Production - Settling on Location, Date, and More

Hey readers! Last post I said I would having a call with my friends (who will be helping play the characters) to make some decisions regarding filming day. We all got on call last night to choose filming location, time, date, as well as go over the props and wardrobe for each person. Throughout the call an important change was made regarding a specific prop.

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Beginning with location, I previously mentioned that out of the three, Miramar Cultural Center was the closest to me, this was the case with the rest of my friends too. We also have all had experience going to the location at least once before, so we have already built a familiarity with it. Going off of experience, I know that the area gets a little less crowded at night, which would be the best filming conditions considering the time and place of the opening.

As for the actual day and time, I initially thought of going out either next weekend or the weekend after, but I usually have work shifts that trifle with the middle of the day or extend into late-night hours. Because of this, I instead suggested moving these dates to the Fridays of those same weeks (3/6 or 3/13). So far, I have word from two of my friends (not including me) that they can go either days, meaning that the date will either rely on the last friend's availability, when I get the missing props, and whether or not there is an event happening at the Miramar Cultural Center the night we go. I plan to leave to get my friends at around 5-5:30 so that we can all arrive before sundown and still have plenty time to ensure everyone has the clothing they need for their roles.

Speaking of wardrobe and props, during the call I went over each wardrobe/prop individually. For the most part, two of my friends (including the one who will be playing the cop) already have their wardrobes situated. As for the other, they will just be borrowing some of my clothing to minimize spending for this project. I am relieved that the only props I would have to end up buying are for the cop character alone, those being a fedora and a police badge. Guise's pin would have been something more difficult to obtain, but the same friend that will be playing him and the antagonist has experience printing pins, so that really has to be done is make a design for it. 

One major talking point from this part of the call was the inclusion of the knife. I have already stressed the risk of filming with the fake weapon in a public location (which is near a police station, mind you), which is why I introduced some substitutes a few posts back. Of these substitutes was a pen. Any ordinary pen would have worked fine, but one of my friends remembered they owned a metallic pen that would look cool when shined under lighting, which is what we will end up using for the final product.

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This call with my friend was a great way for all of us to be on the same page in terms of this project. It also gives me some time to get the few props we need throughout the week. As for my role and the aspects I went over during the call, I made sure to already have everything for my part since the initial post on wardrobe/props, such as the clothing and filing folders. I plan to film my part on a separate day either before or after I am done filming the main part of the opening, which definitely needed the time taken last night to prepare.

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That is all I have for now. I will update you guys next post with some more progress. See you!

Production - Wardrobe Changes

Welcome back to the blog, viewers! This is my first post covering production! While I am still not prepared to start filming this week (which is what I need to move along with this process), I plan to soon talk with the rest of the actors I shared in the cast sheet from last post so that we can decide on which of the three location we will film and at what day/time. Today, however, I was presented with some potential wardrobe changes.

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Today, I was talking to the friend who will be playing the officer. By then I still had not talked to him about what I was planning for him to wear, which was a typical police officer costume, but he instead thought up of some of their own ideas.

When I mentioned to him that the opening was of a film noir, he suggested an outfit more fitting of the 40's-50's era noirs. At first, he suggested wearing a thick brown coat, along with some boots and a brimmed fedora. Though on paper this sounds a lot more classy compared to the cliché cop costume, it would make it harder for the average audience to know exactly who the character is supposed to be at first glance. So, I suggested that he at least would wear a police badge over the coat to make it more evident that the character represents some level of authority.

(The image of the coat he sent to me, he mentioned that he will be wearing one without the hoodie, however)

As for the flashlight prop and the character's actions, those will not be changing.

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This suggestion was surprisingly a real eye-opener for me. I realized that I had put too much effort in avoiding the typical clichés of noir outfits, instead focusing on giving the characters outfits that reflect what a regular person in their respective positions would wear. Despite initially stating that the time in which the story takes place would me more reminiscent of the modern day, I still feel as though giving the officer the modern day look sells the noir aspect of this film. However, considering my initial approach for realism with the wardrobe, it could be argued that the officer's new outfit is is not reminiscent of something real officers would wear back in the 40's-50's. All in all, I still prefer this design for the officer over my original, as it gives this minor character a unique look.

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In my next post, I will be sharing what comes out of the aforementioned discussion between me and the friends that will be helping out with the acting. See you soon, readers!

Planning - Cast Sheet

Name of actor/model: Anthony (Me)

	Notes
	Role: Detective Opacus Age: 17 Height: 6'2" Hair Color: Brown Eye Color: Brown Wardrobe: White Button-Down Shirt Black Tie Dress Shoes Dress Pants/Slacks

 

Name of actor/model: Chase

	Notes
	Role: Antagonist (disguised), Guise  Age: 17  Height:  Hair Color:  Eye Color:  Wardrobe: Black Hoodie/Long Sleeved Shirt Black Pants Sneakers Guise's Pin T-Shirt (plain) Pajama Pants (plain)

Name of actor/model: Zachary

	Notes
	Role: Mayor  Age: 17  Height:  Hair Color:  Eye Color:  Wardrobe: Vest Polo Tie Slacks Dress Shoes

 Name of actor/model: Templar

	Notes
	Role: Officer  Age: 17  Height: 5'8"  Hair Color: Dark Blond  Eye Color: Hazel  Wardrobe: Cop Costume Oxfords/Black Sneakers Alternative (for a more noir aesthetic): Fedora Police Badge Jacket Boots

Planning - Mise-en-scene: Props and Wardrobe

Hello again, readers! After fully planning out the screenplay and plot of my brief, I now need to consider the opening's physical elements of mise-en-scene to fully turn my ideas into reality. On today's post, I will be sharing some props and outfits I believe should be used for filming, as well as possible substitutes so that way I am not lost choosing what to replace in the last second if I cannot use what I initially plan for.
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Antagonist:

Since the opening will mainly focus on the antagonist and their kidnapping of the mayor, I would like to focus on them first. There are many elements I planned on incorporating into the antagonist's mysterious disguise. 

First of all is the disguise itself. For the most part, it does not particularly have to be a formal getup as one would expect from a city board member (as that is the role of Guise, the man the antagonist is pretending to be), because the accessory, which is what I will describe next, is Guise's identifiable feature. So for the clothing, either a black hoodie or dark, long sleeved shirt paired with casual black pants will help to create a mysterious outline and can clash with lighting techniques suck as backlighting.

The accessory that eventually leads to the cops mistakenly accusing Guise for the kidnapping is an important feature that I wanted to put a good amount of focus on in the opening. As evident by the storyboard, I had always planned for it to be something that is placed on the antagonists chest, so something like a pin would be the best fit. As for its design, I think simply having the letter "G" somewhere on the pin would work well. An alternative to the pin would be a flashy handkerchief, as that tends to usually blend better on buttoned-up shirts.

(A simple mock-up of the pin's design I drew. Design not final.)

In the storyboard script I described the antagonist as being armed, holding a knife at the mayor. For safety and ethical reasons, I want to use a plastic knife. When planning on location, I stressed that even being seen with a plastic knife out in public for recreational filming is most likely a no-go, so a pencil or similarly pointed object could fill in as a substitute.

Guise:

Following the scene where the antagonist makes their escape, it transitions to guise in a jailhouse. Context-wise, it would make sense for him to be in casual clothing as he would most likely be arrested unexpectedly while he was doing his own things. So, I plan on having the actor wear an ordinary t-shirt (preferably a flat color) and some shorts or maybe even pajama pants. Since the camera would not focus on his entire body, it does not particularly matter about the footwear. The same pin worn by the antagonist will be used for this scene as well.

The Mayor:

The mayor of the city the plot takes place in is the primary victim of the kidnapping. Considering that he is initially going to the gala, it would make the most sense for him to be in proper, formal attire. I plan on having the mayor appear in a tuxedo (or vest), along with a tie, slacks, and dress shoes. This getup will reflect both his position as governor and also give context to the moment of the crime.

The Officer:

The officer, while making the second shortest appearance in the opening, still has to fit the role. The obvious choice for clothing would be a cop costume, which could be easily purchased online (could be a bit harder in person, as Halloween was a few months ago). As for shoes, officers are typically seen with a pair of glossy oxfords, though a pair of black sneakers would be a more cost-friendly substitute.

While writing the script for my last post, I decided to give the officer a flashlight that they use to check the surrounding area they are patrolling, just to give the character some life as they are introduced.

Protagonist:

In the opening, the audience will not have a particularly clear view of the protagonist, Detective Opacus. His job as a detective means he will eventually be analyzing evidence both out in the streets and in his office. For this reason I think that rather than using the stereotypical detective suit and hat, Opacus should instead go with something more "realistic". For his outfit, a simple button-down shirt with a tie and slacks will suffice to reflect something more aligned to business casual. Another prop that will be used is some manilla file folders with papers stuffed inside. There is no real meaning to these in the story, but will once again immerse the audience with a sense of realism.

With the clothing and props for the protagonist planned out, I noticed that none of these reflect his troubled internal state. So, I have an idea to make the character's hair messy as they are faced back when the camera first shows the protagonist. This small detail can hint at his internal struggle.

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Planning for these elements ahead of time now gives me time to start gathering everything I need prior to filming day. A lot of the outfits I shared, such as the vest and slacks, I already own, meaning that I would only have to go out and purchase the police costume as well as possibly a plain black tie and hoodie. Same goes for props, there are many folders in my home, and I remember one of my siblings having a toy knife as part of a toy kitchen set.

Looking back at what I first put into mind when selecting the outfits specifically, rather than portraying certain traits of the characters through what they wear, I instead turned to a more realistic approach. This approach is meant to make the story seem as something coming from the real world, rather then the cliche fiction established by most noir films of the past.

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There is just ONE more element that I want to plan before I plan on moving on to production itself, and that is establishing the cast sheet. Since there are four characters that I want to include in the opening, I do not want all of them to simply be me. Until next time, readers!

Planning - Script Writing

 Welcome back to the blog! With the plot for my film completely devised, I now want to take a look at the script and what makes one effective. Though I intend to include not as many lines of dialogue, it is still important for me to look into this; additionally, I plan to take this opportunity to more deeply detail camera movements used for certain shots.
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So, what makes a script "good"? There are many elements that go into this, though the ones that can best be applied in film noir involve the main character and the story's central conflict. In terms of the protagonist, the script must answer who the character is, what do they want, and how they are going to get it. Their motivations have to be clear, and should be driven by feelings or desires, as they are the ones who advance the story and ultimately solve the conflict. As for the conflict itself, it typically has to hold high external life stakes, should be exceedingly difficult to overcome, and should build and complicate throughout the script. 

As I have said many times, while the brief states to focus on the opening of my film, the problem being introduced right at the start allows me to set these stakes as well as reveal a little about the protagonist towards the end of the clip.

After taking some time to reviewing the plot and storyboard for the opening, there was one more thing that I had to finally put in place before I can start typing my script, that being the opening's title and character names/positions. I began first with the victim, who I decided to make mayor of the unnamed city. The identity behind the antagonists impersonation is what I went to next. Seeing as the mayor and officer fall for the disguise, it is only right to give the true identity a role in the city government, that being a member of the council. I wanted to give identity's name some sort of meaning, so I opted for giving him the last name "Guise", as his identity is being used as a disguise for the antagonist.

I wanted to do something similar with the name of the protagonist, though on a deeper level, as his last name would also be the title of the production. Wanting to reflect on his semi-mysterious presence and the overall mystery elements of the plot, I opted for naming him Detective Opacus. Opacus is a Latin root meaning "shaded, in the shade, shady, dark, darkened, obscure" perfect for what I wanted to do with the name.

With all these features established, here is the script I will be following:

One smaller change in particular is sticking with going for one officer ground patrolling instead of the two I displayed in the storyboard. This makes their presence more realistic as I cannot access a police car for filming, which is typically where two cops patrol together.

As for the script itself, I loosely followed a guide online on how to make a more professional screenplay, though I decided to add camera shots, movements, and some types of cuts that I plan to use so that I do not have to choose on which to use on the spot.

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Despite mostly recapping from past posts, making the script today, combined with the storyboard and plot planning now gives me the clearest outline of my brief, which will hopefully help make the filming process quick and efficient. The time I took into fleshing out more of the characters for this project also helped me give deeper meaning to the overall production, giving it even more life despite only being an opening.

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Sources used for information:

https://boords.com/blog/these-are-the-things-that-writers-say-make-up-a-great-screenplay

https://www.flyingwrestler.com/2017/01/20-script-must-haves/

https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/screenplay-example-download/

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There are just a few more steps I have to plan before I can confidently say that I am fully prepared for production. Next time, I will be planning for the physical elements of mis-en-scene of the opening, those being the wardrobe for each character alongside the props used by each.

Planning - Storyboard

 Hey readers! Planning for today's post was fun, as I was working on my storyboard! This will help me picture more or less what the final product will look like before I go and actually start filming. I incorporated as much as I could on my previous post outlining the plot of the opening, though I have to admit there is a lot more that came to mind soon after making it, which I will describe after sharing some screen shots. Let's jump right in.

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(I know I drew a bit sloppily for some of these scenes, so I apologize if some parts are not illegible.)

Here, I drew up mostly what I conceived when I first imagined the plot. I made some notes on the bottom of and within some of the scenes, describing some extra ideas and camera movements I had and explained what some of them included.

Once completed, I had completely forgotten the moment of realization the victim makes with the antagonists disguise during the alleyway scene, so I thought of how it could be displayed in film. Following the alleyway shot shown in the storyboard (top row, middle square on the second image), a quick transition would give a close-up at the victim. A focus pull will go to the antagonist, who's chest would reveal the "defining feature" of his disguise, prompting the victim's reaction.

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Thanks to the story board, I now mapped each individual scene. All that is left is interpreting what I designed on filming day, deciding what camera techniques will be used and what could potentially change to make the opening look even more appealing.

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What I surely need to plan towards next is the name of my production, as well as other elements such as dialogue and what the antagonist's disguise's defining feature will actually end up becoming. Next post, I will have set on these elements, as well as the script, further detailing specific camera shots and movements, as well as any dialogue needed.