CCR script

 Script:

For my CCR, I wanted to make it somewhat entertaining, and not just dreadful to listen to. Because of that, in addition to this script, I will be adding many visuals, and voiceovers to keep the audience interested.

Editing!

 This is really the first time I have edited a visual piece of media ever. It was a little nerve-racking at first, but choosing to use i-movie really saved me. Although i-movie didn't have the most resources, it made editing my project fairly easy. I had no idea what to expect going into editing, so I searched up "easiest editing softwares for beginners", and on almost all of them, they had i-movie, so that was the one I choose. Each of the icons on i-movie were clearly labeled, and told you their exact purpose. I didn't expect Apple to have the best fonts for the credits, but I was pleasantly surprised to see what a wide variety they had. After many different font trials, I found the perfect one. These were my final 4 options.

I think that the "Posterboard" font at the end of the day just fit best for the credits. I was heavily considering "Handwriting- Dakota" for a while, but realized it just didn't work as well as the the one I went with. I have finished editing, and cannot wait to show my final project!

Final Day of Filming!

 Finally, the day has come! My final day of filming my. film opening. Connor came to my house around 6:00pm to film, and we started right away so the sun didn't set before we could film outside. Filming went exactly according to plan. I wanted my scenes with Connor to feel natural, so I gave him a general outline of what to say, but wanted to improv most of it. Here is that outline:

Overall I really couldn't have asked for someone better to film with than Connor. He did exactly what I told him to do, so filming with him was a pleasure. Here are some shots from filming:

Reshoots!

Since I am still waiting on Connor to film, I decided to get all of the reshoots I need out of the way. There were only a 2: fish shot, and the face close up. Im sure there will be more, but for now those were the only ones I needed to do.

Film Day 3

 Today I realized I was missing the closeups of Axl's guitar and him playing it. Filming this was extremely easy, and did not take me long at all. I learned how to play the song on guitar, so when I am editing, it should line up with the music. I think that this small detail will make it seem more realistic. 

Scheduling conflict!

 .I was planning on filming the scene with Axl and his bandmate today, but due to some personal issues, Connor was unable to make it today. This is not the end of the world, it just sets me back a little for time for editing. I will be filming with him next week. In the meantime, I will be finishing up the rest of the shots where Axl is alone. I also need to re-shoot the shot of my fish because you can see my phone in the glare. That's all for now, I will update soon.

Film day 2

For my second day of filming, I decided to do most of the shots of just Axl. This is just him jamming out on guitar in his room as we see the credits. For the shot shown in the first photo, I ran into one major obstacle; there was not enough room in between my bed and my wall to Place the camera. I ended up taking down one side of my blinds to place the tripod on the ledge of my window, and I think it worked out pretty well.

Film day 1

 First day of filming. I really want to give myself time when it comes to this filming process, so I am going slow and steady. Today I just knocked out some shots of Axl's room. I tried to get to as close to the storyboard as possible for these shots, and think I was pretty successful. 

Casting

 For my casting I wanted to use someone who knows how to act! Being in theater allows me to meet tons of actors. My friend Connor Lirio I think is ideal for the role of Axl's friend/bandmate. Connor not only is a great actor, but also an AMAZING musician, so I think he will have zero trouble playing this role. I don't even really have to pick out a costume for Connor! His style and vibe match what I want in his character perfectly, so I can literally have him just show up. Here are some photo's of Connor. 

Storyboard

 Storyboard:

Film opens up on someone plugging in guitar. As soon as the camera cuts to a hand playing guitar, the music starts playing. While the music is playing we see not only the credits, but this person's room and interests. When he gets up from playing we come to find out he has a mobility stick and is blind. A bandmate of his barges through the door to inform "Axl" that they are going to be late for a performance. Axl's bandmate tells him that this performance is their "big break". They hop in the car, and drive away.

No voice over!

 I have decided to stick to my original plan to not do a voice over. It is just unnecessary, and wouldn’t really do anything I do not already have to enhance my opening. I feel like the audience should get to know Axl just through his room alone, and not some sob story on how he is blind. All the audience should know while the credits are rolling is that Axl is just a regular teenage boy who loves music, and a voiceover would give away too much. I watched a Ted Talk with Andrew Stanton (pixar storyboard artist, director, and writer), and he said you should never give the audience everything right away, and let them solve it themselves. I think that doing a voiceover would eliminate the audiences ability to solve it themselves, and it would give it all away. 

Lighting

 For my film opening, the lighting techniques are pretty simple. The lights in my bedroom (where i’m filming) are pretty bright and should do the job, and act as a somewhat natural light. This will make the viewer feel like they are almost in the room with Axl. I think this will be the only use of lighting i’ll use throughout the opening, but i’ll update if anything changes.

Voiceover...maybe?

 My original plan for the beginning of the film opening was just to have the credits on screen as Axl was playing guitar. Although this does work, it doesn't really give Axl any character at all to even develop. This gave me the idea to maybe do a voiceover giving a portion of Axl's story. If I were to do this, I would need to pick softer music, given the one I have now would be very distracting from the voiceover. 

I think how I have it now is also very good. It is simple, but effective in giving Axl character. I do not know what I am going to do yet, but once I have a storyboard, I'll know if I'm doing one.

Costume

 For Axl's costume, I want him to be like a stereotypical teenager, who loves music. I have some pics for inspiration. 

I want Axl's to wear a band tee, some baggy pants, and some sneakers. Nothing too crazy, but enough to where you can tell that he is into music. I really want Axl's room to tell the audience what his interests are, so I want his costume to be minimal. As always, I'll keep you updated.

Props!

 For my film opening there really is only 1 main prop. The prop is Axl’s guitar. I have a wide selection of guitars in my house, so I had to decide which one he should play. Here are some of my options for his guitar:

After some consideration, I am going to use the red guitar. I think the red one will stand out the most on screen because of its vibrancy, and that is the main reason why I decided on it.