On Location!

Alright, after communicating to Luis he confirmed that he could film with me tomorrow! That was news to my ears. So now I have my actors, my cinematographer, my camera, and my script, but not my location.

Because I'm not filming afterschool anymore, shooting in school is not an option.

Fortunately, my mom works for the YMCA, so she gave me the name of someone I could reach out to and see if they have an available office I could use for filming.

One phone call later, I received three photographs of empty workspaces I could use:







My first impression from these images was definitely more of a professional office than a high school classroom.  The first two images definitely would not be practical for a classroom desk because they have the backboard attached to the actual table, making it difficult to manipulate.  However, the conference room can be manipulated because the table is not attached to a backboard or headboard.  Additionally, there are chairs that I can use in the scene.

After I shoot tomorrow, I'll talk about my experience.

                                           - Jake



TODAY'S HERO: THE WASP

This was a follow-up post to the one I made earlier today, so by that logic, the superhero of the day is still The Wasp.  Here is a photo of The Wasp(s) for your time.

The Good News, and The Bad News.

I always like to hear the good news first so...

I finished my script! Here is a link to my google document to read it:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ExlxGpaoIqO8qVoiyzTmVqH2a6uH9C1ZRBuUJRneaJs/edit?usp=sharing

I also read through the piece with 2:10 as my max time and IT WORKED PERFECTLY! In addition, I printed 2 copies of the script, one for me, one for Ivan's character, and one for Mr. Carmichael's character.

One of the story pieces that did not carry from my initial storyboard was Ivan's superpower of telekinesis.  I really wanted to prioritize the conversation about helping people and setting up that there are some people that are simply unreceptive of kindness.  There wasn't enough room for the section of him demonstrating his power, so I cut it.  Instead, I thought to make the "superpower" element the power of kindness would fit the conversationalist nature of the story better than the ridiculous power of moving objects with your mind.  However, I can still poke at superhero film conventions throughout the film such as the love interest, set up for the villain, and a montage where the lead character practices with his powers.

My plan is now to film today after school and after school on Thursday so that I can use one of my teacher's classrooms as my set. I sent her an email and in it, I asked her if I could borrow her room:



The background is black because I have a dark mode on my mac, but otherwise, I hope that this statement is convincing enough to let me use the space.


Unfortunately, here comes my problem.

I foresaw that my Dad would play the character because it would be "convenient" for me, but he can't film today after school, only tomorrow and not until after 4 PM.  My actor for Ivan can't film at that time, so I texted multiple people and haven't gotten a response quite yet.

However, if I can't acquire a new actor for Ivan, I have a failsafe. I'm an actor so I could always jump in and play that role.

For filming, I called my close friend who is very comfortable with a camera and I asked if it was possible for him to film for me and he said that he was (thank goodness).  I think that this might simply be the best option for me because I know the pacing of my lines so it would be easier for me to fit the time limit.  I also would have chemistry with the teacher character because it is my dad, and we are very sarcastic with each other, just like some of the interactions between Mark and Mr. Carmichael.

I would be credited as Director, Actor, Writer, and Editor, my dad would be credited as one of the Actors, and I would have a credit for Luis, who is hopefully going to be my cinematographer.


Phew. I'm glad that problem's solved. Now I just have to film this.

                                       - Jake


TODAY'S HERO: THE WASP (Janet Van Dyne)



Backstory:
She is the wife of Hank Pym, the creator of the miraculous "Pym Particle" that can alter the size of objects by reducing the space between atoms. She accompanies him on missions in a suit similar to the Ant-Man's, called The Wasp.

Powers: 
The Wasp has the same powers as Ant-Man (shrinking and growing herself and other objects).  However, The Wasp also has the power of flight, which gives her a large tactical advantage in combat.

Other:
The mantle of the Wasp (in the films) has been held by two people. Janet Van Dyne was the original "Wasp", but her daughter, Hope Van Dyne, also wears the outfit and fights alongside the Ant-Man.

First Appearance:
- Tales to Astonish #44 (1963)

Film Appearances:
 - Janet Van Dyne and Hope Van Dyne have each appeared in two films, Ant-Man (2015) as well as Ant-Man and The Wasp (2018) (Janet played by Hayley Lovitt and Michelle Pfeiffer) (Hope played by Evangeline Lily)

The Boy.

No, not that boy.

I should really stop calling him "the boy". It's too impersonal and I think that I'll be able to establish more of who he is when he has a name.

I think the name will be decided based on who I cast. Both of my actors are 17 and are friends of mine.  I don't think it matters (in the grand scheme of things) who gets cast, but I definitely think that Charlie or Eugenio would fit the role best. If Eugenio is cast, then I want to name the character Ivan.  I wanted to name him this because he was a really good family friend of mine who had passed away a year ago.  I would want to remember him by naming one of my characters after him.
     If Charlie is cast, then I would name the character Mark.  Mark is my uncle's name (on my mom's side) and he has always been someone I looked up to because he does work that he loves to do.  Although I don't necessarily want to pursue the same occupation as he does, I think his love for photography and his motivation to keep doing what he loves doing is really inspiring for people, regardless of the career they are in.


I'm going to forward Charlie and Eugenio a synopsis of my story (that I established in my last posting) and a summary of what the scene would entail.  I'll come back to report their responses.

-----------------

It seems like Ivan is going to be the character.  Charlie had texted me back first, letting me know that he was busy due to the end of the quarter at school.  Fortunately, Eugenio texted me back saying he really liked the story and that he would be interested in playing the role!

Now that I have my actors I have to find some time to film before spring break because I will be in Nashville then.  Hopefully, on Monday and Tuesday after school, I can use one of my teacher's classrooms to film. This would allow me to edit over the course of spring break, and hopefully (if needed) have reshoots the week after.


I'm going to work on my script and set up a more defined schedule for shooting. I'll make sure to site those in the same posting so that I have my schedule posted before my filming days.

                                   - Jake


TODAY'S HERO: ANT-MAN (Scott Lang)


Backstory:
Scott Lang is the second person to take the mantle of "The Ant-Man".  After stealing the retired Ant-Man suit from Stark Laboratories, the original owner of the Ant-Man suit, Hank Pym, allows Lang to keep the suit and take on the mantle of Ant-Man.

Powers:
Hank Pym, the original owner of the Ant-Man suit, developed a substance called Pym Particle. This allows people to shrink and grow in size (from nearly subatomic sizes to about 100 feet). Pym integrated this technology into his super suit. The suit also allows for the sizes of other objects to be manipulated.

Other:
- Has a daughter named Cassie who becomes the hero "Stature"
- Teams up with "The Wasp" who is his wife that shares the same powers as Ant-Man, but she can also fly

First Appearance:
- Lang first appeared in The Avengers #181 (1979)

Movies:
- Ant-Man first appeared in live action played by Paul Rudd in Ant-Man (2015)
- Reappeared in Captain America: Civil War (2016)
- After this event, Lang appeared in Ant-Man and The Wasp (2018)
- Will re-appear in Avengers: Engame (2019)

Random Acts of Insight

I just had the greatest burst of insight, ever.
I thought that there could be a motif throughout the film that is a common interest between Mr. Carmichael and the Boy. There didn't really seem to be a motivation for the Boy to talk to the teacher unless there was something significant that happened to him that he and the teacher had in common. It would be too cliche to make it be an interest in comics and superheros. Because I know that the film is centralized on having conversations to solve problems, the motif/interest should relate to having interactions.

Maybe (maybe), this motif can be kind gestures towards other people. The teacher and the student could have a friendly competition of seeing who has given the most random acts of kindness for a specific period of time. Perhaps the teacher's incident will include him trying to perform a random act of kindness and being taken advantage of (perhaps in the form of an attack or robbery), causing him to only see hatred and evil in the world.  This can culminate into a disconnect between the teacher and the student, who will talk to him and explain that although there are negative situations that occur in the world, there are still positive moments that happen. Both of these are essential to living a successful life where one is happy.

This would be an interesting moment where the boy tells Mr. Carmicheal that ups and downs are parts of life that just have to happen, or else life would be pointless and stagnant.  It will be challenging a genre convention when a teenager gives an adult a piece of advice; typically the teenagers are young and reckless and the adults have to keep them in check.  This can be foreshadowed in the opening when the boy gives his teacher tips on some other RAK that he could do.

I love this concept and I think I can really grab this idea by the reins and run with it.

                                           - Jake


TODAY'S HERO: SCARLET WITCH (Wanda Maximoff)


Backstory: 
She and her brother were both born as "mutants", which are people that were born with mutated genes that gave them superpowers. There are many versions of her backstory, but the most famous is that she and her sibling were children of the villainous mutant Magneto.

Powers:
Being one of the strongest superheros in Marvel comics, Wanda has magical powers and hex powers, which means she can manipulate scenarios to her will. She is capable of using multiple types of spells and can even warp realities.

Other:
- Her brother, Pietro Maximoff, is named "Quicksilver" and has superspeed

First Appearance:
- Wanda Waximoff has teamed up with multiple superhero teams since her first appearance in The X-Men #4 (1964)

Movie History:
- Scarlet Witch first appeared in a cameo in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) played by Elizabeth Olsen
- Reappearance in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
- Captain America: Civil War (2016)
- Wanda Maximoff makes her most recent appearance in the MCU in Avengers: Infinity War (2018)