Filming!

Filming has commenced.

Alright so let's talk some challenges:

I had to stay near street lights and I'll probably have to
improve the lighting while editing.

LIGHTING! My God, lighting was a much bigger issue than anticipated. The video capability on the iphone does not take up that much light which really through me off guard and forced me to changed things around. I had planned to film a lot around my neighborhood, which is very gloomy and empty at night, to show Marcus walking around after leaving his house do to work-related stress (a trigger for schizophrenic episodes). The problem is that the gloominess comes from the very little lighting, and although my eyes can see perfectly fine and think it is very well illuminated, my camera does not see like my eyes do.

Another struggle I had, this being my first time being behind the camera, was that I was not sure how long to make the shots. I planned for cuts in certain point, yes, but a lot of questions ran through my head. Should I just film enough to where I think I’m going to cut or should I film a little extra just in case? Will I need to reshoot? How many takes should I have just in case? These are all questions that I’m sure a filmmaker has asked himself at one point.

Let’s talk about a couple things I’m happy about:

My actor, Harrison Sharpe

LIGHTING! Although there were some challenges, we achieved something really awesome by playing around with lights. I had planned for Marcus to wake up in his room (my room) while having minor hallucination. In order to create a creepy and hallucinogenic feel, I wanted the light to be red. It was actually easier than I thought. All I had to do was get some red china paper and wrap it around the lightbulbs. It was cheap, fast, easy which was great because I then took it out to film in normal lighting.

Contrary to me saying that I was going to film in the forest, I filmed at home. In the end, the plot needed it to be filmed at home. And they both came organically from each other, for the sake of convenience I stayed at home which in turn made me rethink my plot to something I ended up liking better.

If anybody tries to tell you that my desk is always this messy,
they’re lying

So I’m happy with turning my room into a little set. I messied it up a little bit in order to imply that my character’s disorder makes him... a tad disorganized. I left little clues on the desk so people could imply that he is a college student, such as a textbook, a letter from his university, a backpack near the desk, and school supplies.

I’m almost done with the shooting, we worked pretty late last night, so I’m happy with than. Now I just need to go on with my editing and see if I want to re-do any shots.

Thanks for reading, thinks are looking good!