Semester 2

SEMESTER 2

Recap

Ferris Bueller

Our project was to replicate a popular high school movie, regardless of date of release and genre. The filming process of this recreation was approximately a month if I remember correctly, which explains why the finished product appears cleaner than the rather rushed short film we later created. Scheduling proved to be an issue, but only a minor one. All of our actors were incredibly enthusiastic and eager to film, offering any and all free time slots available. Along the way, I learned how difficult it is to film multiple nonlinear scenes involving costume and location changes. The main feedback we were given was to adjust the audio, which was previously a tacky royalty-free track that was thrown in last minute. I'm very pleased with the final result.

Short Film 

The final assignment of the school year was to craft our own script and bring it to life. The students had to depend on their peers' script-writing skills to create an exceptional film. For this project, we had a week for pre-production, a week for filming, and a week to edit. Time was definitely a challenge, as well as the rapidly approaching finals we were about to face. And along the way, I learned how to tolerate terrible actors. Barely. Feedback we received focused on the pacing, and I agree it was staggered; unfortunately, we did not acquire enough footage to even it out.

Time Usage

Time spent in class is unpredictable, depending on the project. Pre-production is the busiest, where all time is spent scrambling to complete everything prior to filming. Filming tends to be the laziest, as most of the time filming is off-site. Similarly, editing is laid back. Usually one person takes on the job of editing and only requires help when they need a second opinion.

Strengths

I found my strengths to be focused in directing, which surprised me as I dislike depending on others. I utilized those commanding skills to produce a wonderful high school trailer replication and an, admittedly, sub-par short film. The short film lacked as I let the stress of other classes' finals eat away at me, and I prioritized them rather than the film.

Areas in Need of Improvement

While my personality can be very dominant, I found myself being too lenient at some points, leading to easily avoidable accidents.

Short Film

I directed the short film based on Alex Pauli's comedic script. Many edits were made to create a simpler script for us to follow, yet some important aspects of the story were lost along the way.

Summary

I adored directing Ferris Bueller, as the cast were a joy to work with. I wish I could have spent more time on the short film, though. I intend on taking my newfound directing skills with me to next year.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed this class, even though it stressed me out beyond the point of no return.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Project

     Following the music video assignment, we were instructed to mimic a popular high school movie trailer, ranging from the classics to new arrivals.

Process

    To begin, our main focus was casting, as the main character's personality and appearance are a large majority of what the plot is based on. Casting was, shockingly, completed rather quickly; not to mention, successfully. The fact that most of the actors were crewmembers only benefitted our project, as scheduling was easy. Costuming wasn't ideal to begin with, for the designs were complex and unusual and straight from the 80s, but we made it work.

Editing was completed swiftly, with only minor audio issues hindering a perfect piece.

Professionally

    This was the first time actually being labeled a director ( not including the times everyone just expected me to take control anyway, I suppose? ). I've found I'm much more organized when I'm not guessing who is in charge and that spreadsheets do wonders for scheduling, casting, and collecting props; everything.

Changes / Constants

    Originally, the audio was some pitiful track stolen off of a royalty-free website. It was terrible. But I went back and changed it to a track from the trailer to have some scrap of resemblance. I'm much happier now. I'm even happier with how our actors and the cameras worked together; the film quality was beautiful and our actors did a phenomenal job re-enacting.

Conclusion

   I'm directing again for this next project and I can guarantee I already have a spreadsheet delineated, though I find it much easier to mimic than create my own story.