Genre Film: Small Indifferent Neena

In the making of Small, Indifferent Neena there were a variety of factors that went into its completion. I took on the role of director and so I worked on getting a couple of the necessary releases.


These are examples of a location release and a talent release. The first major step in making this film was brainstorming the idea and then writing the script. Our genre was a road film. Unfortunately, due to the restrictions of the school building and school day, the use of a car was not feasible. Therefore, we decided to zero in on the tradition of a notable method of traveling by giving our protagonist crutches. Additionally, we subverted the genre due to our protagonist. In road films, the protagonist is conventionally a white male. Not only is our protagonist a woman, she is also a person of color which aids in the subversion of this genre. After the script was complete, the storyboard was easy to complete. Around this time, I got releases from the actors and the property manager of the school. Then, it was mostly the production process of organizing actors, technology, and locations. It wasn't until post-production that we truly applied the new skill of color correction and color grading. This was a really interesting process and I feel like it was a huge success in upping the quality of our film. If I were to do the project again,  I would try to use a consistent microphone throughout for volume consistency. 

documentary 12 pages complete

production check!

We were scheduled to finish filming over the last couple weeks, but due to scheduling conflicts, we were unable to coordinate everyone's schedules to coincide. However, we are set to film next weekend and are keeping our fingers crossed that no conflicts will arise before then. However, this week, Shay and I went to the bowling alley to obtain permission to film there. Unfortunately, I forgot my location release at home, but we did obtain verbal permission to film there from the owners! Of course, when we go to shoot there we will obtain a signature from the individuals who gave us permission on the location release form. I am super excited to see if the shot works out. A complicated factor of shooting in a bowling alley is sound, as there is a lot of loud and noticeable background noise. It will be up to Shay to choose the best microphones to get the best sound quality possible for the dialogue. It would also be cool to record the background sounds to play during the pauses in conversation. Additionally, I am excited to see how the lighting turns out as much of the bowling alley is lit by colorful, neon lights, which could make for really cool shots, especially close-ups.
https://res-4.cloudinary.com/simpleview/image/fetch/f_auto,q_75/http://cumberland.simpleviewcrm.com/images/listings/original_Midway-30.jpg

The bowling alley is called ABC West and I feel like it plays into the small town aesthetic that we are aiming for within the film. Additionally, in the image above you can see the pairs of seats that would be effective in filming the main dialogue scene. The lighting will create hopefully a sort of glowy and hazy effect that reflects the confusion of youth, a central point of conflict within our script. Excited to see how it looks!

Documentary Update