Creative Critical Reflection

This is the Creative Critical Reflection for my film opening!

Further
A Film by Santiago Triana

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9qlM6gCZhaKc193QWc1eUhwb2c/view?usp=sharing

Final Project

5 longs weeks of work led up to this great moment, I am thrilled to release this project as its been something I worked very hard on. This idea and subject, as occult and odd as it may be, makes me very happy to introduce it to many new audiences. Click on the link below! Enjoy!

Further
A Film by Santiago Triana

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9qlM6gCZhaKOXZ5ZldER0Z2dUk/view?usp=sharing

Revamping The Script...just a tad.

Why start production on a story, when the filmmaker is not TRULY satisfied with its content? Film is an art of planning and having specific desires and purposes for the presentation. Production was supposed to happen last night, yet when I was looking over the script I looked at it with a new pair of eyes. It felt incomplete. As an abnormal subject as astral projection is, there's much to be covered and the potential should be used to the farthest extent. The script has been revamped using more research and support on the topic, to legitimize the plot a little bit. An occult subject needs a strong bridge in order to properly connect with the viewer. Here are some of my sources that aided me in revamping the script a bit:

http://out-of-body-experience.info/binaural-beats-astral-projection-lucid-dreaming/

http://www.theartofastralprojection.com/blog/the-vibration-stage-in-astral-projection

 Today production will take place, now with a clearer purpose and a better method of technical execution, I am really seeing this project come together.

Production begins...once again.

In my previous post I gave information having to do with the production phase that took place last weekend, mostly containing problems I encountered. Today phase 2.0 of production is to take place. Everything that was shot the previous session will be reshot at nighttime under a controlled lighting environment. I have also acquired a wide aperture Rokinon lens which will give me a lot of natural light to work with. Also I have some gels in my possession which will give me the ability to play around with the natural light and its colors; however, I am a tad scared to use the gels because if I am not content with the footage and its look, shifting the colors around will be much harder. I'm going to play around with the locations of the light sources to see which fit the look of the scene better. I'm thinking about putting a light source outside of the window in the room, the shades will add line shadows to the light hitting the subject. Really nice aesthetic that will add to the tone of the film. Kinda like this:

The room set up is different now as I thought my room and its posters and contents were a little too sporadic. I want more of a simple look to the scene as the viewer's attention is meant to focus on the subject and not much on his surroundings. I am also using a better tripod, easier to handle, and its brand new so you can say the little fan girl videographer inside me is fairly excited. Even though it is a bit of a pain to go through the production process once again, I have honestly learned a lot from the mistakes I had made. Looking at this in a positive way, and applying that positivity to my project I'm sure will aid in the long run.

Production Obstacles

As excited to say how awesome it is that I have been able to move along to this phase of the project, I had various obstacles throughout the process which ended up affecting the footage.

As previously mentioned in the Research & Aesthetics post as well as the Script post, the style for the bedroom scene works with low light. When production of the bedroom scene was in motion, me and my friends (crew) were working with little to no light coming from the sunset; first mistake. I cannot stress enough how difficult it was to work with an unstable source of light as the amount of light it was radiating varied due to clouds and the sun setting itself. This had me bumping up the ISO of the camera constantly; second mistake. Even though a camera like the Sony A7s has an amazing sensor for low light, constantly shifting the settings in your camera (specially ones that work with light) during the production of one constant scene is NOT something to do. This led to me having to deal with clips that looked different from other clips, grainy footage,  and color imbalances. On top of it all, most of the footage is close to pitch black. Why is this? When I was setting up the shots I relied on the electronic viewfinder as my optical reference for the shots; third mistake. The electronic viewfinder uses implemented brightness and contrasts effects to aid the shooter see clearer and crisper. One should always rely on the LCD screen in the front due to the fact that the screen will show the footage the closest way to how it will be shown during post. Below is an example of a shot before and after I tried to color correct it.

 

I have been trying to fix the footage through color correction and grading, but unfortunately the footage is just ineffective. I will be reshooting tomorrow under light radiating from a controlled source such as softbox lights, depending on the LCD as my optical reference for the shots I am recording, as both of these new implements will aid me in keeping a constant configuration in the camera's settings for the duration of the shoot. Can't wait.

Script

Here's the script for the opening! Its is in audio/video format, there's going to be slight changes during production (because thats what always happens) but I feel very concrete and satisfied with the ideas reflected unto the story. Enjoy!

So I've been thinking, if I were to create the whole feature film, where would the actual plot of the story be driven towards? I've been scripting the opening with the thought of wanting to depict the plot of the story through mis-en-scene throughout the duration of the 2 minutes. The main story has to do with a teenager trying to reach the astral plane through projection in order to reconnect with his father who had recently passed away. He is undergoing the preparations and the shifting of bodies between the physical and the astral during the entirety of the two minutes. I'm trying to give this film an eerie sci-fi type feel and I'm going to achieve the precise mood through the music and SFX. Lots of rise and hits, stings, and atmosphere textures will play along with the visuals to keep the audience engaged visually as well as auditory. As I am finishing up the script and starting on the storyboard I can say I'm really excited about working on this project and making it my newest addition to my portfolio!

Research & Aesthetics

For astral projection cannot be fully understood and studied through scientific perspectives, I've had to rely my research from sources relating with the occult. Sources such as http://www.crystalinks.com/astral.html , http://www.erinpavlina.com/blog/2006/12/the-dangers-of-astral-projection/ and other's takes on astral travel. These occult researchers define astral projection as an out of body experience where one's astral body (soul, consciousness) wanders outside the body and becomes associated with the astral plane and not physical reality in which we perceive "real life". People are able to execute this process with constant practice, as to some it comes with total ease and are able to undergo this experience with no hassle. As one embodies this astral body one becomes aware of the differences on the new plane. A silver chord is attached as it is the connection to the physical body since one is incarnated and its meant for one not to misplace his/her body while traveling. The astral world also has a very similar feel to reality although some minor differences pertain like constant glares and color enhancements. Descriptions such as these are found in every astral projection experience throughout history and the world, therefore I believe I should include them in great detail in the film.

I've been checking out some images for inspiration for the aesthetic for the opening. Insidious, a James Wan film also having to do with astral projection, has an interesting take on the idea of astral travel. This blue tinted, gloomy, suspenseful look adds a lot of contrast between the real world and the astral plane if done correctly. Although the blue tint is peculiar, I'd like to add my own twist into it and add purple-ish color grading for a more New Age artistic aesthetic. Also the heroin high scene from Breaking Bad, in which jesse undergoes an euphoric high, depicts a cool "hovering" look to the character through practical visual effects. I'd like to incorporate something like this to the scene in which my character leaves his/her body.

I did some research on the topic of lucid dreaming I previously introduced in my last blog. I like some of the content I have found on this subject, like how I've also found some that I don't really agree with and wouldn't like to include in my film opening. Astral projection is a VERY interesting subject as many people throughout history all across the world have experienced this paranormal occurrence. I am going to include more facts on these subjects in a vlog I will be creating shortly. I am actually very excited for this creation.

Throughout my experiences and stressful times at the 2016 Student Television Network conference, I've had various ideas about the center idea of my 2 minute film opening. The idea of lucid dreaming, astral projection, and other supernatural occurrences during sleep fascinate me. I will most likely do something having to do with this idea. I feel like I could play around a lot with this idea, and make something really cool.

My name is Santiago Triana, and I am a videographer. My love for videography began at an early age, not really from the admiration of films or other forms of video entertainment, but from the creation process of a video. Playing around with my parents's handheld camcorder making skits with my friends and using Windows Movie Maker to bring it all together, was what really sparked my interest in videography. Present day, I am a national award winning student videographer, have had various experiences in the industry, and I'm also coming close to the end of my last year of high school. In Mrs. Stoklosa's class I have learned essential content about the media through the AICE course, and I cannot wait to apply it all to my 2 minute film opening.