Preproduction Plan Blog Post

1. Please write about what materials you feel you are going to need for your project (what you are using as a camera, props, costumes, etc.). Please be as detailed as possible with what materials/equipment you are planning on using and how you plan on getting them if you do not have them, provide pictures as well. (12 to 15 sentences)

    For a camera, I will be using my mobile device, a OnePlus 10T and it's built in video functions on the default camera app. Having recently figured out how to turn on composition gridlines for the video function (having used it for months prior with photos on my phone), it will also help composition and keeping elements consistent. Because the plot of the film will center around the concept of how corruption is affecting a high school, having props such as folders, papers, and writing utensils making appearances would fit the theme of a school. Currently, one of the scenes involves walking and talking with the main character conversing with their friends they see around campus. These paper and school materials are already easily obtainable being in a school environment, and materials of my own I have that can be contributed. Other props can be made up financial statements that look realistic and are pulled out of a teacher's mailbox to make it seem a teacher is somehow involved in this ongoing scandal that the character seeks to uncover. To make it look more natural, backpacks as props being worn by the characters would be fitting to make it look like they are walking around campus with purpose and intention to get to class, and are not just outright skipping. Perhaps it would be also in order to recruit extras just walking around, passing by the characters as they are walking to make the school seem more natural and less staged. Costuming won't require anything fancy or extravagant, as being normal school students, everyday clothing and dress code will be quintessential to keep the normal atmosphere turning into some corruption scheme that drags the attention of the main character. However, it would be useful to start thinking about consistent clothing if filming takes place over multiple days, and whether the characters would be better off wearing similar colors/articles of clothing like jackets or sweaters to keep continuity as seamless as possible. The use of mobile devices owned by those I plan to recruit will assist, especially when the scene is envisioned to end with the main character receiving a somewhat threatening and unsettling text from an unknown number warning them of their actions and poking their noses in places they shouldn't be. The casual vibe of the clothing, human interactions, and items represent the world in the status quo before the mystery is discovered and before the world is turned on it's head. It represents a normal teenage life, until it isn't. 

2. What locations are you planning on shooting your film at? Please be as detailed as possible and provide pictures of these locations. Also, please discuss whether or not you need to have permission to film in these locations. For example: saying you are going to film at school does not mean you have immediate access, so you need to find out whether or not these are locations you can freely access or will need to do it at certain times. (10-12 sentences)

    Due to parental restrictions, limitations, and the availability of resources/transportation, it will be most feasible for me to film on the school campus to make use of the time here during this class. Originally, if it was possible to film in downtown Dade City, the use of a character getting out of a parked car, walking into a business, conversing, and then getting headed a folder of things would have been intended. The character would walk back to their car, get into it, take a look at the contents and realize the degree of corruption that was ongoing in the area, such as the school. Afterwards, an unsettling text the main character receives ends the scene. However, as stated before, parental restrictions means this plan can be integrated and filmed on school campus and during school hours.

    It will be essential to request access to sensitive spaces such as the mailroom/workroom for teachers. The reason is there is a plan where one of the characters more or less steps into an out of bounds zone for students to try to investigate some mail they feel is connected to some corruption a close friend sends in after discovering a scheme. This mailroom scene will also make use of the front office, where it is imagined that the main character doing the investigating will also take a look around up at the ceilings for cameras. They will also take a look left and right down the hallways to make sure no one saw them, and slip into the mailroom to add to the suspense. Currently, it is possible to film this scene during the school day with appropriate permission from front office staff and administrators. It will be feasible to imagine a scene that takes place outside and near the main office, where the characters are walking towards it at dismissal time, and while everyone breaks off to go to their cars to drive home, one character goes to the office to investigate an anomaly in finances from a tip/finding from a friend that also suspects something is up, but is unable to investigate as they are currently away and would raise too many suspicions in the front office as they are not as well connected compared to the main character. It could also be possible to envision a scene where the main character slips into an administrator's office to get keys to the mailroom assuming it is locked, adding to the gray-area of actions that the character needs to undertake in order to try to solve the mystery,

3. Lastly, please discuss what kind of personpower you feel you are going to need for your project. List the positions you will be responsible for (director, cinematographer, editor, etc.) and then what other roles you feel you need to cast or bring someone on for. If you have specific people in mind, list them by name, (8-10 sentences) 

    As the only person in my "group", I will be taking on the roles of director, cinematographer, editor, and scriptwriter as someone who will be doing all of the "behind the scenes" work. I don't plan to appear on camera myself as the one who had the artistic vision and concepts to visualize on screen. However, it could be possible my "appearance" is through something like a text message sent to one of the characters in the opening sequence. Because of this, I will be the individual who is currently imagining these scenes, writing out a script, and scoping out suitable settings for filming. Those who I plan to recruit as the core characters in the opening film sequence are but not limited to: Elijah Molina, Emma Borders, Maris Willers, Sean Rumbaugh, Alexander Villalvazo Mendez, Maelee Scaglione and perhaps another few individuals as background extras. Or alternatively, the scene can be shot during dismissal time and utilize background ambience of passerby for a more active and alive environment. However, this may not be feasible due to our last class at the end of the day being AP Calculus, a course where we are in there until the bell rings and we may not always leave immediately to organize the room at the end of the day and get our things in order to leave, so any filming approximately 5 minutes after the bell rings may have some background extras as normal passerby students, but would not be much individuals as a whole which could also be workable. It could also be feasible to have teachers and administrators conversing in the background in the office to make the school seem more natural. I plan to use one of these friends as the main character. The role of this "main character" is they will discover a possible corruption scheme taking place on the school grounds. The exact details and specifics of this corruption are not first understood, but the few seconds of footage towards the end of the opening sequence where the main character is looking at some statements with a keen eye and makes a concerned face gives a sense of the mystery that is unfolding. The concept of bringing in friends who know each other is intended to replicate natural chemistry between the characters like they do in real life to make the scene feel relatable to viewers.