Timeline
- Jan - April 2020
Project Context
- Creating a student short film for a Media course at Simon Fraser University
- Tools Used : Adobe After Effects, Premiere Pro
My Role
- Video Editor
- Camera Man
- Boom Operator
THE IDEA
A Tough Heartbreak
Following an unexpected breakup, an unrequited lover falls victim to his delusion, a dream-like stance soon broke through his sense of clarity.
This student film's plot was initially inspired by The Joker (2019) Film, where the Joker himself is proven to be a liability to his story, and his accounts to events did not portray the way he described (which is what we saw on screen). As the film's third act struck, a huge revelation is presented to the audience and it showcases the events re-portrayed in truth, and the Joker seemingly couldn't be able to handle it.
THE JOURNEY
Sound, Camera, COVID
In this project, we collectively as a group made a few documents and storyboards to bring our visions of this film into reality. Documents such as shot lists, visual effects documentation, storyboard, mood board, and scripts were essential as it provided us with a foundation on how to film the scenes properly, try to see if there are any shots that were not achievable due limited equipment, or too fictitious. After that we were divided roles on the film set, and I was in charge of half of the camera shots, in addition to audio recording (boom mic) for all the scenes in this film.
As shooting started, we followed the shot list and tried our best efforts to match it as close as we could to the storyboard, however as expected, there were a few shots that needed re-filming / re-recording, additionally there were two more days of filming that was planned for the next week. But another issue occurred, COVID.
Due to a nationwide shutdown, our group was forced to cancel all shoots and re-shoots, and had to work with all the footage we got. And this was proven to be a great challenge as some shots were wobbly, camera angles were wrong, camera props were accidentally shown in the shot, etc. However, we tried with our best efforts, and it came down to our editing.
I was put in charge of Video (First & Third to Last Act) & Visual Editing (ALL). I created and used visual effects such as video image split with color contrast as a way to replicate hallucination effects, texts disappear as characters walk past, After Effects to stabilize shots that were wobbly, etc.
TAKEAWAYS
Conclusion + Reflection
Overall, Clarity has provided me a great chance to have a small glimpse into the Film Making Industry. From using film-standard equipment's and settings, to creating scripts, storyboards, and editing. It has proven to me that I am able to be a part of a team, collaborating with peers side by side to create a piece of film, especially when it involves visual effects and intense editing. As a second year SFU student facing a challenge with such dire circumstances, I am proud of the final product that I was able to put out at the end.
