Step 4 of final project

Recording shots

So far my group barley got any shots besides the ones for the crime scene, so recording has been a bust. This is because the member who plays the girl had a terrible charger cable and her phone didn't charge last night, the shots we needed needed to have her phone on while I, the stalker sent her a text. Another reason we couldn't record was because the person who was supposed to record had something come up. Although we're planning to finish the shots this weekend if our parents let us meet up to record our shots. Might be a little hard to convince my mother to let me meet up with friends to record at night, in an empty parking lot, while wearing a black hoodie. At night. During the weekend. At night. Yeah.... I would be concern if my kid asked me that as well. Anyways, on with the blog. 

Technology we used

To record our shots we used the highest form on technology to film. The most technologically advanced camera we could get ahold of.. Shivanie's phone. We just had Shivanie use her phone to film the shots and she was the camerawoman, because during the early stages of the project the three of us summited an example of our recordings, to choose who would be the one recording and Shivanie's was the smoothest. Honestly, mines was really shaky and jittery, I think in my footage you can even hear a crack from my leg if you listen close enough. :') 

What I learned

Besides learning that prop police tape are camera shy, we didn't really use and equipment such as lights and cameras (plural), we recorded outside and the lighting was sunlight. I'm meant to talk about what I learned from production technologies, but since we didn't really use much this part of the blog would be too short. :/  Anyways, fake blood can stain skin a bit, but there's nothing that a little soap, water, and a towel to scrub off with can't help. Since the fake blood was also in a spray bottle it was kind of hard to make fake stab wounds with it and I learned that I wasn't the best at making fake stab wounds with a spray, at least I didn't get any on Sarah's shoes. We also had to have a little on the pavement to make it look a little realistic, but I also tried to be careful with how I did it, because I didn't want us getting in trouble for getting the pavement messy. We managed to get a little off, but some stained it a bit and it wasn't too bad, because we can use play it off as one of those mystery stains that appear randomly on the floor. The chalk was simple just Shivanie tracing Sarah's body to make it look like a crime scene, its a good thing that chalk comes of with water and a little bit of scrubbing. The police tape in this shot wasn't shy this time, but it did keep flipping over in the wind.

How I learned how to use the equipment

Again, we didn't really use any equipment, we just used a phone and Shivanie was the one recording. We just learned how to use the equipment as we went. I don't think any of the shots we based off any other shots from films or shows, if one was I feel like my group would have informed me about it or I would have remembered it.

Step 3 of final project

Film location

 

if the fake blood ends up staining the ground were going to be in so much trouble. 

The film locations we have decided to film the opening at Coconut Creek High School's parking lot.

The reason why we choose this location is because I think that this is the only location we can use that doesn't require asking our parent's permission to take us to a parking lot at night, honestly I would be concern too if my kid ask me to drive them to a random parking at night with their friends. 

Then again we have to use fake blood and depending on how we use the fake blood we might have to get some of the ground. We might end up having to clean up the fake blood with soap and water :,)

Who will be in our opening?

The actors in our seen will be us. I don't think I know the full reason, but I know that part of the reason is so we don't have to go through the awkwardness of asking people to be in our opening. Besides it's much easier to have the actor be one of us so we could sort of get it the way we want to? I don't exactly know how to describe it. Also there are only to be like two characters on screen anyways besides the feet of the officers, we already had an idea on who will play the girl that gets murdered since we were working on stage 1. I think at some point my group decided that I would play the stalker? I'm not 100% if they were serious or were just spit-balling ideas.

What will our film be like?

Sadly I couldn't really find any good examples for what the opening will be like, so I'm going to say that the opening scene is going to a be a little bit like Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel. Since that was technically the only film with it's opening as a crime scene that I could find, but the film should feel more mysterious and suspenseful, making the audience at the edge of their seats for more.  

Sounds of the opening

We were just going to use sound effects we found online, I think some sounds such as walking/footsteps are going to be in-camera.

Storyboard

Unfortunately since at this time my group and I have been focusing out class time on the shot by shot I don't have any screenshots of storyboards shots. (sorry) 

So far we decided to split the work between us with the storyboard shots, for example one person will do shots 1-4 and another will do shots 5-9 etc. For my shots I want them to look simply and to be more like a sketch when I draw. 

Shooting schedule

So... we might have to postpone some of the shooting to the week of the 21st due to the member who plays the most important character of the opening not being here until that week. Come to think of it, we can't start shooting the shots without them since the character they're playing is literally in every shot.

 We might have to shot the shoots that we meant to be at night early in the mourning, like it's still dark early in the mourning. The only problem with this is that I can't be there early, since my bus normally gets to school after the bell rings or like 2 minutes before the bell rings. The daytime shots should be easy since all we have to do is ask Ms. Landis is we can go outside to shoot.  

What tech we need

Maybe something for lighting and fake blood. I know it's not tech but we need it and will get it. We'll be using our phones to record and edit in class hopefully. I'm also hoping we might not need to ask the officers on campus to turn their lights on for our shots. 

Stage 2 Final Project

 Final Script

At the beginning of script writing we worked on it together in class while spit-balling ideas with each other. We wanted to get the ideas clear before we were able to write the final script for out film opening. Before the weekend while a member of our group was absent, another member and I wanted to try texts in some editing programs to see which will work best before we start filming. While searching for texts we also can up with some ideas to add on to the script later during the weekend. My group had decided that I would be the one to finish the script, since on was busy somewhere else and another had to be careful with her screen time on devices. 

At first I didn't really know what to put because I could remember some of the details of the ideas and I didn't want to mess up the script with whatever I can up with, so I wanted to hear every single detail of another member's ideas so I can type it in the script. When she explained it, again I couldn't remember some of the details and ended up using what she told me and adding a bit of what I can come up with into the script. After she explained it I went back to ask some questions about the script, but didn't want to ask too much to the point where I could end up bothering her. Of course, eventually I got the script done and I hope that it wouldn't make things difficult filming it. 

Stage 2 Final project

Case Study 

At first I was stumped on what film to choose for my case study due to the large variety of crime/mystery, but with a little assistance I've came to using M (1931) 

This film is about German police officers trying to catch a child abductor while the people of town including criminals try to take the case on their own. 

M (1931) history: supposedly M was based of an actually case of a serial killer named Peter Kürten he was also known as the Düsseldorf Vampire. He would also commit serial murder, sexual violence, and sadism. M was also Fritz Lang, the director's first film with sound. The movie was also known for it's outstanding use of lighting techniques and offscreen sound to really bring out the sense of horror

It's target audience can be older people who enjoy mystery films based of real cases. It's also for people who want to watch a classic film and who want to look back on what was considered high quality film techniques at the time. 

 

Their production company was Nero-Film AG, an independent German production company at the time who also help produce film films such as The Phantom of the Circus and Pandora's Box. 

M also has many distribution companies including HBO Max, and Paramount Pictures for the English dubbed versions.

With how was the movie promoted it of course had a trailer, but in 1934 the film was banned by the Nazis and the ban was eventually revoked. Right now the movie can be viewed on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, VUDU, and I think It can also be viewed on YouTube as well.

Sources: https://www.britannica.com/topic/M-film-by-Lang

                 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022100/trivia

                 https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?companies=co0036089&sort=release_date,asc

                 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022100/companycredits/

                 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022100/?ref_=ttmi_tt

distribution and modes of exhibition

 Stage 2 of Final project

Upon research it was difficult and couldn't really find information on distribution companies that specifically work with mystery movies.

I was thinking for the distribution company it should be Lionsgate, they distributed crime and mystery movies that have done amazing in the past. Examples can be American Psycho, Under Suspicion, Irreversible, and the whole Saw franchise.

For streaming we could also use Netflix, since almost everyone uses and owns a Netflix account. Netflix even recommends people who watch a movie another one with a similar plot that they think will like.

We can exhibit the film using DVDs, movie theaters, streaming services, and screenings. 

Source: 
IMBD of Lionsgate films

Production companies

 Stage 2 of final project

I think one company that would seem right for our film would be Endgame Entertainment since upon looking at some of the films they helped produced, most of them are crime and mystery films. Including movies such as Side Effects, Snowden, and Self/less. 

Perhaps maybe we'll prefer to produce with a large company. when working with a larger company we could have be given a big budget so the film can look better and give their employees bigger salaries.  

 

Picking an appropriate production company is important. For example if we have Happy Madison Productions be our producer people might associate our film with Adam Sandler due to them producing every movie he is in, such as Grown ups, Jack and Jill and The Click. No hate towards Adam Sandler but the movies he's in are mostly comedy and the type of films Happy Madison Productions creates doesn't fit out theme.

I'm sure we could try to convince them that our film is worth it we could explain the main focus on how the film is about officers trying to find a killer, but it turns out the killer is actually one of them. Then we could talk about how the movie will end and leave them on a cliffhanger, therefore making them question what happens next. We could make be everyone's money in ticket sales and try to include scenes that will get the audience to talk about the movie online, which will make others who haven't seen it interested in watching. We could sell the movie by having it played in theaters, available in streaming services and make money off the advertisements that play while viewers are watching on the streaming site.

Sources: Large production company perks

               Endgame Entertainment

               Pitching to investors

  

What does the script look like

Stage 2 of final project

The script for the opening scene they either start at the crime scene or start during the crime. An example of this can be the script for Blood Work where they start the script with the detectives already investigating the crime. The reason why I have chosen Blood work as an example is because it's also a crime/mystery movie. My group has been thinking of making out film also start at the crime scene. 

Source: Link to the script of Bloodwork