Casting Concerns

My casting had originally been perfect and everyone was able to show up to the first day of production. The only issue was spring break and with that comes conflicts. One of my cast members did not know before production began that he was going out of town and was leaving Wednesday morning. 

This would not normally be an issue except for the fact that one of my cast members works weekdays from 8:00-5:00 and there would not be enough time to film while there was still daylight. Another conflict was another cast member was leaving the Thursday we left for spring break and was only returning Wednesday evening the next week. 

This led me to have to adapt and work around the issues by writing in the character of Will quitting the band and including it in one of my trailers. While I do not think it is the best fit, I felt I had to include some context as to why he is not appearing in the rest of the trailer.

To work around this on the morning of Tuesday March 26th the person playing Will came to my house and we filmed him quitting the group. The next time production began which was Thursday I filmed around his quitting and added some reactions from the main character Jonathan. Even though it is a bit awkward due to the use of different equipment and the actors were not able to play off of each other as well, I think that I skillfully worked around the conflicts of the group and produced good context for his leaving. 

Production Process Part Two

Today, Thursday, March 28th, I began the second portion of my film promotion production process. This process, though it was longer in time, was much smoother than the first production process. I had a boom operator assisting me and I did not have to worry about the light kits. The only issue with that is that a couple of the shots I had to use were overexposed. We started a bit behind schedule, but we finished right when we planned to and the cast and I had a lot of fun throughout this process.

We filmed the scenes in three separate locations:

1. My House: a convening point for the group where Will quits the band

2. My Friend Martin's House: Martin makes an appearance in one of my trailers as a host of one of the venues in his backyard

3. Weston Town Center: another venue that Randy got for the group

Storyboarding and Script

Here are some bits of storyboarding and script that I used to dictate my shots and dialogue when I began the production process on Monday. Most of what is on here I feel I was able to translate well on camera. Obviously in any production process will come improvisation which I used for a couple of the shots. Some of the dialogue at the end I did not fully plan how I wanted the scene to go because I did not have a great vision of how I wanted it to go. With my actors being there and actually having the set be present helped me decide what I wanted to do with the shots surrounding that dialogue and I think I did a good job at translating my original ideas.
 

Production Process Part One

 On Monday I filmed the first sections of my trailers that take place in the main character's garage. The circumstances were not as perfect as I had originally hoped. It took a while to get organized, adapt to light set up, the sound levels, and for the cast to organize themselves. From that point the process went by pretty smoothly. Everyone was very easy to work with and the shots were ticked off quickly one after the other. 

Here are some images of the production process. In these photos you can see the actors in their positions for the beginning of the trailers and some of the equipment I use. The camera and parts of the light kit are all visible here along with the instruments that I used.

Distribution Plans

 For the distribution plan as I mentioned earlier I plan to do a wide release for this film and there are many reasons as to why.

1. Exposure: When something is a wide release it will reach many different people from different demographics at the same time. There is a specific target audience in mind with it being younger adults from the ages 18-30 because the story follows a group of older teens. The movie is also targeted toward comedy fans. Many films with those target audiences and are big group-centric have a wide release in theaters. This is because a theater creates an experience that makes the film in many cases more memorable than just watching it at home. 

2. Community: Though it may sound a bit corny, something funny is made even better when shared with other people. It is more fun to laugh at something when everyone is laughing with you and it creates an experience harder to forget. What if someone has a really funny laugh? Things like that are great takeaways from an experience like watching a comedy in theaters. 

3. Marketing: Theaters do plenty of marketing for their films just for their own profit. A recent example is the popcorn bucket for "Dune 2." This along with posters and cardboard stands are things that movie theaters already have to market themselves, profit, and would be a great help for the film's marketing. 

4. Revenue: When an anticipated film is released in theaters people will get the first opportunity they can to watch it and many will. People will reserve seats ahead of time and would fill up the theater if they are excited to watch something. This added revenue source would help more than the revenue produced from a streaming site. 

5. Award Eligibility: Although comedies rarely win bigger awards, in order to qualify for certain awards programs a film must be released in theaters widely. Many academy awards including "The Oscars" need a film to be released in theaters to win some of their biggest categories like "Best Picture." 

After some time, I would like to transition the film to streaming services so that people can go back and relive old memories or enjoy the film for the first time, keeping the film's relevance. 

This film would be released during the summer as many larger blockbuster and feel-good films do. This way people can enjoy this film at any time and not have to worry about working and responsibility. The film is about having a good time with friends and family and I think the summer is the perfect time to use and display that.  

Equipment and Troubles with Shooting

On Tuesday, March 5, I went over to BECON, a news station that allows students in Broward County, which is where I live, to get equipment to create my two trailers. The first thing I checked out was a camera as the only camera that I have access to on a regular basis is my cell phone. With the camera I also checked out a tripod to stabilize my shots and allow me to easily pan and tilt the camera in a more strict motion. For the lighting of the trailers, I rented a three-point lighting kit. These lights can be a base color and can change colors which is perfect for some aspects of my trailer. Finally, I checked out a boom mic to pick up conversations between the characters. After consultation with the person helping me check out all my equipment he taught me that a boom mic is the best option for picking up what many characters are saying and the sounds of the environment at the same time. The process was quick and easy. I got an explanation of how to use every piece of equipment and I even got a tour of the news station where I got to see all the intricacies that go into producing a news show. 

I had a couple issues with the filming process of the production. I went on that Tuesday with the hopes of getting my equipment and beginning production that weekend on Sunday. I had the location mapped out and everything was prepared, but the people who I was going to film my trailers at had let me know late that I would not be able to. I had tried scrambling for new places to film and tried to look at studios and places with instruments so that I could try and film there. None of the locations were ideal, but I was prepared to settle. Another issue is that I had a competition for drama that week and was in Tampa from very early morning Wednesday and only got back Saturday night so time for filming was limited further. The trip along with commitments to be in other portfolio projects put me in a hole that was hard to get out of, but I believe I will manage. I finally have a set date and location: Monday, March 18 from 5:30 to finish. This should all go smoothly and well.

Print Component Research

 For the print component of my portfolio project I must create a movie poster for the hypothetical film I am creating trailers for. The genre for my film is comedic so I decided to make it a wide release onto theaters meaning that there will be credits and a tagline on the poster itself.

For the research for this I looked at many movie posters for comedy movies that are widely released in theaters. A lot of them will display all the main characters either in a funny pose or specific formation relevant to the film on a simple background. Another common theme in these posters is their fonts. Apart from them being stylistic depending on the specific story of the film, many of the fonts will be larger and stick out. It could be through more vibrant colors or their size, but they stick to a simple design that is easy to read. I also noticed that many will have something specific drawing people's attention toward the poster. It came in the form of a prop or a specific tagline that stands out and embraces the comedic elements of the film and allows that to come across more easily. 

For my posters, I plan to create two. For the first, I wanted to include the whole band in it with their instruments with something going wrong. The drum set falling over, the bass being backwards, etc. just to have those comedic aspects be translated well. For the second I plan on having the main character Jonathan in the center with the rest of the group surrounding him being unserious. Whether it is making a funny face or just doing something silly and Jonathan being clearly frustrated with this. I think that my font will be kind of similar to the font of a classic rock band to have that stylistic approach that many comedic movies try to get. The background would be a simple single colored background just to make it clear the personalities of the characters worrying less about their backgrounds.

The tagline is: "One Band. Four Members. Zero Talent"

Group Meeting

For this group discussion, we went around each explaining what we were doing for our portfolio project. We went through each other's blogs and had each person individually explain their overall idea for their project. We had a basic rundown of the plot, an explanation of what we have already accomplished, and the struggles we have. It's a common theme in our group that most of us are struggling with time management and developing a set date for the filming of each of our projects because many of us have competitions taking us away from home in the upcoming weeks, and spring break is also approaching.

This was the case for my project as well. Last year, I mentioned this conflict because I am doing the same state competition as I was doing last year and will be out of town for four days that would otherwise be perfect opportunities to get filming on my project. I had originally planned to do it the week before I leave on Sunday, the 10th, Monday, the 11th, and Tuesday, the 12th, but because of schoolwork and rehearsal, it may become more difficult to film while there is still good light outside.

The solution that the group helped me come up with is to begin filming my portfolio project next week on Monday and finish up all the opening sequences or anything that would take place in the original setting. I was also helped by the group on where I should check out equipment for the project. I learned of this place called Beacon that allows students to check out equipment for different projects like this one.

The last little thing they explained was how I was going to make my movie poster. I did not originally know how to accomplish my first concept, but they explained how it would be possible, and I feel as though I advanced well into the project.

Dialogue

For the dialogue of the first trailer I would like to keep it simple with a couple soundbites with the main characters displaying who they are and what their importance is to the story.

Jonathan- (Stops their playing) No guys come on. We practiced this all week. You have to know it by now.

Chris- Bro, calm down. We got it down. We just um need more practice that's all.

Jonathan- I am calm! (Storms off)

(VO) Randy: Listen I came up with the perfect plan. We should start playing at venues.

Will- Oh wait that's a great plan. 

Chris- OK then we need to come up with a name before we ask Jonathan. 

Will- Why not Jonny and the rockets? Sorry I'm hungry.

Randy- That's not bad.

NEXT PART

(VO) Jonathan- I guess venues wouldn't be too bad of an idea. 

Chris- Let's do it!

Instead of developing this scene as much as I am in the first trailer, in the second I would like to not exactly rush through, but move past the beginning a little quicker and leave more time for the funnier scene. It would begin with them playing and in a voiceover:

Jonathan- We are the worst band that I think has ever existed. There's no way this band can be successful. (End of VO)

Will- Well Milli Vanilli won a Grammy, but then it was taken away.

Randy- Who the fuck is Milli Vanilli?

(VO) Randy- Trust me this is going to work out. We have the charisma and the passion, we just need the look too. 

Will- How's this? 

Chris- Nope

Jonathan- Absolutely not.

This is just the dialogue I plan to include in the opening sequences of the trailers. The rest of the script is still in development and there should be more teases releasing sooner rather than later.

Inspiration

 

I do not know where it originally came from, but I had remembered that I watched this movie a few years ago and thought that I wanted to do something like it. It fits a section of what I want to execute for my own film promotion videos.

The film "The Night Before" (2015) was written and directed by Jonathan Levine and follows three good friends that spend the night before Christmas searching for the best party they can find. It is similar in the way that the story would follow a group of close friends going from place to place trying to accomplish their goal. 

The trailer is also very inspirational for the project. It follows the conventions of a normal comedy movie trailer beginning with displaying the context of the film. Then it includes some of the funnier and more marketable and memorable moments in the film. An example of this is the large floor piano that is in the beginning of the trailer. 

I also chose to include the second trailer for the film as it includes much longer scenes that allow for jokes to begin and end. There is are set ups and punchlines that are timed very well and I think that it is a similar approach to what I want to do. The first trailer would be more of a marketing hook and the second would focus very heavily on some of the comedic aspects of the film.