The filmmaking process was a very interesting experience. When we were first given the script in class, I had a million thoughts rushing through my head of all the possible interpretations of the script. However, it seemed that I wasn’t the only one who had a bunch of different visualizations for the film. After coming together with my group, I discovered that each member had her own vision for how she wanted the script to be acted out. But we knew that we all needed to come to a consensus with one main plan for the film.
We all agreed to collectively contribute to various aspects of the film. We began by combining all of our different ideas to come up with a single plan. My favorite idea that was incorporated into the film was to have the contemporary couple (Cris and Kel) be portrayed as a gay couple, in color, (Victoria and Eleni) and the traditional couple (Elizabeth and Freda) portrayed in black and white. I was able to bring up the idea of incorporating an adoption agency website into the first scene which brought another interesting addition to the film. I thought our interpretation of the film was very unique and I was glad that we were able to make it work. Although my character’s part was small, I enjoyed acting and actually had fun shooting my part. Throughout many scenes, it was difficult not to laugh. In fact, MANY scenes required multiple takes because someone either laughed or missed a line. However, everything ended up working out pretty well after the editing and filming was complete.
I was happy to see how well everything turned out with everyone’s ideas being incorporated into the film. But I would be lying if I said that the whole filmmaking process was a smooth one. The most difficult task of this experience would probably have to be trying to act out the lines word for word. While it may seem easy to just perform words on a page, I can honestly say it is NOT! It is difficult to recite all of the lines exactly how they are written. Since my part wasn’t that big, I did memorize my character’s lines. Nonetheless, it was challenging to recite the lines exactly how they are stated when acting. This was a huge difficulty that all of the actors in our film had to overcome.
This film was important to me because as we were filming, I realized how much work actually goes into any performance. Throughout the semester, we have watched many performances and analyzed them in various ways. Nonetheless, I don’t think that enough credit is given to every person involved in the production of any performance. Being involved in this film made me realize the importance of everyone’s role in a production. From the people behind the scenes to the actors, each member is vital to make the production a success. This filmmaking experience also made me realize how much time and work goes into any artwork.
On a final note, I am very proud of how the film came along and how well my group worked together. There were many aspects of the filmmaking process that I enjoyed but I have gained a huge knowledge of how much time and effort is actually put into the creation of any production. Although my group and I have shared hours of stress, I believe that it was well worth it.
