What Was Filming Like?

 As expected, filming was not the fun part, like I thought it would be. However, it was definitely less time consuming this time around than the first time I ever did a 2 minute film. To make this process more natural, I wouldn't always tell my actors when I was filming. For instance, when two of them were actively engaged in conversation, I would start filming. When I input the footage while editing, the dialogue appeared very natural to the audience. Another important thing I want to mention is the perfect use of my environment. As mentioned a couple times now, this film is a thriller/suspense. That being said, I wanted to incorporate dim lighting or something of the sort. Then, on my second day of filming, it randomly began to rain cats and dogs and the sky was very cloudy. This was perfect! 

I was definitely drenched when it randomly began to pour but I knew it was for the best. Instantly I started to think of ways I can use my surroundings to better this film. The rain and gloomy sky worked best for diegetic sound, setting the tone, and for lighting purposes. 

This is a scene from the two minute opening in which Daria just received the ominous text message and is on her way to visit Natasha. This is a POV (point of view) shot that allows the audience to engulf within the film. The slippery road and isolated raindrops really begins the suspense aspect. This scene is directly after the audience saw the car door slam, when it was still sunny.

This is the scene after the previous one, where Daria is stepping outside of the car. I had to really crouch down on the road (and somehow didn't wet myself more.) I really liked this scene because you can see the reflection within the puddle and the focus then shifts to Daria in the back.

Lastly, this is another shot within the same scene. For this part, I toned down the soundtrack, an example of non-diegetic sound, in order for the viewer to really hear the wet footsteps. This scene then turns into a tracking shot and I love it so much because it turns into a full, wide shot in which you can see the tall apartment building that Daria is heading towards. Not only does this small clip allow for diegetic sound, but I really liked the way the audience can see the water drops falling from her shoe after each step. Speaking of, I almost did not have any dialogue in my film. I planned to have the whole thing covered with a soundtrack from the app Splice but ultimately, I decided I would prefer at least some speaking in order to effectively make a script. When making my script, I made sure to include all the transitions I used as well as the setting.

Another thing I'd like to make a comment about is my title scene. The name of my film is "Eyes In The Shadows" because there is an unknown person that saw what Natasha and Daria did. Anyway, I made the text a brown color because when the film begins through a crossfade transition, the text fades into the brown tile. I really liked that small detail and I hope you appreciate it, as well.