things to do before filming?

According to my calendar, this weekend will be the start of filming for this project. Wow. That’s crazy and extremely nerve racking. But, to get myself ready for that HUGE step, I figured I’d start small. What is everything I need to get done before this weekend?

- shot list

- props 

- mise-en-scene (costumes and lighting)

- determine actors

- determine setting

- fonts and title (although this isn’t necessary for before filming, I just need to get it done)

Today in class I tackled the very first thing on the list: my shot list. The shot list is, as the name suggests, a list of shots that I plan to film. It’s kinda similar to the story board, but it’s more detailed and is exactly what I want to include in each shot and how I want it to be composed. Here is what I concluded with:

Now that I have a detailed shot list, when I start filming I can simply check it off once I film the shot, which will be extremely helpful and also keeps me organized for production day. It will also be incredibly helpful for when I’m editing everything together as I will have the exact order that the shots should go in right there, making it easy to navigate and overall make the editing process that much easier. 

names, names, and more names

I’ve got a lot of things to name for this project: my production company, my character names, and my actual TITLE. Man it’s a lot to think about. I started with probably the easiest of the three: the name of my production company. This one was pretty easy, I just did it based off of my last name, Ratnayake, and the actual name of my blog. 

[rat]

I didn’t know what font I wanted to do, so I just went with a simple hand drawn approach and did a handwriting font (cause I literally hand wrote it). This is kinda similar to the Samuel Goldwyn studios logo and kinda how I want to have my logo as.

The next thing that I need to do for the production company logo is find a good music or sound effect to use while the animation plays. Zapsplat is what I used to find the sound effects that I wanted for my logo. I wanted to have a handwriting sound effect that then changes to a little ding once the cheese appears (it’ll make more sense when you see the final product). 

Six seconds done out of 2 minutes. That’s progress! 

Next on the list of things to name is the characters in my film. I have a main character, friends, and parents in my film, but I think for the purpose of this opening, since I’m only showing my main character and her friends (in the group chat), I’m only going to name them. 

Starting with the main character, I want to allude to greek mythology as that is the theme of my opening as shown through her project being about the myth of Daedalus and Icarus. I don’t, however, want it to be some random Greek name that no person would have in this time period. It can't be something like Aphrodite or Demeter or something crazy like that. It’s gotta be more modern. Also, the name has to have a good meaning that fits the character, especially for the main character.  So I started to research greek or roman related names that would fit the time period. I came across the name of Iris. Iris was the Greek goddess of the rainbow and was considered a messenger of the Gods. Rainbow fits in with the main character, cause you know, she’s gay, but Iris’ backstory also relates to the character herself and it’s not just simply materialistic. The name Iris comes from both the greek word iris, meaning rainbow, and eiris, meaning messenger. In ancient Greece, rainbows were a connection between the gods and the mortal world. She was Hera’s personal messenger, and would only be called upon when needed. This is just like how the main character is being used by her friends to complete the school project, so this name could fit really well. Iris is a silent messenger and is only noticed when she delivers the messages from the gods, just like how my main character is someone who remains in the shadows and by herself most of the time. Boom, one name down: Iris.

For the names of the friends, I first need to figure out how many there actually are. In many books and movies there is typically a group of three as the main trio. For instance Percy, Annabeth and Grover in the Percy Jackson book series and also Harry, Ron and Hermione in the Harry Potter franchise. Three seems like the perfect amount of people in a friend group. In Iris’ friend group however, she’s the odd one out, so I think having four people, including herself, be in the group creates a sense of isolation for Iris as she does not fit into the typical trio. Three other friends is perfect. 

I need three good character names for each of the friends, so I went back to greek and roman mythology to find some. During my research I came across Helen of Troy. In the Iliad and Odyssey, Helen is described as the reason the Trojan War all started, and despite not being completely the truth, she is hated amongst all of Greece. Her femininity and beauty are her main attributes and I feel like this fits well with the friend group. Another person I found was Circe, the daughter of Helios and a famous enchantress. She lured Odysseus and his sailors with her charm and spells to her island where she turned them into pigs with her potions and promises of greatness. Instead of having Circe be the name, since that’s a little too outlandish for this film, I was thinking the name Cecilia , as it has the same vibe and almost the same letters. Additionally, the last part of “Cilia”, sounds similar to the Scylla, who was another greek monster who attacked Odysseus on his journey. Finally, Medusa was a greek monster that could turn people into stone with her hair of snakes. She is killed by Perseus and is one of the main monsters he encounters. The name Medusa, however is very much not modern, so I was thinking instead of that her name could be Mira as it fits the vibe and starts and ends with the same letters. So we got Helen, Cecilia and Mira as the three friends. 

The only thing left is to name my actual film, but I think I’m gonna leave that for another day or whenever I get inspiration. We’ve made progress though!

REFERENCES!

            Dent, C. (2023, November 2). The Femme Fatale in Ancient Greek myth (7 examples). TheCollector.                                                               

                    https://www.thecollector.com/femme-fatale-ancient-greek-myth/

             IRIS - Greek goddess of the rainbow, messenger of the Gods. (n.d.).

                    https://www.theoi.com/Pontios/Iris.html

             Miate, L., & Nguyen, M. (2023). Iris. World History Encyclopedia. 

                    https://www.worldhistory.org/Iris/

             The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2024, February 29). Medusa | Myth & Story. Encyclopedia

                    Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Medusa-Greek-mythology

group meeting :0

In class today we had a group meeting!! It was pretty exciting. I honestly didn’t really know what to expect and I thought it wouldn’t be much help, but it was a big help. We each took turns discussing what our films are going to be about and what we’re having trouble with. I started us off (which was pretty scary) and told my group about my idea. They really liked my idea and liked how the title of the film was actually in the middle of the opening rather than just at the very beginning. 

One of my group members recommended that I actually hint at my main character being gay in the very beginning, but having it be very subtle and kind of in the background. I like this idea a lot, and another group member suggested that I do this via costume design, set design, and props. I need to research a bit more about typical clothing for this group of people, but I think this will really elevate my opening and hint at the upcoming conflict in the later parts of the film. 

The suggestion regarding props inspired me to think about how I want the main character’s room to actually look, which goes hand in hand with set design as well. I’m gonna be using my room as the major set for this, so I just need to figure out how I want to arrange my room and what kind of things I want to be shown and be seen by the camera. I don’t want to make the gayness too obvious, especially since she isn’t even out yet. Instead I want to make it almost like she’s trying to hide it from herself, and not just everyone else in her life. I think maybe I could have the character wear a rainbow bracelet while at home and then her taking it off before she leaves to go to the store, because she doesn’t want anyone to know. She could even put the bracelet into a hidden spot in her room or something. —->

I also shared my storyboard that I completed a couple classes ago and discussed how I want to film my shots. We discussed how my story board is very much a rough draft and doesn’t really include everything I want to have in my opening, especially in the very first montage scene. They suggested that I create a more fleshed out storyboard and shot list that would describe almost every shot I want to include. This is definitely something I’m want to get done within this week and next to stay on schedule. 

the woes of writing

Today in class we learned about the process of writing a screen play, which literally aligned perfectly with my schedule as today I’m supposed to write my script. Perfect timing! There are four parts of the process of writing a screenplay. The first thing to do is brainstorm, which I already did. Done. Then is to outline  the entire story and major plot points I would want to include in the film. Did that too! Then is to actually write the screenplay, which is what this blog post is about. The final step is to get feedback and make revisions to better the writing. 

[my notes from today’s class]

Anyways, after the lesson finished, I started to think about my own screenplay. I didn’t really know where to start so I started to research other screenplays from coming-of-age movies. I looked at the first 10 pages of the screenplay for Lady Bird, a coming of age film about the relationship between a mother and daughter. The article linked above not only included the actual screenplay, but also discussed why certain choices were used and how the screenplay developed tone and characters. The screenplay demonstrates how the film wants to develop the relationship between the two characters, which is something I want to portray in my film opening. The descriptions of the character’s actions demonstrate the tone of their characters and how they feel about other characters. The screenplay also describes how the character feels through their specific actions.

This screenplay example was really helpful and allowed me to start my own. I actually finished the entire screenplay in one sitting in class today, which is insane because normally I’m a pretty terrible writer. Doing the storyboard first, I think, was really helpful as it allowed me to visualize what I wanted to portray and then writing the screenplay further cemented how exactly I want to showcase my character’s thoughts and feelings. Here’s a screenshot of my script:

changing it up a little (ok maybe a lot)

Last class we meet with our teacher to discuss everything we’ve worked on so far, and she told me something that has stumped me since Thrusday. Animation is difficult. Ok I knew this already, but once she told me I realized something, I would never be able to complete an animation sequence in the time given, especially with all my other classes and after school activities. I’ve spent the past two days thinking of alternative ideas and I FINALLY came up with an idea that could work. Instead of animation, I could do a short montage of the main character working on a project about the myth. Ok, it sounds kinds dumb, but hear me out. 

The film would start with a montage of the main character working on a school project that’s about a greek myth and we can see them drawing things out and writing. While they are writing with a sharpie it all of a sudden runs out of ink and then they get a text message from their friend’s asking if the project is done yet. This introduces the friends and shows how they have made the main character do the entire project by herself, even though they are supposed to be in a group. The main character replies and puts her phone face down. Since the pens out of ink, she heads to the store to buy a new pack. While at the store, she get distracted by the toy isle. This is where we’re introduced to the fact that as a child she wasn’t allowed to look at the toys through a flashback. After the flashback, we are brought back to the present where we see the main character go into the toy isle and look at everything there. An action figure catches her eye and she grabs it and leaves the store. Then we see her back at home, about to open the things she got from the store, and the opening ends with her looking at the action figure she just bought. 

Ok, now that I’ve got the idea for my opening, I started to storyboard exactly what I want to film. Here it is:

Wow. I basically just changed the entirety of the first scene, but I think this works a lot better than an animation sequence would and I have my teacher to thank for that. I also think that a voiceover wouldn’t work very well with this scene anymore, so instead I’m just going to stick to music. The past two days have been a doozy, but I left the week with a finished storyboard and fleshed out opening idea. Now to just write the script and have a more detailed list of everything to include in the opening. Oh and to figure out the name of my film. Damn. 

action figure symbolism and opening idea?

Ok so during my brainstorming of the plot that I talked about during my last blog post, I started to come up with the idea of having an action figure be a symbol of moving on and growing up, which is something that follows the conventions of a coming of age genre, which I researched before. Many coming of age films have symbols of growth that are used throughout the film, so I want to incorporate that into my piece as well.  

I want the main character to be extremely attached to an action figure, bringing it with her everywhere she goes, almost as emotional support. I want the action figure to act as a symbol of her realization throughout the film. In the beginning, she will keep the action figure with her, but her friends will think she's weird for it. Her obsession with comics and action figures is also detested by her parents, who think that this hobby is only for boys. Then after the coming out scene, she will throw away her action figure, as an act of aggression and her being mad at herself. However, someone finds it and brings it to her, knowing that it's hers (This person is the person who will introduce her to the queer friends btw). This act demonstrates that it's not herself she needs to fix but rather the people she surrounds herself with. She needs to find people who will accept her for who she is, and she does through this friend group. The person who found the action figure will also be a huge fan of the comic series just like her, again adding to her fitting in with these people. 

This idea of the action figure is actually what inspired me for an idea for my opening. After the animation sequence (which I still don’t know if ‘ a practical idea) I want to show the main character buying the action figure that will follow her throughout the film. I also want to showcase the parent’s disapproval, which I can do through flashbacks to her not being able to get the action figure she wanted when she was a little kid. Then it would go back to the present where she is actually buying the figurine that she’s always wanted. I kinda want to include the part about her friends not approving of her hobbies, which I could do through maybe them wanting to meet up and she tells them why she’s late and they call her weird and childish. I don’t know yet if I want to add that, but I think it might add more background that would further develop as the film went on. That way, my film opening would serve perfectly as a way to establish background, which is one of the approaches to an opening that we learned about before (this is all so exciting!!). 

The action figure represents the main characters inability to grow up as well, especially as they weren’t able to live the childhood they wanted to. I think at the end of the movie, the main character would have a realization that they don’t need the action figure as their emotional support as she now has a supportive friend group, which will be symbolized by her leaving the figurine on her desk and leaving for school without it instead of bringing it with her as she always did before. This would incorporate the main part of a coming of age film, growing up and changing as a person for the better. 

I actually came up with the idea of an action figure from personal experience. Check out my very own emotional support black panther, he’s awesome and I love him:

[here is an amazing edit of the one and only black panther]

(It’s funny because I actually had two black panthers cause I lost the first one but my coach bought me a new one, so he’s actually two of a kind!!)

I did not expect to come out of this week with an already fleshed out story idea, but guess I’m ahead of schedule. It all just came to me at once, it was very overwhelming, but I’m glad I got it all written out (check out my previous post to see the word vomit I produced onto paper last class). Alright, now that I’ve got my basic idea for my film opening, it’s time to start storyboarding and writing out my script!

[actual picture of me word vomiting all over the place]

breakthrough!!

So I've been struggling in figuring out what the actual plot of my film was going to be, which I have to figure out before I can even think about what my opening would consist of. I started by researching various myths that I could use as my opening animated sequence as I mentioned in my previous post. The two that caught my eye were the Three Sisters of Fate and their string of fate and the myth of Daedalus and Icarus. 

The Three Sisters of Fate, as the Ancient Greeks believed, were beings who weaved the fate of gods and mortals alike. The sisters, Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos, each had their own specialty. Clotho spun the thread of life, creating life itself and the birth of a person. Lachesis determines the fate of ones life, choosing who they would become and what they would achieve. Atropos, the third sister, was the cutter of the string, ending a persons life and determining when they would die. This myth includes the main parts that I want to include in my film, which are fate and changes. I also really like this idea because the animation would be really interesting because I could incorporate the string aspect and kinda tie everything together (get it, cause strings haha). My character could have a struggle in not knowing who they are, which could be represented by the strings being all jumbled up, which could look cool. This is definitely one of my top choices for the animated sequence. 

The other myth that I researched was that of Daedalus and Icarus. Daedalus, renowned architect, was good friends with King Minos, however after a falling out, the king banished him and his son Icarus to the deadly Labyrinth that housed the Minotaur. He and his son were left to die on top a tower, however, Daedalus, being the inventive man he was, began to devise a plan for him and his son to escape. The only way out was through the sky, so Daedalus created gigantic wings that would allow him and his son to take flight and escape the Labyrinth, defying the laws of nature. Icarus, however, being young and adventurous, got carried away in the thrill of flying and dove close to the sea and up high near the sun. Daedalus tried to stop his son and make him understand that he must stay level in-between the sea and the sun, but Icarus didn't listen. He flew too close to the sun, and his wax wings began to melt, and as he fell into the sea, Daedalus wept the death of his beloved son. 

After researching this myth, I got really inspired and started to think about how my film can kind of embody this story, without being a direct copy but rather a story that has aspects of this myth in it (sorry if that didn't make much sense, I don't really know what I'm doing). Anyways, I started with a basic overview of what I wanted to include in my story and wrote it all down on a paper. Then I kind of word vomited all over the page as ideas came flying into my head (haha flying like Icarus. Hopefully I don't get burned :0).  

Since you most definitely cannot read my handwriting, and honestly I'm struggling reading it myself, I'll explain it as best as I can. The basis of my plot is that a girl is struggling to come out to her friends and family. She doesn't really talk to that many people, and the people she does talk to aren't the greatest friends. The rising action of my film would be her coming out to her family and them not talking it well, forcing her to have to run away. She would then meet someone who is just like her and they would hit it off, introducing her to their friend group who are also queer. She gets more comfortable with them and realizes that it's the family you choose not the family you're born into that matters. 

REFERENCES

dev, S. U.-. (n.d.). 30 of the most famous tales from Greek mythology. 30 of the Most Famous Tales from Greek Mythology. https://greektraveltellers.com/blog/30-of-the-most-famous-tales-from-greek-mythology

(2020b, November 25). The myth of daedalus and icarus. Greek Myths & Greek Mythology. https://www.greekmyths-greekmythology.com/myth-of-daedalus-and-icarus/