The first idea of the story:
Louis is running late for school. After he arrives at the classroom, his classmate Danny asks him if he has brought his homework. Louis answers confidently and then sets off in search of his work. He takes out all of his books, only to realize that he has forgotten to bring them.
First try on story board:
Danny Walking through the corridor
Camera movements and dutch angle to create realism
Louis running on the road from left to right
Composition using the corridor to create depth
Louis and Danny are sitting face to face
The conversation are filmed using medium close up
Zooming into Louis's face to show his reaction
Pedestaling and tilting the camera
Second edition:
After filming most of the scenes, I put the key scenes in order. This helps me to do the editing more effectively.
The opening:
Juxtaposition of the slow mood Danny and hurried Louis
Black frames connecting the scenes
1. Danny was walking through the corridor.
Louis handheld the camera and used medium close-ups to capture low-frequency frames. The intention was to emulate director Wong Kar-wai's step printing effects, and we could have incorporated camera movement and included some blurred shots of passers-by. This might further convey Danny's sluggish mood. I also considered filming from the front face, which would create a SnorriCam effect, presenting a disorienting view from Danny's perspective.
Danny is positioned in the shot, with his left side of the face facing towards the audience. The background is predominantly green, creating a sense of tranquility as Danny walks leisurely.
In the second shot, Danny is positioned with his right side facing the audience, indicating a shift in space. The background now predominantly features red, which serves as a complementary color to green and signifies an increase in haste. The frequency of frames and sharpness decreases, establishing disorder and creating a noisy atmosphere in the corridor just before the start of a lesson.
A dutch angle captures a dirty single shot, with the silhouette of a passerby and the LED light shrouding Louis in mystery. The combination of the blue mask and blue walls enhances the misty atmosphere even further.
Improvements to this section:
The use of color implication could be exaggerated, which helps differentiate the mood. Editing environmental lighting could be more precise so that the person's color can resonate with the background. The frequency range of frames could be expanded to include extremely low frames, which would enhance the chaotic situation inside the building. The sound track could be louder with more clatters, creating a contrast to the quietness outside.
2. Long wide shot of Louis running to the teaching building
Louis ran away from the camera towards the left corner. We cropped out his upper body and emphasized his legs, primarily highlighting his movement.
Before cropping:
The shot encompasses the entire body, with a dramatic body gesture, but there is an excessive amount of detail, resulting in a lack of focus. However, incorporating a dolly zoom could potentially create another effect by showcasing a powerful action.
After cropping:
The focus is on Louis's feet, guiding the audience's attention with a tracking shot. The long shot then transitions into a hip-level medium long shot, eliminating unnecessary background details.
Louis ran from left to right, and this wider shot further exaggerated the hilarity.
Before cropping:
Again, we decided to crop out the upper half of Louis's body, although his floating hair provides great motion. I chose to save Louis's facial expression for later, where it plays a major role in creating effects.
After cropping:
The shot is focused on the ground, and the zebra crossing is a crucial element that enhances the scene of Louis running outside. However, he has not yet reached the building.
A pan is used to depict the motion of running. Louis runs out of the frame and re-enters at the end of this shot, aiming to demonstrate that he is moving too fast for the audience to track him accurately.
There is Louis demonstrating the pan
Improvements to this section:
The exposure was too high, which caused the texture to fade away. It would be better if we filmed this on a cloudless morning so that the yellow sunshine can create purple shadows.
This is an example of the good natural lightning effect I filmed during practices.
3. A series of cuts on actions
This part showcases Louis's fast-paced actions, serving as a link between the introduction and the main body. The beats could be quicker in this section to ensure that the plots are tightly intertwined.
Yellow background with a pointing up line, showing passion as Louis gets closer to the classroom.
Zooming on the bottom half of Louis, the focus could be more shallow to make the person stand out.
Insert shot of Louis opening the door
Improvements: A dirty single, medium long shot is needed to show Danny's reaction as he looks at Louis walking past him and sitting down. Adding this shot will fulfill the task requirement.
Middle stage:
1. Introducing conversation
Eye level, reversing shot of Louis and Danny looking at each other. A medium close-up is used to show their dramatic facial expressions.
Improvement: The volume of the soundtrack could be increased, adding a hollow voice to present his mental state accurately.
Louis is positioned on the left while Danny is placed on the right to demonstrate their relationship.
2. Pulling out books
Jump cuts in books demonstrate Louis's confidence, heighten anxiety, and build up tension.
Here are the six shots we did in this section.
Improvement: The gradual increase in the frequency of cutting serves to further depict the shift in mood from calm to anxious. However, the current version's transition occurs too abruptly and fails to establish a complete expectation for the audience.
3. Searching in Louis's schoolbag
Shots taken from inside the bottom of the bag capture a dramatic expression, while cutting to the outside scene connects with Louis raising his head.
We struggled to locate the phone in a way that includes only Louis but not Danny. However, this shot inspired me with the idea that two shots of Danny and Louis looking down at the same time could add another layer to the comedy.
This is an illustration of the two shot.
In the actual filming, the phone is positioned closer to Louis's face. This creates a harsh lighting effect, suggesting that Louis is attempting to peer through darkness. Alternatively, this results in the fading of colors.
Improvement:
Filming Louis looking at a fish eye lens could be used to show depth and exaggerated actions.
Beside the head down scene, we used head up shots to create conversation and build up suspense.
Examples of distorted images. Close-ups of facial expressions could be filmed with wide-angle lenses. We could use a wide-angle lens to film Louis, which would display his twisted expressions. Additionally, we could use a long-focus lens to film Danny, which would amplify his penetrating eyes and create a distinct contrast between the two characters' tones.
Climax:
1. Reaction shots of classmates
With a parallel soundtrack of heartbeats, create suspense and delay the outcome. Finally, a close up of dramatic facial expression accompanied by zooming.
When I was filming Linda's reaction, we did a range of practices in order to show the correct emotion we wanted.
2. Bag shaking scene
We filmed this scene from two different angles, aiming to maintain continuity by aligning the perspectives of the two reaction shots.
Improvement:
Adding a tilt directly enhances the dynamism of the scene. A static medium long shot from Danny's perspective is used to highlight that Louis is the only one behaving ridiculously in the classroom, followed by a point of view and tilting shot from Louis's perspective as he shakes his head. This juxtaposition creates contrast.
3. Facial reaction
Using a dolly zoom in this scene could have effectively conveyed Louis's panic as his classmates looked at him, but due to time constraints, we were unable to achieve the desired impact.
We practiced dolly zooms on my phone.
Technical improvements:
We filmed most of the shots using an iPhone 13 Pro, as using a camera would provide more opportunities for manual focus adjustments. Adding a racking focus in a gritty scene showcases the relationship between Louis and Danny.
This is a practice of racking focus using an iPhone.
During the editing process, altering the color of shots can greatly influence the character's emotions. However, due to software issues, I was unable to complete the color editing. Alternatively, using filters may save time and still achieve a satisfactory outcome or utilizing the same camera can provide consistency in texture and color.
This is an example shot achieved by placing a piece of colored plastic paper in front of the lens. We can utilize similar methods to generate and intensify emotions.
Final outcome:
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