Exrecise 2. Final product + Reflection

FINAL PRODUCT (click)

FILMING PROCESS & REFLECTION

Doing this challenge was a whole process, much more complicated than I thought. When my teacher first gave me the idea of recreating a scene, it seemed like an easier job than having to come up with a whole new idea from 0. But, when I was actually filming, I realized how hard it is getting the exact same angles, positions and expressions. Especially because I am a perfectionist and wanted everything to be flawless. But, of course it wasn't, though I am glad about it because it taught me many things for next time.

Analyzing the media elements from the scene I could maybe say it was the easiest part, kind of long, but didn't require much thinking since I just had to observe the scene and distinguish them. Next was choosing the cast to play Tom and Summer. Nico had already given me his consent for help in any work that I needed so I knew I could go with him to do Tom. Then, for Summer I just couldn't think of a better perfect match than Joaqui. She does not only physically look very similar, but I also find that they share a lot of personality traits. In the beginning, she wasn't very enthusiastic about the idea, but nothing a bit of insistment (and cookies as a pay) can't do. The two of them are really good friends, so I knew the chemistry would work. Not to mention we all live less than 10 blocks from one another. So, everything seemed to fit. However, fitting into people’s agendas is always a struggle, and I didnt want to be too intense, especially because I don't have that much closure with any of them, so being so persistent made me anxious. Luckily, on Friday we could agree on filming that Saturday (yesterday) as we all had our middays free and even though it was very soon, I took the chance. 

The filming process took about an hour and a half. Even though it didn't feel that long, we could have done it a lot faster if we had prepared it beforehand. The actors didn't know their lines and so they had to learn them in the moment of doing each shot. Because of that we had to do many takes until we got one that looked fluid and natural. They were also a bit uncomfortable by having to sit so close together and staring at each other's eyes so in the beginning that was a bit of a struggle. But as we kept on filming I could tell they were more relaxed and the acting flowed better. It was still fun whenever one of them got mistaken and you could see their faces struggling to remember. We had lots of laughs.

Keeping on with the setting, I already had in mind filming in my backyard since I have a lot of trees that match really well with the original background. So that morning I just placed a bench in the place I felt fitted the most. I think that maybe I didn't put much importance on the detail of the background and simply conformed with it having the same kind of aesthetic. If only I had paid a bit more attention or analyzed the spot better, I would have realized there was a tree that looked just like the one in the scene and if I had put the bench a little bit more to the left, it would have matched perfectly. So, for next time I will definitely have that kind of things in consideration. 

the tree:

I think that the only inconvenience we had with the setting was the fact that it was outside and it is currently winter so we were freezing and the outfits were not warm enough, especially on the hands. Still, Joaqui and Nico made a great job acting it out and I was able to keep my hands still from shivering. 

Then for the costume it was all pretty fast solved. We of course used the characters' outfits as inspiration and each of my actors worked it out with what they could find at home. I wasn't actually expecting them to match them so well, but honestly, they nailed it. 

The sound was what I struggled the most with. It was a really windy day which could be clearly heard and noticed. So, I used a tool from CapCut that eliminates background noises. Even though it helped, the quality of the voices did not remain the best, as of course the app isn't for professional purposes. Then, I wanted to match the background music from the scene but I couldn't find the original track anywhere. So, I did some research and found a website that can separate a background track from the voices. So I did that with the original scene and again the quality wanted the best one but it did.

The shots are something that I ended up mostly satisfied with, although there are some little things to correct. The thing I notice the most is the distance between the actors, which to be honest it was something that I did notice while filming and told them about it. But I could tell it was making them really uncomfortable and everytime I put them more together, I could see them slowly taking distance. So, at a certain point I just stopped insisting on that. Then, the framing of the shot is a bit far away and there should have been no space over their heads and less body. Though I should take into account that the framing from the original film is not the same one that my camera has. Moving into the angles, I would say they were mainly achieved.

REFLECTION ON THE MOVIE

When my teacher suggested recreating a piece from “500 days of summer”, I wasn't initially very enthusiastic. I had already watched this film last year for another media project (stated in my “previous works” entry) and I did not exactly love the story. I am used to watching rom-coms with happily ever after endings and I just couldn't understand Summers' position and how unsensible she was towards Tom’s feelings. Though, the more I watched and analyzed the scene I began to recognize that maybe Tom was a bit too idealistic and Summer just didn't feel complete with him and that's fine. I feel that now I can appreciate a lot more the message that this story is trying to portray, about how love is hard and that sometimes the person we view as our soulmate isnt the one and that we need to accept that and move on. I also became more empathetic towards summer and her not having her feelings figured out, in contrast to how I previously saw her as a player. I think it is a lot closer to what reality shows for many people and the non-idyllic ending may even be a comfort for those who are experiencing a similar situation.