Talking about the technology or technical elements used might seem a little boring or hard, but it's not at all. It is amazing to see how each decision you make here can tremendously change your viewer's thoughts while watching a film. Different lighting, sounds, angles, camera/character/nature movement, colors, shots, or filters added when editing can completely change the feelings being conveyed and wanted to be created in the audience. It is important to plan out every single mise-en-scene element before actually using them so that one has a clear idea.
Although I am pretty sure I am going to fix or change a lot of the techniques used, the decisions or brainstorming created right now will help me make better decisions later on and it will save me time. The first thing that my mind decided to do was to tell my body to just start searching for all the elements I already have and then see what I would be missing. I finally found my camera (which had good memories) and then I looked at the quality and I was lowkey amazed. I am glad I found the micro SD too because I spent around an hour searching for it and there weren't any others that would fit with the Canon. It wasn't all a waste of time though. While I was searching for my Camera and memory SD, I found this LED Light Bar that my mom was thinking of taking to Ecuador and giving to some friends but somehow she forgot, which is better for me. This light is perfect for my dark shots of the bad flashbacks that the main character is having. I was thinking of using a fill light for a lot of the moments where the main character is bullied when he was a kid. So, all the bullies would be in a circle around him and he would maybe be snuggled down or be stood up and as everyone is insulting him and hitting him, he goes down. I would like to add some short shots of his ears being covered by him to imply how annoying everyone screaming is for him. This scene would be filmed from a high angle to imply how weak he is at that moment. You can see pictures of everything I found and most probably will be using them all around the post.
For the running scene, I started researching ways to make a shot look steady while someone was running, or make it look good. So what I found is that it is way better if I shoot it with a tripod (that I am sure I have somewhere in my house) while the character is running in circles around it. What you have to do so that it doesn't look like he is running just in circles is to film it the same way but in different locations that have similar characteristics. Here, the camera would be following the character running while the background is just passing by to increase the motion being created. I want to take some shots like this too but instead of being a medium shot, from the waist until it passes his head, it would be a shot of his legs running to show a clear view of the motion. What also came to my mind to search was the scene of the actor in the Rocky (1976) film training on YouTube. I got some inspirational ideas of shots and techniques that I could use, such as filming the character from the front while he is running towards the camera and maybe we could film from the car while my character is moving to have a steady shot too. That would all depend on the location because I am still arguing with myself if it is going to be on a street, a park, or a forest type of thing.
I was thinking of adding some close-ups of his eyes or tight-close-ups while he is running and then quickly switching to the flashbacks to convey the idea that his concentration is being locked away from what he is actually doing and now he is visualizing those sad moments in his mind. To control more the lighting here, I was thinking of filming early in the morning or late in the afternoon as the sun is rising or falling so the lighting would come from the sides but also from everywhere so that shots are clearer. This would also help me convey the idea that the world is ending just as the sun is hiding and the light is shutting down. It would add some kind of hurrying in the character to create tension in the audience as the character needs to hurry up with his plan before it is too late.
What I am the most worried about in the scene running scene and the one where he gets to the house drinks water and grabs a (fake) gun/knife, is the atmosphere used in it. It is super important to create a good atmosphere because that is what is going to make my film look the most dystopian possible, and the scarcity of water. I would still like to show how everything is destroyed outside while using some filters or visual effects that won't look fake. I also need to implement a good atmosphere to control how my viewers feel while watching the film. I want to highlight an angry, heartbroken, revengeful tone throughout the whole movie.
For this, I started watching this YouTube video where they explained cinematography camera facts that I believe will help me out with this. I got a great idea from this video and was using home incense, which can be found anywhere. This would help me create a shady background or I could even add it to the running scene where he contemplates a burned flower or plant because of the scarcity of water and fire going on all around the world. This would also be filmed from a POV shot of the flower showing mostly the sad and mad face of the character. This made me realize that if I am doing the scene in a forest I have to make sure that it looks dry and there are not many green or colorful things around. It would be better if it's an open area in a park. I could imply that the place is just outside the house by changing shots as he runs and while there are some running cuts I include the scenes in the park when editing.
Lastly, what I noticed throughout the blog is that these scenes need a beginning, and because I had to erase the scene where the main character is moving annoyed in his bed because it was going to be too long, I decided to start with some close up shots of some time of alarm that doesn't require battery but can wake up the main character to do this daily tasks. I got inspired by this by remembering the shots used in the film I Am a Legend ( FULL MOVIE ). This film includes dystopian characteristics like when the main character adds oil outside to prevent everyone from coming in. I wouldn't use this strategy because my story wouldn't fit with this idea as my character is short of resources and wouldn't waste oil in burning something as the places being burned are the main reason the world is ending here. Yet I would add the sound of the watch where it is beeping to wake up my character in contrast to the film where it is informing the guy when is the time to hide.
I know I said "lastly" but something important that the film made me remember is to talk about the sound. I had plenty of ideas of what to use for sound. First, I would add the beeping of the clock to wake him up meanwhile as he is leaving and then a close-up of the opening from the door handle is shown with a synchronized sound. While running the steps have to also be added, and I would like to create this sound by just hitting some shoes to the ground with my hands to imitate the sound. Something I feel is mainly important to add is shots without any sound at all to convey the idea that although the character has a clear idea of what his purpose is, he gets lost in the real world sometimes and everything just goes silent as he loses his focused gaze. Finally, what I am going to try at the end when editing is to see how the combination of the running scene with a voice-over is going to look as he explains his whole plan and how he feels about everything happening. I am going to explain more about it in the next post and I cannot wait more for the production week to see how the results are going to look. I need to have everything planned out and I feel like I still need more details clear in my mind. I will figure it out, I just need to trust the process. I hope to see you next post!!
Resources!!!
How To Shoot Cinematic Running Scene With a Tripod:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5qHqKTsT-s
Top 10 Motivational Movies:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcIsUfUew2c
EASY Cinematography Camera Hacks No One Knows About !!!:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KIhBa6iAr8
Rocky (8/10) Movie CLIP - Training Montage (1976) HD:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YYmfM2TfUA
I am a Legend ( FULL MOVIE )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4yq-ezorBI
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