Hey there Cambridge!
My biggest challenge was, once again, trying to get my actor to stop laughing. Seriously, we had to film the first shot ten or more times. My hand was also super shaky as I filmed the close ups. Standing still like a statue is not that easy.
Watch my whole process in the video below... enjoy!
I am so glad I finally finished filming. Now it is time to edit and make my foley sounds!
Yours Truly,
Macie 💗
Hey there Cambridge!
Guess what... I began filming! I actually started with the last half of my film, since it requires both actors and the first half only requires one, which made it easier to coordinate with the actors early on.
This weekend is supposed to be super busy with birthday parties and events filling up my whole day, while my actors had to go to work for most of their day this weekend. I was stressing over filming on time so I can stay on schedule and avoid filming during our busy weekend. I had no choice but to film on a school day. I was worried my actors won't be available after school, but they were and I am so thankful they were.
My camera quality is pretty bad, so I used Ethan's phone to film the actual the shots. His phone also has so much storage to use. Then, he airdropped the videos to my iPad so that I can move the videos to OneDrive and save for next week when I edit.
Check out the video below from filming day 1!
Reflection:
Filming Day 1 made me so much less stressed and worried over not being able to film this week. Now that we are halfway through, I was able to concentrate on this blog and the next filming day (Thursday). What really worked well was looking back at the shots after filming them, it helped me notice what was not working out with the shot and I am so glad I did that. Overall, filming went well. Despite the challenges, it all worked out nicely in the end.
Yours Truly,
Macie 💗
IT'S TIME TO FILM!!! After so much planning, I am finally commencing with the actual filming of my film opening. I did remember though that I first have to create my magazine prop. This is the only prop that I actually have to create. Other items, like the janitor's towel and phone are already prepared, of course.
There are multiple steps required for making this magazine, so I am organizing this post into each step.
1) Find a magazine
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| Original magazine cover |
I found this magazine laying around my mom's house and used it as the base for my magazine.
2) Taking pictures for the magazine
The image of the janitor I had to create on my own. I laid a white sheet in an open area and the participant wore white and laid asleep on the sheet. I used a blue led light to make it seem like the participant is in a lab or being freezed. Next, I used an app called Peachy to smooth out the wrinkles in the image. Check out my process in the video at step #4 and before/after of the edited images below.
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| Before (A) |
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| Before (A) |
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| Before (B) |
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| After (B) |
3) Creating magazine cover
For the cover, I came up with the name WonderWorld for the magazine name and the issue is of course March 2001 to adhere to the context of my film.
Below is the evolution of my magazine cover (from first creation to final cover), which I edited on Canva. At first, I pictured the cover would include an image of the life preservation participant (janitor) and the company owner (Jacob Grunt), but including the owner just looked incredibly weird... so I made a quick choice of removing it.
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| Final |
Here is a screen recording taken while I create the cover:
4) Creating the article
The article had to have a few specific words that I will do an extreme close up on in my film opening, like "freeze", "successful", "preservation", and "15 years". Writing it was simple though, I just talked about the life preservation company, the owner, and even added some dialogue I made up. You may read the article below:
Here is a screen recording taken while I write a portion of the article:
5) Pasting my printed cover and article pages onto a tangible magazine
Using my printer, I was able to print all three images. I used glue tape to attach these pages onto the magazine. Check out the video below to see me do it! (Glue tape is super helpful for those of you who like to scrapbook!! It makes it so much easier to glue images or other things onto a page.)
This whole process of creating the magazine prop took lots of time, but was still easy to create! My biggest challenge was definitely getting images of the life preservation participant (janitor) since I had to make a whole setup, take nice images, and upload the image to Canva. That part of this process required the most complication and energy. I like how my magazine and article turned out (I hope you got a chance to read it in the images above). Thankfully, I remembered to add a barcode to the cover and dialogue to the article, it made it much more realistic.
Yours Truly,
Macie 💗
Hey there Cambridge!
It is time to make a production company and design its logo! Of course, a big part of films is the production company that makes the film happen. Production companies are the ones that produce content, like films and other types of media. They have a plethora of roles, but some include creating scripts, casting, filming equipment, and editing. All of which I have been doing for the production of my two minute film opening. So, looks like I need to create a production company!
Well, that is my production company and logo! I believe it turned out really good. The tiger symbolizes strength and prestige, desirable for any company, and the fonts all together surrounding the tiger really make the image come together.
More Resources:
Citation:
Hey there Cambridge!
I finalized the set to be a warehouse. Earlier, I wrote that he is a janitor at a furniture franchise (back in the "Portfolio Project Idea Reveal!!!" post). The set will be the storage room of that furniture franchise.
Set for janitor cleaning:
So far, the most challenging part of my project was trying to find a location to film the janitor's cleaning scene. It was really difficult since I had to find a place to film someone cleaning... so, a bathroom? Where will I get a bathroom or any other public space to clean? I tried to check out a park bathroom, but it was honestly a pretty nice bathroom... too nice for the scene.
But right before I went to that park, it clicked to me. Why don't I make my garage the furniture storage room warehouse. There are so many advantages to this: the storage will make sense as to why there is a leftover magazine, it is easily accessible to me, and if I put random furniture in it, it will make the perfect furniture store storage room! So instead of cleaning a bathroom, he is cleaning a storage unit in his workplace.
The image below presents the garage space. If I move around the mess and bring in some furniture (like chairs and other big items) it can look like the storage room to the furniture franchise. The dimmed light in the garage will really set the scene to be lonely and quiet.
Set when at janitor's home:
Here are pictures of the janitor's home, my dad's house. It works as the perfect set! It is already messy, like someone actually lives there, and the interior design looks like it would belong to Brit Jones and his roommate with the mismatched furniture.
Yours Truly,
Macie 💗
Hey there Cambridge!
With filming time coming up next week, I need to plan what costume the janitor and roommate will wear. Costume design is super important in films. They depict the formality of a scene, reinforces who the character is or their career, and can even link or relate them to other characters.
Janitor's costume:
When cleaning during his shift, I have been debating as to whether he should wear an actual janitor outfit or a regular casual outfit. I first went to search for what a janitor wears, and I found a great article explaining it. It mentioned hard safety hats, coveralls, and a dust mask, which I think is not necessary for cleaning a bathroom. It did mention gloves and work shoes, which is a part of their outfit I forgot was important! This costume is significant in my film since the janitor is the main character and Brit Jones having that career is meant to reinforce the idea of his dull, boring life.
This navy blue outfit is perfect to depict cleaning (blue is associated with cleaning/sterilize), while its dull navy color avoids the outfit from popping so much and matches with the janitor's lifelessness. This will be paired with black work shoes, yellow gloves (from Amazon), and a small red towel. These colors were chosen purposefully. The black is commonly a work standard, the yellow will clash with the blue to create a sense of chaos in the outfit, and the red will hint towards a bit danger/confusion to happen later on.
Luckily, I already have a small-medium size red towel, and my actor has work shoes. We just need to buy the janitor costume and gloves.Roommate's costume:
For my outgoing roommate character, he simply just needs a casual outfit: a t-shirt and shorts.
This simple outfit portrays the roommate as a regular guy, making it the perfect costume.
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Schedule Update:
This is completely random to this costume blog, but I wanted to provide an update on schedule:
✅ Weeks 1-4 are done! Officially halfway through this project!
Week 5 (next week):
Citations:
Assoune, A. (2024, August 11). Exclusive look: What do Janitors wear. Panaprium. https://www.panaprium.com/blogs/i/what-janitors-wear
Wyefeu (2024, June 20). Navy Blue Jumpsuit for Men, Adult Coveralls Costume. Amazon. https://a.co/d/04fyUYpn
IUCGE (2022, April 9). Rubber Gloves Dishwashing 2 or 4 Pairs for Kitchen, Cleaning Gloves for Household Reusable. Amazon. https://a.co/d/0i3kmPwM
Yours Truly,
Macie 💗
Hey there Cambridge!
I need to find and create sounds to create a realistic soundscape. Having a realistic soundscape is important to depict a sense of thrill in my film opening. Whether it is through music or silence with small sounds, sound plays a major part in my thriller.
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| Bristle Brush, option to create broom sound. |
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| Screenshot of list of sounds from Epidemic Sound. |
The title will appear right after this, and once it does the music will suddenly stop.
The next scene is at the janitor's home, when he dials the life preservation company and his roommate comes. I, once again, want this to be a realistic setting, so probably no music and just dialogue and sounds that would be heard. To create a realistic soundscape, I first will focus on the obvious sounds and then get deeper. These easily recognizable sounds that would be heard would be like dialing a phone number and the automated voicemail sound, footsteps, taking a sip of water, the door opening and closing, and the sound of a couch when someone sits on it. This of course excludes dialogue which will be caught on camera while filming. Deeper in, there would also be sounds like, placing the phone down, the sound when someone gets up from a couch, ones of pouring water and placing down a glass, unlocking a door, doorknob turning, and the squeaky sound of door hinges. Those are the sounds that should be heard in this scenario. I think I will do foley for all of them and here is how:
Some of these sounds must be recorded using foley, like the footsteps, dialing a phone number, and placing down a phone. The footsteps more obviously needs to be recorded through foley, but I included the others in the previous sentence since it will be difficult to find a sound that clicks the digits at the same pace as my actor and I will need to find a specific sound of a phone being placed back with the same force that my actor uses.
Reflection: My favorite part of this blog was trying to find a thriller background audio. I think pairing "The Carrion" and "Warning Signal" will work well to achieve my intended effect. My worry is that I missed some sounds in the parts without music, but once I film and begin editing my film opening, I will check for sounds over again. I feel like creating a realistic soundscape is one of my favorite parts of the whole production process.
Citations:
Boar Bristle Hair Brush with Beechwood Handle - Parker Shaving. (2025, July 14). Parker Shaving. https://www.parkershaving.com/product/boar-bristle-hair-brush-with-beechwood-handle/
Epidemic Sound. (2025, November 12). Rachel Sandy - Impossible Theory | Epidemic Sound. https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/386e7d4b-7b08-4a2a-8e34-5a4c38253689/
Epidemic Sound. (2017, August 18). Alec Slayne - Confidential Reports | Epidemic sound. https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/7b7d7443-2310-3cf8-babf-b76480ea5546/ bn
Epidemic Sound. (2025a, March 10). Rachel Sandy - The Carrion | Epidemic Sound. https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/82744b00-d5db-4963-86ac-9ee59f636dd8/
Epidemic Sound. (2015, January 9). Max Anson - Warning Signal | Epidemic Sound. https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/bb18c6c8-651a-35c9-ab0c-c46b4c98a0ec/
Yours Truly,
Macie 💗
Hey there Cambridge!
It is time to get deeper into who Brit Jones (janitor) is!
Name: "Brit Jones" was the first name the popped in my head when naming the janitor. I was thinking, what would be the name of a typical janitor?, and that name just popped up. "Brit" is his nickname given to him by his mother. So, of course, that means Brit needs a legal first name. That leads me to consider the names Brighton, Brett, and Britton. The first one seems too fancy for a lonely janitor and the last sounds like "Britain", which is a common girls name. To correctly distinguish the janitor for who he is, Brett (Brit) Jones is his legal name.
Personality/Background: Brit Jones is around 35 years old. He looks like he is in his late 20s because his body was preserved. His favorite color is sage green, and he is a lonely person. He spends most time as a couch potato watching TV and spending late afternoons and evenings cleaning bathrooms and floors. Brit is an introvert. He does not even hang out with his roommate often and acts like they are not much considered friends, although they get along pretty well. He grew up as an only child with his mother who died when he was 17 years old. It is important to note that Brit Jones is missing a good portion of his memory after he undergone life preservation, which he does not even remember doing. His brainpower is also poor because of this.
To summarize Brit Jones, he is an introverted, lonely custodian living a dull life and is curious about his past.
Development: In the beginning of the film, he is someone who accepts his lonely life and the fact that he doesn't remember his past. Later on, he becomes super curious as to what his past was about takes the opportunity to find out.
Mood board:
Click here for a playlist I made to illustrate Brit's emotions and vibe.
Brit's roommate mostly appears in the beginning of the film, including in the film opening.
Name: "Lucas Castings" was the first name that popped in my head when I thought of naming the roommate.
Personality: He is quite extroverted and very friendly and loud.
Role: His presence is meant to juxtapose his excitement in life and energy to Brit's dull and loneliness. Making Brit seem super lonely and introverted. Lucas also reinforces the idea of Brit being fully alone again once he moves out. Ultimately, Lucas highlights Brit's character and personality.
Click here for a playlist I made to illustrate Brit's emotions and vibe.
Extra resource:
https://www.famousbirthdays.com/names/brett.html - famous people with first name Brett
Reflection:
Here is some background on Brit and Lucas, especially my main character Brit. Coming up with the story behind these characters honestly worked out easily and their personalities fit into the story so well. Lucas especially plays an important role when it comes to helping develop the main character.
Yours Truly,
Macie 💗
Hey there Cambridge!
Storyboard:
I created a storyboard for Focus on the Past! Storyboards are meant to organize shots to be filmed. They allow the filmmaker to figure out how the shots will work together so they can achieve the mood or purpose they wish to convey for a scene. In my storyboard, I included extreme close ups so the audience can focus on important details of the life preservation company and the janitor's emotion. I also noted the pace of the shots/cuts (to manipulate tension during a scene) as a reminder for when I am editing.
Script:
Below is the script for the second scene of my two-minute film opening. I never wrote one for the first scene since there is not any dialogue there. A script outlines who the characters are and their dialogue. They also include a brief sentence of actions and emotions the character is doing or speaking with. Click here to view the script in its respective document. Otherwise, an image of the script is provided below:
I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek of Focus on the Past!
Yours Truly,
Macie 💗
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| Roland Barthes |
