Mask-erade

POPCORN, MASQUERADE, FANTASY

The Oxford University Film Foundation (OUFF) is holding a 'cuppers' film competition. Films are to be one minute maximum and must incorporate the three prompt words: popcorn, masquerade, and fantasy. 

I was surprised by the support and enthusiasm from my friends. So many of them volunteered to participate. We did our best to follow the college's COVID regulations and so kept the dancing pairs within households and limited physical contact. Everyone was flexible and ready to participate, regardless of what I asked them to do.

The interior scenes were filmed on Thursday, and the exterior films and editing were done on Friday. Given how quickly the film was completed and the prompt words, I am proud of the film. I think it is funny and that all the requirements were effectively fulfilled.

The interior scenes: I attempted to edit the lighting post-production, but I am still not satisfied with it. The wood of the table and kitchen add a yellow look to the shots, whereas I think a blue-toned shot would be more appropriate for the mood. The yellow lighting is also quite strong because we filmed in the evening and used the overhead lights (this was because of our busy schedules); if we had been more flexible I would have liked to film during the day. I also added more contrast to the shots. I cracked my camera lens (oops) so all my shots — photographs and video — are overexposed. It looks better but I am still dissatisfied.

The exterior scene: this was my favourite part to make. It was raining but everyone persisted and they were great listeners. None of us knew how to dance so we improvised 😂. The one aspect of this sequence that I am not as pleased with is the no touching: it doesn't look as elegant as it did in my mind, and I don't think I explained it sufficiently in the film. It looks a little clumsy on my part. 

The sound was also exciting to create. I am by no means a screenwriter and I stumbled a bit with the dialogue (which I felt was necessary to explain the plot). It was scripted and recorded quite fast, but we had a laugh over the cheesiness. The music was far more impressive. In the film, the movie on the computer is playing 'Bust your Windows'. Initially the sound was included but I ended up cutting it because there were too many different songs clashing. The two tracks I did include — the blues (saxophone) and the waltz (piano and violin) inspired by 'Bust your Windows' — were recorded by three friends. Their musical talent and how quickly they pieced the tracks together blew my mind. I think both tracks establish the two different moods in the short film. 

I thoroughly enjoyed making every part of this film and I look forward to more projects like this in the future. It is nice to know that I have friends that are excited and willing to partake.