Starting Editing

As I begin editing, there was one thing I wanted to see if I could do. That technique is being able to change the color of something in post-production. 

In one shot, we utilize dry ice for the virus that creates the zombies and when The Doctor open the viruses container, a bucket, we use dry ice to make it smokey. In my head, the virus is green and I even bought green food dye to make the water in the bucket green, but when I added the dry ice it stayed white. So the next course of action is to see what can be done in editing. 

Having access the Adobe suite gives me access to Premiere Pro so I looked up what can be done with that. I found this video that showed how to change the color of certain object in a video. You use this thing called Lumetri Color in the effects panel and when you go down to the hue vs hue menu you can adjust the color of anything in the footage.

This is an incredibly useful tool and I was suprised at how simple it was to do. I had this notion that software like Premiere Pro and After Effects were complicated, and while there is a lot in these applications, if you know where to look it seems to not be that way.

Final Shooting Schedule

 

Tonight we tried to finish shooting and we didn't. Since it was a Sunday night, many people had a curfew and needed to go home before we could finish everything. We were able to get all the shots that had the two guards, so slowly but surely we're making good progress. On the brightside, There is only one actor we need, only six more shots to do out of the twenty six and they're all pretty simple. I made some new additions to the schedule to make sure we hit the deadlines we need to and I'm confident we'll get them done.

It's looking like third time's the charm for this project. I did not expect it to take so long, but now I realize why it takes years for the professional movies to be made. You also realize just how little time actually shooting the film takes and how much of the time spent is in pre and post-production. 

Shooting Day

On Saturday, we had our first day of filming. I was excited but also nervous because in past experiences, not everything goes according to plan when trying to film. Despite this I was confident that we were going to get this done.

Me and Frankie prioritized shooting all the scenes with the zombies first seeing as they were already in making up. The actors already had experience from being in the school's drama club so that came with a lot of perks. First, the four actors were already good at acting like you would expect a zombie to act like, but sometimes they would be a little too jittery for our liking. Which leads to the second perk of them being able to take direction very well. Whether it be blocking, physical movements, voices, or even helping behind the camera they would do what we would ask no problem. In the end we were able to get some really great shots with them.

Filming the zombies rising

Filming The Doctor

Unfortunately, the zombie shots were all we could film that night as one our cast members had to go home and everyone was getting tired. We did not finish filming like me and Frankie planned we would as the shots took longer to set up then expected. Fortunately, the cast members we needed for pickups was able to come the next night to finish up. Because the shots are a lot shorter and less grand in scale we should be able to finish filming. But then again, as this experience has reinforced my believe in, not everything goes according to plan.

Zombie Makeup

When imagining the zombies for the film I wanted to be reminiscent of Shaun of the Dead. The makeup wasn't too extravagant but they still looked undead and I was going for that campy, b-movie look anyways.

Zombies in Shaun of the Dead

Now me and Frankie know next to nothing about special effects makeup, and we didn't have the time or resources to figure how to do make our actors look like zombies. However, we did have a friend who does and she was gladly willing to help us which I was very thankful for. I told her what I was looking for and she sent me a design the day before shooting and it looked phenomenal.

The design

On top of the design being incredible, the next day our makeup artist was able to do the same thing to multiple actors in under an hour which was very impressive. 

Doing makeup day of shooting

Finished Product

If me or Frankie had to do it, I have no doubt it would have looked horrible. It just goes to show what having talented and committed people attached to your project can do. Along with being able to listen to your direction and bring your vision to life.

Building Props

Because of the entire week being busy with theatre rehearsals we only had the couple hours before shooting to make the props for the film. Luckily my dad had all the tools and wood ready and some of the crew was there already to help. 

My dad showing Frankie how to use the tools

The first thing we did was make the table for the shot we have of a zombie's hand rising from the grave. We cut four pieces of wood for the legs and used dry wall for the table. We used a roll of tape to outline the hole the hand will rise from with Sharpie and used it guide us while cutting the hole.

Drawing the outline for the hole in the table

Cutting the hole with power tools

Drilling the legs to the table

Next thing to do was to make the crosses. We lined up the pieces of wood with the mailbox and marked it at the halfway point to cut it. Afterwards we took the rest of the wood and used it for the other part of the wooden cross. 

Using the drill to make the cross

Finished product

I was really worried about the amount of time we had to make these because it was the same day as shooting and we only had a few hours. But, with a lot of the crew there, it was done quickly and efficiently. Not only did I learn useful skills for life in general but also realized how truly easy it is to make a film when you have a good crew.

Graves to Crosses

 A part about the graveyard me and Frankie were thinking about is how to get the gravestones to put along the path. We were at my house talking about it when my dad chimed in and offered to build us crosses. I didn't think about to doing crosses but honestly it works just as fine and can even be a bit more creepy if done right.

This image is mostly like how it would look at field and I really like it.

Here is a picture of crosses in a forest in black and white. I been seriously contemplating shooting in black and white for the introduction and this has convinced me even more to do so.

Character Design

 It's about time I think about how the characters are going to look in the movie. Luckily I'm not starting from scratch as I've always had an idea since the beginning.

The easiest characters to design are the guards that help the main antagonists. They'll just be in black shirts and pants, maybe sunglasses but since we're shooting at night I don't want to impair their vision.

Second is the hunchback assistant Bartholomew. He basically is going to wear what Igor from Young Frankenstein wears. 

Igor from Young Frankenstein(1979)

I even have a cloak from when I went as the grim reaper on Halloween that works perfectly for what he wears.

The hardest costume would be The Doctor who is the main villain and focus of the two minutes. He is based off both Dr. Frankenstein and the Invisible Man, wearing a science coat and being wrapped in bandages. Aside from is pants which are black, his mainly white costume will set him apart from the other three visually and convey to the audience his importance.

Dr. Frankenstein in Young Frankenstein

The Invisible Man 1933

The reason for the bandages is to add mystery to The Doctor as he is the only one who doesn't show his face. Why is he wearing them? What is he hiding? Hypothetically this would be answered at the end of the story, but for now the audience is left to ponder.

Producton Portfolio: Final Draft

It's crunch time now and we have to start production so we need to make things as happen quickly. For the Production Portfolio, we decided to go with the villain script because it introduces the plot better, but chages had to be made. Originally, there was a scene of the character "The Doctor" making the zombie virus in his lab, but we don't have access to any facility nor have the money to turn any place into a mad scientist lab. What I quickly realized is that we don't need this scene at all. We can skip to the graveyard with the virus already made and the plot will still make sense, I just need to tweak the dialouge which I already did.

New draft

Old draft

When you compare the two, you can see that the dramatic reveal of the virus basically stays the same with only difference being where it happens.

New draft

I don't have a screenshot of the previous script, but in it there was a cutaway to the "real" main characters of the full story used for comedy. Here I changed the cut away gag to the character Skye, who ends up being a main character anyways, being chased by the antagonists of the story. Again, it creates the same effect while being more plausible to film.

Having to restrict myself to one location has showed me how to take different ideas and unify them into one scene, which is much needed when your on a time and budget constraint.

Scouting Locations

When thinking about how I could possibly shoot the graveyard scene I remembered there is a dirt pathway with an open field near my house and the school. It would be the perfect place to add fake graves and gives us enough space for a wide range of shot types from a close up to a long shot. Me and Frankie could easily scout the location after school so we did just that on Wednesday.

The tower

The tower can serve as a part of the background or used for overhead shots. It will be added to the risk assessment because there is the potential for harm trying to climb the ladders.

Pathway leading to the sidewalk and road

Old fences

These old fences can perfectly add to the spooky atmosphere we seek to achieve with scene, especially at night.

Tall grass area

Both me and Frankie agreed that no one should go in there because it is unknown what could be in there. It will obviously be added to the risk assessment and it will be made known to all cast and crew that this area would be strictly prohibited.

Open field

This open space near the path can be used to capture long shots. One definite use will be for the last chase scene as it will be reminiscent of old Scooby-Doo: Where Are You? chases.

As seen, the iconic chase sequences are full body shots so the camera will need to back up quite a bit. All the open space will lend well to our needs. Shooting the villain script now seems much more plausible.

Feedback Tests

On Monday me and Frankie finally arranged a feedback test for the two scripts. I wanted to do a table read of sorts but seeing as we didn't have time for it I resorted to sending the scripts over text. The people we chose were all involved with the theatre department at the school and even included Yheketen, a former Media Studies student from last year. 

The general consensus was that the villain script was better in terms of plot development, but would be a lot harder to pull off correctly. I'd have to find a way to build a lab and graveyard which just being said alone, seems hard and costly. This didn't mean that they thought the hero script was bad however, as the feedback was also positive. The group though it was campy, in a good way, and could be a lot of fun to film. It would also be much more plausible to make with the constraints given to me and Frankie.

For one, I'm glad that Yheketen was able to pick up on the inspirations for the films but they also brought a whole new insipration that didn't even occur to me. As previously said, the introduction would be a horror-comedy and leaned into campy territory. Yheketen mentioned that they felt similiar to a Scooby-Doo introduction which almost a perfect explanation to the tone I was going for and even gave me recommendations of what Scooby-Doo introductions to watch. It appears I subconsciously went to Scooby-Doo without knowing.

I have another thing to add to the genre statement but in complete honestly Scooby-Doo fits more than some of the other inspirations. Right now, it's definitely looking like the hero introduction is the way to go which makes sense, not only eaiser to make but it's testing just as well with potential audiences.

Deliver vs. Deny vs. Delay Expectations

When I finished the outlines for the two introductions, I realized that I could write the scripts around the idea of delivering, denying, or delaying expectations.

In the villain introduction, we deliver expectations albeit in a comedic way. The mad scientist and his hunchback assistant will create the virus and raise an army of the dead. This is a direct reference to scenes of Dr. Frankenstein creating his monster, and we will even be doing shot for shot remakes to sell home this point. This introduction will give the audience a good sense of what to expect for the rest of the film, until it doesn't. How? Well the end of the villain introduction is the start of the hero introduction, contrasting horror sci-fi with a normal comedy scene. 

The sudden switch in tone will add to the already comedic feel of the film.

This brings us into the hero introduction where depending on how much knowledge the audience already knows about the introduction, it can deny or delay expectations. Knowing nothing, it will deny expectations because what starts as a normal, comedic scene quickly shifts into horror with the arrival of a zombie and back to comedy. To those who know the zombie is coming, it will be delaying expectations until the very end of the scene. 

The hero introduction starts in equilibrium and is almost like a sitcom in nature. The sudden shift to horror at the end throws the audience off until it just as quickly shifts back comedy.

The Main Characters

When writing the characters I looked back on my previous post on how to design them and so far I have three out of the main five down. This was due to taking the advice of building the characters around each other. In my case it was building the two main characters' arcs around their friend Billy, who is sort of in the "wise fool" role. 

Zack is snarky, cynic who's disillusioned with the way things are, as a result he doesn't take any action to improve the world around them because he feels he can't. Billy convincing him to do an act of kindness in the apocalypse, despite his plans of escaping the city, is his first step to seeing the world in a more positive light. 

Zack is loosley based of Shaun from Shaun of the Dead but fits more of the themes of our film like optimism vs cynicism. Like Shaun, Zack needs to take matters into his own hands to achieve his want, to live a fufilling life.  

The second main character Josh, on the other hand, is the traditional tale of a coward becoming brave. Although he has a heart of gold he's too afraid to take action, which is made worse when there are zombies trying to kill him. Billy convincing him to do the same act of kindness is his first step in the story to becoming brave and realizing his dream of helping people. This act of kindness is an important moment in the early story as you can see. It moves along Zack and Josh in their charcters arcs, as well as develop Billy as more than a drunk idiot. 

Tony Tony Chopper is a character from One Piece coincidentally is like Josh in many ways. Like Josh he wants to be a great doctor, but is often scared to take action and fight the villains of the story. As he develops into his own, he becomes more courageous and confident in his abilities as a fighter and doctor. I am a huge fan of One Piece so I don't think it's out of the question to assume I might have been subconsciously influenced by Chopper.

Schedule Changes

The first schedule change has been made to better get things done. While originally we had scouting locations today after finishing the hero script, I realized I had completely forgot to start on the Production Proposal. So instead while I finish the hero script ad organize feedback tests, Frankie is going to start his part of the Production Portfolio, I will work on my part later in the day.

The new schedule

Completed Outline

After completing the villain outline and script it was time to move on to the hero introduction. There a stark diffrence between the villain and hero introductions, which is made more clear when they are played in succession. The dramatic and zany feel of the villain introduction is replaced by a normal introduction to normal characters until the underlying threat of the zombies are shown. 

Hero Outline

It's also more focus on character than plot. The second focus of the villain introduction was to show the inciting incident of the story, what throws off the narrative equilibrium. The hero introduction is almost pure character. Since it's an ensemble you see what they're like, they're dynamics with each other, and it's easier to see what the core of their characters are and their themes. This isn't all shown in the outline to be clear, the plot is more what's shown as of now, but the goal of the introduction is what I mentioned.

Full Outline

In the full film, the transition between the two introductions would create a comedic effect, with the dramatic villain introduction being followed immediately by the normal, hero introduction.

Script Format

When writing the script for the villain intro I wanted it to look as professional looking as possible. So I turned to an old source of information. During the summer, I go up to Chicago to visit my mom and there I go to a film camp. The teacher there gave me a packet of how to format a script along with other miscellaneous papers. They showed me how many tabs to use for characters, dialouge, descriptions, etc. and also showed me various terms and what to capitalize. For example, it is six tabs for the character name and three tabs for their dialouge. When making a slug line, which says the location and time, it is all capitalized. Referring back to this help a lot in this process.

The papers

How the script turned out

Setting a Schedule

This week marks the first week that groups can start production and preliminary research should be done. Is preliminary research done? Yes. Is pre-production? No. In fact, we haven't started the Production Proposal Packet which is kind of important. What came to me as an epiphany, but really should have been an idea from the start now that I think about it, is to make a schedule with deadlines! So that's exactly what I did. In the Foundation Film Google document shared between me and Frankie I created a Deadlines tab so the both of us can set goals for ourselves and each other. The dates are in accordance to when we have Media Studies class. I will also be setting personal reminders in my phone and will be encouraging Frankie to do the same.

Blocking and Staging

As a director, you can always learn from Steven Spielberg. In this video you learn just how good he is at blocking and staging. For background, the video first talks about director Steven Sodobergh desaturated Raiders of the Lost Ark(1981) and removed the score to show just how effective Spielberg's composition and blocking is. 

Here, Indy is framed as the highest person in the room and is aligned with the left vertical rule of thirds line. This visually shows his importance

Both of these shots are in deep focus, and used to show what the characters at diffrent distances from the camera see(the map), or what they don't(the gun).

You can really see how to tell the story with just visuals by analyzing this movie and the choices made and it really got me thinking on how to compose the shots. I'm not making a full movie so it shouldn't take that long, but I really got to make some choices and be bold with it.

How Does It Challenge Conventions?

 One thing about zombie stories is that there isn't much explaination on how the zombies come about, and if there is it isn't touched upon as much. This convention can be traced back to the origin of the modern zombie in Night of the Living Dead. This usually happens because the origin of zombies isn't important because zombie stories ususally have something to say about humanity as a whole. I wanted to challenge that convention by making the creator of the zombies an active threat along with the zombies. Not only that, but he is the overarching antagonist and is conneted to the main themes. This also means that the story and apocalypse can have definitive end with the creator's defeat.

In Night of the Living Dead(1968) there is no definitive cause or the outbreak.

 

Perhaps the most famous example, there is no definitive cause of the outbreak in the main The Walking Dead(2011) series. 

How Does The Film Represent Social Issues?

Something I've been noticing around me and on social media is the rise of contemporary cynicism, pessimism, nihilism, and all the other "-isms" that are used by people who don't have hope, think nothing matters, and/or are indifferent to what is happening around them. Now I wouldn't say I'm an optimist and all hopeful, but I think that hope is something very important to have. It's what keeps us going in trying times and can make a big difference. So I wanted to make a story that shows that hope and optimisim can prevail and combine it with my love for zombie media. 

I think nihilism as most people view it now can be flipped on it's head. While the "nothing matters" viewpoint can be used as an explaination to not try and not bother with doing good, I think it can be used to believe the opposite. If nothing inheretly matters the people are in full control of their actions and decisions, so in a way everything you do creates meaning.

If we go with the introduction that uses the protagonists of the story, the main character will start out as one of those cynic and nihilistic people and you can clearly see what is character arc will be.

Friedrich Nietzsche
A German Philosopher often associated with nihilism

Frankie Found a Tripod

My partner Frankie is the cinematographer and sound editor on the film. In the midst of pre-production he came upon a great stroke of luck. He found a tripod with a phone extenstion that we will no doubt use in the future. We're gonna do some tests with the tripod to see how it is with different levels, angles, heights, distances, and any other camera techniques we can think of. This will help us be more prepard for shooting and seeing what is within our capabilities. One more thing I want to do is to write down some shots I took a liking to so I can add it to the storyboard.