo posters. The main difference with this postcard is the text with my name at the top, and the tagline, which are now in purple instead of white. I felt that by changing their color, it would separate from the title card, and it pops out well with the background, which is a reuse of the second promo poster layered with a static background. |
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| I maintained the static background used in the front, but I feel like the back has too much going on, and it doesn't look as simple as the front. I tried a multitude of other designs, including a television screen, but the text would blend in with the screen and it was difficult to read (it also made my eyes hurt lol). I decided to go with the Florida Film Festival because if I were to hypothetically send this somewhere, I would want to remain local first before branching out domestically. The Instagram handle did change, and the main reason for this was because the original user, @keepwatching_shortfilm was too long, and when I tried to fit it on to the postcard, I was having trouble sizing the text. Therefore, I decided to change the username to something much more simple and quick to memorize, so that if people want to check out the film even further, they won't have trouble looking for it. |
We will see how this turns out...stay tuned (or keep watching ;))
Hey! Today I filmed Scene 2, the end of Scene 5, and Scene 6, but was unable to get to Scene 4 :( But that's totally fine because I was able to get the majority of what I set out to accomplish filmed, and I'm pleased with today's productivity. With that being said, here are some of the highlights of today's filming sesh...
Battery Update + Positives
Along with resolving the battery issue, I was lucky enough to film on a day with awesome weather conditions, and at a time where the location wasn't packed with people.
Minor Negatives + Editing Updates
While the weather was great, the area that we filmed in had many additional and disruptive sounds, such as the water fountain and the bell tower that would chime every hour, which would take away time that I would have to film since I had to wait till the song was over. Additionally, there were moments where gusts of wind would come through, which hindered many shots I would take, especially moments where Emma and Liv's characters were walking and talking to each other. At times, I would play back the footage and find that it was difficult to hear them, so I had to find alternative ways to shoot the scene. Originally, I planned on using a wide shot of Emma and Liv's characters walking, but once I filmed this, I realized how hard it was to hear them, and even if I used audio from other takes where the audio was better, it wouldn't sync up correctly on Premiere, so I decided to shoot this scene using a variety of close-up shots and medium shots in order to capture their lines. |
| The lighting in this close-up shot of Emma is too dark, so I am hoping to fix this by using Premiere. I guess the darkness could work for the context of the scene, but it's hard to see her face, so I'm still going to edit it anyway. |
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| This is what I have of Scene 2 thus far! I'm almost done putting it together, but I haven't delved into music, color, lighting, text, etc (this goes for the other scenes I have edited as well). |
Bloopers :)
Just like day 1, here are some fun bloopers I was able to capture during today's filming process!
Hey y'all it's Soph! Today, I began my first day of filming, and it went pretty well. I wasn't able to complete everything I set out to film, specifically the ending to Scene 5 and Scene 6, but regardless, I felt that it was an efficient day.
The Positives!
The schedule I proposed in a previous blog (Filming Schedule + Actors!) was mostly followed, as I was able to complete Scenes 1,3, and 7, as well as most of Scene 4. Due to being able to film half of the short film, I was able to get a jumpstart on editing. I didn't do any major edits, I simply wanted to get started on organizing the clips that I had so that when I do eventually begin the post-production process, I won't have to take more time figuring out the clips I want to use.
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| I didn't do any major edits, but instead focused on sorting out what clips I wanted to use and cutting them down to make a sequence. This process was mainly done to Scene 5, since the other scenes I filmed are one shot. |
The Negatives...
The night before I started filming, I asked my dad if I could use his camera, and I wanted to make sure that it was fully CHARGED before I did so. He said he had charged it, and I took him at his word because it's his camera, no one else uses it, and I had figured he charged it after filming a piano video. I went to sleep peacefully...
In comes the day of filming, and while filming Scene 3, the camera dies...MID SCENE. I'm frustrated for two reasons:
1. My dad lied (not intentionally of course...but y'know...I was stressed at the time so this was my rationale)
2. I don't know where he keeps his charger because he never told me :)
To make a long story short, my mom found the charger (thank you mommy :))) ) and I was able to film for the rest of the day. However, this problem did teach me that I should definitely be more organized with the equipment that I am using, specifically making sure that my camera is CHARGED...
Since my camera wasn't fully charged, I had to spend the rest of the day taking "charger breaks" so that I had enough battery to finish the scenes. By doing this, it took time away from filming, hence why I wasn't able to finish the rest of Scene 5, or start Scene 6. I'm most likely going to push the filming of these two scenes to Saturday, since tomorrow is going to be focused on the scenes at Town Center, which are Scenes 2 and 4. I would like to finish Scene 5 and start Scene 6 on Friday, but I don't want to stress out Emma, since she's in every scene, and today was a long day for her.
And don't worry...my camera will be charged for tomorrow...I've learned my lesson.
Hey! I recently uploaded a new post to the Instagram page! Here are some details to keep in mind :)
This is one of the five Instagram posts I uploaded today. Each one looks the same, except for the name and role of the actor, as well as the photo used for each one. I desgined each post on Canva, and used a TV shaped sticker as the design, similar to the logo used for the film. I kept the theme (as previously discussed in Starting my Social Media Page!) and used the "Lastica Light" font for the names of each actor, and the "Gota Light" font for the role that they are playing.
Specifically with both fonts, I decided to edit them further in order to give them that retro/televised look, so I used the "Neon" effect for the actors' names and the "Echo" effect for the character names/roles. Additionally, I wanted to emphasize the word "role" on each individual image because of the tagline used for the film, "Everyone has a role to play". I thought it was fitting to overuse the word and establish the eeriness of the plot without giving any major hints away.
As for the individual photos, I edited them further on Canva by using the "Drill" effect located under "Screens", as well as the "Radiate" effect. I combined both effects in order to once again portray a retro televised aesthetic thus matching the vibe of the film.
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| Final post! |
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| Example of the "Echo" effect used on text. |
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| Example of the "Drill" filter in use, which is located under "Screens". |
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| Example of the "Radiate" filter. I only used a small amount of it, but I felt that even the tiniest use of it allowed the photo to seem more eerie and retro. |
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| Example of the "Neon" effect used on text. |
Speaking of actors... I FOUND THE LEADS! YAY!
Eve - Emma Twombly
Jane - Olivia Wagner
Hey! Now that I'm starting to go into production, I began thinking about the different locations I wanted to use for the short film. I know I want to remain in town, especially since I need quite a few actors for the film and I don't want to force them to go to far places. I found a couple of places that would be functional enough for the film, so this is what I have decided.
Eve's Bedroom
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| This is the specific corner I want to use to film Eve, and it will mainly be a close-up shot of her since the Interviewer is never seen. |
As I have mentioned in a previous blog, I will be using Town Center for the scenes of the girls walking around town, as well as the scene where Eve is out by herself out night and has a strange encounter with the town's people. I was initially set on this location because of its colorful buildings, which I felt provided the impression of "perfection" that my fictional town was going for. When it reaches between 8-9 PM in Weston, Town Center is practically dead, so I thought it would be a good opprotunity to film at night, and use the empty nature of the area for the night scene, which would help present an ominous nature to the town.
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| For the scene where Jane warns Eve for the first time, I was thinking of filming under the bell tower since it can act as a safe space for the girls, and it is in a part of town where there is a lot of activity, thus capturing the center of this fictional town. |
My main goal for this week is to have a storyboard ready and locations choosen so that I can start filming. I'm planning on filming during spring break, since that is when I will have the most time!
Schedule for this week:
1. STORYBOARD !!!!
2. Find locations
3. Find actors/actresses (I have a few in mind but I need to see who is available and plan out those days based on availability)
After writing the script and seeing the plot develop itself, I realized that Keep Watching is not a psychological thriller. Like at all. Not even close.
But...that's ok! I've realized that it turned into a mystery thriller, so essentially removing the psychological part and replace it with mystery. Yay!
Why Keep Watching is NOT Psychological
My original idea (Finding the Right Match-Picking a Genre and Writing a Psychological Thriller: Screenwriting Research) consisted of Eve, who didn't have a name at the time, being impacted by her environment to a point in which she started to feel insane, hence the psychological aspect of the film. I wanted those around her to make her question herself and what she believed. While the first part of this concept still remains, since she is being heavily impacted by her environment, she isn't doubting herself, or analyzing her emotions. Eve feels confident in what she is witnessing and wants to change it. Therefore, the thriller element still remains, which is that Eve is trying to uncover who is "watching" and trying to stop them from watching, but the mystery aspect comes from that investigation itself, as the audience, along with Eve, are trying to uncover this question. Little does the audience know, however, they are the answer to the question, but what keeps the film a mystery is that the audience will have no idea until the end.
Overall, key components of the thriller genre remain within the script, such as the element of suspense, as well as the use of a cliffhanger which is incorporated at the end of the film. I still feel as though the research I did earlier (Writing a Psychological Thriller: Screenwriting Research) still applies, as elements of the overall thriller genre exist. Along with this, this research has allowed me to realize that while writing the script, there weren't any psychological elements to my story and my story as a whole wouldn't pan out in the direction I originally intended. At first I was worried about this because I was afraid that I would have to rewrite the entire plot to fit my original research, but instead I decided to let the plot take its course and unravel the way it needed to, and I'm content with the final result.
Anywayyy I just wanted to do a quick blog post updating y'all on this change!
Hey! Taking a break between my plans for production, I started my social media page today! Here is what I have so far!
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This is the logo that I created for the profile picture on Instagram! I wanted to keep it simple, while keeping the premise of the short film as vague as possible. Originally, I wanted to have the title of the film be inside the TV screen (see below), but it didn't come out right when I tried to set it as the profile picture. Therefore, I felt that this format better suited the aesthetic I wanted to go for.  Original concept for the logo Aesthetic/Branding Theme I wanted to have the aesthetic of the film convey a sense of darkness and mystery, hence I decided to use reds, blacks, and whites to illustrate this theme. The color scheme was mainly inspired by the colorscheme used for Wandavision, especially since I am trying to go for that static/mysterious look for the brand. Later on, I want to incoorperate elements for the fourth wall breaking, especially within the poster for the film. However, I want to start making that poster once I have the actors for the film, that way I can incorporate them into the poster. Below is the type of/inspired fourth wall break I want to create. This is the poster for Season 3 of Stranger Things, and while I'm not trying to copy the 80's aesthetic choosen for this particular piece, I'm instead going for the eerieness they created for the branding, such as how Eleven is looking out, while the other are not.  Movie Poster (for now!)  I wanted to have something to post on my social media account, so I decided to create a "teaser" movie poster. I wanted the aesthetic to be ominous and suspensful, so I still incoporated the use of whites, reds, and blacks. Along with this, I added a tagline at the bottom, "Everyone has a role they must play." I felt that this line captured what the short film is about, as it involves people, like Jane, forcefully playing roles in order to fit the mold of a perfect society. However, like the tagline and the static screen of the poster suggests, not everything is what it seems. For the title itself, I decided to go with the "Year 3000" font on Canva, because I felt it illustrated that frightening, suspenseful vibe I was going for, and it matched with the static background of the TV screen. As for the tagline, I used the "Lastica Light" font because I wanted the tagline to remain simple, but easy enough to spot and read. Additionally, I didn't want to repeat the font used for the title (even though it was tempting) so that both the title and the tagline can remain separate from each other, but appear cohesive in their message. As for the tagline itself, the two key words within the line that should be focused on are "role" and "must". "Role" is important because everyone in this piece, besides Eve, are forcefully presenting as someone else out of fear of being watched, hence they aren't who they truly seem to be. As for "must", I felt that this word reinforced the forceful nature of these roles, and made the problem within the short film seem more grave.   This is what the social media page looks like as of right now! I still have to follow some accounts and gain traction, but I just wanted to get started on setting up the brand/establishing the aesthetic of the page before I began advertisement. |
Hey! I FINALLY finished the script, and while I was editing it, I realized one major thing: I can't spell nor write in English because the amount of grammar mistakes I had was atrocious.
Anywayyyy here are the parts that I changed:
Originally within this scene, I had Eve confront Jane, but she would notice the camera later, after Jane left. Now, I decided I wanted to have her notice the camera while Jane was still there, so that Jane's reaction to Eve discovering the camera's (which still remains the same) was not as sudden as it used to be.
Jane's fear repeats in this scene, but this time it becomes more physical as she is literally trying to restrain Eve from discovering any more information. I felt that originally this moment was more abrupt, so I wanted to add a little bit of dialogue and action so that this moment was eased into.
Hey! So this is what I'm planning on getting done with week:
1. Edit and finalize the script
2. Storyboard the film
3. Start looking for places to film/finding actors - I'm hoping to film during spring break, since I will have more time and availability to do so!
My main priority for the week is to finalize the script (be really confident and happy with it...fingers crossed) and start storyboarding! I want to make sure I'm comfortable with the script and that the story flows, but right now, it feels like a draft and not the final result. Therefore, I'm hoping to find ways to add to the script or improve it so that the story doesn't feel rushed. I'll keep ya'll updated on that!
Hey!
This is the ending of the short film, but I don't feel super great about it. I feel like it ends abruptly, and the characters aren't totally as fleshed out as I want them to be. After all, this is a rough draft, so I'm not super upset about it. I'm hoping that throughout next week, I'll be able to edit it, while also starting to storyboard what I have, and have a rough idea of what I will be filming once I head into production.
Hey y'all! I have more of the script, soooooo let's discuss.
The scene changes from Eve being interviewed to her wandering the town at night. In this particular scene, I wanted Eve to feel isolated and uncomfortable, so I added three random characters to make her experience more frightening and suspenseful (I'm such a nice person, I know!). Persons' #1, #2, and #3, are meant to resemble "actors", or planted people to stop Eve from discovering who's watching her and everyone in town. I wanted them to act as townspeople, or those really annoying guides that help you at theme parks or your local Sephora. I wanted them to pester and annoy Eve, but in a really pushy way, as if they are preventing her from doing something (spoiler alert, they are!)
Eve running away in this scene is meant to be her first act of rebellion that will begin to pile up as the story continues to unfold. From this point foward, Eve is meant to grow more anxious and afraid of her surroundings, and starts to become hyperaware of who to trust and talk to, and who not to trust.
The journey of making Keep Watching has come to an end! Below are the links the short film, social media page, and the postcard. Keep Watc...
