Here is an embedded version.

CCR

Lastly, my CCR. I hope you enjoy!

Reflection

Here is my reflection of my experience during my film opening!

Final Project!!!

Here is Kyra and I's final project!!! It took some time, and I can't believe it's actually finished.

Enjoy!

Dimension Zero

Production

I'm so happy the filming for our film opening is finished (so many Fs)!!! I couldn't have done this without Kyra. I felt like our creative choices were aligned with each other's, there wasn't a moment of strong disagreements.

Everyone wore black in order to fit the details I wanted to be put in there. The acting took some time to strengthen but in the end, the scenes we recorded were the best they could be. So much passion was put into this film opening by everyone who contributed - significant or not.

We recorded it in this secluded forest/highway area mix. It fit our needs perfectly. The cinematography and props I believe will be the highlights of the opening. I truly hope our theme and meaning will translate smoothly. Editing is the next hurdle but I am so excited since it will make the film complete!!!

Here are some pictures from today:

Today is the day!!!!

I'm so excited and very relieved that I am finally filming today!!! It's really been stressing me out since this is the only time I was free to film. I just came back from my extended spring break vacation and I am more than ready to finish filming today and begin editing. I will share more when I'm done filming by the end of today!

So much to do today... trying not to freak out.

Sound

The sound in the beginning of the film opening should be the most dramatic. Since the main character will wake up in a forest-like area, there will be lots of objects around that should make the loudest sounds. For example, dry leaves crunching as she walks, the mysterious wind, bird chirping. Some of these things may have to be done through foley or from a royalty free website, which I honestly find no problem in. The subtle sounds throughout the opening should be cars driving when she tries to find a ride or a group of people mumbling as part of the ending scene.

For music, I want that to be prominent at the end of the opening when she realizes there is something odd about the world she is living. As I shared before, I want the music to be futuristic yet creepy. My boyfriend produces his own music so it is a great option for him to make an original song for us, otherwise we might have to get music from a royalty free website, which I’m not to keen on doing. I want it to be original and unique.

I’m so excited to film!

Editing

One of if not the most important element in a film is its editing. Although I find it one of the most difficult and time consuming parts, it’s something every film must go to. I want to make the editing, more specifically the editing in the argument scene, to be similar to that of The Notebook.

I know the people fighting in my film opening aren’t a couple, but in order for the argument to look real I think the best situation to think of is a couple fighting. The emotions are out, raw, and unapologetic and the editing helps bring out the drama. I believe my friend (Leah) who is taking the role of the main character can deliver on her performance, the yelling and all!

The editing in this scene is calm-paced yet quickly focuses on the other character when it is their turn to argue with the occasional shot of the other character’s reaction. Since the fight shouldn´t be the main focus of the film opening, the editing shouldn´t stand out in the scene, but fit right in.

Cinematography

Even though the film opening I will be shooting is nothing like the movie Psycho, but I draw a lot of inspiration from the film´s cinematography. The film’s close-ups really allows the main character be the film’s focus, something I think the film revolutionized for the horror genre. A film can be just as creepy or frightening with a focus on a main character other than solely on gore. I think this kind of cinematography would work best for our film since we don’t have many if any adrenaline scenes.

My cinematography can translate as somewhat slow but simply to pay attention to detail. I think it’s important to take your time with a film and the best way to show effort it through cinematography and editing, but editing is a whole other hurdle! I want to help portray beautiful images in order to share a story.

A still from Psycho (1960):

Objects/Props

Props are a very important element in a film and for the opening, we need to make sure everything is set and planned before shooting. Props we are including in the films opening is a broken phone, which Kyra can provide. I also wanted to add odd props in the car of the stranger that she goes into. Possibly a knife or something that should cause suspicion.

I take a lot of inspiration from the film Legally Blonde because of its props. More specifically, her pink pen she used while in law school. Items like a pink pen bring out the small appreciative details of the movie and steal the spotlight for a moment. That is kind of what I want to be done in my film opening. The shot in Legally Blonde focuses on the object while showing the dichotomy in the background. I was thinking the man driving the main character in my film opening should have a sketchy object and it should be a clue of his sanity or lack there of. The prop should be the film opening’s focus for simply a shot.

A still from Legally Blonde (2001):

Complications

I'm very stressed about the production of the film opening because I'm going away to Europe early for spring break and I wish the filming process was a lot easier. But, I just have to remember the difficult process is what makes the final product worthwhile.

I will be gone for thirteen days in total. This makes our shooting days fall on March 30th and the 31st, leaving us with seven days for editing and room for improvement. Knowing this information, I planned somewhat ahead by having a lot of things ready for when we come back. I helped Kyra with the beginning of our script and will continue to help her out throughout my trip via text or email. Luckily for us, things like hair, makeup, and costumes are very simple and can be done with little to no help.

I just wanted to share my worries and hopefully things will turn out smoother than expected!

Actors

Kyra and I so far agreed on our friend Leah to play our main character. We believe she has the perfect personality that will translate naturally onto the screen. I previously said that I thought the main character should mirror characters like Leslie Knope and Alex Russo due to their unapologetic confidence. Kyra and I have a group of friends more than willing to help us shoot the film opening, so they would play as the group of characters at the end that reveal a glitch in the universe.

I was thinking the other secondary character should be played by my friend Jonathan. I haven't finished discussing this part with Kyra yet, but I believe my friend would be a really good actor for the part. He takes film seriously since he has written his own short film.

I want to do a kind of audition for my friends but if that were to happen, Kyra would take over and be the judge since I am going on a trip very soon. But, I don't think it's necessary to do an audition since I've seen all of their potential.

Storyboard

In class, I completed a storyboard to put my ideas to paper and overall make the entire shooting process easier. Kyra and I are working on a script at the moment and so far we agree with almost everything and we really like our idea. The storyboard does not include the brief detailed shots that will be in the opening. Most of the storyboard should stay the same. I absolutely love our story so much! I'm just worried about the complexities of it.

Details

I wanted my film opening to be one that kind of tests the audience. Because our plot is set in stone, I'm now picking out the small details I want in the film to portray the theme very well. For example, in the storyboard, the film opening has more than the normal amount of behind-the-shoulder shots. I wanted to do this reinforce the theme that someone is always watching/following. More small details I am including is that the majority if not all people at the end of the film opening will be wearing black. The black outfits won't be too revealing of the suspicious activity and will be just simple black outfits. Additionally, I really want to make sure the car the main character will be in is noticeably beaten up compared to other cars seen on the street.

Of course, all of this seems amazing in theory but I am also confident it will be just as amazing on screen. Although I'm not guaranteed to have one beaten up car and the rest being nicer cars due to budgeting and what Kyra and I are capable of, I know I can substitute that with a less complicated detail.

Production Design

It is most likely that most of/a big part of the film opening will be shot at Markham Park and will take place in the afternoon/evening. I want the production design to match the park, which is a very foresty/outdoorsey with bugs and trees. The area should give off the feeling of being abandoned.

I want to take away the most things that are green; the setting cannot look healthy in anyway. This creates mystery for the audience since after that point, she will be in normal places of setting. The order of one strange place will allow the audience to explore the possibility that something is not right or normal. The setting should also be shown to be large in order to emphasize the character's isolation in the forest-like area. I want to also add props that look as if they were abandoned. For example: she should notice a ripped shirt on the ground, a sock, anything suspicious.

For other parts of the production design, when she is in the car with a driver, I want the car to be old or look like it's broken in some way to match the driver's unstableness. In normal settings like a grocery store, I want to add things that look either too clean or too perfect. Extras (depends on how many we can get) should look too perfect in this society, creating suspicion from the main character.

Title

I had a couple ideas of the name of our film opening, but Kyra and I haven't decided on one yet. Some titles I had in mind: Unnatural, Today, 1440 Minutes. My favorite title is 1440 Minutes becuase of its vagueness and impact. 1440 minutes equals twenty-four hours, which is the amount of time the main character takes to explore this uncovered secret in the entire film. Of course, the film will only cover part of that twenty-four hours.

I feel like the title Unnatural, although I love, gives away too much to the plot and cuts some suspense and question the audience would enjoy. Frankly, that title is boring and is only my backup if Kyra and I disagree on everything else. The title Today is just as boring, being too vague, which is on a different spectrum than the title Unnatural.

All in all, I think Kyra and I should leave deciding on the title for post production since that's when we'll have an easier time understanding and working it out together.

Theme

With our genre being psychological thriller, we wanted our theme to resonate with our audience, having them ponder on it for a long amount of time. The film opening touches on the hinting of a controlled society and the main character, so naturally, I wanted the audience to ponder on the theme of the complexities of masks and how far they go to manipulate people. This theme works best for us since Kyra and I knew we wanted the film opening to be deep with a good amount of complication.

In this case, the film opening is showing how the world we have always known is revealed to be unnatural and a controlled society. With how it'll all be shot including creepy details, I believe the theme will shine through. The theme reminds me of how the movie The Truman Show (1998) is displayed. Jim Carrey's character is led to believe the life he has always known is actually a false reality set up by the once-trusted people around him. Although the genre of that movie was a bit different, I want to go about the same theme with a scarier and creepier approach.

A still from The Truman Show: 

Peer Evaluation

Today in class we had a peer evaluation on our foundation portfolio. I received valid information that I will most probably include on the final project. I was told that my theme is a little convoluted and should be more organized. I agree considering I have so many ideas, so when I explain it I lose the order within the plot.

I got the advice to think of the entire film first and then the opening, not vice versa. I'm going to do this but I also want to keep the central point of my film, which is the main character discovering an organized or constructed society/utopia.

In all, minor (maybe major in the end!) changes will be made in order to make the plot less complicated. For example, I'm thinking of scrapping the Uber part of the story and she will probably get a ride from another stranger.

Main Character

Deciding on the main character could take countless blog postings, but I just want to begin to talk about it now. Kyra and I agreed on our main character being strong and outspoken. A confident main character will also add to the story's conflict. She should be opinionated and proud, not insecure in any way.

I'm thinking of a mix between Leslie Knope from the show Parks and Recreation and Alex Russo from the Wizards of Waverly Place. Both these people know how to act in high-pressure situations and aren't afraid to think of alternate solutions to problems. Both characters are also very free and have the certain attitude for this kind of problem-solving. They never give up and always end up finding a way to get what they want, which I always admire. The main character should be smart but shouldn't understand everything in her universe yet, to add tension.

Although these characters are typically placed in comedic films, they have shown amazing problem solving. I'm only trying to adopt several characterisitics they have into one character, and they both easily fit together. The strong characteristics of this character will also challenge the idea of horror movies always attacking the weak.

       

Research - clothing

A very important factor of filming an opening is clothing, it can reveal so much about a character or scene, like tell a viewer a character's socioeconomic status or current situation. The only character's outfit I'm set with is the uber driver's. I want to make him look insane to the audience, with a white tank top that can be bloody, showing the driver to be unstable to the main character and the audience. For the rest of the film opening, I would love for everyone to where very cool black clothing like from The Matrix. Kyra and I wanted to show that there is something off about the universe or state the people are in by their clothing. It automatically makes one think of an organized society or something similar, something I want the main character to realize; it adds uniqueness. This will make the main character even more confused and give her more of a reason to think something is off before figuring it all out. Maybe she won't even notice at first and she questions the clothing later.

I don't know if I want the clothing to be an obvious factor of the film, or something that comes to mind when it ends. However, I know I do want it to affect the main character and audience somewhere in the film. Here is a picture of the clothing I'm talking about. 

Planning 2

In figuring out where Kyra and I will shoot the film opening, I've had so many locations in mind. I want our main character to wake up in either a forest-like area or a highway-like area. I prefer highway-like but with our budget and abilities, I understand why the forest-like energy would be a better choice. Although will we hit other locations during the film opening, but where it starts is vital to the film. I feel like the opening finalizes the show's genre, horror or psychological theatre and honestly, a part of me wants to work in the genre of horror.

I feel like the main character waking up in an unknown place immediately shocks viewers at the beginning and swallows people down a messy upcoming plot. I want most settings for this film opening to be foresty or just plain lonely, showing how creepy the project will be. Other settings include casual everyday places but from a car's perspective since she will be in the uber. I want there to be small things going wrong in the uber but are unnoticeable to the viewer. Driving in the highway is super important since it's the perfect area for something to go wrong and an issue we have is having enough extras to film a scene where something goes wrong.

Basically, Kyra and I decided on the character waking up at Markham Park, but I still think we need to set it up to be more rural and less organized.

Planning 1

As of now, Kyra and I decided on the plot of our film opening. I don't know if we're going to stick to this, but it's a start. Our main character is going to wake up somewhere (probably a forest-like area) and an Uber driver will pick her up. The driver will seem insane, but the main character finds out at the end of the film opening that they are actually right.

We want to make this as creepy as possible including the same conventions from inspirations. For example, Black Mirror has the reoccurring theme of making elements of the episode seem very normal when in fact it is plain creepy. More specifically the Black Mirror episode of "Be Right Back" presents this perfectly: in a relationship, the male dies and it is completely normal for the female to talk to a computer that mastered his language and later end up ordering a robotic version of his body.

Although Kyra and I's film opening doesn't have the same plot, we want to adopt the same creepy elements. I want to close the film opening with a group of people acting out something collectively that looks too normal but is truly alarming. This will give the viewers a fear we want to instill in them.

A still from "Be Right Back"

Music

Personally, one of the most important factors in a film/film opening is the music. Due to our genre and overall vibe of the film opening, I want to go towards a techno-music route. Nightcall by Kavinsky is one song I draw inspiration from. The voice in the song also somewhat creepy. 

I like this kind of song above all others because since our opening will most likely be inspired by a Black Mirror and will be under the genre of psychological thriller/horror, I want the music to be somewhat futuristic and "creep" up on the viewer. Any other type of song would not do the same.

Music will set the mood for the opening and will be one of the first things a viewer notices. Thus, being one of the first thing that forms a viewer's attention. Music is very important to me and I want to make it a focal point in the film opening, maybe syncing with the editing on screen. 

Minor changes/inspiration

Since the beginning of this course, my best friend Kyra and I were decided on the theme of horror. Although I do want to stick to that genre, I want to kind of twist it and film a psychological horror film opening. I think that'll be best above all other genres because Kyra and I wanted to impact the audience in a unique way and get inside their heads.

Black Mirror is one show we want to draw inspiration from. I'm obsessed with the show and really appreciate it's creativity and originality. The plots of episodes start off somewhat innocent and normalize clearly odd situations. I like this technique since it ensures a shock reaction from the audience. In a lot of episodes, Black Mirror allows you to feel compassion towards the main character and waits until the end to reveal the character's major faults. The show also centers its issues around technology, kind of blaming it. Although we're not sure yet if we want to include technology in the suspense, the show's uniqueness inspires me.

The Black Mirror Series can be found on Netflix.

I'm so excited to begin production and apply my ideas to the screen!!!