Almost beginning

 The filming process starts next week and I have everything except the mask at my disposal. In order to compensate for this, however, I will be filming all of the POV shots and when I get my actor I will be doing all of those shots first. I want the mask to seem somewhat original and actually intimidating. I am taking my time with the mask selection process due to this and have thus started scavenging through Amazon, Target, and online forums for masks that can either give me inspiration or find the perfect mask. As for finding an actor, I have asked some people whether they would be interested in acting in my film project. The main people I have contacted are people that I know well and whom I find would be suitable for the protagonist. I am mainly focusing on the male gender due to the stereotype of the woman always dying first in these types of horror movies.

The editing

 I have not mentioned much of the editing process needed for this project. I will be using an editing software that my teacher has given us for free. While the editing software is free it is not bad and is something that I have used in past projects. I will also use this to adjust the audio and use some of the video techniques like when I do the slice of the knife. I wanted to mention all of this because the editing process is the last stage. I will be dedicating either the last one or two weeks solely on editing and fixing any other mistakes needed in order to complete this process. I will also be using my phones camera and possibly a tripod in order to do these shots. I do not have a professional camera available to me so I will be using my phone to compensate for this.

Continuing the Audio

 Audio is designed to create a sense of horror and as mentioned in my last blog post the Conjuring did a good jo of this. I have decided that I want to make all my audio from props I have in my house. Some of the sounds I have thought of making are footsteps with the use of boots to make it sound like heavy and intimidating footsteps approaching. I will also have the actor who will play the protagonist do the breathing as it will make it more realistic and look and sound better in the final production. The audio for the stab may be a piece of paper flying quickly through the air since it will be easier to make it sound like a slice or the use of a real knife going through the air. Finally the electricity will most likely be found online since it will be easier to find and I have no idea at the moment how else to make this sound. If any other sound is needed I will of course mention it and describe how this sound will be made.

Audio in horror

 The tone of any story no matter the genre should almost always be established early on as it allows for the audience to understand what kind of movie they are watching and create an atmosphere. Horror movies use the use of music to create suspense and at times use other auditory cues such as door slamming in order to scare the viewers. A horror movie with no soundtrack will find it to be very difficult to scare the audience, as usual, they feel more in the moment when audio is in the movie. A movie that does this very well is the movie The Conjuring. In a scene where both daughters are in bed, we can hear unnerving music in the background and after the daughter point to a corner where there is nothing, she says the person is standing right there. While on-screen we see nobody in the corner we can almost feel the presence of the being. The suspense builds on this and finishes off with the door slamming shut and the girl's screams being heard. This movie was one of the scariest movies made during this time due to the use of its audio and visual effects. It creates suspense that can make any person hold their breath and is a perfect example of how horror movies would not be the same without audio.

Schedule

 I have decided to make a little bit of a schedule for myself since it will allow me to coordinate how much time the entire process will take and how much time I will dedicate to it. Of course, if I ever need to change the schedule to get some extra time I will need to adjust the schedule in the future.

This week: This week is already coming to a near close, so for now I will be doing as much research as possible and try to find a suitable mask for my killer. The research can include past movies, productions, and their development process.

Next week: I need to have most of my costume design worked out for both characters, the setting established, and decide whether I want to play one of the parts or need two separate actors. The actors are also something I will need to find. Since I decided to do this project by myself it will be a little more challenging to find actors, but I will find someone suitable for the position.

In the following weeks: I will need to dedicate some of my weekend and the time I have in class to either finding actors or filming. I will most likely use my Friday or Saturday to record since on Sunday I have school the next day and will not be able to film that late into the night. Once I have finished recording all of the visuals for the film I will also have to include all of the audio. I will most likely use music from a copyright-free audio source. I will create all the other sound effects including, breathing, screaming, walking, and possibly the electricity turning off. More sounds to come.

Written Storyboard

(Establishing shot): A long shot of the house the lights inside are turned on, it is nighttime. The camera is angled at an angle from the right. Then in walks the killer to the shot with a weapon in his hand. the camera at the moment can only see his hand, weapon, and some of his pants and shirt.

(Another long shot, then medium): We see a character in their room listening to music and either dancing or singing along.

(POV shot): We are in the killers perspective and see them walk up to the electrical box and turn off all the lights.

(Medium shot): The lights turn off, the music turns off, and the character stops dancing. Gets annoyed and walks of the the left of the camera.

(Over the shoulder shot of character looking at the stairs)

(Closeup of the characters eyes)

(Another medium shot of stairs)

(Over the shoulder shot of character walking towards the stairs) character is then jump scared by killer appearing

(A closeup) The knife comes up and then swiftly comes down towards the camera then fades to the title screen 

The mask and setting

I already have my storyboard mostly complete with some details I may change later. What I need to focus on now is the fact that my killer has no mask and no real costume design yet. This is of course difficult to think of as I need to come up with a unique idea as to what to do for the mask or weapon. Usually, a killer's most defining character trait is their costume design, and in the case of a serial killer, it is either the weapon they use or the mask they wear. Of course, some movies such as psycho do not have masks, but in my case, I believe that a mask will be easier to record and have a more lasting impact. It will also keep the mystery horror element to my story and add a bigger horror element.

The mask was the main factor I have to take into consideration, but there is also the fact that I have not defined any setting for this. While my house would be a very good option for at least the inside portions of the shots, I feel that another house may give off a more creepy feel. I will have to either stick to my house or find a more suitable house in the future when I start filming. When I film it will of course have to be nighttime and hopefully not raining or storming outside.