Millie Mae Creative Media - FMP
Script writing:
The script I am using for my piece is one I wrote just under a year ago. Having this guideline through my full research and pre-production process has really made it easier for me to find information around my short film and helped me with planning and knowing exactly what my film needs, like: location, props, costume, equipment and even time.
Even though my script is written and finished I am going to go through and edit it so it becomes more modern and better suited for my actors now. I specifically like the order of my scenes in my short film. I think the main thing I am going to change is the name, pronouns and how the locations are described based of the locations I am using in my piece. I am going to change a few lines and how they say the lines in the script because I want it to fit the actor in away and give them chance to portray the character in a way they want. In my original script, it was a guy and girl, who was in the woods on the way to their deaths, but now it is two girls. Instead of the having a flirty friendship like I wrote for the first to characters I want it to be more of a sister relationship of two best friends. I feel like this suits the actors real well and will allow them to be more comfortable when filming.
The two screen shots above show two of the biggest changes in the short film. The top one shows the simple change of name, pronoun and costume, whilst the second one shows a full scene change due to location.
When I first started writing this script, I found it to be quite difficult, there is a lot to remember like the scene heading, cut to's and even how to use the speech sections properly. I found that the more you used Celtx the easier it became to understand. I spent a lot of time on this script just to make sure it made sense and there weren't words missing and basically just to get the practise in. All this came in handy when I started editing the same script for my short film, it made it a lot easier to remember where the setting were what each button meant and how it should be set up properly.
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Moreover, when I was editing my script, I was really visioning the actors, I thought it would be easier for them to learn a role, which is similar to them, and to be able to act it out more comfortably. I felt that Bella's character was very aloof and was always distracted but cared deeply about things and felt things even more. Macey's character on the other hand, was more care free, had a sarcastic nature to her but would do anything for her friend. Callum's character, was an awkward guy, who could use his voice when needed to warn people and he is very specific about how he likes things.
I took these peoples best and worst traits and played them into my characters to make it have a more personal touch and so it was easier for them to portray someone like them selves.
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Overall, I had a lot of fun writing the scrip it made the full process more interesting and fun. It really helped me bring the story I have envisioned from the start of this project come to light in it's final draft. I feel by developing the characters and their past, it gives you a closer connection even if they don't tell you direct, I believe you can understand parts of it through their words.
Once I had printed all the scripts off and I organized them into separate ones. I decided it would be best to go through and highlight each part in the script and colour code them to make it easier for the actors. For example, When I was going through Callum's script I highlighted anything having to do with Keith - his line and his actions, in green. With Macey's I did the same in pink and Bella's in purple.
However, when filming I want to be able to follow what is going on and figure out where we are up to. I decided that it would be best to get my self a script and use the same colours I used for the actors but them all in my script so I know when who is suppose to be talking and what is that person suppose to be doing. I feel like this is going to be really helpful for me and keep me on track with where I am up to and who is up next.
Raw Footage:
When we began filming I was incredibly nervous that it was all going to go terribly wrong. I thought the weather would be against us and could affect how the footage came out, especially with us filming on different days. I was really paranoid that my actors didn't have enough time to learn their lines and that was going to fall apart and make the film look monotone. I was also worried about filming being to dangerous with certain scenes due to the weather conditions on the days prior, making the ground wet and the trees. However, when we got to filming everything ran extremely smoothly. I did have to change a few things from my script and make them more safe for my actors, yet, I believe it will still look good and the story will still make sense. Overall, I got a lot of footage which has made it easier, I have been able to go through them and sort out which one I think will be best for my film. For certain scenes there is some clips where their is multiple of the same thing happening but slightly different, this is because I haven't been able to decide what to use yet and I think only time will tell when I try them out in my piece.
For my opening scene, I wanted a shot of the sign to the woods we were using and the two girl walking through it. It would help set the scene, introduce you to the characters and mostly, it it's a good way to start the short film. My only dilemma with the opening shot is I'm not entirely sure which on to use. Firstly, the image on your left, is just a wide shot which, is known for being perfect for location showing and establishing. I think it shows the girls closer to the camera and makes it seem like they have a closer relationship with the audience. Secondly, the image on you left is a pedestal angle, up to down, which I also think holds a lot of power for my opening scene. I think it shows and gives a better idea of the characters who are further in and are playing more and it still does the job of the first one. Not only this but, a lot of short films I have seen, specifically horror, use this to show location and open a film a lot, plus it was my original idea when I was writing the script. I think the best way to decided this would be to do what I stated above and see which one fits best with the film.
Scene one, had a lot of failures and bloopers but a lot of good clips came out of it. I honestly suspected this for the first scene as the girls might have felt awkward doing this together. But like I said before it went better than I could have hoped. I was honestly amazed how fast the girls adapted and got use to each other and their characters and this made filming a lot easier for me. I think the images from my clips for the first scene really show and explain the scene quite well I believe it really highlights what happens in this scene and show the girl's friendship. Without the audio and full clips it is hard to see the slight tension between them but you can see it properly in the clips. The only thing I am finding difficult with scene one is out of the fifth and sixth images which one should I use. In these clips the girls are saying the same lines, I just wanted to get it from sperate angles to see which I prefer. The only issue now is that I am unsure which to use because they are both pretty good and you can see the characters reaction to the other person highlighting that tension. If it comes to it I might just cut the up and use a bit of both, but ideally I would like to use one.
When filming scene two (any scene in the house) we had to adjust some of the furniture and items around us, to make it seem like "Keith's" home. This scene isn't long but explains more about what the girls we talking about. Other than the news playing quietly in background there isn't any talking. Once again, this scene went really well Callum played his role perfectly and really highlighted how I wanted Keith to be portrayed when we first meet him. I wanted to get a lot fast shots with Keith and that's why there is so many for such a short scene. However, with this scene we had to improvise a little bit and come away from the script. I wanted the news to be playing on TV, instead of his phone, but we couldn't find the remote. However, I think this works really well and in our favour because it shows a more modern twist and how people sit on their phones more now than actually watching TV or doing something else.
Scene three, was probably on of the hardest scenes for us to film. We had one chance to make sure we had everything right before covering Macey and the jumper in blood. I wanted to give Bella in this scene some alone time on camera as she is my lead. I felt it was important for the audience to create a connection with her, as they will see her run for her life. Other than this though once again it turned out really well. There is a few things I have noticed now I have gone through them again properly, that probably would have needed a retake, but because I have so many clips for this one scene, that I haven't shown on this page, I should be able to cut it fast and have them little errors disappear. Location was also hard for this one. Macey was supposed to be found in a tree and her blood was suppose to drop down on to Bella. However, for safety reasons I wasn't able to achieve this and with a few minutes of thinking what to do, next we agreed that it would be best for her to die on the ground and just have Bella stumble upon her. I think it works the same, but I do believe it takes away that surprise element a bit, Yet, I had to put safety first.
Scene four, was a very stressful scene to film. Due to money and the budget we only had one chance chance to film everything all the things in this scene, more or less. I do have a lot more footage for this scene, that i will use in my piece, but for this part particularly I din't want to use a lot of storage but putting all the images on. I did use a wide range of shots in this pat and a lot faced cuts again with Keith, because like I said before in my work I want his identity to remain a secret, even though you can see him his face in many shots, I believeI will be able to sort this with colour correction to make it darker and not as noticeable. I didn't get as many close up and extreme close ups as I would have liked. However, I believe focusing on him making the food and showing how he acts was the best and easiest way to hide his identity, plus I feel like it shows their more too the food that meats the eye: Cannibalism.
Scene five, was a very fun scene to film. We had a lot of laughs making this. Bella and Callum both did amazing in their acting parts and really came out of their shells, making my piece better ad more believable. Once again, their is more footage for this scene but I didn't want to waste storage by putting it all on. You can see where we filmed in different areas and how that has affected the colour but I know I can fix this with colour correction. I had to make sure everything was safe n this scene as well, as Bella had to fall multiple times for the shots and Callum had to "hit" her in the head with a rock, so it was important to me to make sure that they were both comfortable when filming, not to mention with the ground being wet again we really struggled, with keeping Bella clean. I knew from the begging that we only had once chance to take certain shots with Bella falling that first time and especially with the fake blood as it stains. However, I believe all the shots we got was good and will go nicely when edited together.
Scene six, was easy and sort. I just had to get the evidence oF Keith being the cannibal. I couldn't use my original idea of finding the girls head in the fridge as it would have been a lot harder to edit and figure out. If I had the skills to do this I would have. My next idea was also a bit far fetched. I wanted to fill the fridge with meat and make it look more human like. But again due to budget and cost of living this would have been out of my range. So I went with my final simple idea of having blood run down the fridge, for symbolism. I think my two first ideas would have been better but I do think that this idea also works well. I was also able to use the coke bottle again from the first scene to show, symbolism in a way.