AICE Media Studies

   As we near the end of the editing phase of this project, there are a few things about the film I'd like to discuss. There were a lot of parts I would have wanted to add to the film, but unfortunately could not. One of these things is names to the characters. The original script had the names of the characters be revealed. After some consideration, my team decided against this. These two characters could be from different units and not know each other personally. Also, in the limited time they had spent together, they probably would not think to ask the other his name before the U.S. Army arrived. That is why the dialogue in the script was so heavily altered. It would have been nice to have that extra detail, but there just wasn't enough running time to fit it in. The next thing is the punching part. This was the closest act to being in the film out of all the other ones that were cut. The script had the sharpshooter hit the spotter to get him to snap out of it. We felt that...

   By now, things are moving along smoothly with our editing process. However, there are still things that should be added. Those being the audio and visual effects. The most important audio in this film in my opinion is the ambient noise. It contributes greatly to the atmosphere of the film. Since it takes place in a battle, there should absolutely be distant explosions and stuff in the background. In the topic of sound effects, we also need firing sounds towards the end of the short film before the helmet wearing guy gets captured. To pair with the audio, some lighting effects are needed. For instance, when weapons are fired, there is muzzle flash. This can come either in the form of sparks or a flash of light. The light flash would likely be easier to implement into the short film. However, I am unsure whether CapCut has an option to edit lighting. There is no blood effects on there for sure, so we cannot put any of that in the film. Besides this, all the visual effects tha...

  Editing has officially started, and things are not necessarily going to way I expected. Upon speaking with our editor, I found out several things. These were really important to the project and could potentially change the outcome of the final product. The software of choice is confirmed to be CapCut. There are many more features on there than I would have expected. The app is free, so one would think it would be relatively low quality. The time is really good to come up with the design for the introduction. We discussed that there was a lot of potential in the first minute or so of the short film where nothing too important is happening. Text that slides in at the beginning would fit in really well with the running. Also, we found the part where the main title is going to be put. The design for this will be huge text with the word 'Campaign' in the middle of the screen. Prior to writing this, I wanted to use a better editing software. One that was considered more professiona...

   As a group, we have come to a consensus that the footage we have obtained from the day of filming is sufficient enough. With added transitions to the different shots, we could afford to cut a lot of parts we feel are not necessary. The editing process begins today, as the team member who was not able to make it for filming has been assigned the role of editor. He has been learning how to edit and use different software. Personally, I feel I cannot necessarily recommend any usage of an editing software. Our editor in the last project I worked on did not effectively use the editing software. By the time I stepped in, we did not have enough time to use the tools the editing app offered to the fullest extent. Despite having all the camera angles we wanted, the finished product looked rushed. The same thing will not happen due to us getting the filming done relatively quickly. The time we have to edit will make up for anything we missed during the day of filming. This will make ...

  Immediately, we found that we were down 2 actors and had to improvise. The result was many lines had to be changed from the script, and the storyline had to be switched up at parts due to a lack of people. On set, we couldn’t properly organize what jobs everyone had because we were missing one of our group members. There were also no more specific roles given to the soldiers. Instead of a Sniper and Spotter, it became two Riflemen. Gear became somewhat of an headache, as we could not substitute for a lack of binoculars and grenades. Despite there being several scenes I wanted to include in the film, we did not have enough of time both in fitting them into the footage and in real life. Those being the thousand yard stare and the binoculars scenes. It was getting a bit too late to continue being on set. Our camera operator was Sophia, and she kept that role for the duration of the film. Obviously, she would not be able to act as any of the characters in this short film as it would ...

   Today is the final day to prepare for filming. There is a lot of stuff to get in order before the big day. Props I have to bring to the event are minimal, but I will still have to meet up with the costume provider before I travel to the set. Just a helmet and a couple cans of chocolate rations, not too bad. When everyone who plans to be on set is ready, I myself will pack everything I need and go to where the costume supplier is. This is to give the props I have to him so that everything will be in one place. We will travel together to the set. When everyone is assembled, we will begin production. An another note, something that I neglected for a while came up recently. That being the question of what the title of our film should be. The title of this film became a topic of discussion recently when it was brought up by one of the group members, and it got me thinking. The name should be relatively simple, as there are not many words to describe what goes on in the film itse...

  In my previous blogs, I mentioned that the location of the film would be a little odd. The reason being it is in close proximity to the Evergreen cemetery. This area would be considered sacred ground, and I'd try my best to avoid it. The reason this place was chosen was that there are very little people who visit. The area chosen for the filming itself it located on a dirt road outside the gates of the cemetery. Personally, I have never been able to see the location myself yet. This might be an issue, as the place could have been modified extremely in the time between the photos were taken and now. It has enough foliage to cover enough of the distant background. This is good for filming to keep the setting as accurate to the script and storyboard. Hopefully, it replicates Sicily good enough as well. Google Earth was the tool I used to inspect the set of the film prior to the day of filming. It gives a very good top-down view of the entire surrounding area. The tool also allows yo...

   Considering how much stuff most people would consider 'extra' in my original plans for this film, many things had to change. Originally, I wanted to make my movie with many people. The filming location was to be at the Gold Coast Railroad Museum in Miami, which was very far from where everyone in my group lives. Myself included, of course. Ambitions for everything to work out perfectly may have been a tad bit too high. The reenactment group I planned to film with cancelled going to the event, which ruined pretty much everything. There would be no M3 scout car, so we could no longer demonstrate mechanized warfare in the short film. The location itself had to change as well, because now there was no point in going all the way down to Miami. The location was moved to somewhere more convenient for everybody. It is in close proximity to a cemetery, but this is not as big as an issue compared to the other things. It is known that there is not many people that hang out around the ...

  Despite our rather large collection of props and costumes for the making of the film, there is something we lack. That being film equipment. Our objective is to make the best short film possible, so we need to have a halfway decent quality camera. One thing I noticed when we edited the last project, there was a significant drop in quality of the footage afterwards. The reason for this I am unsure of, but if we have a really good quality base, things could be different this time. I am genuinely hoping that the end product will be very clear and pleasing to the eye. None of us in our group have one of those big fancy video cameras with tripods, so that is out of the question. What we do have is the iPhone 16, however. According to apple, the new iPhone 16 has an ultra-wide camera mode. This means you can fit more into your shot than prior models. The phone also is said to automatically adjust to low-light settings. The best time to record this film will likely be afternoon to dusk....

   It is that time again. Time to scrape up an entirely new project out of pretty much nothing. So, the plan is to assemble everyone and pick a date that works for everyone involved in the making of this short film. The issue is people have lives. The result is that filming will have to be delayed for quite some time. It is unfortunate, as nearly everything as far as the props go have been put together. Extras for the film are willing to help too. Of course, as any level minded individual would want, they want a set date and location for the filming. We cannot provide such information at this time. The closest thing to that we can give them is an estimated time, or a window of time that we hope they would be free on. Personally, I know these people relatively well, so I could probably buy us a round of root beer floats after we pack up. Normal people likely would have quit on us by now. It is funny to think about the circumstances me and my team would face without them. The lo...