Production Portfolio Checkpoint 1

Pitch and Approval
For the production of our film, I am planning to work with Shay and Pranava. Both Pranava and myself are interested in the thematic intricacies of the human experience, while Shay is interested in the concept of beauty. We felt as though these elements could be fluidly combined as the concept of beauty plays a strong role in the human experience. In terms of the plot of our film, we were thinking of following two separate characters in their daily lives and examining the shared elements and the unique elements of the human experience. In order to do this, we will need to show them addressing larger and more encompassing issues that intrude into everyone's world, which is where we incorporate the idea of beauty and beauty standards. We could include shots that are similar and create a sense of parallelism for the shared components. For the unique and differing aspects, we will create contrasting shots that we can hopefully align and juxtapose to give a sense of the simultaneous deviation of the human experience.
Physical Production
Additionally, for the actual physical production, Pranava, Shay, and I can handle most of the roles ourselves. We are all familiar with all of them and through a collaborative effort can play to our strengths. Shay has chosen the role of the sound designer. Both Pranava and I are interested in being the cinematographer, but I have no problem shifting to the role of director if need be. We are planning on writing in a collaborative manner which will work well because we have multiple main characters and therefore can have multiple voices and tones displayed. Additionally, I believe that we are all planning on editing together which will work well as editing is not one of my personal strengths and so I can lean on Shay and Pranava in that regard. I was thinking about our contrasting settings being a more urban area for one character and a suburban area for the other, which I can start scouting for once our script is close to being finalized. I really interested in costuming because I'm interested in fashion and my concentration is in color within which costuming plays a big role. We will need to cast two main actors in this film to play our two main characters. I would prefer if they were male and female to add to the sense of unique experiences, but that is not a requirement. The process of finalizing the script, storyboard and production schedule will play out over the next five months or so.
Technical Planning
In terms of conceptualization, our main thematic element is that of the human experience which will provide an incredibly large target audience as it should relate to most of humanity. In terms of genre, we are hoping to tie in elements of coming of age which will comply nicely with the thematic elements. The purpose of the film will be to delineate the interconnectedness and diversity of the human experience while hopefully revealing a truth about humanity as a whole. In terms of style, I am interested in filmmakers such as Wes Anderson and Jean-Pierre Jeunet who create striking visuals through the use of dramatic angles, a disregard for the rule of thirds, and strict color schemes. I think the mood we are going for is realistic and honest portrayal of life.
For visualization, I am really interested in color and creating a color scheme for the film. This scheme will then drive my other choices for the visuals. We will have to account for costumes and lighting and shot selection in order to adhere to a specific scheme.
In terms of scheduling, we will work to adhere to the schedule that has been laid out for us.
I know that Shay is most interested in sound design, but I am interested in creating a relevant score. I am also interested in learning more about editing strategies especially in regard to the adjustment of color and lighting.
Reflection, Evaluation, & Integration of Choices:
My concentration is the use of color. In terms of strengths, I have the advantage because I can be part of the entirety of the process from the planning, to the production, to the editing. I can make sure that each step of the process goes according to the scheme that I have laid out. A weakness is the dilemma of both Pranava and I interested in cinematography. If circumstances have it that I end up having to take the role of the director, I will have less control over the image and therefore the use of color. However, as we are still establishing many of our bases, the only new choice appears to be the combination of all of our ideas and thematic elements. 

Genre Presentation

Lighting Project!

Overall, I felt like this project went pretty well. I think the lighting turned out well in each of the scenes. I feel like we could've had more continuity from shot to shot by creating a motif or even by just using the same actor throughout. In terms of the editing process, I felt like the black and white effect was incredibly effective in emphasizing the lighting. It was also beneficial to mass produce titles as I felt it made me more efficient in Premiere Pro. A major problem that we had was following the storyboard because all of the clips were similar shots in that they were close ups. This made the process of cataloging more difficult. I feel like we took a long time setting up each of the shots and were really careful with the camera work and shot set-up. While this created really nice shots,  it prolonged the production process probably longer than necessary for this type of project.

Documentary Script on Color

First Production Check

The theme I am most interested in exploring is the theme of The Human Experience, as I mentioned in my last post. To reiterate my interest in this theme, I like the idea of celebrating the diversity of the human experience while still linking aspects of it. Some of the commonality that links the human experience are the "big things": death, life, self-knowledge, decisions, vanity, etc. Commonly in film, the theme of the human experience is most blatantly explored through documentaries such as Human (2015). Human is a documentary that follows individuals from allow over the globe and manages to simultaneously point out their differences but still create a sense of common humanity. 

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While it may be easy for documentaries to focus on the theme of the human experience, feature films can also explore this theme. A prime example of a movie capturing the theme of the human experience can be seen in Boyhood (2014) which follows a boy from the time he is young until he goes off to college. An interesting element to this film is the element of continuity which can be seen through the continued use of each of the actors, as they filmed it over a series of twelve years, actually watching the main character grow up.

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For my own film, I want to focus on the concept of the human experience. For this production, I will assume the role of the cinematographer. As the director of photography, I will make all the decisions concerning the aesthetic and technicalities of the image. I feel as though the role of cinematographer aligns closely with the element of film that I want to focus on which is color. I am interested in films that create a color scheme or even appear tinted, whether by an off white-balance, effect in post production or lighting effects. 

As far as plot goes, I am interested in depicting the story of a young adult who is making decisions about his/her future. The main source of conflict will be the character's indecision and their inner turmoil about choosing a projected path. The character will be around 18 and will be debating the idea of furthering her education or taking her own path. 

Another idea I have would be to follow two separate individuals as they follow the death of a mutual loved one. It might be a friend or a relative, but it would be someone that they both lost. I would capture different ways of dealing with grief. 

For both of these ideas, I would compose strong color schemes that demonstrate both of the themes. I feel like one of my strengths is composing a visually unified but striking image, which is best done through the role of cinematography. I feel like one of my weaker areas is writing because most of what I want to convey often goes unsaid. However, I want to work on my script writing to create more natural dialogue. Another weakness of mine is editor because I do not feel super comfortable or familiar with the process of post production. Therefore, if as the cinematographer, I can create the look I want initially, I can forgo any major editing. My fascination with color includes manipulating the setting, costume, casting, and lighting. This will require me to take on some of the duties as director in addition to cinematographer but will hopefully produce the look I ultimately choose to portray.