Film Journal #2- Production Has Begun

This week has been was very productive week and I think our group is on track on getting the film done on time. Our director and DP worked on the shot list and I worked on the schedule and figuring out when people can't be available when we need to shoot, and getting the prop list ready, locations. On Monday, both the director and DP finished the shot list and on Tuesday we got all of our props ready, so that we can start filming the next day. On Wednesday, my group and I started filming the beginning of our film that takes place at a Doughnut Shop. We all arrived on time and we started right away. while filming we faced a problem, since we were filming inside the shop and the walls were basically windows, the sun would appear and disappear causing lighting problems. Luckily we thought fast and we fixed the problem as best as we could. Today while the director and DP imported the shots into the computer, they realized that some shots wouldn't work for the film and that we didn't pay attention to how the props were placed in the frame. We have to re-shoot the scene tomorrow on Friday and pay more attention on what is going to be in the frame and to make sure that everything is placed correctly every time we shoot, and we are going to have to also pay attention to our lighting while we film. We've seen our mistakes and have learned from them.

Film Journal #1- Pre- Production

This week we have been put in groups and chosen a script to film, "The Necklace" by Ricki Herrera. So far we've written, edited, rewritten, and edited some more on our script. As producer I have to organize everything, like what props we need, the locations we're going to be filming at, the actors, equipment, and creating a schedule to keep the group on track. In the beginning I had everything organized, when we would start filming and what days and where we would be filming but since we've kept revising the script we noticed that we may start production later and before we could even start filming we need a shot list and a storyboard. So, after those items are completed I may revise the schedule for our group. Hopefully we can start filming in 3 or 4 days. So far, I believe that we are on track and know what we need and what we are going to do. 

Harry Potter Fans Prepare to be Amazed

Warner Bros. have announced that they will release a  "Harry Potter" spin-off with the author of the "Harry Potter" books, J.K Rowling. J.K Rowling, "felt uncomfortable with the idea of another writer signing on to the project when she was so familiar with the 'fictional universe.' 'I feel very protective of it, and I already knew a lot about Newt.'" Newt Scamander is said to be the protagonist of the film since he wrote a textbook named, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" that will be set in New York 70 years before Harry Potter. Most people are already looking forward to it but Warner Bros. haven't decided yet when to announce its release date. I found this interesting, since I am a Harry Potter fan, both of the books and films. I feel like this spin-off will have a 50/50 chance, it may either come out really good like the series or it may come out pretty bad causing all the hardcore Harry Potter fans to be upset. The Harry Potter films were good compared to other films that I've seen that were based on a novel, like The Percy Jackson series, but who knows the spin-off may become a hit. As a future filmmaker it lets me know that depending how successful and good a novel may be, it can become a film but that one must always consider how the fans/ consumers will react to the film. I wonder how long they have to be in production to produce a movie like this, with so much information and effects and how do they do it to make it into a 2-hour film?

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-jk-rowling-warner-brothers-harry-potter-20130912,0,372554.story

Gianni Amelio- Last Italian Director to Win Venice's Golden Lion in 15 Years

Gianni Amelio, the last Italian director to win Venice's Golden Lion in fifteen years for his film, "Cosi Ridevano ( The Way We Laughed)", in 1998. He returned this year with his new film, L'Intrepido (Intrepido- A Lonely Hero), a film that addresses Italy's unemployment matters with a sense of humor. Amelio stated that the reason he was drawn into making a film about Italy's problems was because he was drawn into speaking about the problem but he added humor so that the film wouldn't be so depressing. It reminded him of two other films that did the same thing, Miracolo in Milano (Miracle in Milan) and Ladri di Biciclette (The Bicycle Thief). He also talked about his actors, about mixing experience actors with amateur actors together and found it to be "an interesting alchemy". After being told that Marco Bellocchio thought that Venice didn't treat Italian directors well, he said, "Maybe Bellocchio was onto something. Maybe. But it’s hard for everyone. There are -- how many? -- 20 films in competition and one gets the Golden Lion. Anyway, I like to think cinema is without borders and that films are Italian films or French films or whatever. They’re just films." Gianni Amelio also said that it is not all about winning the prizes at the festivals, that a film was a form of art and, "it’s wrong to look at it like a horse race."
The thing that caught my interest about the article was that Gianni Amelio knew what he was talking about and like to experiment, for example with his actors, combining the experienced and newcomers to work together and in the end it all worked out for him. As a student and future filmmaker it showed me how some directors think and why they do the things they do and how it is in film festivals.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/intrepido-director-gianni-amelio-mixing-622449