Final Filming Day/ 3rd Rough Draft (Blog #41) PRODUCTION

Just today I finished filming the two main missing scenes that I needed to complete the story. I am simply missing the establishing shot of my house and filming will be 100% done but it's pretty much done since that shot is super easy to do and short. Filming the finale college letter scene was one of the most important moments of the entire project. This scene was never meant to give the audience a clear answer about whether the main character gets to achieve her ultimate goal, to receive financial help for her studies. Instead, it focuses on the anticipation, anxiety, and emotional weight of that moment. I intentionally left the outcome unknown because this film is only meant to function as an opening to a larger story, not the full narrative. The goal was to introduce the character’s journey and the stakes she’s facing, rather than provide full closure. 

This open ending also came from a mix of creative choice and practical limitations. I was very limited on time, and I didn’t fully know what a resolved ending would look like for this story yet. Rather than rushing an ending that might feel forced or incomplete, I leaned into the uncertainty. Ending the film this way felt natural and realistic, especially since moments like this in real life are often filled with waiting and unanswered questions. 

(Before filming this scene I went ahead and searched on Google "past due logos", saved a few images on my camera roll, added them all onto the same document and printed that out to serve as the bills shown in the opening similar to what I did with the college letter.)

Another key scene in the film that was recorded today is the one that reveals the main character’s money problems. This moment is crucial because it gives the audience context for the pressure and stress the character has been under the entire time. Instead of explaining the situation through  dialogue, I chose to show it visually. I used shots of bills, past due warmings, and the character’s facial expressions to allow the audience to piece the story together on their own. This makes the struggle feel  more grounded and believable, and it strengthens the emotional impact without over-explaining

Editing these scenes was super easy, and it has quickly become one of my favorite parts of the whole process. As I edited the footage I filmed today, I started getting new ideas that I hadn’t originally planned while shooting. I experimented with breaking the scene where Clare is flipping through all the bills into smaller shots, which helped build tension as I included the past due, urgent notice, and urgent warnings in between the short scenes of her flipping through each bill. Being able to play around with cuts showed me how much editing can shape the mood of a scene and elevate the storytelling as the idea came to me when editing and was not something I thought to do when planning. 

Overall, these scenes work together to balance realism and uncertainty and are the final pieces to the puzzle that is this film opening. The financial struggles ground the story and are a big part of the representation I wanted to include in the film, while the college letter scene ending leaves the audience thinking about what might come next. Even with time constraints and unanswered questions, the film still communicates its core themes. As an opening rather than a full story, it sets the stage for future development and invites the audience into the character's world without giving everything away too soon. 

I am super happy that I’ve basically completed the filming stage of this project and can now move onto the technical effects that will tie the story together such as music, coloring and sharper editing which I will write about for the next few blogs. 

(The editing process)

(The 3rd rough draft)