Reflecting

This project is finally over and I’m pretty proud of what I made. There were definitely some ups and downs but I learned a lot and put in a lot of work.

I started off really rough since it was incredibly difficult to land on a decent story. Once the story was found, a microscopic villain named Coronavirus decided that my original idea did not deserve to get made. I made a pretty impressive pivot and I honestly believe the idea that I came up with during corona season is probably way more personal and I had way more fun than I would have ever had making a different film.

I have never tried to make a film all by myself and it was a pretty enlightening experience. It is pretty unique to have complete creative control over your film and there is no time wasted trying to explain your vision to other people.

I like to get fancy with camera movements or blocking, but since I was alone I had to add a little more flavor to the film by messing with other aspects, mostly sound and graphics. I would have never made a film that included a time-lapse, stop-motion, and changing aspect ratios because I am pretty vanilla about those kinds of things. I usually don’t like to distract from the film with obstructive editing techniques.

Aside from editing, I did also balance out my inability to move the camera with extensive production design. I spent a couple days creating a perfect set. It wasn’t too difficult because it was just designing the set to fit two extremes: an empty room and a cluttered room. That being said, moving heavy furniture for days on end is a strenuous workout.

My biggest issue, as always, is sound. I simply do not have the patience to create a good soundscape. My ears are really not designed for it. I added a lot of music to keep a fast pace, but aside from that, I just let the white noise play. My microphone that I plug into my camera also broke, so I was left with many clips that had no sound. I could not be asked to do foley because it is impossible in my house. It is very difficult for my family to understand that even if they are talking softly or lower the volume on the TV, my sound recorder can pick it up easily. 

The title cards are probably the thing I am most proud of. I spent a couple hours designing my “minimalist” font and cutting it to the beat of the music.

Ultimately, I am proud of what I accomplished because it was literally all me (though I didn’t create the music), so this is a product of my own creativity and hard work.