Filming: Filming at Joaquina's (take 2)

You're back for part 2 of filming at Joaquina's house. It's nice to see you again. So, the next thing we did during filming was film Cassidy on the phone with Jade asking her if she wants to come over. Gleda went to Joaquina's parent's room to look like she was at her own house during this scene. Joaquina was on the phone in another room but we did not film Joaquina, we just recorded Gleda. We also filmed another phone scene of Cassidy on the phone with Aiden. For this scene, we recorded line by line to make it easier for editing. We then filmed a scene of Cassidy and Paige on the phone and we did the same set up for this scene as we did for the one of Cassidy and Jade on the phone. Joaquina was filmed while I was on call on speaker so you could hear what I was saying. The last scene we filmed was the most eventful one and the most necessary one. This is the scene I was most excited for because 1.) it was very suspenseful and 2.) it meant we were done filming. Joaquina and Gleda are very close friends but this scene was a little awkward for them to film. In this scene, the girls were supposed to kiss, and then the film would cut off right before their lips touched. We filmed the girls talking from a few different angles before the big kiss was about to happen. To actually get the scene of them kissing, it took about 10-15 minutes. This was a really fun scene to film though because we were laughing and enjoying ourselves the whole time. We were now finally done with filming, for now. We hung out for a little before going home. We all agreed that filming was super fun. We can't wait for editing to start and to see our film come to life. Here is a picture of us filming at the diner! Talk to you when editing starts, BYE! 

Filming: Filming at Joaquina's House

Day 2 of filming is finally here! We were very motivated to finish filming today because then we would be done with filming, before reshoots (if they were necessary). We went to Joaquina's house at around 5:00 and just hung out for a little bit. We all went to Joaquina's house, even Ben and Aitan who weren't in any scenes, because we needed extra hands for filming and we all like hanging out together as friends. We decided what we would film first and made sure that everywhere we planned to film was tidy. We filmed the scene of Jade, Paige, and Cassidy laying on the bed first. Everyone was just laying around and Jade asked if she could do the girl's makeup. Ben filmed this scene while Aitan made sure everyone looked good and was shown. The boys worked together really well the entire time to make sure everyone that was being filmed was shown and the angles were nice. We filmed this a few times to get different angles of the girls laying down and different angles of Jade and Cassidy walking out of the room and towards the bathroom. The next scenes we filmed were all in the bathroom of Cassidy (Joaquina) and Jade (Gleda). Joaquina's bathroom has a huge mirror so we had to film where you couldn't see the camera but could still see both girls. It was important that we showed the girls maintaining eye contact because it was a big part of us showing that the girls were falling for one another. Ben and I did the filming for this scene because I was not in the scene and Aitan isn't really a part of the project besides acting. For this scene, we had to film Gleda looking like she's putting on Joaquina's eyeliner, and then she "messes up." Joaquina, then, re-did the eyeliner better because she actually knows how to do eyeliner, and then we filmed the rest of the scene. These scenes were my favorite to film because they show Cassidy and Jade getting closer and showing interest in one another. The next thing we filmed was my character, Paige, calling Cassidy and Jade back to watch a movie. Since the next part of the scene was all of the girls, Ben and Aitan filmed these scenes. We showed all of the girls being in the bed ready to watch a movie and Jade lays her head on Cassidy. Cassidy had a surprised look on her face when Jade did this to show that although it was unexpected, she still liked it. We aren't done with filming at Joaquina's house just yet. Look at the next blog to see how the rest of filming went. 

Filming: Outside the diner and at Aitan's house

You're back for the next one, wow. The filming of my film must be really interesting to you, but anyways, welcome back. So the last thing we heard was my group finished filming inside the diner, but we still had to film outside the diner. This didn't take too long. We had Joaquina, Ben, and Aitan walk outside the diner. The main point of this was to show that Cassidy was uninterested in Aiden and kind of disregarded his goodbye and when he said "I love you." Ben's character, Brian, was walking with them because Aiden was taking him home. We then filmed Jade and Paige walking out behind them just to show that Cassidy exited the shot the same way Jade and Paige did, showing the girls were leaving together. We had to film Brian and Aiden filming in the car. This scene was a longer one, but we were able to make it where the boys were reading the script but it wasn't shown. I liked this scene a lot because it's nice to see boys talking about something serious and bonding. This showed the closeness of Aiden and Brian's relationship, which you don't see anywhere else in the film. After this scene was done, Aitan drove us all to his house to film the scene of Aiden on the phone with Cassidy and the scene of Cassidy and Aiden in the room. We all wore masks inside Aitan's house since there were so many of us and we did not want to risk putting his family in danger. We filmed the scene first of Cassidy and Aiden talking in his room, showing their distance. This scene is a defining point in the film because it is evident that Cassidy is no longer into Aiden. We then filmed the scenes of Aiden on the phone. Ben, who will do a lot of the editing, told us to stop filming after each line because it would be easier to edit. We shot each line and we were finally done at Aitan's house. We are now officially done with our first day of filming. Today was definitely a success and we got a lot done. Stay tuned to see how our next filming day goes. 

Filming: More filming at the diner

You're back! Welcome to part 2 of filming at the diner. So now that we're ready to film and we filmed the scene of Gleda walking through the door, it was time to film another scene. We decided to film the scene of all 5 of us because that would be the most difficult to film. Ben and I had to pull another table close to the booth and use something to stand it up. While everyone was sitting, we had to look into the camera and see if it was focused and centered. It was so we started to film that scene. We had to film a few times because of multiple interruptions. While we were filming, a waitress came right in front of the camera, people walked past the camera, and, of course, we messed up our lines. It was annoying to have these interruptions but we got through it and the scene turned out great. We filmed it twice just to make sure we had two in case we didn't like one of them. We then filmed the scene where Jade walks up to the group's booth. With this scene, we had to figure out the perfect angle and who had a steady hand to film it. Ben filmed it while Joaquina told Gleda exactly where to walk so the scene looked best. The next scene was a longer one so before filming we went over the scene a few times to make sure we all got our lines down. This scene had angles of all 5 of us and angles directed toward specific people while they talked. We filmed the scene a few times to get all the angles down and so it looked the most natural. We were all done filming in the diner finally! Before leaving to go outside and film outside the diner, we had to clean up and pay for the food we got. The diner also told us to take pictures of their establishment that they could use for their website so we did that before going outside. Now I know this seems like a lot of filming, but the day still isn't over. Tune in to the next blog to hear about filming outside the diner and filming at Aitan's house. 

Filming: Setting up at the diner and Arriving

Hi guys! It's finally time to start filming. We had a lot to film, but luckily for us, it didn't take too long. The first thing I want to talk about is who filmed with my group. Our cast consisted of 5 people but we only had 3 people in our filming group. Our friends, Gleda and Aitan, helped us film. Gleda was Jade, the love interest and Aitan was Cassidy's boyfriend, Aiden. We used Gleda and Aitan to help us film because we know they'd be good actors and we are all good friends so the chemistry is already there. They also live close and were willing to help us film. Before we got to filming, I had to figure out how to dress like my character. I also had to print out the script and the storyboard so we could use it while filming. Aitan, having a car, drove Joaquina, Gleda, and I. Ben's dad drove him since he lives farther than all of us. When we all got there, we went inside and spoke to the manager. I spoke to the manager to remind him that we had spoken before and ask where he would like for us to be, to not be in the way of others. He told us wherever we wanted since it wasn't too busy and we chose a secluded booth. We chose this booth because it was secluded, wouldn't be too loud, and it had a table across from it we could use to film the scenes with all 5 of us. When we got to the booth, the first thing we had to figure out was how we were sitting so it made sense with the scene. As a group, Joaquina, Ben, and I chose which scene to film first. We actually did not film the first scene first because one of the scenes was in the middle of the diner and we wanted to get that over with. We did not want to be a distraction to others eating and we wanted to film it before we got too crowded. If you want to find out about the rest of filming, you'll have to read the next blog. See you at my next blog!

Planning: Choosing and getting approval for music

We have a spot to film so now it’s time to pick music. My group and I, of course, wanted to make this step to be done by all of us. The way we decided to do this was for all of us to choose a few songs first. We all chose 3 songs and then put them into a playlist. My group and I listened to all 9 songs and chose individually which 4 songs we thought fit the best for our film. For me, the process of picking out the 3 songs was very fun. I loved looking through my playlist and listening to songs that I loved. The songs I chose were: Night Shift by Lucy David, Candy Paint by Post Malone, and Lights Up by Harry Styles. I picked these songs because I thought they perfectly fit our film and had a specific place where I thought they’d sound nice. When it was time to listen to all the songs Ben and Joaquina chose, I was so excited. I couldn’t wait to just sit and listen to music. After listening to the songs, it was evident which ones would fit best. We used 2 songs Joaquina suggested, 1 I suggested, and 1 Ben suggested. My group and I were really glad that the “finalists” for the songs were all chosen by someone different. I think this allowed for creativity from all of our parts, rather than just one person shining through. The next thing we had to do was ask for approval. We emailed all the managers of the artists who wrote the songs. I emailed the artist of the song that we chose that I suggested, Joaquina did the same, and so did Ben. We still haven’t gotten anything back. Hopefully, we will get something back because if not we will have to chose new music. If we have to do so, the first thing we will do is look at the other songs we chose and then look into new songs, if we don’t like those. I’m so excited to be diving into this film even more every day. See you later with even more updates on our film! 

Planning: Getting approval to film at Moonlite Diner

Right from when we picked what we wanted our film to be about, we knew we wanted to film at Moonlite Diner. This diner is retro and cool-looking on the inside and exactly the "vibe" we want our film to be. This diner is close to all of us in proximity. This diner is also one of the only diners we know around us. We obviously knew that we couldn't just walk into the diner and film, we needed approval. The first thing we did was have Ben call and ask if we could film. He was told, by an employee that in order to film/ask questions about anything, we would have to go to the diner's website and fill out a form with our questions. Joaquina composed the email (the form) and sent it to the diner. We didn't get an answer for a week, so we decided to try again, but still with no luck. My group and I decided it would just be best for me to go to the diner and ask for the manager. After asking the manager, he told me he would ask the owner and then he'd call me back. He assumed it would be fine, as long as we didn't film on the weekend (their busiest days). I didn't get an answer for a few days so I called again and asked for the manager, he told me that the owner approved but still wanted to talk to me on the phone. He called me and we discussed my group's plans and when we were considering filming. He asked about our film and I told him it was about an LGBTQ+ experience and he loved it. He even told me that he usually charges people if they want to film, but he would let us film for free. The owner's only requirement was that we didn't film on a weekend and that we took photos of the diner for him to use for the website. My group and I of course said yes. The whole Moonlite Diner staff was so sweet and my group and I are already excited to work with them. Now that we officially are filming at Moonlite, we can't wait to start filming and create a wonderful film.