Scandalous! Unsightly! Distasteful!

Checking in with CCR progress. I think I'm done with the script, but a few of the slides are... difficult to work on in any ol' class where people can see my laptop. I well and truly hate it here!*

*I am extremely grateful to live where I do but would also kinda genuinely be in danger if I advertised "I AM WORKING ON A GAY PROJECT WITH GAY PEOPLE IN IT!" So. There's that.

"POALOF" = "Portrait of a Lady on Fire"

That was not, in fact, "it."

Apparently in the 3-AM-ness of me editing the credits, I somehow came to the conclusion that not having dialogue meant I didn't have to include "written by." I'll fix that posthaste!

I got started on my CCR, though :) Stop me if you've heard this before: I am putting far too much time into details that don't really matter all that much. You can see in these screenshots, I've been editing the colors of each element on my Canva slides to match the theme I semi-arbitrarily selected, and I set up three pages of a sticker book to plan the "look." Whatever helps me sleep at night, I guess.

*EDIT: THIS IS NOT IT* Is... is this it?

 **EDIT: THIS IS NOT MY ACTUAL FILM OPENING**

Uh, hey. Here's my film opening.

In case YouTube is uncooperative, you can also watch it here. Oh jeez. I hope you like it.

Editing Review

Just for fun, I thought I’d put a couple screenshots to use and explain what was actually going on with editing.

1. I had a weirdly difficult time landing on an order for the cups, so I put a frame of each on a Google Slide and played around with order there
2. A lot of clips were lost to my inability to trust that the way I set up the tripod was, in fact, fine and good (translation: I kept visibly looking at the camera, which for obvious reasons was un-ideal)
3. I spent far, far too much time (and had far, far too much fun) messing with the credit text color (each credit is color-matched to some element on screen, whether it’s the drink or some background element or Audrey’s hand)
4. I now understand why all the tech blogs were telling me that Premier Rush is wildly inferior to Pro. To quote an unpostable video I recorded while freaking out about the rainbow spinning wheel of doom, "I feel like the silliest goose this side of the Mississippi."

(Espresso) shot and edited

Okay, I am once again a member of the waking world. Here’s a brief recap of shooting at the cafe, in haiku form:

Between customers

Got mocha on the tripod

I am very stressed.

All went well with getting the storyboarded shots, plus a bit of improvisation based on what I was actually doing at work (e.g., it’s not every shift that I have to refill the espresso bean hopper, but it happened to be empty on Thursday, so I thought, “Aha! Content.”)

A couple moments were re-shot because I was wearing my mask in the first iteration. Don’t get me wrong, it felt deeply weird and a little problematic to be bare-faced in the cafe (I got my first job at sixteen in May of 2020— I have never *not* worn a mask at work), but I also have a LOT of feelings about showing my characters’ full faces. For one, acting: the way Camille smiles as Veda *matters,* and I’d be hard-pressed to ask for expression through eyes alone. Plus, if I’m valuing continuity*, it’s an all-or-nothing deal (why wear a mask by the register but not in the walk-in fridge?). But alsooooooooooooo: prepare for me to wax poetic about this genre.

John Hughes’ “Pretty in Pink” came out in 1986, the year my mom turned 18. Even though the film is now generations old, some moments in it are as true and poignant as any scene in “Booksmart” or “Eighth Grade.” I’d argue the best thing about the coming-of-age genre is its ability to capture something universal and timeless: humans have been feeling exhilarated, exhausted, destabilized, and baffled by the process of “coming of age” for as long as there have been HUMANS (like, “first love” is such an enduring theme in literature because it’s an enduringly profound human experience). I feel like I’d be abandoning that aspect of the genre by costuming my characters in a way that dates the film to a window of 20-odd months. If my mom and I can both see ourselves in Andie from “Pretty in Pink,” I think we should both get to see ourselves in Audrey from “Matcha,” you know?

Fun fact of the day! The drink that said "Audrey" and the drink that said "Veda" were irrespectively consumed by those characters' actors. "Audrey" was written on a caramel Frappuccino, which I gave to Camille, and "Veda" was written on an iced matcha latte, which I myself downed while doing the dishes.

It is 3:57 AM, and I just hit “Export.”

I’m pretty sure that when I last posted here, I hadn’t even wrapped shooting.

Well, on Friday, I got everything I could at the cafe (I say it like it was a coincidence instead of very planned; I didn’t just happen to show up at work in my Audrey costume and my actor Camille just happened to come in and I just happened to have the Veda costume/jewelrey with me to give to her).

I think I sound as tired as I am. See you—not later, because 4 in the morning is late but 8 in the morning is early. Crazy. Ok see you soon

One minute down, one minute to go

I think, if one wanted to, they could call this a first draft edit of the car scene. I seem to have planned/shot/edited something right, because this is 1 of 2 locations for the opening (which ought to translate to "half of a 2 minute project") and it's EXACTLY 60 seconds. So, go me.

The file itself is too big to embed in Blogger (and too much is going to change for it to be worth a private listing on YouTube), but trust me, it's solid. Also, that thumbnail does not deceive you; I edit in black and white so I can focus on the content and timing. Otherwise, I'd get tripped up on pitfalls like "well, this version of the clip is way more saturated" when I can easily change the colors later. #WomenInSTEM #InnovationThatExcites

What is a little deceptive is the title of this post... having half my content edited is not the same thing as having half my opening done, because right now, it's all totally mute. Honestly, the thought of foley makes me a little scared, but we trudge forth nonetheless.

Full Steam Ahead

Car scene status: fully shot, uploaded into Premier, I've started rough chunking/sorting but not exactly detailed editing. Here was my Notes app report:

"just got home from filming the car scene. i have no idea how my phone didn’t overheat as i was obliterating its storage in a 90° car (thanks, buddy). shouts out to my grandma for letting me borrow an old watch. also i guess audrey is canonically a samsung user bc i couldn’t use my phone as a prop and camera at the same time

in reviewing the shots i’m honestly not sure what changed between them/why i decided to take another one? but i imagine that i’ll be grateful for it later (right now it just means there’s more to mill through, not the end of the world)"

 (The "more" in "more to mill through")

Cafe scene status: I worked last night and decided to come in my Audrey garb just in case there was time to shoot between waves of customers; I actually got a lot done. Another Notes app report:

"first day filming at work— WILD feeling: i’m in my full audrey costume, name tag and all, and a very pretty customer who got a hot peppermint tea (her name was chrissy) said 'thank you, audrey' at the end of her order. for a second i had a weird existential panic like 'wait AM i audrey???? am i now living in the movie of my own invention??' before I remembered that I look like this

I’m on my 15 minute break and doing an initial footage review— honestly, I like how this is turning out."

Later, I wrote the following:

"remaining shot list

- milk in walk-in thing*

- bake case

- version of cashiering where i’m not wearing a mask :/

- version of VSCCB pour where my name isn’t in aggressive all-caps

- veda, obviously"

*That'll make sense if/when you see it

My coworker Gigi providing top-notch production assistance

Aforementioned credit cup of Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew (that I'd like to redo with a less angry-looking "TESS SEGAL")

Car scene editingggggg :)

Story bored? More like story ENTHRALLED.

This is dorky, but I’m going to organize this pre-shooting post through an activity my speech team does before tournaments (because, like an oratory competition, this is a vaguely scary and exciting thing that matters a lot to me), called “Rose, Buds, and Thorns.” It goes like this:

ROSE: What looks beautiful/what you can see that you’re looking forward to

BUDS: Parts of the upcoming experience that are still mysterious, i.e., what you feel apprehensive/uncertain about

THORNS: The scary parts. What you know will probably suck. What’s poking you.

So, for turning this storyboard into editable footage, here’s what the rose bush looks like.

ROSE: all of the simpler shots (setting inserts at the cafe, most of the part that’s set in/around my car, etc). I think they’ll be straightforward enough that I can be happy with my work without shooting and reshooting a million times, which will give me enough confidence to direct the less simple stuff (like the interaction between Audrey and Veda at the end of the opening). Plus most of the mise-en-scene! I’m very much looking forward to putting together our costumes and making the props (like writing on the cups). 

BUDS: Pretty much everything related to the factors I can’t control. Like, I’ll shoot at the cafe at a time that shouldn’t be too busy, but what if there’s a random rush? What if the schedule changes and I end up with unaccommodating coworkers? But buds also means what has the POTENTIAL to be really, deeply cool, and I’m weirdly comforted by the thought that I have no idea what those things might be. Technical bud: I need to find one of those cephalapod-looking phone tripods.

THORNS: Honestly, I’m the most worried about the editing. It’s not that I’m inept with the software or don’t have a defined-enough vision or whatever, it’s just the sheer amount of time that it’ll take me to get everything just right— because I have this concept that there’s nothing between haphazard and perfect (you’d think that me knowing that would help me prevent it, but… I mean, you’re the one who can see my posts throughout the editing process. From where I’m sitting in March, it looks scary up ahead).

WOOO

I’m calling this a finished storyboard redux (I only have 2 thumbnails for the cup credits, but this would be—what?—the fourth version? So I’m good).

Having doodled the car scene at home last night, I had enough time in class to ask Ms. Stoklosa about ~technology~. I’ve checked out an all-in-one gizmo that works as a tripod AND mini gimbal, which should cover all my filming needs. What a gadget! A marvelous doohickey!

I’m all set to start shooting the day after tomorrow (I’m going to swing by my grandmother’s house at some point before then to see if she has a watch I can borrow. I’d bet Audrey only shops vintage, anyway). Let the harder-than-planning-easier-than-editing part begin!

Arts & crafts

Last night, I finished making the craftiest prop/costume element, Audrey’s nametag. I guess it’s not quiiiiite complete until I find a plastic sleeve to clip on the apron (my actual nametag at work is just a cardstock advertisement for a new drink, and a labelmaker-printed sticker that says “TESS” in extremely unenthusiastic lettering— way too big for this “Audrey” placard), but still.

I used a highlighter, ballpoint pen, and tasteful amount of glitter nail polish (method acting!). At some point, I ended up doodling the characters’ names to figure out handwriting, and accidentally came upon the apt subtitle “Audrey and Veda For(n)ever.” One step closer, I guess.

First iteration, ft. un-glittery nail polish

The top one is more legible and
"bolder," but Audrey is... not bold.

Ta-da!

Collaboration nation

Today in class, we met in groups for a check-in, encouragement, input, tommyrot, rigamarole. I got a few votes on the whole (UN)NAMED LOVE INTEREST thing; it seems I should go with my initial instinct:

I’m extremely grateful for Keira H.’s recommendation for “Upbeat,” a site to find copyright-free instrumental music. A lot of my peers have some incredible stuff going on, like Dani’s production company logos and Brandon’s hand-drawn… everything. Those logos were made on Canva, and for a moment I considered appropriating her idea, but I still think I need to keep Matcha’s credits simple. Look at me, choosing not to spend time on an insignificant design detail! (Dani has already filmed; I haven’t even posted a complete storyboard. Priorities, Segal.)

When I mentioned trying to repeat time-related motifs in my opening, someone had the idea to include an Interstellar-style ticking sound in the background so the audience is forced to share in Audrey’s anxiety about running out of time. I just might do that! If I do, it’ll either be in the car scene and stop once Audrey steps out, or in the cafe and stop once Veda’s hand touches Audrey’s. Thinking many thoughts.