Shooting the script, a plan

For this weeks blog entry I wanted to talk a little bit about the script, storyboard and how my vision will come through behind the lens as well as in the editing room.

 To begin, the script that Tyler wrote tells of the group of friends who like many kids in rural areas get bored quite easy. They look for adventure and decide to make a film. The thing we did not want with this project is to be another Blair Witch style first person style camcorder film. There will be scenes where we will show the kids making their film, but we want the quality to remain consistently HD.

 For the chase scenes where there will be running in the woods, I will be shooting various angles with 3 cameras. The main camera will be the Canon XLH1 which will be on a tripod. I will also use my Nikon D3200 dslr which shoots full HD as well. We also purchased a go pro hero 3 that I constructed a mount for that can be secured to trees for shots where the actor runs past and I also made a chest mount for the first person shots. We bought a head mount but when we tested it the footage was very unstable do to the movement of the head. Having options for these scenes will make the footage remain fresh since there are several scenes in the script that call for outdoor woods action and running.

 For a few of the scenes I will be using the collapsible green screen. For example when the security guard gets killed. The idea for this scene is to shoot the footage up to the actual killing then hold the marks while the green screen is placed. I will then shoot the actor Kenny dropping to his knees after being struck with the machete and also the killer swiping the blade down in the neck region. I can then put the compositions together in After Effects, resulting in the decapitation of the guard.

We begin shooting the major stuff on the 15^th but over the next 2 weeks we will be shooting small filler and the sewing of the mask scene. For the mask scene, I will be shooting this in our dining room with a black background on one side and the green screen on the other, creating a corner of darkness that I can key in later. I will use the full size dolly that was made and shown on my blog last week to create a fluid motion from behind the character played by Tyler to just over his shoulder. I will then use the skate dolly on the table to do a wraparound scene from the front, focusing on Tyler’s face as he sews the mask.

I think the most critical part of the cinematography for this project is going to be capturing the psychotic behavior of Tyler’s lead role as he becomes the killer. I think it is imperative to focus on the struggles and conflicts within the script. A great example is Brendan’s thirst for power and control. From the initial scene of the mask to the wielding of the machete, the feeling that this gives him power must be seen. It must show that this power overwhelms him and feeds the psychotic behavior, creating the monster. I also need to show how very ironic it is that while he is the oldest of all the characters, the leader of the group is obviously Jimmy who is the youngest by several years.   

 Another thing is that while I will be shooting to script, I will also take tons of other footage as well as extra scenes or cuts with added improvised dialogue. This will be for two reasons, I want the film to be approximately 40 minutes in length so having excess footage can help me when editing and we plan on working another edited cut for film festival submissions.