Hello and welcome back super awesome blog readers! HAPPY FRI(YAY)! Being completely honest I forgot it was in fact a Fri(yay) until like an hour ago. Whoops.
Today has been quite the slow/fast at the same time one! Why has it it been kinda slow, Emi? If you didn't already know, the rest of my group is currently at STN and I miss them very dearly (insert multiple heartbreak emojis and a singular crying face emoji and more heartbreak emojis) so that meant my chemistry and sociology classes went by quite slowly, but of course media went by quickly! Even without them! This class should be 2 hours long, not one and a half!!
So what are we talking about today?? THE SUPER AWESOME FIRST DAY OF FILMING! YAYYY!! The very day we filmed was 2/23/25, almost a week ago at Vista View Park, and it was very much a super awesome experience! With that being said, I'll be diving into the shooting process, important shots, and extra fun stuff! LET'S GO!
For the thumbnail! (shoutout to Zach for taking this absolute banger)
THE SUPER AWESOME FIRST DAY OF FILMING! YAYYYY!!
Following our banger ahh storyboard, we began shooting the scenes where Charlotte walks up a hill while carrying a body bag and shovel. As said before, it took a while to do some shots as there were many people getting their morning work out in, but we got all the shots we needed successfully by the end!
The main thing that we wanted to convey with these shots was the feeling of loneliness and isolation through the open and dry looking setting. Throughout our research, we noticed that Westerns typically rely on showing the setting more than the character to really bring out the fact that the film is taking place in the wild west and further immerse their audiences, so we also wanted to do that here too! Down below I'll show one of the longshots included in the walking up the hill sequence showcasing the setting!
SIGNIFICANT SHOT 1!
About an hour later, we began filming at the top of the hill that Charlotte was climbing on! Once we got up the hill, we immediately stopped our tracks because we spotted burrowing owls (that were enclosed by a fence, its cool guys)! This was genuinely my first time seeing an owl in person AND in the wild, so you could probably guess I was extremely fascinated! My group and I admired them for a moment, and Zach took some pictures of them with his camera (one of them growled at him which was pretty funny). I don't have any of those pictures but here's something similar to what we saw!
The exact owls we saw!
(found while looking at pictures from Vista View Park after searching it up)
After staring at the owls for a considerable amount of time, once more following our banger ahh storyboard, we began shooting the shots leading up to the burial sequence! The first few shots showed Charlotte walking up the hill from the front, throwing her stuff on the ground, taking off her hat to show her luxurious, amazing, one of a kind hair. While filming these shots, Zach really liked the background of the area I was standing on and took 2 icy cold pictures! I genuinely never felt cooler than at that moment guys.
ICY COLD PICTURE 1
ICY COLD PICTURE 2
(This was the thumbnail, but here it is again for your amazing eyes to stare at)
Once we finished the first sequence, Nico grabbed the dirt bag we brought to create the illusion of digging, and dumped it all on the ground. At that moment, he thought that we could have brought more dirt as what we had was not the optimal amount for fake digging; but regardless of the amount of dirt we had, it all worked out okay as during the digging scenes I only dug up the small portions of fake dirt that were there and not the actual property! (at least I think so)
Important thing that I would like to mention! In this digging scene, Charlotte is supposed to pull out a picture of Phillip, butttt we forgot to bring it that day, so we plan on getting that shot once 3/4 of us come back from STN!
A significant shot that we filmed on top the hill was an improvised one that focused on a white and purple flower! Renn wanted to implement this, not only because we would definitely break the law if we dug up an actual hole, but to also include symbolism, with the flower on the dirt representing the closeness of life and death with its color conveying purity and life.
SIGNIFICANT SHOT 2!
A bit after we filmed the burial sequence, Zach's camera shut down due to the heat, so as I said previously, we sat down and I ate a super awesome sandwich and stuff!
Once the camera was back and ready to go, we went on to film the close up shot where Charlotte grabs her cross. As you saw in the last post, my nails were very purple, so our second starring actor, Renn's hands, came to the rescue! Basically what we did is that I gave my white blouse and gloves to Renn and he acted as my hands for a very quiet minute...to be honest it was kind of unnerving, BUT WE GOT IT DONE! Thank you group for turning around when I had to take off my costume (insert saluting emoji).
And the actor of the year award goes to Renn's hands!!! (everyone stands up and claps) (Oscars are coming up cambridge get hype)
A bit after, we noticed that there was a huge flock of black birds far ahead on the hill and Zach immediately went to go shoot some clips of them, which can possibly be used in the opener! Consider them backup shots!
Live footage of Zach filming the birds!
It was then time to shoot one of the final sequences! It was improvised on set, but Nico requested that we make a cross and stick it on the grave in order to add visual appeal.
Live footage of Nico thinking about adding a cross!
We thought this idea was pretty cool, so we got the appropriate materials (sticks) and used the rope we brought to construct the cross!
The final product! (It would be pretty funny if it was still there)
A shot that came from this that I would like to include due to its awesomeness is Charlotte tying up the wooden cross that she will eventually plant on the grave of her boss. According to Zach, this was shot from a low angle to create a sense of power over the dead body below Charlotte. Cute, I know!
SIGNIFICANT SHOT 3!
After maybe about 4 hours of hard work, shovels, and sandwiches, it was time to film the final shot of the opener! What's shown here is Charlotte walking away from the cross and proceeding to start her search for Phillip, armed and ready for whatever is coming her way. This shot is my personal favorite because it's just so dang cool, like guys come on its so cool, guys COME ON!!!
Its so cool right cambridge (say yes)
After we finished filming a few shots of the same scene, it was finally time to return to our humble abodes and receive adequate rest from our arduous efforts. When I got back home, I chugged a cup of water, and immediately went to shower. Guys it was so hot by the end of filming, guys it was so hot, guys it was very hot. BUT ALAS! A few hours later while I was hanging out in the living room with my parents writing the character development post, I got many texts from the group chat that showed some of the shots taken that day and MAN, my socks literally got knocked off.
Live footage of my socks getting knocked off
As long as it all took, filming day 1 was so much fun, and so incredibly worth it.
Thank you group for being awesome and stuff :D
EMI'S SUPER AWESOME CONCLUSION
What an awesome Fri(yay) it has been! I had band rehearsal until 6 and I played a solo for one of the songs because my other tenor sax buddy is sick and I did pretty good, so much so that my teacher made everyone clap for me! :DD YAYY!!! Band is awesome!!
After that, I went back home and as my dad and I stepped out of the car, he noticed that some of the planets were aligning! Which is kinda rare!! So we decided to hop back in the car and went to our neighborhood's clubhouse because it has a super awesome view to the lake! I filmed a quick video of the planets, but you may want to zoom in to see the little specks that are Uranus (lol), Jupiter, and Mars! I used the front phone camera BAHAHHAHA sorry chat I was too excited to be conscious about my filming.
PLANETARY ALIGNMENT! (mars was there, trust)
That is everything that I have for today super awesome blog readers, I must now drink water and sleep as it is quite late, even for a Fri(yay) night! Good night/whatever time it is for you everyone!