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Production Blog

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  After looking at our completed film, we all decided on where it needed to be edited. I decided to put some music into the film to see how the flow of the two together would work. I also had to change a few of the camera angles to make the scary parts pop out. I really liked the wa y we used lighting to create a monster that did not exist. Adding pounding footsteps to the scene of me running through the woods sounded like a good idea . Aft er watching the results, I changed my mind and took them out. I accidentally recorded my friend laughing as he pounded his feet . T his was not the scary effect I was aiming for. After a brief, but serious discussion with my friends, we continued with the editing process. As the film progressed , we all decided the leaves from Party City looked fake. They did not quite fit into the mood we were trying to create. They were colorful autumn leaves and did not work for a hot summer night on a campsite. We made the decision to return the next...

Production Blog

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  Today is the last day of filming. I have mixed feelings about the way things have turned out so fa r. However, I think we can make this work if we all stay focused. One of my friends does not feel well today . W e will see how he feels as we continue. Today we will be focusing on the toughest scenes with me running into the woods. We will also have to do some creative vide oing to create a ‘monster’ chasing me down to the ba th house . Entering the woods , after a day of rain offers a r eally creepy and damp experience. Being here has definite ly added to the “ horror vibe ” of the film. Everything kind of smells like a lake monster because it is humid , it is also  still really wet from the rain of yesterday. The camera angles are kind of hard to get because the ground is soaked and so aren’t the leaves . N o one really wanted to l ie on the ground or be covered with leaves. We decided to go back to Party City and get some fake leaves to use instea d. Thi...

Production Blog

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  Now, t he second day. Yesterday we WOULD be filming scenes 3-4, but the great state of Florda had different plans. Today it was raining so much  the streets started flooding in front of my house . The wind was also so strong that my n eighbor s had one of their trees fall over .   Even though it was raining I drove over to Birch State Park just to see if it was flooded or muddy, and it was. This post poned filming for a day . W hich was really annoying. Good thing   Florida weather changes in seconds. In the meantime , me and my friends practiced our rolls at my house. We also went out to the store and bought things that we needed on the first day of filming. The main store (Party City) that we needed to go to was closed by the time we got to it. Now it's the next day . I woke up bright and early to go get what we needed at Party City. Then I went to pick up my friends so we could get ready to film. My two friends and my dad were eager to jump ri...

Production Blog

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  The first day of filming went well. I felt confident with my story line and the goals I had set for the day. We had six scenes to film in all and managed to finish two of them today. I felt even more confident about my choice of setting s shot at Birch State P ark. This place had everything I neede d to create an effective and terrifying horror film. When we arrived, the weather was a bit overcast and cool, so we kind of got in the mood quickly. My two friends and my dad were eager to jump right into the filming . With the great background it was easy for everyone to get into character and start rolling. My friends are natural goofballs, so the part s we needed of them fooling around by the campsite was just like them being themselves. We decided to walk through the scenes a few times before we did any actual filming. Getting angles and lighting were a bit tricky in the semi-dark fore s t, but we prevailed. We were missing a few props. After a few trips back to ...

Production Blog

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  One of the requirements for creating my film was to choose effective music. My production is a horror-based genre. After inte n sive research through YouTube, Spotify and other music websites, I found the appropriate song . I chose to use a piece I found on YouTube titled “The Suspense Scary Music —Best Dark Music by Oak Studios. One of the reasons this music captured my attention after an exhaustive search was because it starts out calmly and builds in suspense. The music is pleasant at first , almost lulling the viewer into a false sense of peace. Little does one suspect from listening to this song at the star t how quickly things will change. In the movie the music is introduced as background sounds by the campfire . It is being played on a boombox. Friends are laughing and cooking marshmallows in a very calm setting. As the suspense in the movie intensifies, so does the music . In a few places the music will replace dialogue to create a more compelling experienc...

Production Blog

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  When it comes to shooting my horror video , there are many thing s that I need to plan for. The first and most important thing I need to figure   out is my story and then my story b oard. I made the decision to create a horror film beca use I like this genre, and I love the element of surprise. The genre of horror also allows for the use of special effects and stretching the imagination to really be creative in where and how I shock and scare the audience. The location I will be filming at is the baseball field at Holiday Park. I will be filming at Birch State Park. It is a great location due to its campground and its lake. It is also close to my house and perfect for the scenes I have planned for my video. That brings me to my next important thing to plan, schedule. The schedule I will be following is go to the park on the weekends. This is the time when I should be able to get most of my shooting done. Another  important thing to consider is props. The props...

Planning Blog: Storyboard

  1. Kid by fire roasting perfect marshmallow   2. Burning marshmallow black   3. Kid hitting marshmallow into fire—black and burnt   4. Kid laughing-Hank remarking Not funny   5. Woods in background –John yelling, “Where’s the firewood!”   6. Derek picking up sticks and holding it up, shouting, “Be there in a minute.”   7. Shadow standing still panting   8. Derek with arm full of sticks and singing “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad”   9. Monster starts running and Derek shouts, “Is anyone there?”   10. Scream from campsite. Derek—walking back to campsite laughs and remarks, “Who burnt th e mselves this time?”   11. Derek walking up pathway to campsite   12. Panning ground shot-Derek walking and see campsite in the background   13. Close up of campsite and Derek shouting, “I hope you are still alive!” Silent campsite   14. Walking up to fire with firewood and sees two piles of leaves   15. Derek dumps leaves on ...