Manipulating Makeup

   Due to the Corona Virus and the continuation of social distancing, I was unable to get one of my friends to be my actress. I had hoped social distancing would not for this long, but unfortunately it has so I am going to be the actress and ask my brother and mom to help me film if possible or stack a bunch of stuff lying around my room to get the right height and film like that.

   Since the ideal age range for the main actress is mid twenties and I am only seventeen, I have been looking up how to use makeup to manipulate how old I look. Although I have heard that I look old for my age, I still need to age a bit more.

   I know Wikipedia is not the best idea to use for research but Wikihow was one of the more helpful sites I came upon on how to manipulate makeup. Although I could follow a tutorial, each persons facial features vary so the general idea of what I need to do was better to understand then trying to follow a video.

   Overall, I found that I need to 110% need to figure out how to properly use contour because that will create more defined features such as the cheekbones and nose. After that, I need to go over it with bronzer to ensure it is blended and pops out. To even it out, I also need to apply highlighter right above the cheek bone. It is advised to use translucent powder but I don't have that and cannot currently get some because my mom doesn't want me leaving the house. I will also need to apply eye shadow and avoid bright colors so I will use more neutral tones. I will also attempt a slight wing eye liner because all the sites I went to expressed that it helps make the eyes look bigger. I already use concealer, color corrector and foundation which will not be a problem.

   I will be filming either tomorrow or next week and will be trying the makeup look the same day to ensure I don't waste makeup. I also usually get it on the first try and then can't redo the look another time so I plan on doing it the same day as I film.

Neecey. (2019, August 8). 15 Makeup Tips to Look Older. All Women Stalk. Retrieved from https://allwomenstalk.com/make-up-tips-to-look-older/

Savy. [It'sYourGirlSavy]. (2018, December 2). How to Make Yourself Look Older Using Makeup [YouTube]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9I_mq5nPPrs

Vann, D. (2020, January 7). How to use Makeup to Look Older. Wikihow. Retrieved from https://www.wikihow.com/Use-Makeup-to-Look-Older

Bulletin Board Props

   I have been stalling on the bulletin board mainly because I was worried I didn't have enough to cover the board and it would not turn out well. I finally sat down and started working on what I could and once I did, the rest seemed to fall into place.
   I started with the composition of the newspaper articles. I used multiple websites to make the template because I wanted them to be different and did not like how some turned out; I even made an account with Flipsnack because their templates were the most realistic and easy to navigate. The newspapers were part of the case Agent Jackson went undercover: the murders the gangs were a apart of. There is an article from South Carolina, Florida and Georgia. I searched up newspapers from each area to place as the header: Florida was Miami Herald and Sun Sentinel, South Carolina was The Sun News and Georgia was The Augusta Chronicles.

   After I tackled the newspapers, I needed to fill more space so I made evidence bags. I recreated  one from what I had seen when I searched up "evidence bag templates."

   I also needed to create the evidence to reside in the evidence bags so I needed a font for the notes. I found a royalty free website FontSpace.

   After I printed, cut and assembled my props, I rearranged them a few times on the bulletin board to figure out which way I wanted it. With the photos, map, evidence bags, newspaper and post-it notes. This is how it turned out and how I plan to have it set up for when I film. I haven't filled out the post-it notes yet but I will be doing that before filming.

Map Of USA. (n.d.). Map of USA. Geographic Guide. Retrieved from https://www.geographicguide.com/america-maps/usa.htm

https://www.flipsnack.com/page-flip-software/editor/fuilva2sk

Online Newspaper Designer. (n.d.). Online Newspaper Designer. Retrieved from https://www.makemynewspaper.com/designer/app/open/template/11

Hirche, C. (n.d.). Newspaper Clipping Generator. Fodey. Retrieved from https://www.fodey.com/generators/newspaper/snippet.asp

Harris, J. S. (August 24, 2019). Something Strange Font. FontSpace. Retrieved from https://www.fontspace.com/something-strange-font-f17510

Upcoming Plans

   This upcoming week, my main focus is the preparation of the second part of the film opening. I need to possibly change my plans with the female actress because of the Corona Virus current situation and social distancing. I also will be preparing the bulletin board this week. I already have some photos and the string. I need to find more photos. I was trying to find newspaper articles to help which I haven't been able to find. I will also be adding post-it notes and doing more research on the board. The connection part will not be so difficult, it is just finding all the elements.
   I am looking at the board as a giant brainstorming map or a bubble map. It allows ideas to flow but in this case, it allows the connection of different elements. The set up won't be the hard part, it is just getting all the elements done, which is my plan for the upcoming week.

Edited v. Unedited

   As I mentioned previously, I had to edit the clips individually multiple times. Although I had light that was emitting green, it was not as prominent as I wanted it to be. I also wanted it to be more contrasted which I was able to successfully do during the editing process. Although I was unable to test the blue lighting during filming, I was able to edit it in which I found was not the tone I was going for and was more sad than ominous. These are the edited v. unedited clips

 

Dun Dun Dun

   Music.

   Music has a way of creating a tone and connection all on its own without visuals. But with visuals, the music can be more influential of the tone. Therefore, the music is important to dictate because if you have a tense situation, you definitely should not be having sad music in the background.

   I have been looking for music or quiet some time now and realized I will not know what I am fully looking for until I actually have the visuals done. Although I was imagining everything in my head as I was listening to the music, nothing seemed right. Since I started editing and have the first half done, I started looking at the music again. I had initially written down some beats I had liked which turned out to not work once I put it with the visuals. 

   Once I had gone through every single song on the Royalty Free website- Purple Plant under creepy, I realized that I was looking under the wrong area. So next, I went through "Tense." Most of them were in fact tense but many were not fitting the vibe I am going for. I was listening to each one while playing my edits on another tab to see if it worked. I finally came upon "Cat & Mouse," which I had written off as a no when I initially wen through the music. After listening to it simultaneously with the videos, it worked for the vibe I wanted. Just to be sure though, I continued looking through other songs but nothing after that seemed to work. 

   I still need to film the second half of the film opening which hopefully still works with the music but we shall see. 

Cat & Mouse. (2020). Cat & Mouse. Purple Planet Music. Retrieved from https://www.purple-planet.com/tense

Adapt. React. Readapt. Apt. - Michael G. Scott

   Adapt. React. Readapt. Apt. - Michael G. Scott. I personally LOVE The Office and since they have many quotes that can relateable, this one fit perfectly for what I had recently endured. These little GIFs give off a visual representation of my reactions during this situation.

  Let's start with the basics. I am a huge perfectionist and it bothers me when the slightest thing is off which is why I took so many shots. I was going through ALL the clips I filmed on Sunday and oh my it took forever.

  I went through and edited EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. To ensure the green would be more prominent and the contrast was higher. I planned to go through each one to see which best fit the vision I was looking for later. Of course, this was all for nothing. I sent all the clips to We-video (edited) and they only showed up unedited. I thought it was a glitch so I deleted all of them and re-uploaded them. Unfortunately, that did not work which was/is frustrating. So, I was right about editing being the most difficult factor. But thank goodness the program allows me to edit them.

   While undergoing this mess, I also realized that some of my videos are way to shaky for my liking. Due to the Corona virus and the social distancing situation, I am unsure if I will be able to return back to my mom's office to re-film. They can suffice but again, I am a perfectionist and that is not the ideal. I will have to re-adapt.

   I still have the second part to film which I need a slightly older actress which I need to figure out because again the Corona virus fiasco has been a pain to deal with. But I will manage and figure something out. Hopefully sooner than later.

Filming: Day 1

   I spent the day filming, a whole seven hours at my mom's office. I got there around 12:00 p.m. and left around 7:00 p.m. I had forgotten a tarp to cover the window blinds to reduce lighting so it took a while for my mom to drop that off and help me set it up. I had to rearrange the room for an effective set up. Although it looks quiet crammed, I did not want to destroy her office set up so tried to work around it.

   Since it is her office, I did not have to bring any office supplies to set up the desk to look like an office desk. I did not anticipate the lighting to be as struggle some as it was. I wanted to add color so I used a green t-shirt. I was going to test blue but the shirt color did not emit the color throughout the room.

   I only really had Sunday to film in her office because my mom works Monday through Saturdays which can be hectic. Therefore, I took an arrangement of shots just in case. Because the green is not strong as I want to it to be, I will have to edit it to be stronger.

   Although the set up looks hectic, it was effective and surprisingly easy to maneuver through.

   Another difficulty I faced was the fact that I had to use my phone as the camera. I do not have a proper camera I could use to film with. I also did not have a tripod or anything to stabilize my phone. I could not borrow or buy one because of the Corona Virus panic so some of the shots are a bit shaky.