AICE Media Studies Blog

 To begin, I just combined the individual videos into one. Since I already had knowledge from the previous year, this was simple. The challenging aspect was having to overlay the noises on top of the video. Considering that I had some past experience with this, I believed it would be very simple. But things did not go as easily as I had anticipated. The sound would either be too loud or too low, which caused me problems. The sound of "Honey, dinner's ready" had to be played over the footage, I knew, and that was what I did. I naively believed that I could just silence the background video. But when the background noise disappeared and only the mother's voice could be heard, it came out as overly staged. I then considered turning up the volume a tad, but not too much, to provide some background noise while keeping the crowd from hearing me instruct the young lady. It was difficult for me to perform this, therefore it never came out right; instead, it sounded odd. I ask...

 Finally, the filming phase was complete, and the truly enjoyable phase—editing—was about to begin. Since editing was one of my strengths, I wanted to sort of take the initiative. I nonetheless offered to divide part of the job with Mila. Mila also was eager to edit and we were both very good at it.  I believed that distributing at least part of the editing duties around the group was the proper course of action. In this manner, the end result would benefit from everyone's creative efforts and one person wouldn't have to accomplish everything. I needed assistance with a few of the final scenes, so we set to work right away. It was ideal since Mila already had the final two shots that included the young girl with the dolls. It wouldn't be a problem to try to send the videos over, which I have regrettably attempted previously. Since iMovie was the easiest for me to utilize, that's where I chose to edit. I could access it on my phone and laptop for free on my Apple devices...

 The scene that had been delayed the longest was about to be filmed, and I was both eager and nervous for how it would come out. I know from previous experience that it can be challenging to get children to accomplish what has to be done. I used to babysit little kids, and it was far from easy. They would cry and make messes everywhere. They also have a very short attention span. I am very glad I am not the one filming this scene because I am not good with kids.  Nevertheless, because Mila has known the young girl for a long time, I had some optimism that she would comply. During this filming, the group was unable to facetime, so we spent most of the time texting instead. I texted Mila in the group chat on how it had to be filmed. The plan was for the camera to gradually zoom out from the toy-filled floor. She needed to have the little girl then pretend she heard her mom calling out to her for dinner time. Before the mom calls out to her, the little girl needed to be...

 The time to refilm arrived rather fast the next day. I waited for Violet to arrive at my house so we could facetime Dara and Mila. Dara and Mila had decided not to physically come to my place which was okay. Everyone joined the call at around 12:15, and Violet and I started getting ready. Filming could start as soon as the clothes, hair, and makeup were done. To record the scenes, I made the decision to support my phone on a tripod. Everyone agreed that it would work because there were no other group members there. However, issues emerged instantaneously. It was difficult to keep my dog out of the shots once he leapt onto the bed. There truly was no other way, and if he was shut out, his barking would disrupt the whole thing. Apart from my dog, our group and I all agreed that the tripod took away from the scene's ominous vibe. Everyone felt that when a person's hand was holding the camera previously, it seemed much better. The tiniest camera movement to focus on a particular ...

 I was most concerned about the footage being deleted. That, regrettably, became my reality today. I had started editing the film and was feeling extremely productive and successful. But when I was in the middle of editing, my phone died. I quickly put it to charge, hoping nothing got lost. Then, once it started turning on, it randomly started updating. I tried to keep calm and hope for the best. Whenever I update my phone, my photos and videos sometimes don't save to my phone and disappear. It turned on and my worst nightmare became reality. I checked the editing app, to see if my progress had saved. A pop up displayed saying there was missing videos. I quickly open my photo and video gallery and my heart stopped. Half of the videos deleted. I contemplated what to text my group and told them the videos got deleted. Sadly, the scenes would need to be reshot because they were essential to the film. It was the moment when I was going to stab Violet while holding the knife in fro...

 The next day's filming continued smoothly and fast. Due to our experience the previous day, the group and I were already aware of exactly what needed to be done. Violet picked up Dara, Mila, and I this time to take us to my house after school was out. My group and I went to Starbucks before Violet drove us to my place. This was done so that the group and I could fuel up before the shoot with some great drinks and snacks. Our group made a brief halt before continuing on our journey to my home. Everyone immediately got to work doing what they needed to accomplish after arriving. Dara and Mila set up the filming spots. Violet and I dressed in the costumes we had worn the day before. Same as the day before, I helped Violet with doing her makeup. Everything finished quite fast—at least more swiftly than the day before—and the filming soon got underway. Again, there were no dog in the scenes' backgrounds since Dara and Mila alternated holding my dog. The first few shots passed by t...

 As I was sitting in my room doing my make-up for the film, I started rehearsing my lines. Violet and I were the two actors in the film, and we previously rehearsed our lines in school. Still, I wanted to be very prepared. I had about 15 lines, but they weren't hard lines to memorize. They were mostly short responses and actions. I rehearsed in the mirror and got into character. Both Violet and I had previous acting experience, we both did theatre and I go to acting classes. So, making a short film like this got me very excited. As I was getting ready, I got a notification on my phone. I had music playing in my room, so I didn't hear it. After a minute or two, I heard a knock at my front door, and I immediately knew my partners were here. It was finally time to film. I rushed down stairs and they showed all the props they had just bought from Target. We needed three props, which was a jump-rope, a slice of cake, and a comically large spoon. Unfortunately, they couldn't find...

 I couldn't wait to start filming today and see my group's and my ideas come to reality. After school that day, Violet, Dara, and Mila were supposed to come to my house. I had stayed at home that day, so I didn't need a ride to my house. Exactly this is what my group and I did. However, Violet, Dara, and Mila realized we needed to run to a store fast to pick up some missing props before heading straight to Addison's house after school. Target was near to the school and had everything we needed, so my group partners decided to head there. While they went on a mission to get the props, I decided to clean up my house a bit. I first started by moving all the things in my house that would stand out in the film. I mopped and swept the floors, cleaned my counters, and made everything look presentable. My house had a bunch of candles, so I lit them to give an eerie vibe in the film. The dim lighting, candles and antique pieces in my home gave it that perfect creepy aesthetic we...

My group and I decided to finally start filming and I am so excited! Unfortunately, my partner Mila, something came up to where she couldn't make it. She had to get a new teacher for her spanish class and had a scheduled time to call them the day we film. Nevertheless, it wasn't a major issue because my group and I were able to sort out the issue. In order for Mila to provide feedback and "be there" during the process, it was determined that we would facetime call while the rest of the group films. Dara would also be allowed to capture each scene while Violet and I acted. Even though it wasn't our initial idea, it made sense given the current situation. Violet then disclosed that she would also be unable to make it on Monday, therefore the entire scheme ultimately failed. The group agreed to start filming on the following day instead. The Cambridge Award night was on that night, therefore there would be a time rush. Dara, Violet, and Mila would all need to hustle ...