| Session Number | 5 |
| Week Number | 5 |
| Total Estimated Hours Contributed this Week: | 4.5 hrs |
| What was your overall goal for this week? | Make progress on production |
| Date | Task Description | Time Spent | Was this a Best Practice? |
| 4/24 | Pre-production blog post | 1 hr | No |
| 4/25 | Practice shooting last scene | 30 mins | Yes |
| 4/26 | Shoot last scene | 1 hr | Yes |
| 4/27 | Shoot hallway scene | 1 hr | Yes |
| 4/28 | Shoot spelling bee scene | 1 hr | Yes |
| Session Number | 5 |
| Week Number | 4 |
| Total Estimated Hours Contributed this Week: | 5 |
| What was your overall goal for this week? | Get feedback on our film and have a good start to production |
| Date | Task Description | Time Spent | Was this a Best Practice? |
| 4/17 | Filming and editing one day film | 2 hours | |
| 4/18 | Watching one day films | 1 hour | |
| 4/19 | Practice still shots | 1 hour | |
| 4/20 | Practice moving shots | 1 hour | |
| 4/21 | Other work | 0 hour |
| Session Number | 5 |
| Week Number | 3 |
| Total Estimated Hours Contributed this Week: | 5 |
| What was your overall goal for this week? | Edit script, prepare for shooting, and finish blogpost |
| Date | Task Description | Time Spent | Was this a Best Practice? |
| 4/10 | Finalized script edits | 1 hour | |
| 4/11 | Refined storyboard | 1 hour | |
| 4/12 | Researched cinematic storytelling elements | 1 hour | |
| 4/13 | Researched influences | 1 hour | |
| 4/14 | Finalized blog post | 1 hour |
My scriptwriting process is mostly typical, I had my initial idea and fleshed it out over the course of a week. I knew the overall sequence of events, but to make my script true to the comedy genre I tried to make my characters react in ways that are unexpected.
Cinematic Elements:
My co-writer, Charlie, edited my first draft of the script. He made minimal changes that mostly concerned practicality and simplicity. Our script is more of a guide because our dialogue is able to be improvised, similar to other films in the genre.
Our film revolves around our main character, an eccentric speller that is characterized almost immediately by their dialogue and energy. Through her spelling and unbelievable stories just on the first page, we know that she is a unique personality.
American Movie (Chris Smith) – Has an eccentric subject that is overly committed to their craft
The Office (Novak, Kaling, Schur, Wilson, Daniels) – Same as before + mundane environment, documentary style, almost universally comedic because of it’s absurdidty
Parks and Rec (Schur, Daniels, Pohler, Offerman) – Similar to the office, but in my opinion better
Best in Show (Guest, Levy) – Centers silly competition, dog show and spelling are both comedic in their absurdity
Napoleon Dynamite (Scarpa) – Makes something boring comedic, and attaches us to the quirky characters
Included in above post
The tri-fold board that the main character utilizes shows their commitment to persuading the judge, as they will go as far as to make a visual aid.
Through the Pre-Production process, I learned how much needs to be done in a team to properly prepare us to make a good film, and how important it is to use that time well. A problem that we solved was getting a supervisor for when we need to film outside of the classroom, we picked a staff member that we all like and who is willing to be in those locations with us.