Production day one!

Today we filmed the second half of the opening to be able to use pictures from this day to incorporate into the board in the first scene, we brought our friend Sophia Moreau along to assist us with lighting and other details because she has more experience in this area from her time in CBTV, Cypress Bay's television class. Filming was a really enjoyable and stress-free process. Our actors were very easy to work with and gave it their all during the process.

The filming process took almost 4 hours, this was because there were times when our actors would laugh, stutter, or forget their lines. Or we could change the direction we filmed to get various shots. All the shots we needed for this half of the opening were able to be filmed and I would say it was a pretty successful filming day. 

Production Process: SHOT LIST!!

 Detective Board Scene - 

• Tracking shot on hand placing first picture.
• Close up of the picture
• Dutch angle of another item being pinned 
• Fast paced close up shots of various pictures and memorabilia 
• Tracking shot of the red string around the board. 
• Slow Zoom out to a long shot of the board. 

Inside the house- 

• Two shot  of the couple in bed 
• close up of alarm ringing 
• medium shot of waking up and out of bed 
• medium shot in the kitchen 
• close up of the cooking 
• two shots of the couple cooking 
• over the shoulder shot of a vase falling (the couple seen in the back) 
• the camera pans over to the door 

At the door- 

• Over the shoulder shot once the door opens 
• Shot/ Counter shot during dialogue 
• Long shot of outside the house, seeing Jess at the door talking to Sofia 
• Medium shot of Luke walking in 
• Two shot of Sofia and Luke 
• Close up of Jess 
• Medium shot of door closing 
• Medium shot of Sofia and Luke 
• Zoom in close up of Luke's worried face 

My choice: AUDIO!

We studied audio in October and even completed a research project on it. We had to create a scene using solely audio for our assignment. In addition to internet audios from YouTube and other resources, we were told to incorporate Foley. This project was quite useful in teaching us how to edit audio, make foley, and change timing, as well as the volume. This project has given me the courage to believe that audio won't be an Issue for our project.

Our opening scene will have a haunting, mysterious, and rather menacing instrumental background. As the opening scene lacks dialogue, we think this will work appropriately. Although we haven't picked the music yet, we are looking for an uncopyrighted audio to prevent further issues.

In terms of what comes after our film opening, this will be a little different for us. Since discourse has never been a part of any of our other projects, we will need to try new things to get this done right.

We were thinking of having a little microphone to use because it's very tiny and clips onto clothing. It is a super simple device and I think it will be really efficient. Our worry is that since the mic will be inside the shirts of our actors that the audio could end up being muffled. Miranda has used this during volleyball games but on the outside of the shirt never inside. It is our only concern for the audio. 

Casting!!

 After attempting to cast people various times, we finally got our cast!!  

I am not gonna lie casting is not very easy. Trying to find people who would work with each other and had time to film was complicated. People have very busy lives, including me, so it is hard to make all the times match up. 

These two actors reflect our characters in the sense that they are together in real life as well as their personalities.

We want to meet the two of them quickly to shoot the second scene for our opener. Both of them are responsible and trustworthy, and we have no doubt that they will work well on our project. Neither of them has any prior TV or acting experience, but our situation doesn't call for significant acting. It needs them to film in a cozy setting and be at comfortable with one another, which they are.

Sofia- Played by Sofia Bruno 

Luke- Played by Adrian Rendon  

Production Process 2 FILMING SET UP !!

 Today is filming day 1!! Before I began to film the opening scene, I wanted to look at videos of detective boards and how in movies or videos they are seen. I went online to look for some similar scenes. I couldn't find any in any movies where they are setting up the board. 

I did some digging and found this video on POND5 where a person is adding the red string to all the pictures on the board, and I noticed the camera would pan down and track the movements that the hand would make. I want to incorporate that into our filming and our shots, but I always want to include various other types of shots to include different angles. 

I also noticed they had post it notes on the board with information. I completely missed that in planning to film, and I thought it would be great to include some into the board to not only fill up space, but to provide information that will be relevant later on. I began to write this post in notes, and include them onto the board. 

Production Process 1

This week Miranda and I are supposed to begin our production!! I am very excited and nervous. Before we can even start filming our opening, we need a few props to properly shoot the scene.  This list includes a big cork-board, thumbtacks, black gloves, and red string. All these pieces are crucial for the first scene in our opening. 

Cork Board 

The most essential part of this entire scene is the detective board. The board will include all the pictures and memorabilia of Sofia and Luke. This will begin the climb of suspense in our film. The audience will be left with the questions like  "Who is making this board?", "What is the importance of these items?" We will leave with the audience with a sense of intrigue, and throughout the film, we will answer these questions and build on the suspense. 

Black Gloves

The back gloves are a big part in this scene. In the scene, we use the black gloves to hide the identity of the person who is obsessed with Sofia and Luke. They add mystery to the identity of the person and to the overall plot. 

Red String

The red string is literally what connects the whole scene together. The red string will be what is leading all the pictures and memorabilia to one picture of Sofia, where it is quite obvious she did not know it was being taken. The string will signal the audience to pay attention to these details since they will appear again in the film.  

Storyboard

After establishing the final idea for the opening and working on the script we began working on the storyboard. What is on the storyboard is the majority of the shots being used and what exactly the audience will see. We began drawing exactly what would pan out in every shot of each scene, with the credits appearing in between all the shots. The storyboard allows us to know exactly what shot is needed for the scenes while we are filming. It got all our ideas in order and helped us execute the plan. Below is our storyboard for the first two minutes of our film. 

mise-en-scene element (Lighting)

 Lighting

Lighting is one of the most crucial parts of making a horror/suspense feel real and supporting the film. It can create tension, mood, and how the audience feels about the scene. 

Lighting in Horror/Suspense Films

The way lighting is used in horror/suspense films can achieve all these things:

• Builds Suspense
• Enhances the fear of the unknown
• Create the atmosphere for the character 
• Direct the audience's attention to specific areas (Emphasizing danger)
• Isolation
• Foreshadowing

How We Are Going to Use Lighting 

The first shot of the Film Opening is multiple close-up shots of a detective board being created. For a scene like this, having bright lighting would not achieve the effect of suspense we want our audience to feel. We are going to be using low-key lighting with high contrast and deep shadows to support our idea of suspense. During the first scene, we will also use flickering lights to create unpredictability and a flashlight to highlight certain parts of the board we believe the audience should care about. During the zoom-out that shows the entire board the low lighting is going to get brighter to make sure the board is scene perfectly and then it cuts to the title screen. Having the low-key lighting is to give an eerie sensation to the scene and that something is not right. 

The lighting will only showcase the important aspects of the shot. 

Character Development

Character Development

 

A lot of time was spent making sure that every aspect of the characters helped to develop the film's purpose. 

Sofia- 

Sofia is our main character, the whole film revolves around her. She embodies the energy of someone who is like a "ray of sunshine." She is a sweet young woman who has the perfect life. House, boyfriend, job, she has it all. But even with her having it all she is still as humble and sweet as when she had nothing. She is a kind-hearted, trusted, social, and optimistic person. She is always trying to see the best in people. 

When Sofia pieces everything together about Jess, she is in disbelief. She feels so betrayed by Jess. After this encounter, Sofia doesn't know who to trust in the messed up world she lives in. She enters a stage of fear and refuses to trust anyone.

Luke- 

Luke is your typical jock man who is super focused on his athletics. But he doesn't let it get between him and Sofia. He is a protective, loyal, and observant person. He is so in love with Sofia it is all that matters to him. He is the kind of boyfriend who genuinely loves his girlfriend and wants to see her happy in life. 

When he first meets Jess, imminently, he knows something is wrong and that Sofia won't be safe. A sense of unease is all he feels when speaking to Jess. He tries to warn Sofia, but being the optimistic person she is says there is nothing to be worried about. Luke was going to let this slide because Sofia was excited for a friend. He is hoping that he is worrying for nothing. He worries a lot for the safety of others, especially Sofias. 

Jess- 

Jess is a young woman in her mid-20s who always dresses perfectly. Head to toe in a perfect outfit, with her long hair and smoky makeup. Jess has a history of obsessing over men who are taken, but that information is figured out in the later parts of the film. In our film opening, she moves to a new town in hopes of ending up with Luke. She is seen as a new neighborly person who just wants to fit in at the start of the film and throughout the film it becomes clear she is crazy, and crazy for Luke. She seems normal but is hiding a darkness under her skin. She is embodying a slow-burn horror. 

When Sofia confronts her about being obsessed with Luke, Jess doesn't deny it. Instead, she is relieved that Sofia knows and goes on and on about how Luke should be hers that she is in love with Luke, and how Sofia should not have him. 

Todorov's Narrative Theory of Equilibrium

Todorov's Narrative Theory of Equilibrium is the media theory that Miranda and I would want to incorporate into our movie's opening. Even though Todorov's theory has more than three sections, we were only taught about equilibrium, disequilibrium, and new equilibrium. These three sections, in my opinion, will go nicely with the story of our movie. Not all three sections of Todorov's Narrative Theory of Equilibrium will be used during our film opening because we are just being told to do a film opening and not an entire short film.

Equilibrium is the first part of Todorov's theory. This includes introducing the characters and starting the story for the viewers. In connection to our opening, this would be part of our second scene, which introduces two people in the first shot. They do routine everyday activities that provide viewers with background information about the relationship they have. 

Disequilibrium is the second section in Todorov's theory. This contains the first disturbance, which takes place before the film's climax and affects the protagonist's life. The protagonist's goal is to attempt to make things right after noticing the issue. The opening portion will not go over this aspect of Todorov's idea. After a chance meeting with a new character at the end of the second scene, one of the characters in the story realizes something is strange. Since the new character is not a part of the main character's everyday life, this new character would act as the disturbance in our film. 

New equilibrium is the third section of Todorov's theory. This usually occurs at the ending of a movie after the main character finishes fixing their issue. Since it is shown at the end of films rather than the beginning, this section of Todorov's Narrative Theory of Equilibrium would not be featured at all during our film opening. 

I was able to gather all this information about the three sections of Todorov's Theory from thorough research. Mainly, I was able to get the most valuable information from a website called Media Studies, which provided many examples of each section of the theory to further explain how they all corrolate. e

Script

A script is the written text of the film; it includes the location, the movement, the dialogue, and what the characters do. It is telling the story with descriptions and dialogue to provide a guide for the film. It makes filming easier because, essentially, it is a plan of what will be happening in the scenes you are filming. From the script to the actual filming, changes are made depending on the situation during filming. For example, if a scene was supposed to take place inside the house with two certain characters, but then there was a realization that the dialogue did nothing to support the plot or story line, then changes are made to make sure everything serves the purpose of the theme and message of the movie. 

I have created a rough draft of what the script would be for the second scene in the film opening. I researched horror scripts to understand exactly how to include everything that was needed and how to format it. I used the Halloween script as research to how to write a script/screenplay correctly. I found the script on the https://thescriptlab.com/property/halloween/ website, which also provided scripts for many other films. 

That being said, I have included the rough draft of the script I created for my film opening. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AzWXSxtzzu2cBW1fboVM6sFf_vV1K5p7HtJp3NyZeps/edit?usp=sharing