Pre-Production Finalizations

Portfolio Tasks & Their Impact

Each person in my film crew, including myself, is responsible for putting together a part of a proposal that consists of the film's pre-planned production in its entirety. Since my sections make up the baseline of the film, it is connected to my team's tasks as well, so I needed to pull in each of the ideas brainstormed by my group in developing the film's genre and plot, into one cohesive script.

Having done this, I learned the importance of chronological order and scene structure in films. The details have to not only connect to one another but influence the audience's takeaway of the film. Putting ourselves in the position of comedy lovers and any general audience helped my group and I draw the story out. Although a very short film, taking the time to individually break down each scene of the film gave us all the opportunity to add more to it. An example is the ironic appearance of the characters; a confident dork versus a confused, nonchalant character playing chess. This led to the question of whether audience expectations for the film should be met, delayed, or denied and we decided to deny them for comedic purposes.

A snippet of the scripting process. I was able to add scenes and audio suggestions that would amplify this sudden plot twist in a humorous way that my group loved, changing the approach I had when it came down to small details to a more "If it's there, there's a reason" mindset.

Camera Workshop

Receiving instructions on how to use a tripod moved my group and me from planning the story to solidifying our filming methods. Seeing how our shots can be taken with precise stillness and leveling with it, made the idea of working with a chessboard in the film inspiring. The game is known for being very quiet and strategic, so we figured that having the camera capture the characters dramatically playing chess while remaining completely still on the tripod brings together elements of the game and the comedy we want to create. It is all about keeping the vision connected to all aspects of production!