As I finished up my film opening, I spent most of my time making small but meaningful adjustments rather than big changes. At this point, the focus was on polishing what I already had and making sure each element worked together to support the story.
After asking a few more friends and family for feedback on the new version of the film opening, one of their main suggestions was to move the title card to a different part of the opening instead of ending with it. I took their advice and placed the title card just before the scene where the main character receives her college letter. This felt like a stronger moment for the title, as it adds tension and leads naturally into an important turning point in the narrative.
They also commented on the font used in the opening credits, saying it felt more suited to a horror film than a drama. While I understood where they were coming from, I simply explained the meaning and significance behind them. The handwriting style was a deliberate choice, meant to reflect the main character’s handwriting and emphasize how drained and overwhelmed she is. For me, it represents her constant exhaustion and mental state rather than signaling fear.
Another change I made was removing the establishing shot of the outside of my house. There wasn’t a way to include that shot without showing my house number, and for privacy reasons, I felt it was best to cut it. Removing it didn’t negatively impact the story, and the opening still makes sense and flows smoothly without it.
These final tweaks helped strengthen my film opening and made me feel more confident in my creative decisions. Balancing feedback with my original vision has been an important part of the process, and I’m happy with how the opening has turned out.
Overall, looking back on this journey that I can thankfully mark as done, filming my film opening was exciting, but also pretty challenging. The hardest part was trying to be both the actor and the camera person at the same time. While acting, I had to focus on my movements, expressions, and emotions, but then I’d have to pause, check the camera, and adjust the framing or angle. A take could feel great in the moment, but when I watched it back, something might be off, which meant reshooting it. It was frustrating at times, but it really taught me patience and how to plan carefully.
Editing, surprisingly, felt like the easier part. Once I had all the footage, I could piece everything together at my own pace and see the scene come to life. The part that was more challenging was choosing the right music. I really believe music has a huge impact on how an audience experiences a scene, so finding a track that matched the mood perfectly took time. I had to try a few different options before I found one that felt right and added the emotional impact I was looking for.
In conclusion, the whole process taught me a lot not just about filming and editing, but about creativity, patience, and making decisions that really shape how a story is experienced. By the end, I felt proud of what I had created and more confident in my abilities as a filmmaker.
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