Illumination

Co-written with Zoie Hing.

A group student-made film that is beyond magical.

Story cubes provides unlimited possibilities on what you can do. Game of Games restricts you to only creating a game. On the other hand, if you wanted to, you could have created a game from the story cubes. That was the beauty of it, having different ideas spur to you from the cubes and creating whatever your heart desires.

We wanted to have that free rein on our video and to let our creativity run free, so we made the decision to do story cubes.

When we each rolled all the cubes and saw the ones pictured with a pyramid and eye, the first thing that came to mind was the illuminati. From there, we started to choose other cubes including the magic wand and mask, slowly bringing together a story about a wizard world that is in danger. It is up to two wizards to join the illumination revolution and save the world.

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There were different challenges we faced pre-production, during production, and post-production. However, we were able learn from our mistakes and struggles and ended up with a product that we're pretty proud of. Some key things we learned from Moose's Creativity Guide after making this video was to be silly, let it go, take another look, be organized, and be sober.

Be silly

Our original storyline had a serious and dramatic tone. The majority of the content was plot driven due to the time restrictions. However, as we began filming, we found ourselves making multiple mistakes. Scenes had to be shot over and over due to misplacement of props and messed up lines. Had we tried to keep the project fully “clean” and “professional,” we would have been frustrated out of our minds.

We turned these mishaps into opportunities to “spice” up our scenes. Some of these opportunities came in the form of pedestrians walking right in front of the camera. Others came in semi-delirious music decisions during late night post-production editing.

It is true the project would have been completely different had we kept a serious outlook. However, it is the silly blunders and mishaps that make this project uniquely ours.

Let it go

Ambition is great when working on a project. Ambition is a bit more tricky when working with multiple limitations.

The first draft of the script featured a grand cast of 12 students and would have run beyond the 5 minute limit. We were giddy with excitement and dismissed the difficulty that would come with handling so many schedules and so much material.

It was a difficult decision, but after noting how fast the deadline was approaching, we let go of the first draft of the script. We were sad to say goodbye to our masterpiece. However, the second draft was much more refined and concise after learning from our mistakes. The newer version eased the workload on our shoulders and lowered the cast numbers to a more manageable team.

Take another look

The movie poster had multiple prototypes. Even after changing the photos and fonts and graphics, the poster always seemed incomplete. We could never figure out exactly why.

Since the poster could be done quickly, we focused most of our efforts on shooting. Every now and then we would return to edit the poster with new photos from our video or adjust minor details.

Working on the poster bit by bit and letting the details sit saved us a lot of stress during the project. Sometimes, we went a little crazy staring at the same screen for so long. Stepping away allowed us to recenter ourselves and introduce new ideas (such as our numerous awards) and perspectives.

It turned out spectacularly and far funnier than we anticipated in the end.

Be organized

Surely making a simple story line would be easier than making a game with complicated rules.

That was what we thought. We were greatly mistaken. As we began running through the scenes, we often realized details that had been left out after footage had been shot. We then had to repeatedly go back and forth in reshooting scenes to make sure everything was consistent. Props had to be placed away, our positioning had to be readjusted, and we had to be careful not to jumble our lines. It did not help that one of our actors had a strict time schedule.

The script was perhaps our greatest friend. We were able to refer back to it when attempting to identify what props were needed, what the previous actions were, and prioritizing what group shots had to come first. The script also provided a great guide that mapped out where mistakes could be fixed with post-production editing.

Be sober

Everyone on the team, both actors and producers, are underaged. This means there was little to any chance of us being intoxicated on the job (legally). However, sleep deprivation plagued all of us after a week's worth of cramming for last minute exams. It is often said sleep deprivation can produce symptoms similar to intoxication. We can wholeheartedly agree.

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It may be true that the speedy creation of the second draft of the script came from our delirious and sleep-deprived state of mind. However, during the filming process we understood how being level headed and present is a necessity in being efficient. Our fatigue resulted in the overlooking of major details and avoidable reshoots. We cannot imagine how difficult the filming process would be under the influence, or what crucial details would have been left out.

The final revisions before the presentation came after a good night’s sleep. We learned the impact health and wellness can have on a project and took caution in looking over the final details.

A sober mind is better than a drunk mind. Supposedly. This is all theoretical -- we are underaged, after all.

When it came to creating our guerrilla tactic to promote our film, we came up with the idea to hack into all the TVs around University of Centra Oklahoma's campus and showcase a static image of the illumination logo.

The project was stressful, but the more I got into it, the more I enjoyed the process and end product.

It was great working with Zoie. Both of us had different skill sets that contributed to the making of this project. She was the creative one who wrote the script and starred in the video and I was the technical one who filmed edited the footage. With her outgoing personality with my collected personality, we made an absolute killer team.

Click here to check out our final video!