Shooting Day One: Talk with my Actor

Below is a video I have recorded of myself discussing each shot individually and what my actor would be required to do. Furthermore we discuss the issue of arranging a second date to continue filming.

Metal Rod Props

After searching for a source for my perimeter within my film I asked the metal work department at my school for my desired items. Below is a short Vlog where I describe the process and my alteration of ideas.

 

Finalising the Location

After researching and evaluating numerous potential locations my film could be set in I narrowed down my choices to three: The Blue Boar Woods, Mousehold Heath and Catton Park. Below a series of paragraphs detail my decision and why certain locations were conclusively disregarded.

Mousehold Heath

Since Ive used this location in the past to film I had a natural bias towards the Heath. However after consulting my actor the location is too far away to record in. With limited transport options within period I plan to film  it could provide difficult to arrange.  Furthermore as the nature of the location means that the there are minimal clearings within heavily wooded areas, selecting a particular spot will provide obstacles. Below is a photograph of the location:

Catton Park

With it being so local to my transportation would not be a problem at all for me however similarly to Mousehold, my actor may have problems getting there. Also, after previously feeling that this park would be ideal, have come to terms with the geography of the location and how, in many ways, it could be deemed unsuitable. As an incredibly popular place for dog walkers and routes which penetrate nearly every area of the park it would prove difficult to film without interruption. Below is a picture of the location:

The Blue Boar Woods 

The geographical location of the woods ensured that both my actor and myself could arrive quickly with equipment and, as the location is very large it minimises the chance of interruption from the general public. Furthermore the picture below, which was taken before the shoot, matched my creative vision of the film as a whole. As the most suitable I decided upon this location to base my short film within mainly due to its location and traits which conformed to my original ideas.

Conclusively, despite all of the locations having their benefits The Blue Boar Woods is the most suitable for my project. With an ample amount of space which would be largely be uninterrupted by the general public it is the perfect location. Furthermore my actor and myself have nearby bases to travel to the woods from which allows for a faster journey and easier transport of additional mise-en-scene. 

Script Update

After re-reading my previously created script I have edited it to conform to my updated visions. As I wish for my short film to largely rely upon the soundtrack I have added more lines for my narrator which give the protagonist more depth. Furthermore I have added explicit detail within the flashback scenes to make the process of their creation easier in the future. Below is the edited script which has now been sent to my actor to allow him to prepare for the shoot.

SCENE 1

FX: Quiet screams and cries of women are heard.

NARRATOR (VO)

They came. They saw. They conquered. This is my story of what they took.

SCENE 2

EXT: A HEAVILY WOODED AREA DIMLY LIT BY THE FADING SUN. THE SURVIVOR IS VISIBLE BETWEEN THE TREES. HE APPEARS BARELY ANIMATED.

NARRATOR (VO)

I was a vegetarian before it all. Didn't like the way animals were treated. I don’t give a shit anymore. Its the hunger that did it.

SURVIVOR ANIMALISTICALLY EATS A PIECE OF IDENTIFIED MEAT. THE ACT IS REPULSIVE AND A GREASY RESIDUE IS DISPLAYED ON HIS FINGERS.

NARRATOR (VO)

It gnaws at you until there’s nothing left, well it leaves something. The hunger. It’s tough now, foods hard to come b-

FX: A multitude of snapping twigs and muffled footsteps.

NARRATOR (VO)

I get out the knife.

SURVIVOR PICKS UP HIS RUCKSACK AND NERVOUSLY GRABS A SMALL BLADE OUT OF IT. DROPPING THE BAG HE STANDS UP IN A TIMID STANCE.

NARRATOR (VO)

I couldn't kill anyone, even if it meant protecting someone. Someone you can’t see yourself living without. Someone who you somehow manage to live without. I try not to think about such things but they gnaw at you, claw at you until you have to embrace them or go mad. I’m not so sure which I have done.

AFTER GETTING THEMSELVES INTO A STANCE THE SURVIVOR WAVES HIS WEAPON AROUND. HE THEN BACKS UP AWAY FROM THE EDGE OF THE WOODS AND STUMBLES OVER A TRUNK. ITS ENOUGH TO MAKE HIM FALL OVER AND COLLIDE WITH THE GROUND. A VACANT, DAZED EXPRESSION FLOODS OVER HIS FACE.

NARRATOR (VO)

Everything brings back the past. Everything brings them back. Everyth-

(FLASHBACK SCENE INVOLVING A SERIES OF STILL SHOTS AND VISUAL EFFECTS. THE SURVIVOR IS SHOWN RUNNING AWAY FROM THE CREATURES AND HIS CHILD TREMBLES AND GETS TAKEN)

SURVIVOR RECOVERS FROM THE FLASHBACK AND SITS UP. THE RUCKSACK IS RETRIEVED AND A BAKED BEAN CAN IS RETRIEVED. AFTER OPENING IT THE COLD CONTENTS IS EMPTIED INTO HIS MOUTH. THE SURVIVOR THROWS THE CAN AWAY.

NARRATOR (VO)

No point in saving the environment any more, no one’s around to live in it. What would the tree huggers say now?

AGAIN THE BAG IS RETRIEVED AND A FIREARM IS TAKEN OUT. THE GUN APPEARS UNNATURAL WITHIN THE SURVIVORS HANDS AND HE FINGERS THE GUN AND TOSSES IT BETWEEN HIS HANDS. AFTER INSPECTING THE WEAPON THE SURVIVOR AIMS DOWN THE SIGHTS. THIS BRINGS ON ANOTHER FLASHBACK.

(THE SECOND FLASHBACK INVOLVES A SERIES OF STILLS OF THE SURVIVOR PREPARING TO SHOOT TO DEFEND HIS FAMILY, ALTHOUGH BATTERED HE APPEARS IN BETTER CONDITION THAN HIS PRESENTATION WITHIN THE MAIN NARRATIVE THREAD.)

NARRATOR (VO)

It’s not something I have had to get used to. It isn't even mine. Found it at the beginning, I knew Mr Greggs was a dodgy bloke. I've  used it once. Not what it’s cracked up to be, I found that out.

ANOTHER ITEM IS TAKEN OUT OF BAG. THE OBJECT IS LOOKED UPON INTENSIVELY AND THE DISREGARDED ALMOST AGGRESSIVELY.

NARRATOR (VO)

God I miss them, doesn't take much to bring me back to the misery. You have to keep moving. At least that’s what I tell myself.

SURVIVOR GETS UP AND EXAMINES HIS CAMP. SURROUNDING THE CENTRAL AREA IS A COLLECTION OF POLES IN SERIES WITH CANS AND VARIOUS METALLIC OBJECTS HANGING OFF THE BARRIER.

NARRATOR (VO)

They are everywhere, that's the reason for a fence. A man has to sleep, and when he does death snuggles up real close. Tin cans can be used for more than just a telephone. I learnt that early on.

SURVIVOR CARRIES ON EXAMINING THE EXTERIOR WHILST DOING SO HE HEARS TWIGS SNAPPING.

FX: Twigs snapping.

NARRATOR (VO)

Doesn’t stop them, if they can travel millions of light years to ruin our day I’m sure they can get through some Heinz and a bit of fishing wire. It doesn't give anyone much confidence, well nothing really does nowadays. Nothing stops those creatures, if they want you they have you.

SURVIVOR VISUALLY SHAKES.

NARRATOR (VO)

I get a few seconds warning, it wouldn't matter if I knew a day before. They move fast, faster than anything Ive ever seen. Faster than my children that used to run to the ice cream van. Faster than my wife would rush to the shops when a sale is on.

SURVIVOR APPEARS DESPERATE AND INCREDIBLY SHAKEN, THE CREATURE COMING FOR HIM IS COMING TO KILL HIM AND HE KNOWS IT. HE BACKS UP FROM THE PERIMETER AND TRIPS OVER HIS CHAIR. HE LANDS IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION.

NARRATOR (VO)

I died a long time ago, along with my wife and family.

THE SURVIVOR GLANCES AROUND A FEW TIMES BEFORE NOTICING A PRIMARY CREATURE HE LOOKS STARTLED YET CONTENT. HE HAS ACCEPTED HIS FATE. HE CLOSES HIS EYES.

CUTS TO BLACK

THE END

Primary Character Costume Preparation

Below is a mood board of my primary character's costume. I have based his image upon Rick Grimes, a character within AMC's The Walking Dead. Similarly to my protagonist Grimes lives within a post-apocalyptic world and has had to deal with a large host of problems. Additionally I have created a list of all of the various items I will be required to obtain before shooting in terms of costume and make-up.

Costume Items and Make-up

• Woolen Hat: Already owned
• Blank T-shirt: Already Owned.
• Tainted Jumper: Already owned, can be tainted before shoot.
• Basic Dark Trousers: Already owned, actor may prefer to use their own
• Boots: Already Owned, actor may have their own.
• Grey Socks: Already owned.
• Blood Make-up: Can be purchased easily and it is to be applied by a peer with considerable experience if possible. An alternate source would be making the blood myself. After researching online I have found a website which lists the ingredients and method. Despite the method being simple I have previously created my own blood in correlation with other projects and the blood wasn't suitable.  Below is the link to the highlighted website.

Fake Blood Recipe

Prop Preparation

After storyboarding and scripting my product i have enough details prepared to begin listing props needed. Below is a presentation of the said items and an example of where I could source them:

Props

• Cooked meat- Can be bought from a super market and prepared at home.
• Aged Bean can- Can be purchased and aged with tea or similar liquid. A custom label could be made.
• Metal Poles- Source still disputed.
• Metal cans- Can be collected and prepared before shooting.

Researching the ageing of metal

Through a concentrated period of research I have found multiple methods I could use to age the tin can I am going to use within my film. The first website I came across was an article talking about the various ways metal does age naturally and concludes with the method of putting your desired piece of metal in a fire and extracting a aged looking prop. The second method I looked into included using a substance called 'Plum Brown'. The forum thread I read detailed the substance and pointed out the expense of it. However as the source of the information is not particularly reliable due to mistakes correct by other members of the forum I feel that this method is not to be trusted. However it does mention the use of sandpaper which disrupts the surface of the can possibly leaving an orange residue. The last method I researched was a collection of Pinterest posts on a board titled 'Rusting and Tarnishing'. It detailed various ways to effect metal listing only cheap materials needed such as paint. Below is a series of screenshots of the websites I visited and a conclusion to which method I will be using.

To conclude I feel that the burning method will work the best as it requires the least amount of resources and gives a very effective look. However it will require me to empty the contents and use some specific camera techniques to create the illusion of the protagonist eating from the can, which would mean the insides would be full.

DSLR Photoshoot

Below is a grid of photos I have created in order to exhibit the first part of my photo shoot. I used a digital DSLR which enabled me to customize my pictures deeply and, in combination with fabric filters my equipment provided a series of photos which support my creative direction on my project. I plan to sample a piece of film with a similar effect applied. This will enable me to see if using this setup will be profitable for my final piece.

I found that taking these pictures took a considerable amount of time and planning, despite their essentially futile requirement. If I use this method during my flashback scenes I will need to prepare fully and predict the time needed to plan it.

Brainstorming Character details

With my character developed, it has now allowed me to start further work on the narrative taking into account the character's traits and personal, allocated mise-en-scene.

Experimentation with Shadow

As I am still considering using other techniques of cinematography than just live action I undertook some experimentation using shadows, canvas and light. The concept came to me through my analysis of shadow puppetry which I have previous posted. With the additional information I gained from that and some extra input from my teacher I was inspired to create the images below. Using various instruments ranging from white canvas to a multitude of low-key and soft-key lighting I have mimicked shadow puppetry by bringing in live action in addition.
I feel that this particular method will conform to the boundaries of my chosen genre as an ambiguous tone is set while constructing a gritty, realistic approach to the abstract presentation by the technique.
        Before I began shooting I story boarded a group of shots which are depicted below. However I was being incredibly optimistic when drawing them. As I had limited space behind the filter it was not possible.

Before I began shooting I story boarded a group of shots which are depicted below. However I was being incredibly optimistic when drawing them. As I had limited space behind the filter it was not possible.

Mood Board

Below is a mood board I have constructed showing off particular elements which have began to inspire me. I have roughly divided the collage up into three; the aliens, the protagonist and the setting. I feel that this collection of media will be largely helpful in the future as it represents all the key areas of my product, especially its genre.

Constructing this mood board has triggered me to think over the visuals in more considerable depth. The survivor section of the board was mostly inspired from the telivision series The Walking Dead, and I have decided to base my protagonist's asethetic on its main character, Rick Grimes.