introduction

The Zenith Project is, as my film teacher calls it, the “ultimate freestyle project”! This is the last project of our Freestyle careers and therefore is supposed to be the pinnacle of all the skills we’ve learned at the academy. Despite only having one year at freestyle, I’ve learned a lot. I choose my zenith to center around color theory, something that’s always peaked my interest.

Color theory is the mix of hue, brightness and saturation to create meaning and aesthetic value. But not only does good understanding of color theory generally make a movie look better, it also helps convey psychological impacts. For example the color blue is calming, which is why hospitals are generally in a blue/gray color scheme. Color can also be connected to characters. This could just be to define a character from others, or to show a trait or arc.

To showcase all the techniques color can do, I decided to film just three scenes with different color schemes. Each scene is about a minute long and has a loose story structure so the colors can speak for themselves.

pre-production

For my research, Mr. Taylor sent me an article by Studiobinder that had everything from the meaning of colors to the history of color in film. Although much of my research was simply prior knowledge, it was good to have another source. After, I picked the colors that I wanted for my own film.

I experimented with having different color palettes so my scenes are monochrome, analogous and complementary. Monochrome is when only one color is used, I choose green for my first scene so I could easily use nature to ensure everything could truly be green. The green also represents immaturity and innocence. Analogous is the blend of colors that are next to each other on the color wheel, I choose purple and red for my second scene. Red represents love and passion while the purple represents mystery and eroticism. My final scene used the classic complementary colors, orange and blue. Complementary colors are opposite on the color wheel and I used it to represent internal conflict.

My first course of action was to create mood boards. The Studiobinder article was actually the one to give me this advice. I already spend a little too much time on Pinterest so I was familiar with the process. Because I wanted to create something with such an importance on the visual aesthetic, I found it incredibly helpful to go through this process and help myself stay on track with what I wanted.

My next steps was to plan out costume and set design. Everything shown had to be specific and follow the color scheme planned. I coordinated with actors for wardrobe planning, this is another time when the mood boards came in handy because everyone helping me could see my vision. I also got the chance to create a shot list for the first time. Despite warnings from my classmates that it was a painstaking process, I found it very helpful to organize my thoughts and make shooting days less stressful.

production

The production process was the most fun I’ve had on a film set. After so much planning, everything ran pretty smoothly and I loved seeing my ideas come to life. I also had my friends for actors so it was just a cool thing to do together, I loved having them be excited for me and the project.

Throughout the project I incorporated color grading, set design and lighting but each scene had a bit of a concentration on a technique. My first scene had a larger focus on color grading as there wasn’t much set design I could do outside. There’s more of a filter on it compared to just general color correction in the other scenes. My second scene had a focus on lighting. I used gels to create the red and purple vibe, I also used these lights to mimic the dark atmosphere of a nighttime bar. My third scene was more focused on set dressing. I searched my entire house and found every blue and orange item imaginable to pin on my wall or stack on the nightstand.

post-production

My post production process was split because I had a huge dance show in the middle of the process. It was super important to be as organized and punctual as I could. This was also a drastic difference from my previous film project which had my Premier Pro bins looking chaotic. I made sure to create a different sequence for each scene, to ensure I could edit footage as it was produced. I had a lot of fun seeing everything so organized and I was able to gracefully go through the process.

Another fun process during post-production was adding the music. I requited some of my friends to play music and add to the general vibe of the scenes. The first scene showcases Kris Koh playing the acoustic guitar to Would That I, which is a song I specifically envisioned for the scene. The second scene was supposed to feature a piano version of Lana Del Rey’s unreleased song, dreamgirl. This suggestion was given by Adara, the actress in that scene. Unfortunately though I didn’t have any time to sit down at a piano and record so I had to used copyright free jazz music from youtube. My last scene features my brother on electric guitar. I had no vision for what I wanted so I just asked what he knew how to play. He choose Rap Snitches Knishes and it turned out really fitting! I loved being able to display my friend’s musical talents.

I’m super proud of the final product!! This truly was the ultimate project and the best thing I’ve made at the academy !