CCR: Question #3

Interviewer: Welcome to another episode of Behind the Lens, today we have Manuela Correa, director and producer of The Seventh lie. Welcome Manuela!

Manuela: Thank you so much for having me! This is such an honor! 

Interviewer: Let's get straight into it. So your film opening has just come out, correct?

Manuela: Yes! It has just been released after around eight weeks of intense work.

Interviewer: Wow, it must have been a long process. Especially due to its intricate plot. Tell us a little more about it.

Manuela: It definitely was. But we have also see how all of that hard work really paid off. My partner and I couldn't have asked for a better outcome. Our film opening is a little chaotic, but to put it shortly, it is a representation of the seven stages of grief, primarily the denial stage. It takes place in a mundane home and tells the story of a young girl on the search for the truth when she realizes her brother is a complete stranger. She begins a journey of accepeting the truth and the loss of her real brother, while helping her parents surpass their blinding grief. 

Interviewer: What a crazy storyline, thank you for sharing. So, today we just have some questions to ask you about this film. Shall we get started?

Manuela: Yes, I'm ready. 

Interviewer: How did your production skills develop throughout this project? 

Manuela: Well, When I was first introduced to this project I was immediately intimidated, and in fact, feared it. I had never had any real experience filming a good-quality film, aside from I-movie trailers when I was younger. Although I felt nervous about the project and the uncharted land I would have to cross,  I had some faith in my capability of filming this opening as I have always had a very strong creative mind.  

Interviewers: I can definitely see your creative side popping through.

Manuela: After our research, we began writing out the plot, and listing details that we wanted to include. Then we began forming a cast, location, scouting, creating costumes, etc. Throughout this process, I learned about the amount of work that actually goes into a project such as this one. I learned about the obstacles that must be faced when filming an opening such as this one. We worked through several issues with locations, as we wanted to film in a nicer, more 'cinematic' setting. But while looking online for rentals, we realized our ideas would be too expensive and tight on time, so we ended up settling with filming at my house, focusing on improving the decor and props to enhance the set. In addition, our main obstacles were with our cast. Finding and communicating with actors who would be willing to set aside their time for this opening was extremely difficult, and took us longer that what was expected. So we decided to ask different friends of ours, including members of the drama club, which led us to different variations of our cast. And while planning the days that would be used for filming, our schedules conflicted with the casts' so we ended up having to find actors, setting filming days around their schedule. This proved to be the best decision as we were getting nervous that we wouldn't have enough time to film. But eventually we realized that it worked, and we just had to sacrifice some other things in our personal time to get this project done, and a product that we were proud of. 

Interviewer: I can definitely see how difficult of a process that was. But i'm sure you learned many things from this experience, correct? 

Manuela: Yes, for sure. As these issues led us to change the script a few times, adapting to our location and who we had available, helped me learn the importance in sacrifice, but also taking time to organize and structure my schedule, ensuring that no procrastination is being done. We started this project with a chaotic and messy idea that needed a lot of work to make sense. After many trials and tribulations we have ended with a clean, edited project that we are proud of, especially considering out beginner level. 

Interviewer: And did you have any sort of experience before?

Manuela: We were pretty much beginners but previous works such as the One Word Sound project helped us with some knowledge in editing videos, and managing the shots, angles, composition, and sound. This all helped us throughout the project to ensure that our vision of the film was being done perfectly and efficiently. 

Interviewer: I can see that you gained a lot from this project. Do you think it has change your perception of the film world? Or maybe how you will interact with film in the future? 

Manuela: I definitely feel that it has changed me, not only because of the obstacles that we overcame, but also the simple act of putting together two clips of footage. Ultimately, while this project was a challenge, I came out of it with some experience in filming, sound, and editing, and a very new perspective of filmmaking and those who put in extremely hard work to ensure that the film industry is what it is today. While this may seem like little, it is a small step to future projects, and how much respect I have for those working in the tough industry of film.

Interviewer: Wow, what a great perspective to have. We should all give some more attention to those who work so intensely and passionately to make cinema what it is today. 

Manuela: I couldn't agree more. Movies are what those behind-the-scenes make it to be. 

Research:

When I was first introduced to this project I was immediately intimidated, and in fact, feared it. I had never had any real experience filming a good-quality film, aside from I-movie trailers when I was younger. Although I felt nervous about the project and the uncharted land I would have to cross,  I had some faith in my capability of filming this opening as I have always had a very strong creative mind.  

We began the research portion of the project, almost too slow, focusing on minuscule details that stretched that part of the process.  After choosing the genre, we listed and looked through our favorite thriller films, looking at different stylistic choices they made, and the different genre conventions that they used. Throughout the research, our blogs were what helped align us and structure the project, especially since the origins of the idea were slightly scattered and confusing in the beginning. 

After researching what could go into our film, we began writing out the plot, and listing details that we wanted to include. Then we began forming a cast, location, scouting, creating costumes, etc. Throughout this process, I learned about the amount of work that actually goes into a project such as this one. Through firsthand experience, I learned about the obstacles that must be faced when filming an opening such as this one. We worked through several issues with locations, as we wanted to film in a nicer, more 'cinematic' setting. But while looking online for rentals, we realized our ideas would be too expensive and tight on time, so we ended up settling with filming at my house, focusing on improving the decor and props to enhance the set. In addition, our main obstacles were with our cast. Finding and communicating with actors who would be willing to set aside their time for this opening was extremely difficult, and took us longer that what was expected. Asking different friends of both mine and my partners, including members of the drama club, led us to different variations of our cast. And while planning the days that would be used for filming, our schedules conflicted with the casts' so we ended up having to find actors, setting filming days around their schedule. This proved to be the best decision as we were getting nervous that we wouldn't have enough time to film. But eventually we realized that it worked, and we just had to sacrifice some other things in our personal time to get this project done, and a product that we were proud of. 

In addition, we had to change the script a few times, adapting to our location and who we had available. For example choosing to film voiceovers for my parents and only showing their hands and torso, as we weren't able to fit them into our schedule. This also helped me learn the importance in sacrifice, but also taking time to organize and structure my schedule, ensuring that no procrastination is being done. 

We started this project with a chaotic and messy idea that needed a lot of work to make sense. After many trials and tribulations we have ended with a clean, edited project that we are proud of, especially considering out beginner level. Yet, while we had little experience entering this project, previous ones such as the One Word Sound project helped us with some knowledge in editing videos, and managing the shots, angles, composition, and sound. This all helped us throughout the project to ensure that our vision of the film was being done perfectly and efficiently. 

Ultimately, while this project was a challenge, I came out of it with some experience in filming, sound, and editing, and a very new perspective of filmmaking and those who put in extremely hard work to ensure that the film industry is what it is today.