Updates and Title

Character names

    Today, we met up (in class) and reflected on names, titles, and roles. After some discussion, we finally settled on the names. Lucia and I had a few names in common, and it made me realize that Mara doesn't just mean bitter. Mara can also resemble death. The root of the name, Mary, can also resemble that she is the root of the conflict in the film. For her older sister, while my top choice was Valentina, Lucia's was Valerie. They both have similar meaning in being strong. For her friend, we simply picked one that we liked the best.

    So, without further ado, here are our names.

    Valerie (Val) - older sister

    Mara (Mar) - younger sister

    Isabella (Bella) - friend of Valerie

Title

    Along with that, we needed to come up with a symbolic title. In my opinion, with a title (with meaning), we'll have a clear foundation of the film and connect some aspects of our opening. After looking at multiple titles and their meanings, one that stood out to me was 10 Things I Hate About You. The reason for the title was it being named after a poem that the main character, Kat, writes about Patrick, the love interest. This made me think of how we could make a title that addresses someone in a poem. 

    To fit it into the context of our film, we were thinking of creating a cyclical structure. The film begins with Mara writing a letter to Valerie, and ends with Valerie writing a letter in response to Mara's, who has already passed. We can incorporate this into our opening by subtly showing the letter written to Valerie during the series of shots of Mara's messy room. Valerie will find and read the letter after Mara found dead (which will not be shown in the opening).With this, we decided to name it Dear Mara. We're still debating on whether or not to add a comma, but for now we prefer without any punctuation, as its less common in the film industry. 

Role change

    During the class we also briefly discussed casting and filming, which led to an important decision. We are thinking of filming in Andrea's house, who has two rooms that contrast greatly. We were also thinking of who could play our characters, especially the two sisters. We needed two people that looked similar to play their roles. Ironically, we remembered that a close friend of ours looks very similar to Andrea. However, if Andrea becomes an actress, it would be harder for her to be the cinematographer, especially if the camera moves or if we need a handheld shot. So, we decided to give the cinematography role to Lucia. This way, Lucia films, Andrea acts, and I monitor what is happening and help with anything. So, here is the updated list:

Director: Lucia
Producer: Alexandra
Writer: Andrea
Cinematographer: Lucia
Editing:
    Video: Alexandra
    Audio: Lucia

    With these updates, we have a clearer view and can begin creating a filming schedule along with a more official casting. Soon, I want to discuss the storyboard that I created over the weekend. I also want to do more research on the way Gen Z and the sisters could speak, along with how my overall research will apply to my film opening. This way, I fully understand what to make sure I incorporate into the opening.