The Basics Of Planning A Movie Opening

            Hello, hello! I am so glad to be shifting towards the planning section of the Final Task. I am really excited to see my plans come to life in the coming months. In order to allow a seamless transition to this step in my creative process I’ve outlined some key features of my movie below. 

Participants 

A lovely memory with my mother (left) over the summer!

In order to ensure a smooth filming process I’ve decided to determine who will be responsible for each category of cinematography. Since this is a solo project, much of the behind the scenes things will be taken care off by myself. Of course having actors will ease my production process stress significantly which is why I’ve enlisted my mother as an actor! My mother, Satnam Kandola, has done some work in cinematography as a narrator in Seva (2021) which was a short film/documentary that made its way to PBS. In fact I worked on the sidelines of this project with Nishkam TV (the producers) too. Since my mother has some experience and interest in the field she was the right choice for my documentary opening. I feel more confident putting a close family member in the position of “actor” over my friends because I know their reliability more and able to communicate more fluidly during the project. Just to recap, I’ve laid out the participants in each category below.  

Actors - Satnam Kandola 

Filming - Paneet Kandola 

Editing - Paneet Kandola 

Directing - Paneet Kandola

Location

For a vast majority of the film, I will be filming within my apartment complex. I’ll need to stage a crime scene, have an interview segment, and collect B-roll which would be easiest to film right where I live. My apartment has many office spaces that would serve as great sets since they are already embellished with decor. Also, the process of transporting any props or filming equipment like tripods is removed. 

One of the many communal areas in my building. This is one I plan on using for the interview segment. 

Notably, some B-roll shots of governmental buildings like courthouses and law enforcement offices may need to be shot. This is tentative till the final storyboard is complete but if I go through with this idea there are a few law-related buildings jostled into Las Olas (the area I reside within Fort Lauderdale). I plan on filming around these sites.  

These are just the courthouses in my proximate vicinity. There is many more governmental buildings within the Judicial Complex of my county in this area specifically. 

Filming Schedule

As of right now there is a very rough timeline for storyboarding, filming, and editing lined out. As I go through the project the dates are bound to change but for now they serve as a friendly reminder of events. 

• Monday, January 22nd to Friday, January 26th will be focused on cultivating a well-thought-out storyboard for my 2 minute opening sequence 

• Monday, January 29th to Tuesday, February 20th is when I would like to be fully done with the filming part of the Final Task 

• Wednesday, February 21st to Monday, March 11th the majority chunk of editing will endure to make sure I have adequate time to edit the sequence so it can be done for Friday, March 15th. 

Health & Safety

Ensuring safety throughout the film-making process is vital in warranting a preventative approach. This is going to be the most important when I am replicating a crime scene. Of course I’ll have to use a weapon to better convey the story which is why I’m choosing a knife. Knives are easy to access since they are a household essential but its also very easy to make sure I properly handle the “weapon”. I use knives to cut up various foods daily so I’m aware of how it functions unlike a gun or another weapon so my knowledge is already there. I also have CPR and AED certification if anything goes wrong and I may have to administer care to another participant. During the filming of these scenes I’ll have an adult figure present to ensure my safety and to administer first aid if necessary. During this scene I’ll have to use a pile of fake blood, to make sure this is not a tripping hazard I will properly markup the area with precautionary signs and warn the individuals beforehand of the various safety risks so they can be cautious. 

Another time I’ll have to require safety measures is when filming in the communal areas of my apartment complex. I will most likely have a tripod or make-shift tripod set up. This could potentially have a fragile infrastructure or have various wires along the floor. Either way, this could be a tripping hazard to the public which is why I’ll make sure to set up cautionary signs around my filming area, inform the building staff so they can properly inform the apartment occupants of these risk, and of course monitor the public when filming takes place to further secure the area. 

Lastly, when I am filming B-roll in public settings such as governmental buildings I will be on the sidewalk facing a busy road. Given the irrational behaviors of drivers it would be best to protect myself when filming. At this point of filming, I’ll acquire a trustworthy companion to watch my back as I film and make sure I am not too close to the road at any given point. 

All in all I may have to take some additional safety measures to ensure my health but I will be sure to update you as they appear! 

Backup Plan

As I’ve said a couple of times now, everything I’m concluding has a certain margin of error so easy changes will have to be made. Here are some of my “quick fixes” to these thus far. 

If I am not granted permission or have to halt filming in my communal areas of my apartment complex, ’ll have to film within my apartment itself or extend to a local library (maybe even the location from my music video as I’m familiar with the layout) for the A-roll portion. 

Regarding B-roll, if I am unable to film the interior or exterior or any governmental building I’ll simply remove this type of B-roll and shift to B-roll that is more common like a timelapse of the sun rising or track someone getting ready or in their daily life. 

Lastly the music is bound to pose an issue. I would like to have some background music and have already found two songs that would be a great fit for the genre due to their ever-changing tempos. I’ll have to reach out to the respective artists and corporations but if I don't get a response or press ion to use the music I'll have to comply with using royalty-free music. 

Props & Costumes 

Of course the mise-en-scene for the opening sequence is a huge component. Since I’m in the preliminary stages of figuring out what I want to include, the props and costumes are not definite but I have a few ideas I would like to share since I plan on incorporating them into the storyboard. 

Firstly, for the props I would like to have a “crime board” similar to what you expect law officials to refer to in investigations. To replicate this I would buy “murder mystery files” which is actually a game you can play with you friends to “uncover” who the criminal is by going through fabricated cases. These “files” come packed in a realistic way which is why it would be the perfect asset to my “crime board”. I would use pins and red yarn to connect the suspects together to fully convey the purpose of the “crime board” in the “investigation”. 

As you can see, there is many variations of cost-effective “case files” to browse on amazon that I could use.  

As for costumes, I plan on making my mother a first responder/police officer that studied the scene. I’m not definite on her role as much but I will be in time for planning the script! In case she is a first responder I could use my Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) uniform for my EMR class. Of course the uniform is tagged with my highschool name so I would have to alter the patched but it could be something to explore especially over buying additional costumes. 

Once again I would like to reiterate this is just the starting point so these plans may be altered and are sure to be added to as I get deeper into the filming process. 

Concluding Remarks

Alas, I have primed the ideas I will be including in my storyboard and through the production process. I feel like I have a really great starting point. Of course I am keeping my mind open to new possibilities because I’ve seen how much can change from the previous projects. With my mind open to fleeting thoughts I go into the next segment of planning!