Switch up

There are two key components we will be switching

1. The addition of another filming day

2. A change in our concept for summer

ADDITIONAL FILM DAY

As I mentioned in my last blog, due to some factors from our actors (got off of work, traffic, at home issues, etc), the time of arrival to film was a bit later than expected. This caused us to film until nighttime. Since we’re all still under 18, we do still have curfews, especially when we’re half an hour away from home at night in a public area. We only got the group work done, which meant we have to do the romantic scenes another day. Unfortunately, Howie works a lot so the new day couldn’t be as soon as we wanted. We wanted to film the last two scenes needed on Monday April 1st, but his only availability is Wednesday, April 3rd. Although it isn’t I feel like 2 days makes a huge difference in all the processes we have to carry out. I am nervous it will put a hindrance to our time doing everything else (social media editing, etc.). 

Game Plan

Arrive around 6/6:30 to have more time to set up and film the restaurant + dancing scene

Film until 7:30/8:30

CHANGE IN SUMMER CONCEPT

This is probably one of my biggest issues that is making me frustrated. Our summer scene was supposed to progress from daytime to sunset. Because we arrived later, we couldn’t match the script and the filming went into nighttime. Now, the restaurant scene can remain the same but the dancing in the sunset scene will be a bit difficult to film in the dark beach at night. I’m very lost on what decision to make and find myself conflicted in changing that whole portion of the script. 😩

The upcoming class, Mariana and I will talk to our teacher Mrs. Stoklosa, to help us resolve the situation. Fingers crossed!!

Film Day 2

 Oh. My. Goodness.

Today was rough.

Day two of filming did not go as smooth as the first one….

Once again, Mariana and I began our day gaming to get a positive kickstart to our day. It wasn’t until a few moments after where our moods completely shifted. My guy friends who were supposed to play the boys in the film got grounded. One for bad grades, the other for crashing his car. So we needed to find two replacements, and we needed to find them fast. Mariana and I spent about 3 hours trying to find new guys, which wasn’t easy to do. Convincing 2 teenage boys to shoot scenes for a short film at the beach during spring break isn’t quite the hit, it was hard enough to convince my boyfriend. After this very tedious recruitment process, our friends Matthias and Hayden agreed to come. 

The girls, on the other hand thank god did not have any issues and were ready for action. 

(This was supposed to be a “fake picture” for the girls scene)

ONCE AGAIN I was the designated driver. I had to pick up all the girls which I’m not complaining about but it did take up quite some time. Our plan was to arrive around 5/5:30, however, many of the actors had situational factors which made us arrive at 6. This affected the film as it was supposed to take place during the day so the scenes shared between Howie and Nati would occur during the sunset. This didn’t happen, and the scenes dragged all the way into the night. 

The process of filming itself was quite fun. Me and my girl best friends were laughing taking pictures, my boyfriend and I making eye contact, and a the group of friends played volleyball. We even made some friends going in to play volleyball who said they’d love to play with us and be in the film. Although it drew away from the evenness of 3 girls and 3 guys, it all just felt natural and fun so of course we included them. One of them additional players even said he was the president for film club at Western High School, a nearby school to ours. As night was approaching towards the end of our match, the actors started getting a bit annoyed at the longevity the filming process was taking. This was shown in their attitudes and acting. Therefore, Mariana and I started to rush a bit more towards the end and decided it would be best to film the films between Howie and Nati at the beach another day. We really did not want to add an additional day but for orginizational production reasons, and the fact that I had to take everyone home, we agreed it would be the smartest decision to make. We’re a bit nervous about the change of a couple elements but that is something that will be discussed later.

Film day 1

THE DAY HAS COME

Day #1 of filming

Mariana and I started our day productively at the fun to get our endorphins and self esteem ready to shoot our film. Sadly, I was the only one able to drive everywhere so here are all the stops we made and what happened throughout our day of filming.

Stop #1

Despite the fact that it was out of our way, Mariana and I went to pick up one of our actors. Mateo is one of our actors playing Gavin, Nati’s boyfriend. We quickly picked him up before heading to our next destination. 

Stop #2

Beacon TV

Regarding the equipment, we mentioned in previous postings that we were renting all of our necessary equipment from beacon tv. Our friend Mateo, playing Gavin, already had equipment that we wanted and was willing to allow us to use it. To make sure this was ok, as well as getting additional equipment that we lacked, we visited Bevin Tv in Davie Fl. Here, Mr. Jim proposed a better idea to us. Since Mateo had to take his gear back at a certain time in which we wouldn’t be finished with them, and we still needed more, he asked if we could use our other friend Gabriella’s equipment. Gabi rented out all the equipment we needed for the day after the one we visited. Sooo Jim told us to use her equipment and drop it off when she needed it back. This process cut a little bit into our film time but nothing drastic.

Stop 3

FILM LOCATION

Our film location changeddd. Originally, we were supposed to film this portion of the film at Weston town center, however, we realized many people from our school (including our past selves), have filmed at this location. So we decided to switch it up a bit. We decided to go to Davies Tower Shops instead! We absolutely loved the changed. The lighting and scenery was beautiful and there was even a part covered in flowers, which was perfect for our hidden sequence.  

We even got permission from Crumbl Cookies to shoot a shot of one of our protagonists walking out with one of their cookie boxes. This was initially going to be Panna, but we like this way more. Besides the location, the filming itself went very smooth with no complications or disruptions. SO HAPPY 🥳

Stop 4

Our final destination was Marianas house to film the awkward I love you scene. It was in fact awkward. Mateo and I had just met so acting like he loved me, as well as arguing over love was a bit hard. Butt he was a great actor and with a couple of tries we made it work. Again, everything went very smooth and it was a fun process. The light kit played a major role in this part that made the lighting beautiful. The two were to be watching a movie so we used a tv lighting scheme that flashed, along with blue lighting. I LOVED how this looked on camera and I cannot wait to share it with our audience. 

Overall, it was a very successful day of filming :)

True Chemistry

 I have a secret..

Nati and Howie are couples in real life 😱

SURPRISE

Howie is my boyfriend in real life!! I'm so excited to share this unique experience with him. He's always known how much I love this class/film as whole and has watched all of my projects, but has never been part of the process of the entirety of a films production.Our story of meeting each other, as well as the attributes of the characters relate directly to us. When I informed him on the idea he was more excited than I'd ever thought. Mariana and I wanted the acting to be natural so the short films outcome would be better. That's why we were chosen. 

BACKGROUND

Howie and I have been together for 9 months now and within those 9 months we've grown to learn so much about one another. (like the characters do in that day.) When we first met, we were automatically drawn to one another. Similar to the film, we were in a public setting with different groups of friends. We noticed each other and he was sure to quickly get my attention. From there, our interest for each other grew in a rapid manner. The only thing we cannot really relate to is the conflict that takes place within the short film. Thank god. Overall, the characters of the film act as a resemblance of us as individuals, along with our bond. I can't wait to see us on camera!

Being casted as the main characters also had a significant influence on the persona of the characters. All of the mood boarding, miss-en-scene, props, and other important elements had to be considered. As I previously mentioned, one of our biggest principles for this short film is for it to look NATURAL. There's nothing worse than a visually awkward or uncomfortable actor/actress. That's why the characters costuming, personality, and more, will be close to them naturally out of the film.

PRACTICE

An activity me and my significant other enjoy a lot is going for long walks with one another. It's a way to clear our minds or refocus our minds on something else. Also like the movie, we're graduating very soon, him sooner than me. This makes us have lots of conversations about our future, like the one included within the script. On todays walk, March 24, 2024, Howie and I spoke about our futures once again. This long conversation reflecting on what we want to do in the future AUTOMATICALLY made me think about the similar section within short film. I asked him if we could practice the script while we walked and he said "OF COURSE". This was such an enjoyable effective method of practicing the script. Sadly, Howie works a lot, almost everyday, thus meaning the time we get to practice the script with each other is very limited. This was an extremely fun way to practice with one another and better our acting of the characters. Of course he was a tad bit sad after reading that I had another boyfriend in the script, but besides that, we had such an amazing time really bringing the characters to life. I can’t wait to see all of the other connections of the characters. Maybe a table read or more walking practices will allow us to better our acting skills. ;)

Planned Film Schedules

 

Soo regarding our filming schedule, we've decided to break down our short films production/filming process into two days. Due to the fact that we have so many different cast members and one of our main characters work a lot, two days of pure film that everyone could agree on was the best option. Furthermore, since it's a short film, Mariana and I believe we're advanced enough to dedicate these days to exceptional filming. You may wonder how we broke the days apart and who will be present each day.

To answer that question, decided to break down the filming days by particular sections/scenes of the movie. 

MONDAY

Monday is going to be like a "training" prep day for the two main characters, Howie and Nati (me). We decided to do the scene that Howie see's Nati with her new boyfriend, as well as the awkward "I love you" scene that takes place when Nati and Gavin are watching a movie together. In these two scenes, there's not that much, but a good amount of dialogue, in comparison to the rest of the film. There also isn't that much going on in these parts physically. We thought this would be a good day to get a feel of the equipment and film the more "chill" scenes. It also helps the dynamic of the top 3 characters all together. 

This portion of filming will not take that long I'd say about two hours maximum. :)

On Monday, we'll also be focusing on our social media platform on instagram, getting some photo and video content of the main characters!

I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!

                                                                                    

                                                                                       

THURSDAY

Thursday or the second day of filming on the other hand, will be much longer and tedious. This is the day that we'll be filming the entirety of the beach sequence (beginning with group and end with only the two main characters), eating scene, and the party in the last season. Our plan is to get everyone to the beach about two hours before the sun sets (so we have time before the sunset dancing scene). It's also nicer at this time (5:30) because the sun isn't unbearably hot or bright. Our only concern is if the weather gets bad. Recently the weather has not been following the predictions given on the weather apps I have, have been very inaccurate. A rainy day would completely ruin the films tone, which is crucial for these scenes. It also throws off hatching all the actors on the particular do so we're going to hope for the best! Wish us luck! 

More about how this day will go, I've created a mini itinerary as an estimate of time

• 5 SHARP everyone arrives

• 5:30 volleyball + group scenes

• 6:15/6:30 food scene

• 7:15/7:30 sunset dance + conflict scene

• TBD time- Get to Marianas for house party

• This scene should take about 30 minutes

• Times may vary depending on fluidity, traffic, and of course, punctuality of our actors. We're hoping to finish by latest 10 p.m..

Equipment Time

 Mari and I have a good amount of basic film equipment. Tripods and a camera more specifically. For this specific film, we believe a light kit, boom pole, mic, Sony 7 camera, would be necessary. Sine we clearly do not have these pieces of equipment, we decided to contact a local news station to borrow. 

So, we dm’d shortcutstvshow, a south Floridian based program where high school produced films are aired on Becon Tv. 

After asking to borrow the specific equipment, they said most are available, with the only possible unavailability being the camera. The camera is a crucial component in this film, that is why although we have a functional one, we decided a higher tech/better quality camera should be used for this particular film. This is due to what we previously mentioned on past blogs, that aesthetic shots and visuals are significant in romantic films. This goes hand in hand with the lighting and all of the other equipments listed. We are set two film on Monday, March 25 and Thursday, March 28. We will be picking up the equipment on Monday, our first day of filming early in the morning in order to test everything and get everything running. We’ll keep an update on this portion of the pre-production process :)

Where’s Waldo :(

 My Waldo is gone :(, aka my partner Mariana Sanin. She is off to STN a film field trip for the television program in our school. Our school time apart makes me miss her and our effective brainstorms, however, I believe it’s good that we get some time to individually work on “Summer Lovin”, to generate more ideas to debrief upon when she comes back.

Right now, we’re both focusing on the shot list we’ve started. I’m not as good at envisioning shots as well as Mariana, due to the fact that she’s more film and editing oriented, while I like doing more of the behind the scenes work. 

Here’s our shot list so far:

SHOT LIST

1. Establishing shot at the beach 

2. Med shot of the girls phone taking a selfie in the water 

3. Med shot back to girls and them laughing at the photos and saying for them to get out 

4. Close up shot of protagonist looking at the group of guys that are there

5. Eye match shot of the guys

6. Med shot of the girls walking to shore laughing walking towards them 

7. Med shot of the girl looking, then her friend runs past her once the guys are closer

8. A long shot of the girl asking the guys to take a photo of them 

9. Close up shot of the protagonist still looking at them 

10. Long shot of the girl calling them over

11.  Med shot of all the girls walking over 

12. Long shot of the girls starting to pose and getting in line 

13. Close up shot of the guy’s face about to take the photo

14. Over the shoulder shot of him taking the photo 

15. Med shot of all the girls posing and Nati looking at Howie 

16. Shot of Howie looking back 

17. 180 rule Med shot of girl taking the photo and thanking the guy and asking if they want to play volleyball

18. 180 rule med shot of the guy saying "Yea sure we can play

19. Med shot of back to the girls making a wtf face

    
    

    Although I could finish this right now, I decided to do something more enjoyable today since 

    I don’t have my partner in crime to help.

    Since we already have most of the casting, I decided to do the story boarding and mise-en-scene

    for the main characters, as well as the two others that are shown for quiet sometime in the film.

    
    
    

    
    

    These are the mood boards I've created for the film!

    Howie is displayed as a more vibrant what my generation would call a golden retriever vibe with

    priorities and ambition,

    while similarly yet differently, Nati is a lovergirl with drive and a more introverted "black cat" vibe.

    To go into further depth, Howie is a typical teenage boy,

    despite the fact that he loves the idea of love. Whether it be family or a relationship, it's what he 

    wants in his life at all times. 

    He has a strong love for food which the audience will learn more about later on. He enjoys 

    wearing different colors and likes all colors. Regarding the normal teenage boy qualities,

    he loves sports, cars, and of course, the gym. Nati on the other hand, is a more timid gal. 

    She likes to carry herself in a more chic manner, as opposed to free spirited. Don't underestimate her though,

    she'll have her moments. Love and romance has been something she's longed for for a while, 

    she's always had difficulty finding it.

    She loves simple colors, coffee, and food. You'll never see her wear anything besides gold as

    it matches her aesthetic best. Black is her ultimate favorite color, along with the other ones 

    presented.

    Overall, they're both free spirits

    that express their divine auras in different ways.

Our solidified script

Summer Lovin’ 

written by Natalia Szabo and Mariana Sanin

Sadly the script web did not work when I transported it over, however, this is still the same script just formatted differently. :)

SUMMER

FADE IN:EXT. THE BEACH - DAY 

The beach is shown before It cuts to the girls all together posing for a selfie together in the water. They laugh and stuff and then get out of the water when they see a guy walking and one friend runs to ask them to take a picture of them. 

GIRL: Cmon lets go

GIRL 2: Heyy can you take a pic of us please

GUY 1: yes of course

All the girls: thank youuu

GUY 1 takes the picture

GUY 1: "Are you guys down to play volleyball with us?"

Cuts to a shot of the girls and them giggling. One girl responds:

GIRL 1: "Yea sure we can play"

Cuts to the girls faces making a wtf funny face. They all follow the boys to the volleyball nets. 

They all start to play. NATI and HOWIE make eye contact with each other but don't say anything. 

Montage of the quick game. NATI begins to grow tired

NATI: "I'm gonna take a little water break, play without me. 

Everyone: aww come on

NATI: SHUSH SHUSH I'll be quick.

HOWIE notices and talks softly to his friends. 

HOWIE: "ill be right back" 

He follows her to where their stuff is as she takes a sip of water.

HOWIE: in a laughing tone "you good"?"

NATI: "oh yea its just been a while since I've played you know" 

HOWIE smirks

HOWIE: "cmon lets go ill go easy on you"

Cuts to NATI making the winning score and her friends cheering and touching her she looks at HOWIE 

HOWIE looks back at her and smile 

HOWIE MOUTHS: "I LET YOU WIN" 

NATI jokingly rolls her eyes 

SOUND BRIDGE TO NEXT SCENE 

EXT. THE BOARDWALK - MOMENTS LATER

NATI is walking alone while the group of friends are walking in front 

HOWIE spots her and walks to where she is 

HOWIE: "you played really good out there"

NATI bursts out laughing

NATI: "no i did not, i think i fell like 5 times" *she says loudly* 

HOWIE: "no no you played pretty good for a beginner

A long pause 

HOWIE:"I'm starving, do you1` want something to eat?"

NATI: "oh my god yes i know a place that serves the best sushi" *she says excitingly

HOWIE: "i was kind of thinking something like pizza but yea sure we can try that"

She goes in front of him and starts walking backwards. 

NATI: "trust me you're going to love this" she Waves her hands.

FADE IN:EXT. Restaurant - continued

NATI: "so yea long story short the kid put the gum into my hair and i spent my whole 7th grade in a bob 

HOWIE makes an oop face (suspicious)

HOWIE: "wait what middle school did you say uou went to again?"

NATI: "falcon cove why"

HOWIE bursts out laughing uncontrollably 

NATI begins to laugh

HOWIE: "i have to tell you something" 

Long pause HOWIE HOLDING BACK LAUGHS

NATI: "NO WAY YOU?" *surprised*

HOWIE: "IM SORRY I WAS A JERK BACK THEN"

They both laugh

NATI: BROOO

HOWIE: oh come on it wasn't that bad

NATI: oh yes it was

HOWIE LAUGHS

NATI:"don't worry, ill get my revenge" in a mischievous funny tone. 

HOWIE: "no but seriously, the only reason why i did it, was because i wanted your attention, i thought you were cute

HOWIE takes a sip of his drink awkwardly 

NATI looks a little stunned but plays it off with rolling her eyes and saying 

NATI: "whatever"

EXT. THE BOARDWALK - NIGHT

HOWIE and NATI walk along the boardwalk walking closely together

HOWIE: "wanna watch the sunset? Or are you ready to go?"

NATI: "its funny you say that I've actually been wanting to watch the sunset for so long. 

HOWIE: "oh perfect"

EXT. THE BEACH - NIGHT

HOWIE and NATI walk up to the beach and sit down. 

Moment of silence

NATI: "so you thought i was cute huh"

HOWIE: "i still think you are"

Nati looks to the side and mouths

NATI: oh my god *with a freaking out face*

She looks back at him and acts nonchalant

And smiles 

NATI: "what are your plans after highschool" 

HOWIE: "Honestly all i know is that I want to have something of my own" 

NATI: "that's respectable... anything specific?"

HOWIE: "don't make fun of me, but I've always wanted a family bakery, just the idea of like working with the people you love, making it not feel like a job. I also just want to make sure my family is taken care of, i know how it feels to not have much growing up."

NATI: "aw thats cute, its not what i expected"

HOWIE: "What about you?"

NATI: "A stay at home mom" she laughs

HOWIE makes a bru face 

NATI: "im kidding im kidding but um, i want to be a dancer, i  know its not easy, but I've always had a strong passion for  it, like uts the only way i can express myself without being  judged, it makes me feel at peace"

HOWIE: "show me some of your moves"

NATI gets up and grabs him arm

NATI: "okay but im not doing it alone 

HOWIE: but i dont know how 

NATI: don't worry ill teach you some simple steps.  

NATI and HOWIE do simple ballroom dancing

NATI: And a one to three four, one two three four

HOWIE: okayy this isn’t that bad

NATI says excitedly: YOU LIKE IT?

HOWIE: woah woah don’t get too excited

They both laugh and continue to dance

Music gets added

A few seconds later, howies phone won’t stop ringing

NATI: are you gonna get that ?

HOWIE: no it’s okay

Continues to spam his phone

NATI: I really think you should get it

HOWIE: I said it’s fine

Nati gets a weird vibe and goes to grab and give howie his phone when she sees a picture of another girl with the name babe on it

Natis heart drops and her expression changes

NATI: are you serious?

HOWIE: what?

Nati shows the phone

HOWIE: uh

Nati: UH? UHH? Wow I just wasted a whole day with a cheater and a liar. You’re a piece of shit.

HOWIE: Lets just talk, can we please

NATI: no, i’m over it, you barely had me, and now you’ve completely lost me. 

Nati walks away from him and he’s seen watching her sadly 

FALL 

EXT. TOWN CENTER 

HOWIE walks out of restaurant with a bag of food and is on the phone 

HOWIE: “ever since that beach day we just weren’t the same and i wasn’t feeling the relationship anymore. 

Pause

HOWIE: yea i know i know alright my hands are full, let me call you later. 

HOWIE hangs up the phone. And is walking a little when he notices nati through the window of a coffee shop. 

HOWIE gets excited and begins to walk faster towards where nati is until he stops when he sees her with another guy, her boyfriend. 

FLASH BACK OF NATI AND HIM AT THE BEACH of them laughing. 

HOWIE stays frozen but walks away turning his back towards the window.

NATI turns when HOWIE’S back is facing her and she gets distracted from her boyfriend 

NATI’S BOYFRIEND: “hello im talking?” 

NATI: “sorry babe i thought i recognized somebody”

NATI’S BOYFRIEND: “oh ok, anyways i was saying”

NATI faces the window again and the boyfriend's talking becomes murmured. 

WINTER: 

NATI AND GAVIN are shown watching a movie

They’re cuddling while watching kung fu panda 

Gavin is shown admiring Nati while she laughs at the movie

He strokes her hair and she turns over to him and smiles

GAVIN: I love you 

Natis smile slowly fades: Oh

Background of movie pauses

GAVIN: Oh? You’re not gonna say it back?

NATI: I just feel like it’s too soon

GAVIN: We’ve been together for months, I do everything for you and I genuinely love you. Do you not feel the same?

NATI: I- I

GAVIN: You know what, Fuck this. I try so hard for you Natalia and this just confirmed you don’t feel the same way I do.

NATI?: Gavin stop please. Don’t yell

GAVIN: DON’T YELL? I TELL YOU I LOVE YOU AND YOU SAY OH. WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL NATI!

NATI: I do love you, can we just stop and finish the movie? We were having such a nice time.

GAVIN: Fine, but i’m letting you know right now, if something like this ever happens again, we’re over. 

SPRING

 EXT. FRIENDS HOUSE- NIGHT

Show all the friends together 

and people in different areas of the house (MASTER SHOT) until camera sees HOWIE 

HOWIE IS STANDING WITH A A GUY AND A GIRL

GUY FRIEND: “so i heard nati and her boyfriend broke up”

GIRL FRIEND 1: “ Yea, to be honest their chemistry was never there, she told me it was because she could never open up to him. 

GUY FRIEND: “oh so like are you back on that, cuz if you don’t i will”

HOWIE: “bro can you chill” 

GIRL FRIEND 1: “damn guys can she like, get here first?” (funny) 

NATI walks in through the front door and takes off her coat

GUY FRIEND 1: “oh look speaking of”

HOWIE turns towards NATI 

 

NATI’S friends go from the kitchen to the door to say hi to her, they all hug her. 

FRIEND: “want a drink?”

NATI: “yea sure” 

HOWIE AND HIS GUY FRIEND 1 ARE SITTING and howie on phone

GUY FRIEND 1: “welp i'm gonna go shoot my shot, you go have fun on your phone”

GUY FRIEND 1: “so i heard you and gavin broke up”

NATI: “yea i don't really wanna talk about that” she walks away from him

GUY FRIEND 1: wait hold up we can talk about something elsee (says in a desperate tone)

Howie is shown laughing at him 

Guy friend walks back towards howie

HOWIE: thats one way to shoot your shot

HOWIE: I guess im up

Howie approaches the ping pong table where Nati and her friends are in the middle of a game

HOWIE: let my play this round (to another guy friend)

Guy friend 2 leaves

GIRL FRIEND 2: look who decided to come play

Howie laughs and then smiles at Nati

Nati awkwardly smiles back

HOWIE: Eye for eye (while he looks at Nati)

Nati: okay

Nati and Howie look into eachothers eyes as they shoot to determine who goes first

Nati makes the hole

Nati shrugs her shoulder in a petty way

HOWIE: okay okay

Shots of them playing

Howies team wins and they cheer

Howie pulls Nati aside

HOWIE: how was that for a game?

NATI: I let you win (smiling at Howie)