Creative Critical Reflection

Final Project

Here it is!

Artistic//Element

As I have been filming I have been wanting to add some artistic elements into my film. I enjoy films that have extra symbolism and are not straight to the point. One of the elements I want to add is the use of subtitles not because you cannot hear the actor, but just as a stylistic element. At one point in the film, the actor says some dialogue and instead of subtracting the attention to the eerie music, I will add the subtitles. I think this is a super cool idea because it adds to my style and uniqueness to my film.

As I am editing I am looking to create a raw, indie feel. Although I really dislike found footage films, I do enjoy the feeling they give off. It gives the viewer a sense that this could have maybe occured as it was filmed on hand held cameras and smart phones. As I have spoken about before I am breaking away from the stereotypical things done in this film and want people to see it as something new and original. I have been thinking of using a filter to make the film look a little hazier, but I am still on the rope about this because I am not sure if that would make it seem less real. At this point I am debating whether to make it as real as possible, as I intended at the beginning, or to make it more of an artistic piece.

I think I am going to try to make it more artistic then realistic because of the fact that it will be more unique and will give me more creative freedom when it comes to the editing and will hopefully resonate more in the viewers mind for its differences to most normal horror films.

Premier//Go-Pro

In my opening I wanted a very natural feeling. That is why I am using a Go Pro to film the scenes to give the best objective view of both characters.This will help add realism to my scenes and, hopefully, will add a creepy atmosphere.

This has led to me learning a lot about how to use this equipment that I have never used before. It is not that difficult to use, but the difficult part is learning how to use the programs that come a long with the equipment. To edit my film I am using Premier, a program I have never used, so it has been difficult, but entertaining learning to use it. 

The video is coming out phenomenal and the scenes are coming out exactly how I envisioned!

Music//Soundtrack

Luckily, I stumbled upon some royalty free music during my research that fits perfectly with my vision. I thought this was going to be a problem due to the fact that a lot of this music without copyright is not of the best quality,

The song is called, "Children's Theme" and it is the sound of a nursery song being playing "I love you, you love me." Very creepy and also short so it will fit in the opening when I need it. I want the music to eerily fade in and out of the scenes, sometimes playing and sometimes not. The goal is to somewhat confuse reality and the viewer and to add suspense and drama to the scene.

The link to the song and tons of free copyright music can be found here:  http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html/index.html?genre=Horror&page=5

Story//Board

After completing my story board, I am excited to start filming. The only trouble I'm having is the timing. I am not sure exactly how to pace myself and how to make sure it will come out to be 2 minutes. I want the film to flow and work well, so I will be working on that.

My film is very inspired by the movie "The Shining" by directed by  Stanley Kubrick. I find this movie broke so many tropes and typical things done in these slasher films. I want it to be artistic and very open into interpretation so I am working hard on trying to get the perfect shots and composition to make it come out the way I want.

I would upload my storyboard, but the drawings are horrific and I would not want to scare you guys off just yet! But, I have broken it up into 3 parts and that will hopefully help with the pacing. I will begin filming today.

Synopsis//Plot

I want the film to begin with the stalking of the prey by the predator. It would begin with a series of shots taken on hand held cameras to demonstrate the point of view of the stalker. The prey will be going about his business washing dishes and his normal routine within the house. This will be where the opening credits occur and this will occur for around 45 seconds.

The next scene will be the break in where the stalker gets within the house and the man realizes he is not alone. I intend to add drama to this by not allowing the viewer to see the face of the killer and really understand her intentions. I plan on using non-diegetic sound to really add to the horror. It will be sort of a cat and mouse chase within the house.

Finally it will end with the killing of the man and the revealing of the killer. I plan to make this 2 minutes and this might be difficult that is why I must plan to make a story board to better understand how to make this all flow.