Final Thoughts

Changes to the film

My final film changed in a few ways than I had originally pictured it would be. Firstly, I had completely different actors in mind. One of my friends had an emergency the day we were supposed to film, so my other friend had to fill in for her. The friend who was originally supposed to play Bella has blonde hair while the friend who actually plays Bella in the film has brunette hair. I had bought a jet black wig because it was a clear difference from my friend's blonde hair. The brunette and jet black hair did not show as big of a difference as I would have liked. I also did not originally intend to end my film opening on a humorous, suspenseful scene. I added a sound effect that made Bella opening the door funnier because her face was shocked with her jaw dropping. This, alongside the change from upbeat music to a suspenseful soundtrack added a more lighthearted tone because it indicated the person at the door ruined Bella's plan that she thought she had gotten away with.

Challenges I faced

I found it challenging that I was unable to act as the main character in my film. I feel like I am the only person who could portray my character exactly as I wanted to because I am the one who created her. My friend also was accidentally smiling in a few scenes we filmed, so I had to reshoot those scenes on a different day after I watched over the footage. I needed to shoot the scenes in the way I needed, so I chose to shoot instead. I had a difficult time setting the scene how I wanted. I cannot actually fly to a far location to film the second part of my film, so I had to pretend to be in Ibiza when I was actually in South Florida.

Happy Accidents

I accidentally created a nice transition between my music change at the beginning. After the lighting sound effect at the beginning, I shot a scene where the door closed. The door closing noise served as the transition from the outside lightning to my determined music in the next scene without an awkward transition from switching sounds right away. I also did not plan to create a POV shot of Bella in the Uber. My friend was not available to shoot that day, so I could not shoot a scene of her getting into the car. As a result, I had to shoot as Bella without showing her face. However, I like how the POV shot turned out, especially when the camera nods in approval, simulating Bella. Overall, filming was not as difficult as I thought it would be. I mostly did not have to reshoot due to any angle or lighting issues.

Individual Responsibility

Since I worked alone, I created the script, edited the film, and shot the scenes, with the exception of two that I had to act in. I had a fellow Media Studies classmate film the two scenes I was in, so she knew how to work the camera.

Learning Opportunities

I learned how to navigate iMovie better, which is the software on which I edited. I was not previously aware on how to add text to the app, how to crossfade music, and how to detach audio. I learned how to play around with my phone camera settings to get the most amount of natural lighting. My camera setting used to make my videos and photos brighter than they originally were, which did not look as good as shooting with natural light. I also learned how to create a suspenseful story. Since this was just a film opening, it needed to tell a story without giving away the actual plot. I had to create a film opening that ended in such a way where the viewers were on the edge of their seat wanting to watch the rest of the film. I do not think I have written any remotely creative story since elementary school, so I learned how to create a fictional story with a plot.