Problems During Shooting

 Some Difficulties While Filming

   During filming we ran into a couple of difficulties.

The first difficulty being that while filming at Walgreens, we had to wait for many people to leave as they were in our way of the shots. This made the process longer and unfortunately it was very sunny which made the process even more tedious. 

Another problem we ran into was not showing Otis face during the shots at Walgreens. We stated before we won’t include his face in order to create mystery and add suspense but it was very difficult during filming and it took many retakes.

Changes

 Changes on certain details 

Since we started filming, we have made a couple of changes. 

The location of where we started filming is the first thing we changed. At first, we wanted to film at 7/11, but we decided to change the filming location to Walgreens. The reason we made this change is that there would be much more space for filming and there would be less interruptions during the shots. 

My partner and I also made a couple of changes when it dealt with the shot selections in the storyboard. For example, we implemented tracking shots and over the shoulder shots into our film introduction. The storyboard did not have these specific shots.

Film Process

 Filming has begun!

My partner and I have begun filming our introduction. The introduction consists of three parts: Otis seeing himself in the newspaper, goes home and finds his mask, and the killing scene.

We have filmed the first two parts as we want to take our time with the major scene at the end which will roll into what the entire movie is about. The last part is going to be filmed during the night, which will give us trouble with lighting and many retakes. 

The first part of the introduction took longer than we expected as it is filmed at a public space. My partner was a little nervous to begin filming as there are many people walking in and out of the store.

Fake Blood!

 Creating One of Our Props

One of our most important props that will be used towards the end of the introduction will have to be handmade. The prop is Fake Blood!

The ingredients are:

• 3/4 cup corn syrup

• 1/4 cup water

• 1/2 teaspoon red food coloring

• 5 drops blue food coloring

• 2 drops green food coloring

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

The Preparation:

In a small bowl, whisk together the corn syrup and water. Add the red, blue, and green food colorings and whisk until well combined. Whisk in the cornstarch and let the liquid sit for 10 minutes to thicken.

Purchasing Props

                            First Purchase of Prop

We have purchased our first prop of the production that we will need. This prop is essential to the title and plot of the entire movie. We were stuck in between two masks: the pig mask or the bunny mask.

We went ahead and bought this one:Our next step was to buy the killer's weapon. We went and bought a fake knife that is used as a weapon. When both of these items arrive soon, it’ll put us one step closer to begin filming!

Team Meetings

 Group Meeting

   Today I had my first group discussion. There was one earlier, but I was not able to make it to class. In the group meeting I had to present my idea to some of my classmates. When I told them the plot, they really enjoyed it and thought it was unique. More specifically, they enjoyed the fact that my partner and I are creating a film in the perspective of the killer. They provided me with some ideas of what I can implement in the introduction.

   Firstly, they said to not do too much in the introduction as it can overwhelm the audience. They told me to add a parallel shot where we see our main character plotting or planning for his next victim while something else is going on. They also said to make it very hard for the audience to put it together that the main character is in fact the killer. Do it in a way that it is in front of the audience but not telling them “So this is our killer!” My classmates also told me to incorporate an obsession that is driving the killer or let the viewers know the way that he is.

Shots and Angles

 Selection of Shots and Angles

   In this blog, we want to discuss the main shots and angles that the introduction will consist of. 

  The first two shots that we mainly are focusing on at the moment is close ups and the rack focus technique. In the introduction, there will be many different close ups, For example, close ups of the newspaper, the killer's mask, and the blood all over the killer and his knife. The other shot we want to use is the rack focus. The rack focus technique is described as changing the focus of the lens during a continuous shot. When a shot “racks,” it moves the focal plane from one object in the frame to another. We want to implement this technique while the main character is looking at the newspaper article back at home and his mask is in the background out of focus but still visible at the same time. This will be letting the viewers know he is the killer without someone saying it out loud. We know this may be difficult to do without higher quality technology, but I still feel that it is possible to do; however we anticipate the difficulty that the shot technique will present.

StoryBoard

 

StoryBoard

Our introduction will have little to no dialogue between the characters so we decided to do a storyboard instead of a script. Down below is the storyboard!

Changing Details

 Change of Plans

   My partner and I decided to change our plans for the beginning of our intro. The plan was for our main character (Otis) to walk into a 7/11 gas station and grab his favorite snack he always gets after school. When he was grabbing the snacks, there would be a background TV that would be reporting the local news. A reporter would be mentioning The Bunnied Killer and his attacks on the town. 

   We figured that doing this would be very difficult to pull off. Getting a reporter to read our lines would be very difficult and something that could take more time than what we have. Me and my partner asked reporters that have social media platforms to see if they would be open to reading specific lines and then integrate it in the scene. However, all of the reporters we messaged ultimately said no. 

   Instead, we thought of an alternative for this scene. We will be removing the background TV reporter and incorporating something else. We will have Otis be on the 7/11 and while he is selecting his favorite snack, he will grab the local newspaper. The newspaper will read that there is a killer with a picture from a security camera. This newspaper could be done handmade and the result will be as effective as the TV news reporter.

Movie Title

 Movie Name

When coming up with a name it can be extremely difficult. It can be very hard as you may have many ideas but don’t know if it’s the right one. Movie names can be very cheesy and can result in the viewers not being interested in watching it in the first place. The title is crucial as it can attract the viewer instantly by having a title that creates curiosity.

Our title let’s the viewers know what type of horror the movie will be. It will not have paranormal activities or characters, but it will deal with a murderer that utilizes masks. The name of the movie will be “Masked Slaughter.”

Murderer Name!

 Main Character Murderer Name

Otis, our main character, is the old teen responsible for our current murders in Charleston Woods. The people of the town do not know who the man is, so they decide to give him a name that the people of the town will start addressing him as.

We decided that we had to pick a name that relates to something that he has or does. In many movies or real life cases, journalists or the people make a connection with how the murderers kill their victims to their name they create. Otis will be using a mask that has a face of a bunny with blood smeared over the mouth. The name we decided on was “The Bunnied Killer.”

The name perfectly correlates with the mask that Otis will be wearing throughout his murders in the movie.

Props Selection

 Props

When filming any type of content whether it's a skit, a movie, or a commercial they all need props. Props are so important in this type of field. Props are what make the content that is being filmed come into reality. If the director wants to film a scene that portrays the 90’s, the props that the actors are going to use is what is going to make that sense of realism and allow the film to be perceived as if it was shot during the 90’s

For our film introduction, props will be key to bring in that horror factor of the film. We will need masks for our main character as he uses it when he murders his victims. Other items that we will need while filming could be: fake blood, plastic knife, jumpsuit, lighting devices for night filming. These items will be crucial when we begin the process of shooting.