Post-Production 1

Editing process in the Tunnels...

Editing can be so hard yet so easy at the same time, as long as you know what app you're working with and have to right footage for it, it will definitely minimize some time. When me and Andrea were filming on Blackmagic Camera, we accidentally used the wrong format but the good thing is that we were able to fix it more easily than expected on most shots. 

What we had to do in order to fix it, is we had to scale the clips until they fit the format. We had more problems doing that with the shots where Ana's face or important props were in it, so it made it more difficult. If we were to do that, it'd heavily affect important factors within the shot, in this case, we would have had to cut Ana's face or in the pens that are supposed to add onto the academic-striving, hardworking Ana we know.

Color Grading 

When we started color grading, we already know what we wanted since the beginning. We didn't want anything that had an insane amount of color, but to the point the audience understands the emptiness that flows through Ana's life. As I've mentioned in my previous blogs, we've been wanting a very neutral base for color on or near Ana. After some color grading these are the before and after photos to show the difference. 

Before:

Strong blues along with a brighter room

Also brighter, as this shot shows different colors due to the history notebook

After:

Less blues, more plain/simple

Less color contrast and quieter

CCR RESEARCH - 1 

❀ How does your product use or challenge conventions, and how does it represent social groups or issues? 

✿ My product uses conventions throughout the film opening in order to show several emotion and struggles that we wanted to portray for our characters' emotional state. As it also represents social groups/issues for those who suffer from mental health issues, or have troubling conflicts with themselves or another person. This specific genre of film is known to emphasize themes of power imbalance and emotional dependency, mainly creating love appear more unsettling rather than comforting.

Psychological Romance/Drama Conventions 

Films that fall under this genre are bound to carry countless amount of details that many have to notice in order for it to add onto the emotional or physical state of certain characters. Such as the lighting, color palettes, dialogue, shots, and editing techniques that helps support the emotional factors of the characters and settings in the film. They also include voiceovers or insinuate internal thoughts the character(s) are having; if they don't use it through the dialogue they can make it a physical motion that connects back to what they're thinking. Overall, they touch up on themes of obsession, trauma, memory, or loss.

For example, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was our projects biggest inspiration due to the way they were able to portray so many different emotions of different characters; mainly, through the color hues/palettes characters and that the different settings consisted of. 

This is our main character Ana, I created this color palette in order to represent her colors the revolve around her life. Such as our biggest inspiration, there was always one specific color in many scenes that were surrounded by other pale or "normal" colors. In that film, they are also able to introduce the mental instability both characters have and as the romance they once had for each others (along with following events) are able to worsen their relationship. The usage of soft, lightly toned music is also strong throughout the film which adds to the tone they're trying to create. Ana has been known to be a saddening character as she seeks more into academics rather than platonic or romantic love with the important people around her life. Throughout our film opening, you're able to recognize the fact that Ana once was, someone who was able to have fun and balance several things at once. The significance of blue throughout our film is meant to project the way Ana's life is since we're not able to show too much of how her daily life is.  

Representation of Social Groups/Issues

This genre expresses gender dynamics, power in relationships, mental health, toxic attachment, class differences, and emotional repression. Something that makes me proud about the production of Tunnels is that it's able to emphasize the way countless amount of young kids in school create a massive image and expectations for themselves to the point it becomes harmful. Such as most films follow through with stereotypes, an example would be the way woman are overly emotional and in comparison, men are emotionally distant. In Tunnels, we create this affect by clearly showing how much of a complex character Ana is. Considering her mental health, physical state, and her connections towards people who are supposed to be her support system. As we see in our film, she is trying to push away those who help her such as Mrs. Larsson who is clearly trying to make her life slightly better by talking about the way she feels. When she hopes that Ana will one day at least pretend as if she wants to be there and better her mental health, she only manages to push away. A visual metaphor that are mainly used in these types of films are mirrors, reflections, and shadows. For Ana Haynes, we decided to use a mirror to give off a sense of her trying to reflect on her actions and overall state of mind, along with blue to accompany that. On the right, I created a photo of Mrs. Larsson and Ana Haynes with a supporting orange/yellow tone to bring try and show that Mrs. Larsson isn't another person in Ana's life that's trying to bring her down, but is truly willing to support her throughout her experiences. This specific color creates a comfortable, bonding moment with Ana in the picture, it's clear Ana isn't willing to let her self get the help it needs. 

Another common factor in many psychological romance/dramas is that most of the time there is someone who is important to a character that passes away. This is a factor that adds up to the mental instability many character that fall under this genre have. In Tunnels, we decided to mention an Amelia during the therapist which is Ana's sister who passed away during a tragic car accident; which creates an understanding to as of why Ana becomes annoyed, angry, and uncomfortable when Mrs. Larsson attempts to make Ana realize how much Amelia's death has really affected her mental and physical state.

Sources:

- Ng, M. O. (2020, December 6). How film brings attention to major social, ethical, or political issues. Medium. 

- Mule, A. (2024, April 9). Image color theory in movies: An analysis of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Medium.

- IMDb user list: ls002116143 (n.d.). IMDb.

 

Tunnels' Production 3

 Accidents happen...

As of this week, we have been trying to finish up on the entire filming portion of Tunnels but while we were reviewing some of our past footage, we realized how a handful of the footage had something wrong with it. It was either the lighting, the shadows, the stability, or the focus the camera was on. We were checking the footage as we were going..just not all of them, as we should have. 

Here's an example of one of the pieces of footage we did in which the moving of the lights is awfully noticeable, and the shadows that we accidentally created.

We still have much to learn about cameras and lighting, but other than that, I don't think our ideas were too bad. We were annoyed with ourselves because these were problems that could have been easily solved but the good thing is that patience is key! So we just already had known what to shoot and how to shoot it, so it would make the process easier overall. 

Me and my partner also downloaded an app onto her phone since her phone camera is better than mine called Blackmagic Camera. This app made our lives easier to shoot scenes as it has numerous cinematic features that allow you to alter several things as if it was an actual camera. We were able to get many good shots that we can always change throughout our editing process. I am happy with what we were able to accomplish because I know me and Andrea will be able to overcome any other obstacles that come our way, confidence is key!

These are some BTS of our filming process:

Andrea trying to figure out the focus (peep the chair)

Us trying to figure out the correct placement for the surroundings we wanted in the scene

Where me and Andrea finally got the lighting looking right for the clip

Scene of Ana waking up

 

Group Meeting!!

Group Meeting #2

Today, our group meting was fun! We got to work with new people even though I already worked with one of the friends I had in my previous group meeting, it was still fun to learn more about how creative people can get with their film openings. I had discussed previously with Gabriel and it was cool to see how much his ideas, logo, and thought process has developed since the last time we spoke about the project. 

(Me, Valeria D, Marisa, Maximo, Gabriel, and Leo)

This was my group today! We were able to fully discuss everyone's ideas and process of their films and blogs. I will also be including the links to their blogs at the end of their sections so you guys can check them out!

Valeria D: I have known the girl next to me since she was in 7th grade, but after this meeting, we have rekindled the small friendship we had and we were able to share some laughs which I loved! I had one of her partners she is working with in my previous group meeting so I'm not sure if you guys remember what their film was about but I'll give you guys a quick reminder! Her film is about a boy who is around the age of 15-17 and is coming back home from sneaking out when he obviously wasn't supposed to. One of the scenes Valeria was talking about was when their main character is being yelled at by his mom or dad. She also showed us their production company logo and the other option they came up with. They were colorful and it was created based of the first initials of the three people in the group. She also told us the idea they had of stuffing pillows under their blanket to make it seem as if their character was actually there. Also, Leo had suggested to Valeria to look into music videos made from Kesha and see if she could find an inspiration from them. Valeria's blog!

Marisa: For Marisa's film, it was something I've never really heard of before. She told us that her film was based off the beginning of "Squid Games" which I found cool. From what I've seen, people tend to base their film off of coming of age movies or more calmer types of film so hearing this was kind of cool. She had told us that the name for their company production logo was called "Dollar Studios" to relation to the name of their film opening that's called "won%" which I also found interesting because many people are just doing simple words and not symbols, I found it creative. We had tried helping her on deciding which font she could use because she had already finished her filming process, but needed help on deciding which font. Overall, we had told her that it should be something that is not too harsh or bold but something that gives more of a "weird" vibe since she they were comparing it to "Squid Games." Marisa's blog!

Maximo: When we were talking about Maximo's film, he told us how he wanted the main character to be a homeless guy and he would insinuate that in the film by giving him clothes that are teared up and broken. The homeless guy would then sneak into a rich persons house and then steal their clothes. He said while he's in the middle of stealing he would then show the title of the film. Maximo also told us how he wanted to make the homeless guy change into formal or simple, casual clothing. Gabriel had also suggested to Maximo for him to create a scene in which the robber is running out the room with the clothes in arms. Maximo's blog!

Gabriel: I'm glad I know the overall idea that Gabriel wants to do achieve with his film. Since the last meeting, he has came up with his logo that includes Greek letters/words which we all found interesting. He had told us that it was because he always liked Greek mythology and things of that nature which led up to his logo. He also showed on from his blog that he was drawing his own logo which was a broken wine class with wine coming which I found cool because it looked good; he said how he was trying to better his drawing skills just for this reason. Gabriel also explained how he wants to begin his film with his main character Daniel (who is either on the bigger side or smaller side), on the scale and it would show accordingly. He also mentioned how he wanted to do a match cut of  Daniel walking in the same place as he walks on a sidewalk and the scenery around him would change. I had asked him if he thought it would be difficult to film /edit that scene because they seem rough to create, but I think he will be able to accomplish it. Gabriel also wanted to include the generic bullying scenes and then later involve the credits. Daniel would also be shown grabbing different things around his house/room including new boxing gloves compared to his bullies' gloves that are worn out to show experience. For one of his CCRs he wants to do an interview or a talk show in where they ask Gabe questions and it's the person being bullied or his therapists. Gabriel's blog!

Leo: During Leo's film one of the main characteristics is that it is going to be in black and white; Leo explained how its not something you see often which is true. Gabriel had also mentioned it. The main thing that's going to happen at the beginning of his film is that it will be a slow zoom, of a dark hallway as an arm falls out a room as the other half is covering the rest of their arm. After that, they will present the title of the film. He had also explained to us how him and his partner were having trouble finding music they could both agree on that go with the film. Leo also showed us the logo for their production company, "Sunset Studios." He told us how he originally got the idea of their logo from retro waves which I thought was nice. Him and his partner are also gonna be using a more minimalistic font that'll include colors such as dark red for their credits and title. The killer in his film is unknown, as he leaves hints for the detectives such a polaroid or pictures. Leo also told us how he wanted to include a match cut and over the shit of the room and the body to the time skip to when the detectives are investigating the marking around the spot where the body was. Leo's Blog!

Mine: When it was my turn, I gave them a quick run down and included my production logo, progress on filming, my characters and other things. They had told me that I could make one of my CCRs in the same location as the therapist room I plan on using for my film. I figured it'd be a good idea and it could overall just give more details and information on the therapist and Ana, or me if I'm the one who decides to do a talk show. I had also planned to either figure out one of the ways in where I can get Ana to speak more about her mental health and the way she views herself, or where I can ask my friend (who I based Ana off of) questions about her life.

Tunnels' Production 2

How Dark Can Tunnels Really Get..?

For the lighting in our film, we have been wanting to add a blue aura to add onto the sadness, slowness of Ana's way of life. We used the light my partner had and played around with it along with the different light sources we had. Lighting is easily, one of the hardest factors that have to do with any sort of media production. It took us so long to get the right positions with the white and blue light. We couldn't get too close or too far apart because it we obvious where the lights were exactly placed. Not only did we play around with the positioning of the lights (which was us walking around each other as we held them) but also the level of brightness. 

We were constantly changing the brightness of both lights. Then once we would get rid of that problem, shadows became one of our worst enemies because it would make it even more obvious of where the lights were placed. Other than the shadows giving it away, her window, pen or hair reflect the light and again, show exactly where the light was being held. So we did have to retake many shots of the same thing in order to get everything to the exact intensity, brightness, and level we wanted. So many different things would add onto me and Andrea trying different techniques with lights because it would start to get too dark out and in Lara's room, there would be too warm of a white coming from her lamp or too bright of a white coming from her celling light. 

At the end, once we would get certain shots with the props, our ideas slowly began to piece together and become realistic. As much as lighting tests my patience, I do admit it was fun to be able to try and get exactly what we wanted, how we wanted, and in the position we wanted. It was also fun being able to just slowly see me and Andrea's ideas coming together and me and her discussing on what we liked or didn't like about certain shots.

Here are some photos to show the process:

This is me playing around with the blue light 

This is me adjusting some of the props on the desk to our liking 

Andrea when we set up the equipment and started discussing about the different things we could do/try with the lighting

This is me and Andrea getting the shots around the room while we were constantly adjusting different lighting to see which fit the shots more

This is a shot from behind the camera to show what we were dealing with, referring to the lighting coming from our personal sources and outside

Here's a quick video to show me holding the blue light as we were laughing about the way Lara was crumbling up the paper for one of the shots we were getting..enjoy!

Tunnels' Production 1

 Tunnels' Set Design BTS

We began to film! I'm so excited to share our progress with you guys! We did have a slight problem with the majority of the shots we got because the room was so dark, when we would review our film it so happened to be noticeable of the fact that our shots were unfocused. There's a handful of the ones that are either focused on different things or most of the shots were taken while we were on our tip toes and weren't able to click to focus button or simply forgot about it. But we do have some footage and pictures of the progress we made! 

I am still really happy with what we did that day, the props I was able to collect, the equipment we had and obviously our actress and the main set. I'm happy Andrea and Lara were able to meet and Andrea was able to get to know the setting and how everything is laid out and how we can add things to the set or overall just adjust things to our liking. The both of us were able to get comfortable with the light sources we had which was the white light that could be placed on top of the camera, the other light where you can change the color and the strength of it, the natural light, and our phone's flashlight in which you could change the levels of.

So here some photos of the set, many of these were mentioned in one of my previous blogs!

Some of the APUSH, AICE Lit, and calculus homework

Our main actress, Lara

Photo of our equipment and other materials we brought

Andrea setting up some of the equipment

Lara after a quick outfit change by me and Andrea that we decided fit Ana's character better

Most of the school representations in the corner of her room

Photos of the friendships Ana used to have

The UMICH representation and some of my personal letters I've received that Ana's boyfriend supposedly gave to her

AV Productions

 Production Company Logo

So me and Andrea were thinking about our production company logo, and different ideas began to rush into my head. Since I was little I always wanted to create a company only because I wanted to create an idea for the logo. Especially something with my initial and the other persons initial. Back then, I would create fake companies with my sister and we would call ourselves something that would simply involve both of our initials in it, it was so cute! 

But now, that I'm able to do something fairly similar to that, I just started to type things out into Canva and click whatever I thought would be cute for the company. At first I started on the free canvas and typed out the first letter of our names, "AV" and then I just overlapped the right side of the "A" and the left side of the "V." Then, it took me some time to find our what font to use in order to not make it obvious i overlapped them or to not make it look to chunky and messy. Once I got to the right font and right adjustments, I began to look for the suggested designs that can go either behind or around the "AV." We tried adding stars, hearts, wavy circles, streaky circles, any shape you could possibly imagine. We also planned to put the word "productions" or "studios" under the main logo we just wanted to focus more on the "AV." 

These are some of the top option we created. For almost all of these, they mainly gave off those small bakery or jewelry accounts on social media that are trying to gain followers. Due to that, we ended up narrowing down to the one we wanted pretty quickly. Please ignore the different styles around the boarder because it was just me testing out a bunch of different things...

This one seemed too basic and common

This one seemed too tacky

We liked this one and thought about the idea of adding color to the flower

This is the one we chose! Very cute, simple, and overall nice vibe

Finally, this is our final product! We also wanted to add in one of our favorite colors to not make it look so bland.

If you guys were interested in making something similar or liked one of the designs me and my partner used, here's the link to Canva!

Fonts for Tunnels

 Fonts!

It did not take us much time for us to decide the font we plan on using for the credits and title. From the beginning we did not want anything to strong and harsh, or something like the fonts that are used in comic based films. We both wanted something that was soft, simple, and clean. 

My partner researched some fonts in Abode After Effects and got the idea of the title kind of bleeding in and out once it has been presented. For color, I suggested we give it a neutral, calming color such as grey or beige since Ana's life isn't really as colorful. At the same time I was thinking about making the title a specific color in order to make it stand out due to the background we plan on proposing the title on, but I'm pretty sure we'll just stick to the neutrals. 

These were the options, (disregard the grammar in tunnels):

This one was too harsh, aggressive, bold

Too artsy and gave off a cute vibe which not what we're going for

We liked this one because its very straightforward

This one seemed like a mix of the two previous ones but we liked this one too

These two are the ones we choose..

For this one, we will be using it for the credits as it gives off a more serious tone

We will be using this one for the title (bleeds in and out)

This is an example of what we plan to do:

Quick update - We ended up getting permission from the other two artists we emailed asking to use their songs in our film since my last blog!

From Vivienne Westwood (Nons)

From Dearveni (Jane)

 

Audio + Script!

Audio Elements in the Tunnels

For the sound elements in our film, we have much planned! For the diegetic sounds in Ana's bedroom towards the beginning of the film, we had planned to create foley sounds for writing with pencil on paper, keyboards typing, papers rustling and other sounds that one would hear in a room while doing homework. 

My partner and I started thinking of non-diegetic sounds and songs that we would use and not get copyrighted for. The more we would listen to them, the more boring it got so we decided to listen to underground artists that do not have many following in case we would have to email and communicate how we want their permission for the usage of their song. We also immediately went for smarter choice which was the smaller artists as they sadly, aren't worldwide and aren't too busy giving and receiving attention in every which way. We had found several that caught our eye but I'm gonna show you which ones we chose and which ones we didn't and why so you are able to understand the honest vibes and aura we are going for. Super fun fact is that I ended up adding all of these songs to my playlists..

This song is called Sombras by Dearveni. We really enjoyed this song as my partner even referenced it to "The Marias" which is a band we both enjoy listening to. I enjoyed Dearveni's soft and light toned voice and her slow paced tempo. She does speak Spanish in the song as well, which I think was actually able to create an even lighter vibe to the song. The song also uses light drums in the background of her vocals which gives good closure to the mood she is trying to give off with this song. I do wish we ended up choosing this song because of the comfort this song creates, but I am not disappointed with the ones we did choose. I do think this song did not exactly give the connection verbally towards Ana or her problems throughout the film opening. I find it important that the vibes are either really prominent about the emotions or the words are either straightforward about it in a way.

The second song that we found is called Nons by Vivienne Eastwood. This song created a light-hearted and gentle aura throughout the progression of the song. It keeps a constant drum set also playing extremely soft considering the fact how loud that specific instrument can get. This song was not a bad option at all but I do think it created too much of a positive vibe if we would have  used it. The song itself is very calming to the point it does create an empty feeling when listening to it, but for our film, it definitely did not match. The type of vibes I got from this song were "I'm driving back home after hanging out with my friends at 12am in 38 degree weather" and as specific as that sounds, I just really couldn't see us using this song. The environment that this song was creating was different from the one we want to build. I did really like this song for a car ride home while being alone but not for my project.

The third option we had was Jane by Dearveni, I started going through the other songs she had produced after my partner introduced the first one to me and I found this song. I really liked this song because it doesn't create a strong nor cute vibe but more of a simple yet entertaining vibe. It creates a very uplifting yet the perfect amount of emptiness for our film. The song doesn't have any crazy climaxes throughout but it just continues to build a soft, warm tone. I also loved how it often has softly cut, abrupt beats that I had suggested we could match up our shots too even thought it might be a bit corny, I still really liked the idea. I also did tell my partner that I liked how we could use the mood of the song and the pace it progresses at to show more emotion of Ana. My partner had also told me that it sounded romantic and I agreed, but I did think it's what made it better. We did keep this song as our top 3!

Lastly, I did save my favorite and the most successful one for last. This song is called Stranger In You by Ebril and it's been a song I listen to often since last year. This song has always created such a deep hole in my heart because of the way Ebril's voice is so sweet and soft. It creates such an easy going feeling as it is still a very sad song one could cry to. "Stranger In You" has some sounds in the background of the environment outdoors which I absolutely love because it is not something you find often in a song and she was able to produce something so happy, but sad at the same time with these small "strange" factors in her thought process towards this song. She also has amazing vocals that are able to create an art of sweetness and caution. This has always been one of my "sad songs" I listen to but the more I listen to it, the more I just think about my past choices and the people and world around me that eventually leads to creating a sad tone. Another thing I enjoyed about this song, was that it constantly repeats "I find a stranger in you" which I told my partner, could easily relate to the way Ana isn't the same person she once used to be. Considering her family and friend's perspectives, Ana's new fixation on academics has swallowed her personality as a whole and whose new personality would be considered a strangers'. They could refer to her to someone they wouldn't be able to recognize anymore because of how much she's changed and how successfully she managed to throw away the majority of her social life and connections she used to once cherish.

Eventually, I ended up emailing Ebril, my partner ended up emailing Dearveni and Vivienne Eastwood. We messaged them around 2pm and during my shift, at 7:47 p.m. I received a response back from Maxwell Flohr who is Ebril's manager. I couldn't stop smiling throughout the rest of my shift. Considering the fact Ebril is the one who had the most monthly listeners out of the three we emailed, I never would have thought we would actually get a response back. Mr. Flohr was very sweet and understanding about the film and even asked for me to send it to them when it was done. I was more than happy to tell my partner about this as we were both nervous about this entire thing. We still have to confirm with our teacher about the email and everything, but it still feels so cool that I got a personalized email from Ebril's super cool manager. I have never in my life been so excited to send an email. This made me so excited and happy to be able to use a song I love in a film opening I will be creating with my partner. I am forever grateful! We are still waiting for the other artists to get back to us as we had planned to use their songs at a different time. There were two specific scenes we had planned to use these types of songs and it was at the beginning when we introduce Ana and the setting to the viewer and the second one was when she puts on her headphones to listen to music while she's eating and doing her homework during lunchtime. 

Finally, I also wanted to share our finalized script we will be using for Tunnels, enjoy! ~ TunnelsScript

Set for Tunnels

 Mise-en-scene - Set & props

For our set in our Tunnels, we are planning on shooting a handful of the shots in our main actresses room. Her room is very simplistic, clean, and straightforward which is something that would definitely go with Ana. Ana is supposed to be a messier type of person considering how she handles her work, but it's something we could easily do once we're in our main actresses room. She also has a small bulletin board that has pictures of her with her friends back in middle school, along with trinkets or things that show her accomplishments. It won't be hard to get a hold of the things we need, especially because I have connections! This is something we plan to take shots of to show how Ana used to be social at some point in her life. 

List of what we need and why:

- English essay, APUSH homework/notes, and calculus homework. We need these for the shots when we are showing Ana doing her homework, as she also takes harder classes, we need work from more challenging and rigorous classes. I have essays we will use for the film and I have friends that are able to let us borrow their APUSH and calculus homework. 

Example photo of some of my friend's APUSH notes we'll be using

- Medals around the room or in a specific place to prove Ana's accomplishments and hard work throughout a couple years. I have my own medals and pins that we will use. I also will be getting more medals from other friends to use in the film. 

My winter guard team that got 2nd place at championships award (left) & band recognition award (right)

- Pictures/polaroid or other proof of the fact that she used to once be a social butterfly or once had special, loving connections with people she no longer has it with. I have many pictures that we might use but we will be using the pictures my main actress has in her room to show the friendships.

- Flags, posters or merch of colleges such as FSU, UF, UM, UMICH and FIU to show her commitment and things that encourage her to work harder on herself in order to improve her future. I have FIU merch because my brother's friend works there so they give me several things. One of my friend's sister has FSU merch I am able to borrow, along with my other friend whose mom is often running tasks in UM is able to get me some flags or shirts of the school. A close friend of mine is from Michigan and his parents attended UMICH and are able to let me borrow a couple things as well!

Some of my FIU merch we will be using 

- Laptop/computer that she will use to get her home work done and will be used in the first couple shots of her doing homework in her room. We have several computers that we could use but we will probably end up using my main actress' computer or her sister because she is currently enrolled in some of the classes Ana is supposedly in. 

- Phone, for specific scene when her alarm turns on abruptly towards the beginning of the film, and for when she is putting music to listen to. We will be using my main actresses phone for this, if anything O have an extra phone we could always use for backup.

- Headphones for when she begins to listen to music during lunch time. My partner had over-the-head headphones that we will be using.

- Backpack to store her school supplies as we will get shots of her backpack next to her desk or next to her when she sits down. Along with shots of her walking with it on. For this, we will use my main actresses backpack or mine. 

- Sandwich of any kind for when we get the shot of Ana doing her homework during lunch time. I will be the one making the sandwich or any following snacks for this scene.

- Costumes for Ana and Mrs. Larsson who is the school therapist that later speaks to Ana towards the end of the film. For Ana, her outfit will be simple, plain colors without any designs or art on them. I have several black full zip jackets or dark colored hoodies we could use if something does not work out with my main actresses wardrobe. 

Inspo picture for Ana's costume but much less accessories

- Glasses because Mrs. Larsson will be dressed semi-formal as she is a therapist but is also at school at the same time so it won't be insanely formal. Adding glasses to her costume will help support this. She also might have a laptop for her desk in the office if we do specific shots but I doubt we will need one. If we end up needing one all of a sudden, I have an extra laptop that doesn't even turn on we could always use to simply prop the idea of it. I was also thinking a notepad and pen for her to "jot down" what Ana says she is feeling like. 

Sources:

- azu1. (n.d.). semi-formal outfit [Pinterest post]. Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/563018699419640/

- fahtan1t. (n.d.). dark full-zip outfit [Pinterest post]. Pinterest.  https://www.pinterest.com/pin/66991113212509326/

Tunnels' Lighting

 Mise-en-scene - Lighting 

Our film name, Tunnels, came from the phrase "Tunnel Vision." Tunnel vision is a tendency to think only about one thing and to ignore everything else, as Ana does with her social life, with the bond she's supposed to have with her family and her academics. We decided to cut it down into only one word because we felt as if it just fit the vibe and overall theme of the film. Considering the fact our film sends a darker, understanding message, we figured on using colors such as blue, darker/washed out purple, lighter red, and a yellow. We plan on using film color gels to put over a light and a light my partner has that has different settings of color. Most of the colors we plan on using in the film is to add and represent the isolation Ana goes through.

We would end up using the yellow to slightly insinuate that people such as her boyfriend, Luke, are what gives her joy and is what makes the world around her brighter. In Ana's head, everything is dark and strictly school, giving a bright color such as yellow to a character that Ana is supposed to have a romantic connection with, shows the importance his character carries. The picture below shows the type of surprising, deep connection that Luke yearns for Ana to feel again. Almost as to reignite the feeling they used to have.

As for the color blue, it represents the darkness and deepness that revolves around Ana in her life. Throughout the film opening we don't see Ana smiling or showing any sign of happiness about her life which the color blue clearly resembles. We plan to use it around her room towards the very beginning of the film. The picture below is of my partner Andrea, who used the light she has on the blue setting and it gave off a blue we liked a lot. 

This is a somewhat similar inspo pic of the lighting we want, just less prominent.

For the purple, using bright, prominent purples creates a royalty and fancy vibe which is why we plan on trying to mix around some colors in order to give us a darker, washed out shade of purple that also isn't similar to lilac because then that will make the whole thing seem romantic which is not what we're going for. I feel if we got this color to the right shade it would add to the theme and emotion we are trying to build throughout our film opening.

Sources:

- Shania, F. (n.d.). Blue seeping into dark room [Pinterest post]. Pinterest.

- Tunnel vision. (n.d.). In Britannica Dictionary. Retrieved February 15, 2026, from here

- Jessica, R. (n.d.). Purple street light [Pinterest post]. Pinterest.

- Lisha. (n.d.). yellow light motion blur [Pinterest post]. Pinterest.