Storyboard for short film

       This week our group worked on our storyboard. Before we started we wanted to decide whether we should meet up in person or do it over FaceTime. Meeting up would’ve made the process easier since we’d all be together and could work on it in one session. However, meeting up would’ve been a hassle so we ultimately decided to talk about it through FaceTime. We all got on FaceTime and first planned how we would approach doing the storyboard. Our group didn’t want one person having to do all of the actual storyboarding so we decided against that. Our final decision was that we would split the storyboard 3 ways so that everyone could do equal work. This was also a efficient way in our eyes. Brooke would do the storyboard for the first two scenes, Kelly would do the third and fourth scenes, and Leo would do the last two scenes. We gave each other creative freedom but made sure it followed our screenplay and it had the necessary criteria. That criteria being the drawings of what’s going on and the description for each box with what type of angle/shot is being used. Once that was made clear we split off and worked at our own pace. We also made it clear that if anyone needed help just to call and we’d be there to help the most we could. Once we finished the storyboard we all sent them to each other and reviewed them. We reviewed them to make sure nothing was missed. This is essentially our guide for when we start filming so it was key that everything was right. Now that we have the storyboard finished we’re one step closer to filming. We now have a vision of how our film will look. The storyboard will help navigate through the process and make sure we’re on the right track. Overall, the storyboard process went pretty smoothly and we think we approached this the best way possible.

Planning for our short film

• Schedule: 

11/11- storyboard 

11/14- shopping for props and anything else we need for filming 

11/21- filming 

11/28- filming

12/5- editing 

12/12- editing 

12/19- re-shoot

12/27- re-edit

1/3- final touches 

• Location: The locations we are going to film at consists of only two places. The main location will be the main characters house which will be where the majority of the scenes are shot at. We will be filming both inside and outside of the house. The other location we are filming at is the neighbors house. There are a few scenes that we will need to shoot at this location. These scenes will only be on the outside of the house. 

•Participants: As of right now we plan on Leo playing the “creepy” neighbor. One of Brooke’s friends will be playing our main character. If something comes up where she can’t anymore then Brooke or Kelly will play the main character. As for the stalker who only shows up in the photo and at the end we’ll have one of Brooke/Kelly play them.

•Health and Safety: Seeing that we’re still in a pandemic that affects how we’ll make sure we’re safe. Everyone will have a mask on unless they’re acting in a scene. Hand sanitizer will be present incase it is needed. We will get tested for the virus before we begin filming. If someone becomes infected with Covid-19 during the filming process they will quarantine for 2 weeks and the others will get tested. 

•Props: For our short film we will have a variety of props. 

For scenes 1 & 2 props consist of a car, moving boxes, picture(s), house key and a letter. 

For scenes 3 & 4 props include a security camera, drill (?), and another letter. 

5 & 6 props are a cell phone, and a stack of letters. 

•costume: 

Scene 1: Protagonist is wearing causal clothing, suitable for a day of moving in. Possibly some jeans, a casual top and accessorize with some sunglasses. Neighbor is also wearing causal clothing and could consist of cargos. 

Scene 2: Protagonist is wearing clothing for working out. Spandex, running shoes, and her hair will be up. Neighbor is wearing casual clothing.

Scene 3: Protagonist is wearing casual clothing once again. Leggings and a simple top. Neighbor is wearing shorts and a top.

Scene 4: For this scene the protagonist can wear anything. (Will be decided when filming) 

Scene 5: Protagonist is wearing comfortable clothing. Could consist of pajamas or sleepwear. 

Scene 6: Protagonist is wearing comfortable clothing and casual clothing. The neighbor is wearing athletic wear such as basketball shorts etc.

Short film vs. Feature length film

The qualities the short film had that the feature length did not were, The short film had no dialogue. I believe that no dialogue it’s such a strong aspect in a film because it makes audiences really focus on what the characters are doing or what their viewing. It also creates such an eerie feeling which I think it really complements this film. The feature length accomplished many more things then the short because obviously the feature length is longer so there’s more room for more. One thing it accomplished was audiences met many more characters, this was the key point because it helps the plot in the short. We also got to learn more about the creator Of the dolls and the backstory. The backstory is always fun to find out at the end because it makes the audience feel like everything is put together now. The feature-length also showed audiences more about character number nine. His character really develops throughout the whole film so it’s nice watching it none. Another thing the feature-length accomplished was audiences found out what happened and why there are no humans, this was something that the short film did not even mention or show at all.

I personally enjoyed both films however, I enjoyed the feature-length film the most because I feel like I got to learn way more about each character. I love how the feature film starts out with nine first waking up this is one of the Best parts of the film for me. Another reason I like the feature film is because, although the short film had no dialogue I really like films with dialogue especially this one because at parts it was confusing and the characters helped divert the confusion. This film showed the backstory of why all humans were gone. It also shows how the professor died and that he feels as if he is the sole reason for the apocalypse. I also enjoyed the feature film because I feel as if there are certain aspects in the film that are hidden. And example could be that the professors soul is actually within the dolls. Why did the directors and creators do this? These are all parts of the film I really enjoyed because i’m thinking further than just the surface layer of it’s just a film. One thing I did not like about the short film was, the ending of the short film gave away the ending for the feature film. This upset me because I didn’t want certain characters to die (lol). I really enjoyed this film and I recommend that everyone should watch it, thanks!

Research 9, the feature film

My my personal impressions of the film nine 9 are, this film is very odd in my personal opinion. It’s interesting to see how the creators of this movie decided to make all the main characters dolls that were made out of someone’s soul. It also looks like The dolls are made out of a potato bag material which is also a little odd. Even though the film is odd, the plot of it is actually really good. I really enjoy starting a movie and not knowing what to expect. I love how when number 9 woke up he didn’t even know what was going on, just like the audience of the film. I love how every detail was thought out. Like the fingers of the characters and the fact they have numbers on them. Plus the idea of robots overtaking the humans. I also loved how the creators of this movie thought of a post apocalyptic world only with these ragdoll‘s left. 

Character development was truly seen throughout the whole movie because characters like Number 1 truly develops throughout the film. In the beginning he is such a mean old man and towards the end he is still on old mean man but now there’s a story behind him and more known. Another example of character development is within each doll/character each one of them has different traits. This leads me to believe that this is why number nine becomes like the “hero” of the film because he was the last one made. The special effects of this movie are crazy. For a film that was made in 2009 I believe that it’s special effects look advanced for its time. The way that the characters/dolls “potato bag” (lol) Skin looks, is insanely realistic. One scene that really spooked me was when Number one placed the emblem inside of the machine and number twos Soul literally got ripped out of him. This spooked me out because number two literally shriveled up, and the special effects were really spot on within this scene. The directional style of this film is honestly spectacular because for someone to have created all of these Insane ideas but actually put them together for a film is amazing. Hats off to the directors and creators for making an amazing film.

Research 9, the short

My impressions of the short film are, I am for one super surprise that there is no dialogue within the film. However the use of diegetic and non-diegetic sounds are very much apparent. Also I personally believe that the short film as well is very odd. It’s all in the way of the concepts and ideas. The plot Starts off with A flashback of number nine and five looking for objects and then an animal takes number five away. Number nine gets away however the green objects they had together and found together was what caused the flashback. I love the plot of the short film however I find that it’s a little repetitive because 75% of it is number nine getting away from the monster. This is not a bad thing though because it really shows how difficult and how hard it is for nine to get away from him. There’s not a lot of character development you can get from the short film other than, the monster being a bad guy and number nine being fearful of him. However about five minutes into the film it’s shown that number nine isn’t as fearful as I thought because he jumps on the back of the monster to get the emblem back. 

The special effects that are shown within the short film are the use of amazing animations and how Amazing they made these concepts come together. Another scene that really brought the animation out was win the monster suck the soul out of number five as well. Another scene that also brought out the animation of the film was at the very end when the dolls we’re ghosts and we’re walking around and then disappeared. The use of very low colors to bring out eere feelings is also an amazing thing to do. The directional style of the short film is very good however I personally believe I would’ve done things differently. I love how they had the use of no dialogue it really made you focus on The animations of the film and what was going on. I also loved how they brought in two main characters right in the beginning this shows you the bond between them. However I did not like that it showed other characters that were not shown in the beginning dead in the end.I felt as if this could’ve been saved for if this movie actually had became a longer film. But all in all I really am so amazed by the director because he made so many crazy concepts like a post-apocalyptic world with dolls in it come completely together under seven minutes.

Genre Choice for Film

         After doing research on a couple of genres my group and I have finally made a decision. The genre we have chosen is thriller! We feel that out of thriller, horror, and action that thriller best suits our pitch. Our pitch is “A person receives threats in the mail and must figure out who is leaving them.” Once we researched the three genres we decided that action didn’t really suit it. Action movies involve a lot of fight scenes and loud sounds which we don’t think fits our plot. It also seems like it wouldn’t be properly developed in 5 minutes. Now my group and I thought very hard on deciding between horror and thriller. Both genres can be applied to our films and our vastly similar. The key difference with horror and thriller are that horror’s are meant to be scary and invoke fear in you. They’re both suspenseful but thrillers put you more on the edge of wonder what’ll happen next. 

        With our ultimate realization that horrors have too much of a focus on fear and can dwell for a little while it left us with thriller. Thriller is perfect for the genre seeing that it builds up a lot of suspense. Thriller allows us to build up our plot and finish it in a satisfying way all in 5 minutes. The CAMS and editing are relatively easy processes for us and they’ll be easy to capture and execute. Using thriller allows us to keep our pitch and not have to really tweak it. Our pitch fits the outline of a thriller. Thrillers create a sense of urgency and that, in our minds, can be implemented well with our plot. We have many ideas on how we can implement the sounds of a thriller and the props into our short film. Before going into this we assumed thriller would be the choice but it’s nice to have confirmation after doing research. Overall thriller seems like a match made in heaven and we can’t wait for the next step in this journey!

Genre Research Action

• Common CAMS: zoom, pan, POV, tilt, tracking shots, reverse shots, high angles, tilted shots, 

• Common Sound:  ominous music, gun sounds, running sounds, high-pitched music, punching sounds, and objects breaking sounds. 

• Common Mis-En-Scene (CLAMPS): 

Costume- common costumes vary; it could be suits/dresses, superhero costumes, alien costumes and many more.

Lighting- Natural lighting, dim lighting, key lighting, backlight, and soft lights. 

Actors- They can be anyone. Usually have stunt doubles as well. 

Makeup- common makeup in action movies depends, it can be natural, or a fully masked and painted face. 

Props- common props include guns, knives, chairs/tables, blood, bullets, glass, cars, sunglasses, and many more. 

Setting- The settings are usually in busy cities that end up becoming where houses or private homes. However each film is different. 

• Common Editing: Jump cuts, cutting on movement and "action", slo-mo's, action matches, flashbacks, and graphic matches. 

• Example Films: Some action films are, Extraction, 007, Baby driver, Bad boys, Angel has fallen, and avengers.

• Elements I like: The elements I enjoy are, I  really enjoy the plots of the films. Usually the actors are fighting for someone or something. I also enjoy the element of wondering who will when a fight or what's going to happen next. 

• Elements not appealing: Sometimes I feel like action movies can get repetitive and that the plot can sometimes be a bit boring in the middle.