Preparing to Film

 Ready, Set...

Welcome back, followers! Today, I have spent some time preparing for our film, reviewing different features of mise en scene and logistics, weighing the easy aspects and the more complicated ones.

Actors

ALL four of our group members will be starring in the film, each taking on separate roles. This isn't the hardest part of the planning, but it isn't the simplest either. This is because we may have to swap roles depending on various factors such as costume sizes or even just the projection of voice. As of now, we have Edison set as the vlogger exploring the woods, Rayyan starring as the mysterious shadowy figure, Eugene playing the role of vlogger's friend and explorer, and me, Ahmad, who will play the role of "reinforcement", where Eugene will seek my assistance.

Costumes

This one is a greater challenge because the costume is massively significant in characterization. Given that we only have 2 minutes, we need to rely on costumes to develop our protagonists and antagonists. Now, for the costumes. The vlogger (most likely Edison) will be wearing a casual T-shirt and jeans, signifying his ignorance of entering an unexplored area unprepared. Likewise, Eugene and I will also wear similar outfits as Edison, a more casual look, making us appear weak in the presence of danger. As for the antagonist, Rayyan will be wearing a Grim Reaper costume to play the role of shadowy figure. This is excellent because it is a commonly associated with death so seeing a similar outfit will be familiar to our audience in a short movie sequence.

Props

Our props was quite easy to decide on given our movie theme and setting. Since it is a dark forest, we know we need our characters to use light. So, the explorers will be using lanterns to light their way in the forest. Also, a torn up shirt will be present and hung in the forest. Upon seeing and interacting with it, the explorers and audience will gain fear alike. The vlogger will also be using a camera to record his experience, something like a GoPro Camera. 

Locations

Our project will mostly take place in the secluded woods area between our school, Everglades High, and its neighboring school, Glades Middle. This was a fairly easy location to choose given its convenience in proximity and its distraction-free nature. Also, it’s fully natural landscape makes it the perfect place to set an unexplored, eerie forest in. We also intend to use a home, perhaps one shot inside of a room or just the exterior, to signify calling for help. We have not decided who's house we will be using for this due to accessible limitations, but it is very probable that Eugene's home features in our film.

Dates and Times

We intend to record our project the week of Christmas, in particular December 26. This is because we are all off of school for winter break, and are all available to record this week as some group members will be gone the following week on vacation. As for the time, we need a nighttime setting, so we aim to meet up at around 6:30 P.M., so we have enough time to set up and film before it gets too late. Being completely honest, I would say this was the most complicated component in film preparation because my group found is extremely difficult to find a day AND time that works for all. For this same reason, we also do not guarantee that this day will work as last-second occurrences are more than possible.

Film Equipment

We do not want to get too complex as it may have an adverse effect on our project. So, we will limit our equipment, using a professional camera, a drone for aerial footage, lavalier mics to capture audio better, and we may even use some lights to make our characters visible in the night setting. However, we can’t overdo this or else we will lose our low-key lighting style. Along with finding a date/time, this is probably the hardest part of setting up our film logistically because some of these equipment are pricey, may be burdensome to purchase/use, and we may even be forced to use some alternatives if we can’t acquire them.