Storyboard Blog

This is the storyboard I have created, and yes as you can see I did use stick figures for many of the drawings. My artistic skill is fairly lacking, and when I tried my hardest to not use stick figures it ended up being harder to understand as it was a mess. Anyways, I have finally completed this storyboard and the idea is very clear in my head now. After creating this, I think it will be easy to make a movie with such a good reference. I explained each scene on the storyboard, but I plan on explaining a little bit more right here. I want to focus on the angling of the camera for the majority of these scenes. Because such a large percent of my movie is just dialogue, I need to become creative to keep the attention of people watching. I can do this in numerous ways, but I think creative angles will work well. I am talking about some angles I couldn't physically draw, like a shot through the keyhole. Because this mystery is a locked door scenario, I it is limited with the amount of information I can give the viewer. So I am still thinking about how much I wanna let them know for the last panel of the storyboard. By the way, I know the names for my storyboard and script are weird. They are just placeholders for my friends who are going to be acting in the movie, so don't worry about that. I had some comments about the names, however, they will most likely be subject to change. Furthermore, I did not have the artistic skill to draw the outfits I want my actors to wear. I think the students will just wear some formalist clothing and the janitor wear suspenders or something of the sort. I will also go buy a toy hammer off of amazon for this project. Everything on the storyboard has been planned out already. I will be able to record this over the break possibly so I will organize a time for that. Everything is going as planned and I am excited to get started. I might make a few changes to the storyboard at the end, so be on the lookout for that.

Script

Planning Blog

 In this blog, I will be planning to film my screenplay, which seems easy in theory but actually requires some technical aspects. First and foremost, the schedule. This will be a bit hard, but I plan on doing it at the school the next Monday after school. This is because there will be little to no kids at school and the club I run (Mu Alpha Theta) will host a meeting. I can use this club room for parts of my film. I probably won't be able to get every final scene just then, however. So the next Monday I can finish up, or I can do some scenes like the ones in the hallway before class starts. This scheduling is pretty strict, however, I plan to use actors who normally go to the Mu Alpha Theta math club so it should be fine. The location will be in building 21 2nd and 3rd floor. I won't be going anywhere else than those two places. I am not sure if I will get an outside shot of the building yet, or if I will do any scenes outside the school but I really doubt it. I think I just need to get those shots on those floors and I will be good to go. Participants will be me as the cameraman, my three main actors who are free then and someone to play as the poster person. The poster person is an extremely minor role so it should be easy to find someone to fill that spot. There isn't any danger in filming this so health and safety shouldn't be an issue. We will use a fake hammer for the poster person. Costumes are just normal outfits for school that are appropriate for the movie, so I probably won't have to go out and buy anything new. I might have some requests for my actors however I am not sure. If we cannot film at the school for some reason, I can do it at an office building near my house and pretend its rooms and hallways are the schools. I also can easily get backup actors if needed as there are many people who I know are willing to help.

Short Film Research: The Terrible Old Man

 I was excited to review this short film as it is based on an H.P Lovecraft story. Lovecraft is one of my favorite authors, and I was excited to see his writing on the screen. I have never heard of this short story before, however, I was excited to see how it would be. This one was pretty long, but I still liked it overall.

Common Sounds- Lots of wind, sounds for background like chimes to set the mood. There is dialogue also between the robbers and the old man, however, it isn't as important.

Common Mis-en-scene- This includes the scenes with the house decoration, the really good costumes to make it as Lovecraftian as possible, and the props used by the old man and the robbers.

Common Editing- Many backs and forth close shots and dolly shots in this film. Too many zooms, to be honest, it was kind of making me sick.

What did I like about the genre- How well the mystery was paced in this short film was amazing. I was mostly worried about the time when making mine and this helped to see how to properly pace a mystery. I also loved the actors in this they did a really good job.

What did I dislike- I didn't like the background for this. The background for what was happening seemed really sloppy. At least I learned what not to do.

Short Film Research: Damned Peace

 This was a crime mystery which is really interesting as I might do something similar to this short film. The first thing I noticed was how good the marketing was for this short. Since I might major in marketing, I took notice to these details in the poster and how it related to the film. This project was also extremely small as barely anyone worked on it and the budget must of been low It is "A journalist finds a career-defining story. But if written it could cause a gangland war. She must decide truth or peace?"

Common Sounds- Sounds of sirens a lot, not that much talking, good sound effects despite the small budget. There was one song that played in the background that fit very well also. The actor was very good.

Common Mis-en-scene- The mise-en-scene included the main character's outfit, the setting of the places she went such as the outside being sandy and bleak at some point. I really liked how they created a common theme with the colors in this short.

Common Editing- Editing is over-the-shoulder shots, with tons of back and forth between two characters. There also are tilt angles everywhere and shots where they follow an object. I thought that the camera work was really good.

What did I like about the genre- I think the actors carried this short film, the dialogue really made the mystery actually feel like something. I also thought that the scenery helped me feel much more immersed in this project.

What did I not like- I didn't like the low budget they worked with. I think so many things could have been improved with a bit more spending such as the quality of the camera overall.

Short Film Research: Escape the Undertaker

 This is a light-hearted Netflix-made show with WWE superstar the undertaker. While its production isn't perfect it is a good example of a mystery genre for a short film. I also found it interesting to try and solve the mystery at the same time.

Common Sounds- There are hastily thrown together sound effects as well as the dialogue between characters. Busy background sounds if that makes sense.

Common Mis-en-scene- Costumes for all the characters such as the Undertakers descriptive outfit. As well as the mansion/house it takes place in. There are a lot of props as well for the challenges.

Common Editing- So many jump cuts here. Voice overs are also common.

Elements of Genre I like- I like how effective this was with the clearly lower budget and how the mystery was set up so you truly still didn't know at the end.

Elements I didn't like- Although I gave it some praise, the movie truly has a very low production value with cheesy acting and not that great themes. This isn't a good film but I thought I would include it because its a mystery.

Short Film Research: MORE

 I am starting my short film research with one of my favorite short films of all time MORE. Mystery short films are really hard to come by as they usually have a different genre with a mystery sub-tone. This is exactly what MORE does. I would argue that this shows a mystery but the person solving it would be the viewer themselves. They have to fill in the holes left out about the world and the dystopia.

Common Sounds- Sounds are just sound effects and the occasional mumbling that is supposed to be talking.

Common Mis-en-scene- Setting of the outside, the factory, or the room where he's making the goggles. The mis-en scene includes the drab color of grey until you wear the goggles. The characters are unique and fit mis-en scene especially the facial expressions they have to use.

Common Editing- Stop-motion editing as well as the color changes. There also are close-ups and scenery shots and bird-eye views.

Elements I like- I love the themes of this short film and how much more I wanted to know after I watched it. I was questioning so many different things after watching this film.

Elements I dislike- This is my favorite short film, there isn't much I dislike but if I had to critique it I would say the transitions between stories like the outside could have been smoother. Also the mystery of the world could have been gone about more.