Massimo's Blog

The Final Shot List Based off of the story board, here is the list of shots that will take place in order... If there are any last minute changes in shots during the day of filming, I will make a separate blog. Opening- Full/Long: Make sure to not include feet, just full body in a chair. Fade-in - Establishing Shot- Dolly in Close-up Mid- Dolly slide to the right Close medium shot- show computer closing to the character Medium Long shot, Track, Pan to the right, follow character Over-the-shoulder, Mid shot track Full body shot, minimal Extreme close-up, show fingers and door knob Track, upper mid shot, follow Establishing, Mid shot change Start as close-up to track out as character moves. Let character pass camera. Mid shot to long shot. Handheld High angle starting from waist-level (focused on legs and feet movement) Mid shot pan to left to follow Still, long shot Low angle shot, mid to pan left Close up, track Low angle, minimal Mid-Long shot Mid-Long shot Low angle, long High angle ...

OUR FILMING DATES Beginning: February 27th: One Clip, Christian locked up in a chair. Will take approx. 20-35 mins. Middle: March 4th: Christian working in class. Will take approx. 30 mins. March 6th: Christian and Sebastian Walking Conversation Clip. Will take approx. 30 mins. March 7th: Christian getting on bus scene. Will take 10-15mins. End: March 1st: Opening Door to home, Getting changed, Running scene. Will take approx. 1-1.5hrs. March 2nd: Running-Kidnapping Scene. Will take approx. 1-1.5hrs. My Plans for editing: I will most likely tackle the editing portion in sections: clip adjustment, sound adjustment, color grading, transitions/effects. This process will start on a weekend once I have a full scene of clips to play around with. 

1st DRAFT STORYBOARD Here's a basic layout of all the shots I want to include in my movie opening...

Materials and Technology That Will Be Needed In order to complete our idea, I will need to use my iPhone 15 with the filming settings of 4k at 30fps. The focal point and exposure may be adjusted at time of filming due to outside lighting. For inside shots, I will need standing lights will changeable hues. From the start, I had thought of having a warm tone rather than white light to add a change from the grey outside conditions to the warm home. I need to use a gimbal for some moving/walking/running scenes. I will need to lock the gimbal on the subject and have it follow while staying centered.  For the editing portion, I will need to use Adobe Premiere Pro and to make the color grade, I will use Adobe Light Room. The reason I prefer to make the color grade on Light Room is because I have past experience editing photos on Light Room with over 20 saved homemade presets. I am not sure if my presets will work for this film, so I will make sure to create multiple drafts of lighting tha...

Conventions/Codes in Room (a24, 2015) Generic Conventions found in the opening of Room: Setting- Claustrophobic space that creates a sense of isolation and being alone. Character Intro- Immediate focus on the mother and the boy, creating a emotional relationship and giving plot.  Mood- Tense, suspenseful, creating a dramatic and emotional feel. Narrative Structure- Immerses the audience into the characters' daily life. Theme- Survival, innocence v. confinement. POV- Use of the boy's perspective to show the innocent curiosity he has of the dangerous situation. Technical Codes: Cinematography- Close-ups to create intimate and emotional facial expressions Lighting- Soft, natural light to show the freedom v. trapped theme. Sound- Ambient sounds of the small space, diegetic sound that comes from the actual scene. Editing- Slow pace to introduce the situation and why it is happening to these two characters. Music- Subtle, emotional music that is non-diegetic. Edited in to show the re...

 MY LAYOUTS ON CANVA Here are some screenshots of the atmosphere I wanted to create within each scene of the movie opening... VS.

MY CHOICE OF PLOT As I enter my final year of high school with a passion for film, I wanted to create a movie centered around a high schooler—something both relatable to me and my peers. However, I needed a conflict to add depth and excitement to the story. Having played varsity soccer for two years, I wanted the main character to be involved in athletics. After brainstorming with Sebastian, we decided that making the protagonist a high school track runner would not only align with my athletic background but also provide great filming opportunities in various locations. A real-life event in my area served as inspiration—someone had discovered a dead body on a local running trail, The Legacy Trail. This tragic incident sparked an idea: I would incorporate a similar event into my film, but with a twist. I introduced a serial killer on the loose, leaving the real-life situation into my script while changing it to fit my story's vision.

MY COMMENTS ON THE GOOD TIME OPENING (A24) In the opening of Good Time, the director Josh and Benny Safdie (who is also the star actor) use a variety of elements such as quick cuts in editing, a dark color grade, suspenseful, slow paced acting, and dark ambient music to create a suspenseful thriller.  The film starts with a 1 second black screen to a hard cut into a close up shot to the main character. This creates a still, awkward feeling for the viewer as they are now quickly introduced to the character, who is in distress. The scene continues between the main character and a therapist/investigator. There are no long or wide shots. There are solely close-ups to show the sensitive relationship between the two men. When the main character's friend comes in the room unannounced, the shot starts as an over-the-shoulder to zoom in on the friend in order to keep the suspenseful, intimate feeling of the small room and serious conversation. The close-up shots switch between the 3 guys un...

Click this link to view a video I made over the past summer on my trip to Vancouver, British Columbia. This shows my base editing skills.  My YouTube Video

Postproduction Once all the footage was collected on my computer, I imported it into Premiere Pro 2025 and began the editing process. One of my top priorities was ensuring that my film stood out through a strong and unique color grade. My color grade would be designed in Adobe Lightroom 2025. Beyond color grading, I also focused on pacing and transitions to create a smooth and engaging flow. I adjusted cuts to match the pace of the visuals and the emotional mood of the soundtrack, making sure that every frame added to the impact of the film.

Production As discussed, I would be in charge of filming. My main concern was filming in automatic vs. manual. On my iPhone, I shot using the cinematic mode and edited the f-stop based on each shot. Another problem I came across was editing lighting on spot. Before filming days were set, I had already prepared for this. On the iPhone, if you hold a subject on the screen, the phone camera locks focus on the subject and blurs out the background. This is useful, but sometimes I wanted minimal blur and a darker shot when the iPhone would set to a more exposed shot.  On moving shots, the iPhone can sometimes be unpredictable. It might start focused on a subject, but as the subject moves along with the camera, the focus might change to something else and therefore, ruin the shot. This is what I have to keep in mind for the actual filming days. So, how do I fix this problem? I will have to keep one finger pressed on the phone screen to keep the AF Lock on the subject so it doesn't change....

Preproduction After discussing roles with Sebastian, we decided that I would handle the shot list, choose filming equipment, determine the best filming days, and eventually edit the footage. Sebastian took charge on planning out the script, the costume and set design, and finalizing my shot list. We collaborated on selecting film locations and scheduling shoot days. With my experience in camera equipment and art, I felt suited for the cinematographer role. For the camera, I had to choose between my iPhone 15 and Canon EOS M50. To compare, I recorded the same subject with both. The iPhone’s higher resolution made it the better choice. I also had a good understanding of lighting. While Sebastian had a keen eye for light placement, I knew which equipment to use. I had two small LED light boxes with adjustable white and warm light, and my Media Studies teacher at school had two large color-adjustable film lights—ideal for color grading in post-production. Once the concept was ready, Sebast...

OUR ROLES Sebastian and I worked together to separate responsibilities based on our strengths and interests. After discussing roles, we decided that I would take on the position of being the director and cinematographer, while Sebastian would focus on scriptwriting and also help out as an actor. This division allowed us to play to our individual skills—my experience with leading as a director and camera work made me suited for directing, while Sebastian’s writing skills gave a strong foundation for our story. To bring our vision to life, we also planned out the casting. I reached out to my AICE Media Studies teacher to play the role of a news anchor, adding a realistic touch to our film. Additionally, I got my stepbrother to take on the role of the main character, as he fit the part well, being an athlete and in high school. With our roles and cast set, we were ready to move forward with production, ensuring each element aligned with our concept.

MY COMMENTS ON THE GLADIATOR II OPENING In the opening of Gladiator II, the director Ridley Scott uses sophisticated camera work, sharp and quick editing cuts, sound design, and very detailed misce-en-scene to start a conflict right out of the gate. The film starts with an aerial shot over a body of water, most likely the Mediterranean sea, slowly descending to reveal the Roman navy approaching the shores of the African country. The high angle shot emphasizes the size of the navy compared to the small sized city they are attacking. As the scene moves on, close-up's of the General are used to capture his demanding, powerful position. The use of handheld camera shots during battle fights add a sense of chaos and defeat towards the small African city. The camera focuses and tracks some of the Roman weapons such as the canon to show the evolved Roman army fighting a small city.  Rapid cross-cutting between the Romans and the African fighters adds tension and makes their clashes more in...

SELECTION OF GENRE  After collaborating with my partner, Sebastian Quiroz, we decided on Thriller as our film opening genre. The process took about three days before we fully committed, but we both shared a strong interest in the idea. Our initial top choices included Horror, Action, Coming-of-Age, and Thriller. I already had a general plot in mind, but I was not sure of the exact direction—whether to emphasize scariness or suspense. Sebastian suggested we move forward with Thriller to incorporate all the details we discussed during brainstorming. This choice allowed us to balance tension and excitement while staying true to our original vision. A separate blog post will further explain our thoughts on the plot development.