Finally Filming

The day had come. Friday March 24th, 2023, the day I filmed my opening scene. We arrived to Markham park at 5:30pm , the perfect time for the sun to be warm and shining brightly, bringing a golden glare to the film. Since the scene takes place at one location and during a specific time period, we only had 2 hours to complete the filming. With over 93 videos in my camera roll and my phone at 9%, we finished at 7:30pm. Just enough time. 

Markham park is huge. It has aero flying plane fields, golf playing fields, sawgrass fields, but no flower fields. This was my first "oh" moment. After driving for about 10 minutes, I settled on a plot of land at the edge of water with tall trees standing near it through which sunlight peeked out. This would work, no white flowers in sight, but I would have to adapt. 

The sight was a little creepy to be honest. There was no one around except for this one person who was standing a hundred feet away and then threw a freezbee towards us. As the natural reaction, I picked it up and walked to hand it to him, until he waked over as well and told me it was a game. My second "oh" moment. Some golf puck throwing thing that occurs allover the park. I apologized for moving his impressive placement and moved on with my evening, while he walked further into the forest, throwing freebees. (now that I look back, I remember looking at the park map and seeing dots with point values, most probably the game that person was talking about). 

Moving on from that weird encounter, we set up camp, got the tripod situated, attached microphones (tried our best to conceal them), and ran over the script one more time. Filming was difficult. Since I was not behind the camera but acting into it, I had no idea how our shots would turn out. And I couldn't check each one after it was filmed, that would be unproductive. So I hoped for the best or something presentable. In theory, everything was thought out. Ashveen was wearing her white dress, I had the camera around my neck, Mitchell was steady with the phone. 

After I got home, I charged my dead phone and 2 hours later, I finally watched back the footage. Okay not bad, this shot is good, ooh nice lighting, wait, what happened here? My last "oh" moment. Well there were some problems to say the least but those will be unrevealed when I start editing. For now, this was my experience on the day of filming, Friday March 24th, 2023. 

Rehearsal

After multiple weeks of planning, preparation, and trial and error, I was finally ready to rehearse my opening scene with my cast members. I conducted a video call with the person helping me film, Mitchell Wagner, and the person acting with me, Ashveen Saini. 

We discussed our lines and did a run through of each scene. During the run-through, we changed the dialogue and added some improv so the characters could feel more natural to us. A main part of my opening scene was the growing tension between the two characters and to display that, Ashveen and I practiced using different movements and words. 

With me acting in the actual scenes, I could not film at my own discretion. So in the video call, I walked through the camera shots with Mitchell and explained the overall storyline. But he could interpret the scenes differently so we changed some of the formatting up. For example, new insert shots were added of me grabbing a phone or looking at the camera to create a variety of filming techniques. 

We practiced using the tripod, microphones, and photography camera so everyone could be comfortable with the materials on the day of filming.

Through this collaboration and rehearsal, I was exposed to new perspectives which would be vital in having the filming process run smoothly the next day. 

Progress 2

    The planning part of my film opening is almost finished. The mise-en-scene for the film has been collected. The two main characters are Maahi and Ziya which will be played by my friend and I. Their two outfits and aesthetics are described below, Maahi being the flowy, pure older sister while Ziya is the stricter and spiteful younger sister. I have asked to borrow a professional camera as the main prop and pictures taken on it will be edited into scenes as real time snapshots. This will create a unique POV shot in my film opening. 

As for production, since we are filming the scenes outside, maintaining the audio quality is very important just as the video quality. So we have ordered materials to aid in this process. For example, we have a wireless microphone will be crucial in recording close-up shots where dialogue is essential to understanding the scene. Also, we have acquired a tripod to make filming more stable and to film from higher angles. Lastly, to mask the sound of walking on grass, we will lay out a thin carpet over the grass or wear fabric under our shoes to make sure the only sound being heard is the characters speaking. 

For video, I will still be utilizing my iPhone 14 Pro Max as it has the highest camera quality available. To elevate it however, I will film some scenes in cinematic mode and give them a glowing effect by placing a piece of glass in front of the lens and rubbing Vaseline on it. With these measures taken in the planning process, I expect to start filming in no time. 

Progress 1

My film opening project has been moving slowly honestly. I created the script and idea in as short as a week. All the camera directions have been stated and the script is emoting feeling, which was easy to accomplish since my imagination took over. Yet the realistic details are more difficult to plan.

I have contacted my cast and people involved in the production since I am working solely on the project. Also, we have discussed the best time to film for all of us which will be in the middle of March, primarily spring break. I have learned more about editing software such as Davinci Resolve and how to maneuver the key aspects. However, the main challenge I am facing is with the location.

One of the regrets I have is not filming in India when I had gone for vacation during winter break. The picture-perfect location and yet I did not take advantage of it. The aesthetic of the entire scene could have been elevated by how green the fields are there and where the sun sets. But I cannot continue being regretful. So I will try and imitate the traditional mise-en-scene as close as possible. A possible location being considered is Tradewinds Parks and Stables in Coconut Creek. 

Sweding

The art of sweding, or remaking a part of a film. Before starting the project, I asked myself what I wanted to achieve or what was my purpose so I could better understand what film to choose. I wanted simplicity and something that could be executed easily. Not because it was less work but because it was inside my reach. Yet it could not be too simple to the point one watching it is bored. They may sill get bored, something I cannot control. But control was what I ought for this project. Therefore, I chose a film that I was knowledgeable about and a scene that had hidden complexity. Midsommar: Tripping in the Field.

Actual Scene

First, I analyzed the scene and broke down each moment where the camera cut to another angle, taking snapshots of how the scene looks before and after. Then I identified the materials and characters in the scene and wrote descriptions of them. Lastly, I created the script and shared it with my actors so they could memorize lines and change them to be more instinctual. All of these steps contributed towards the actual filming process being smooth and the recreation of the scene close to exact. 

excerpt from script

Challenges faced during the course of this project were entirely environmental. We filmed near noon when the sun was at it's highest point to create a consistent lighting source. We filmed at a park with hills to imitate the fields in Midsommar. However, outsides sounds hindered the ability to hear actors so the audio of my project was not extremely clear. These factors just had to be dealt with because we do not have access to the equipment say A24 has. 

But that is what makes a sweding project individual to itself and it has been a great learning experience for future film productions, especially in the drama/thriller genre. 

behind the scene

Media Companies

My assigned major media company was NBC universal and the minor, DreamWorks Animation, which is owned by NBC universal too. That is a common concept. When a large film studio owns many other smaller film studios. So there are only 5-6 companies that own about 90% of the media market shares. These were usually established many years ago and have a complex history. For example, Universal Films was created in 1912 and NBC in 1926, which actually is the first permanent radio network in the U.S. And then NBC Universal was born on May 12, 2004, when NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment merged. At this point both companies had acquired many smaller companies and would only grow larger.

In addition, even though the major media companies are similar in many ways, they are different in that they have specific genres, not drifted away from. For example, Disney specializes in creating characters while Universal focuses on action and blockbuster films. This way, the audience has expectations for a film when it gets released because of the company producing it.

Opening Script

Honestly the hardest part of writing my opening scene was submitting it. I have so many ideas in my head of which pivotal moment to choose from in my imagined movie that every time I would finish a line of dialogue, I would sit there and let it melt in. "Is this truly the best representation of what I have to offer". Writing was no problem, the words came running to me and my fingers were struggling to follow behind. But it was the content that even now, I don't feel fully confident in. How much do I want to give away or will my viewers even know what I'm talking about. Until, I realized that it isn't that deep. 

My opening scene actually takes place a day before the big climax in the movie so it's like a peek into the future. Tensions are definitely established in the scene but the scene will not be repeated again in the actual movie. So here's how I think of it to play out as:

Ziya is the younger sister and Maahi is the older. Maahi has secretly fallen in love with their tour guide while viewing South India on vacation. The guide is of way lower class than the sisters and this will be very important because an incident occurred with their dad's side of the family where the mom was significantly hurt from a similar situation. Surprise, history repeats itself but Ziya indirectly causes the tragedy at the end of the movie so the out lash we see in the start is a huge hint. I wish for it to kind of click in the viewer's head at that point and make them realize that they always knew a little of what was going to happen. There is is a flashforward then to the big climax where Ziya wakes up in the rain with no answers and just an empty feeling. The rain, they day, the feelings on her face all are going to be showcased because the resolution of my film is the loss of both Maahi and her love to the dehumanizing caste system of India. 

Of course, I'm not a professional scriptwriter, I feel more fitted towards keeping ideas in my brain but I will try my hardest to shoot the scene in a very aesthetic way. As the film revolves around Indian characters, I will act alongside someone of similar ethnicity. The location is a flower field which should be relatively easy to find when there is an abundance of nature and land in Florida. I think the coloring and costuming will be prominent in adding meaning to the opening scene. The sharp contrast between characters and switch in sunlight will reflect mood too. 

Caste Takes All