Filming Day!!!!

Today we conducted filming, while we shot most of the footage we needed it is important that we build more dramatics as our film opening is currently pretty boring. That being said we did face a few issues during filming along the lines of having group members participate and being able to use setting to our advantage. We currently have a 4 minute rough cut but the upside of having so much footage is that we know that after cutting footage there is still enough to hold a steady plot.

What issues have we been facing?

In the past week our group has faced multiple issues on the basis of scheduling and group dynamics. One of our group members, Nova, had ultimately decided that working with Tessa and I was not best for her project and elected to split off into her own group. While this decision was not welcomed by Tessa and myself we had no say in what Nova decided to do. With this happening Tessa and I progressed into the further stages of our project only for Nova to rejoin our group. Therefore we are continuing this project as a group of three. Another issue we have been dealing with is on the basis of scheduling, both Tessa and I have intense work schedules so finding a day that we both had free in order to film has proven difficult. We did find one day that we both have off, the only problem is that this leaves us a single day to collect all of our film footage. This can be an issue if we run out of daylight to film or there is discontinuity in the lighting of different scenes due to a change of time.

Filming Locations

There are multiple locations we can shoot at though the one we are scoping out the most is any wooded areas near where our group members live. We also have to consider the weather at the time of shooting, which can impact quality of footage and our ability to film. There are multiple locations we are planning on using including; a gas station, inside a vehicle, and some clips in the woods. All of these are going to be put into a vlog format of a popular youtube channel, this will be an important part of the background of our film. There has also been some disagreements on filming locations but ultimately we decided to go to locations that Nova has scouted out for shooting.

Script Writing

A script is obviously a crucial part of any film, ours is as follows, though this particular script is a generally rough draft and is open to many changes. This is very short as most of the film opening will be lacking in dialogue.

Sound/ Post Production Plans

Though we haven’t discussed it in depth yet, I believe my teammates and I plan on using mostly in camera sounds in order to use found footage the most effectively. Although we will also have to employ the use of a separate audio system in order to pick up any lower audio, this may include cars, footsteps, and other possible sound effects we put to use. While this step is one of the last parts of production and post production it is still vital to the creation of a horror film  as the smallest sound at the wrong time can throw off the course of an entire scene. It is also important that all of our audio matches cuts in the visuals and dialogue so not to create inconsistencies or confusion for the audience and viewers. 

Filming

We are planning to shoot our film in multiple locations on both iPhones and GoPros in order to fully create a found footage/ vlog feel. Our first location being in a car, documenting the travel of the characters. Followed by their arrival in a camping location, that is likely the woods or some sort of field. With this being said I have conferred with my teammates and we have decided to recruit friends or classmates to be characters in the film, it is important that all of us have coordinating schedules as most scenes will have all characters in them or in relation to them.  We are going for a very natural and casual feel being that most horror films begin with a normal and common situation it is important that characters are costumed accordingly. 

Case Study: Grave Encounters

After viewing and analyzing this film I came to the conclusion that Grave Encounters, a 2011 Minihan horror film, would be an appropriate choice for a case study. This film carried references to a well known film- The Blair Witch Project, this is because both are based off of found footage. The aspect of found footage and the horror genre introduces a likely audience of those that plan on experiencing paranormal activity or that are at least interested in it and seeing it in a situation close to in real time. This film was produced in Riverview Hospital located in British Columbia, being that this was a real mental hospital it ensures the plot is maintained through the extremely realistic setting. This film was released at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 22, 2011, later in June the film was released in Italy theaters where it gained international popularity.