Tashika Bailey
Tashika's responsibilities in the film were to create most design projects that included photoshop and was pivotal in the success of the ancillary task & research and planning stage. She also worked as a sound editor and was in charge of the choice of soundtrack used in the trailer. Tashika also came up with the idea for illusive productions and even designed the production logo. Tashika also already had an interest in photography prior to the formation of our team, therefore she already had a proficient camera, capable of filming content. Therefore Tashika volunteered to lend us her camera and we used it throughout many shots of the film. With this camera she created many shots in the film, including behind the scenes clips and blooper videos like the ones below.
We asked Tashika to partake in a brief interview about her experience with the film
Q. What did you find most challenging about the film process?
A. I found that trying to maximize the low budget equipment we had was the most challenging. Im a bit of a perfectionist, so i just wanted the film to be as professional as possible with no signs of amateurism.
Q. How long did it take you to complete the film?
A. The filming process was done on two separate occasions. Unfortunately we all didn't like the way the initial film was made. It had flaws in the plot, production and just overall everything. So we all decided to shoot the film again, which was a little discouraging but we knew it would pay off in the long run. So i would say the whole thing took us about a few months.
Q. Is there anything you would have done differently about the film?
A. It was a long process and i sincerely believe that we all collectively gave it our best shot. I don't think i would change anything about the film. For a first attempt at film, i'd say we did pretty good.
Q. Lastly, what have you gained from working with a team?
A. I think working with a team taught me how to manage my time but also to be patient. patience was the most important lesson learned for me. I was eager to get things done and waiting on group members to finish a task so that you can begin yours and vice versa was difficult at first but we managed.
A. I found that trying to maximize the low budget equipment we had was the most challenging. Im a bit of a perfectionist, so i just wanted the film to be as professional as possible with no signs of amateurism.
Q. How long did it take you to complete the film?
A. The filming process was done on two separate occasions. Unfortunately we all didn't like the way the initial film was made. It had flaws in the plot, production and just overall everything. So we all decided to shoot the film again, which was a little discouraging but we knew it would pay off in the long run. So i would say the whole thing took us about a few months.
Q. Is there anything you would have done differently about the film?
A. It was a long process and i sincerely believe that we all collectively gave it our best shot. I don't think i would change anything about the film. For a first attempt at film, i'd say we did pretty good.
Q. Lastly, what have you gained from working with a team?
A. I think working with a team taught me how to manage my time but also to be patient. patience was the most important lesson learned for me. I was eager to get things done and waiting on group members to finish a task so that you can begin yours and vice versa was difficult at first but we managed.
Karen Nguyen
Karen played a multitude of roles in the film including co-editor, co- director, team organizer and sound composer. Alongside Karen's brief acting responsibilities, she took on the task of involving herself in multiple aspects of our production, working as the anchor of group. Karen like most of us, had very little knowledge of software such as final cut, and garageband, let alone short film, going into the production of our film. However Karen learned faster than most of us that hard work and determination will allow you to gain the skills needed in order to perfect your craft. Karen soon learned how to use all programs efficiently. She also took pride in being our groups organizer and was a vital member of a group in the decision making process.
Here is Karen filming the location recce in the beginning stages of production
We also asked Karen to take part in a brief interview
Q. What would you say was the most exciting moment of the filming process?
A. The moment where we were filming the abuse scene was the highlight of the entire film process. Although we didn't use it in our actual film, that by far was the most hilarious and fun moment of our film. We gained a lot of chemistry that day as we all tried to film a scene where the protagonist was in an altercation, but we couldn't stop laughing. It was an amazing moment that i will always remember.
Q. What would you say was the low light of the filming process?
A. Ummm, the low light of the filming process would definitely have to be the scrapping of the original film. Although we knew we had to develop a new script and create a new film for the betterment of our team, we spent two entire days filming the initial film. It was a tough decision to make and was quite annoying but we knew we had to create the best production possible.
Q. Which responsibility did you enjoy most in the filming? The co editing or the co directing?
A. Definitely the co directing. Before 'The Doppelganger' i had no clue how interesting being behind a camera was. The thrill of being in control of a set and knowing that your directions our pivotal for the success of the scene is quite astonishing. Although i did slightly enjoy the editing process, it was a long process and what made it even worse is that we had to do it a second time. Editing a 15 minute long short film isn't exactly what i call fun but the end product was worth it. I was so happy to see what i contributed.
Q. What was the most important thing you learned from the production process?
A. I learned how to work well with a team. Creating something on your own seems easy but when you actually go about doing it yourself it can be very confusing. Therefore working in a group was vital for the success of our film and i knew that going into the film. That's why i took the role of being the team organizer because i knew their was no way that this was gonna work if the team wasn't clicking.
A. The moment where we were filming the abuse scene was the highlight of the entire film process. Although we didn't use it in our actual film, that by far was the most hilarious and fun moment of our film. We gained a lot of chemistry that day as we all tried to film a scene where the protagonist was in an altercation, but we couldn't stop laughing. It was an amazing moment that i will always remember.
Q. What would you say was the low light of the filming process?
A. Ummm, the low light of the filming process would definitely have to be the scrapping of the original film. Although we knew we had to develop a new script and create a new film for the betterment of our team, we spent two entire days filming the initial film. It was a tough decision to make and was quite annoying but we knew we had to create the best production possible.
Q. Which responsibility did you enjoy most in the filming? The co editing or the co directing?
A. Definitely the co directing. Before 'The Doppelganger' i had no clue how interesting being behind a camera was. The thrill of being in control of a set and knowing that your directions our pivotal for the success of the scene is quite astonishing. Although i did slightly enjoy the editing process, it was a long process and what made it even worse is that we had to do it a second time. Editing a 15 minute long short film isn't exactly what i call fun but the end product was worth it. I was so happy to see what i contributed.
Q. What was the most important thing you learned from the production process?
A. I learned how to work well with a team. Creating something on your own seems easy but when you actually go about doing it yourself it can be very confusing. Therefore working in a group was vital for the success of our film and i knew that going into the film. That's why i took the role of being the team organizer because i knew their was no way that this was gonna work if the team wasn't clicking.
Nathan Higgins
Nathan was also a graphic designer who worked on the storyboard, poster, film review and many more. Nathan also used his creative talents in the assistance of developing ideas for the film. Nathan was heavily involved in the initial film script and had some involvement in the developed script. Nathan played multiple key roles in the film and was extremely important in the ancillary task stage. The creativity he applied to the film review and poster's allowed the rest of the group to breathe freely knowing that we had help with the graphic aspects of the film. Nathan's story board progress was also extraordinary and was one of many brilliant contributions to the construction stage. Nathan was also a cinematographer and was largely responsible for the choice of camera shots & camera angles throughout the film.
Nathan was also responsible for getting us availability to a cafe. He happened to work at a cafe, which was extremely convenient, therefore he just asked his boss and got the conformation. Once we got the confirmation, we were ready to go.
Here is Nathan in our Evaluation question 2 interview
We did not conduct an interview with Nathan due to his contribution to our evaluation question 2, which also serves as an interview
Ryan Spencer (ME)
I took on the responsibilities of being the primary director, screen & script writer, co-editor and producer of the film. My contributions to our group allowed us to quickly develop ideas for the film as well as shoot the film. I had never been apart of a group production as big or important as this before so a lot of the content came as a surprise to me. However, i had to quickly learn how to work within a group because i would be the primary director otherwise known as the main communicator on set. In addition to my practical help to the team, i also had a Nikon Dslr 3200 from my interest in photography, i used this Nikon through a lot of the scenes and it contributed well as the camera's the college gave us was not up to par with what we envisioned our film to look like.
Here is a video of me in the location recce
I partook in a brief interview, concerning my experience with the film
Q. What was the most intriguing aspect of the film process?
A. The most intriguing part for me was the filming. I was able to tap in to my creativity and really channel my thoughts into a scene through directing. Being a director isn't exactly the easiest job due to its requirement to command others but it really taught me a valuable lesson about how other people work and behave in a production. It isn't the directors job to keep morale high but it is certainly necessary for a successful film session.
Q. Being that you will be going to university to study film, what do you value most about this experience and how will it help you in your university years?
A. Before this production, i had no idea that i had such an intense love for film. I valued the analytical aspect of the production the most because it allows you to decipher different media texts and really learn how to create a final product. For example, learning about different editing techniques and camera angles was a key part of my learning process. I found my self analyzing every film i watched from then on, critiquing different directors and picking up ideas for me to implement into our film. Its going to help me in my university years because its already put me on the right track to wanting to learn about all what film has to offer. The film world is vast and has a lot to offer and i plan to soak all the possible information up like a sponge.
Q. Three words.. Directing or writing?
A. Hmmmm... thats a difficult question. Directing is so important to me because i get to be behind a camera but writing is also fascinating to me. The idea of having your ideas turn into something special is really enticing. I don't know. I'm going to have to split that one.
Q. Lastly, you mentioned earlier that directing was difficult for you. Was there a time where a situation got out of hand?
A. There was one time where there was a minor disagreement between myself and the rest of the crew. It cost us about a hour of production time because we were so frustrated with one another. But, we pushed through the disagreement and the day ended up being one of the most productive days we had filming. That just goes to show that when you resolve a situation and work together, the job can get done.
A. The most intriguing part for me was the filming. I was able to tap in to my creativity and really channel my thoughts into a scene through directing. Being a director isn't exactly the easiest job due to its requirement to command others but it really taught me a valuable lesson about how other people work and behave in a production. It isn't the directors job to keep morale high but it is certainly necessary for a successful film session.
Q. Being that you will be going to university to study film, what do you value most about this experience and how will it help you in your university years?
A. Before this production, i had no idea that i had such an intense love for film. I valued the analytical aspect of the production the most because it allows you to decipher different media texts and really learn how to create a final product. For example, learning about different editing techniques and camera angles was a key part of my learning process. I found my self analyzing every film i watched from then on, critiquing different directors and picking up ideas for me to implement into our film. Its going to help me in my university years because its already put me on the right track to wanting to learn about all what film has to offer. The film world is vast and has a lot to offer and i plan to soak all the possible information up like a sponge.
Q. Three words.. Directing or writing?
A. Hmmmm... thats a difficult question. Directing is so important to me because i get to be behind a camera but writing is also fascinating to me. The idea of having your ideas turn into something special is really enticing. I don't know. I'm going to have to split that one.
Q. Lastly, you mentioned earlier that directing was difficult for you. Was there a time where a situation got out of hand?
A. There was one time where there was a minor disagreement between myself and the rest of the crew. It cost us about a hour of production time because we were so frustrated with one another. But, we pushed through the disagreement and the day ended up being one of the most productive days we had filming. That just goes to show that when you resolve a situation and work together, the job can get done.