Science or Witchcraft?

I mentioned in an earlier post that we wanted to make our potion glow in the dark and still be safe to drink. I researched and found that tonic water should fit our demands perfectly, but it was time to put to the test.

The first thing I needed to do was to find a blacklight that was portable enough to move around and position to best fit each shot. Originally I looked at Home Depot, but found a much cheaper option in Party City.

The blacklight I got at Party City for about $15. It has a 6ft long cable and is fairly portable.

Next, I dug through my pantry and found some cans of tonic water that my mom had bought.

I put the tonic water in a clear bowl, plugged in my blacklight and hoped the internet wasn't lying.

and...

it worked!!

My next step was to do some testing to see it I could make the tonic water look green, which in our case represents youth and vigor, but also envy.

To keep it edible I used yellow food coloring thinking that yellow+blue=green.

I'm still so happy it works! I can't wait until we shoot tomorrow!

Prepping and Wish I Was There

I can't wait for when we finish filming, and I can finally start editing. Unfortunately, I am stuck in a place where there isn't much I can do to work on the project. On Wednesday, Ash and Kristen, as well as our actress, drove up to Miami to film the first half of the piece. I couldn't go because they all get out of school an hour and a half earlier than me, as seniors. While I trust that they got amazing footage, I still hate that I couldn't be there to help, and I can't wait to finally see the footage.

Kristen doing Bernie's hair!

Look at these cuties! Bernie and Ash!

Kristen's record player, which is perfect.

Some vinyl records Kristen had that they used as props.

This long weekend would have been helpful for filming the rest of our project; however, obstacles come up, and our biggest obstacle is scheduling. It's no one's fault in particular, it's just hard to find days where everyone in the group, actors included, are free. We were planning on filming on Sunday (tomorrow), even though Ash is away, but our lead actress is also traveling. Our solution is that we'll film on Monday after school, which is irritating, but doable.

While I've been waiting for footage to edit, I decided to get a head start and edit down the music we were planning on using. I am 98 percent certain this music is in the public domain, as it says it is, but I still want to double check with my teacher before using it (I have a plan B just in case). Anyways, in class on Thursday, I made a new project in Final Cut Pro, edited down the 2:30 song to 1:30, and dragged it in. The song I'm using I'll discuss more in a later post, but it is a cheerful song that will fit the tone of the piece, then eventually contrast it. It builds at the end, hopefully making the audience more uncomfortable as it does.

Potions and More Spooky Stuff

In preparations for filming later this week (and next week), I've been researching ways to make safe practical effects.

One thing we want to recreate is a potion like the one below, that glows and bubbles/fogs, but is safe to drink.

My idea is to use dry ice, tonic water, and a black light.

A bit of dry ice in water.

Tonic water in normal light (left), and in blacklight (right)

While dry ice needs to be handled carefully, and not put directly in a drink, it can provide a fog effect that will hopefully remind our audience of the usual representation of witches. Unlike dry ice, tonic water is perfectly safe to handle and drink, although most people think it tastes kind of nasty. Tonic water contains quinine, a chemical originally used to help fight malaria. Now the quinine is added mostly for its distinct bitter flavor, and helpfully makes the drink glow in blacklight.


We also want to use candles, to provide a spooky atmosphere, which plays to the generic representation of witches. We have to be careful not to burn my house down, but I know we can make it look pretty cool. It will also add a natural light source that's part of the mise-en-scene.

Sources:
"Dry Ice Party Ideas." Tiger Ice. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2017. <http://www.tigericeco.com/dry-ice/dry-ice-party-ideas/>
"Tonic Water." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Mar. 2017. Web. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonic_water>

Thrift Shopping

On Friday, the three of us, plus a couple friends who wanted to help, went thrift shopping for costumes and set pieces! After a couple hours of searching through racks of clothes and shelves of strange items, we found what we were looking for.

A candid I took of Kristen while we were shopping. 

Ash and her new mannequin pal.

Kristen posing with the $8 pot/cauldron we ended up buying.

Kristen with our cart of potential costumes and props.

We didn't end up buying all of this, but these were the items we initially picked out.

We had a lot of fun looking for costume pieces and props that fit the time period and plot, plus our total was less than $35, which we split between the three of us.

This is the costume we ended up creating, for a total of around $13. (Including the dress, apron, and shoes)

We went to the thrift store with a vague idea of what we wanted her dress to look like. We knew we wanted warm colors, because they seem inviting and friendly, and settled on this red polka-dot collared dress. Attempting to emulate the style of the stereotypical housewife of the 50's and 60's, we found a bright, floral, orange and red scarf, which we fashioned into an apron. The shoes were picked out by our actor, Bernie, they are meant to fit with the character, without being too distracting.

P.S. Correction on my last post, the character's past lover is not from the Salem Witch Trials, she's actually from the early/mid-1800s, oops.

Scheduling Stress, and Style Choices

We all knew that this final project would take a lot of time that we would need to manage wisely, which is why we started by making a schedule. However, coordinating three people's schedules is more difficult in practice. It turns out that Ash will be out of the state next weekend, and both Kristen and Ash will be away at their college orientation the weekend after. This means we have to rearrange our filming schedule a bit; we are planning on meeting after school on Wednesday to film the second half of the piece. This adds another layer of stress, but I believe in us, and I know we'll get it done.

As we worry about filming, I want to make sure we don't fall behind in preparations for post-production and other smaller details. Ash, Kristen, and I spent some time brainstorming our title and discussing other elements of editing that we're going to want so I can prepare the things that will take more time. I believe Kristen came up with the title, Love Ablaze. We like it because it has a lot of different meanings in the context of our piece. For one, it seems both sweet and intense, which means it fits our piece from beginning to end. Also, it's almost a play on words there are ties with our main character to the Salem Witch Trials. Our main character is a witch, who once lived during the time of the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. They're important to her because the girl she loves was burned at the stake, accused of being a witch. 

The three of us discussed what font and style the title and credits should be in, and we decided on a very cheerful cursive, inspired by Wes Anderson.

A screencap from Wes Anderson's film Moonrise Kingdom

A sketch of each word/name I need to make a title of

I started coloring my sketches (I put over a photo to show how it might look, of course, it'll look different in the actual piece)

Also, we debated whether to put the title in the beginning of the piece or the end, we decided to put it at the end. We hope it will make the audience remember their feelings in the beginning, and feel somewhat unsettled having those feelings at the end. Our plan is to make the beginning fit the lightness and happiness of the font, and the end contrast it.

Planning and Preparing

We finally finished the first draft of our script! I was eager to get that finished because I didn't want to start storyboarding without it.

Our first draft, editing it now!

I really enjoy working with Kristen and Ash because we all bring different perspectives. When brainstorming ideas it's nice to have people that will tell me their honest opinions without tearing me down. They also both come up with amazing ideas! I think one of the most important reasons we make a great team is that we all are dedicated to making the best final product possible, and we all stay truthful with constructive criticism. Also, we remember that it's important to have fun while working, as we all are great friends.

After a bit of drawing and redrawing, I finished a rough storyboard. I'm not the best at drawing, but I like storyboarding because it helps to make sure everyone in the group has the same vision. It also will come in handy later to make sure we film everything we need to film. Obviously, things are subject to change, but this is the basic sketch of all the shots in our piece.

Our Schedule

Weeks	Tasks
Week of March 13	Kristen - Get actors Bernie and Nate? Take old pic Get Nate’s costume Ash - Get Location Zoe - Script Makeup Storyboard Foley All - Go thrift shopping Plot Pick day to film
Week of March 20	Kristen - Directing Lights Ash - Makeup Zoe - Sound All - Film at location 1: Miami
Week of March 27	Kristen - Directing Lights Ash - Makeup Zoe - Sound All - Film at location 2: Weston
Week of April 3	Kristen - Critiquing and improving editing Ash - Critiquing and improving editing Zoe - Editing
April 9	Turning it in!

Figuring Out Genre and Setting

Genre and setting are two of the most important backbones to a piece, especially for something as short as a two-minute film opening. Our genre is a bit more fluid than usual, but it is centered around Dark-Fantasy. Dark-Fantasy is a genre which, as Author Charles L. Grant once said, is "a type of horror story in which humanity is threatened by forces beyond human understanding". Our main character threatens others with otherworldly power but is also dealing with internal conflicts that should eventually endear the audience. We hope to present a more sympathetic view of the supernatural character, instead of focusing heavily on the victims of her acts. This film will be heavily focused on one main character, documenting her inner conflicts using the elements of this genre. Our goal is to tell a human story, using fantasy elements. We hope to target young adults, who are interested in seeing a serious short film based in fantasy

Our piece will be set in late 1950’s to mid-1960’s suburban America. This should help to show a contrast between our main character’s outward appearance towards society, and the darkness of her private self.

Edward Scissorhands is a movie with a somewhat similar setting and genre, it provides an example of some elements we are trying to emulate. It plays with the fish-out-of-water trope, that we are taking components from; However, Edward Scissorhands is a bit more lighthearted and ridiculous than we hope to be.

Sources:

- "Fantasy Films." An Award-winning, Unique Resource of Film Reference Material for Film Buffs and Others, with Reviews of Classic American-Hollywood Films, Academy Awards History, Film Posters. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2017. <http://www.filmsite.org/fantasyfilms.html>

- "Dark Fantasy." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Mar. 2017. Web. 12 Mar. 2017. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_fantasy#Horror-based>

- <https://marciokenobi.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/edward-scissorhands-5.jpg>

Expanding On Our Idea

Our group seems to have settled on Kristen’s idea which we are all in the process of planning and writing.

The idea has a strong focus on tone, and how it can change very quickly, using various elements and techniques. As of now, we are thinking of having the piece start out bright and cheerful, using three-point lighting that would gradually evolve into shadowy low-key.

<https://www.studyblue.com/notes/note/n/analyzing-stills/deck/14547058>

<http://www.digitalphotopro.com/gear/lighting/low-key-bw-portrait-lighting/>

Another way we plan to change the tone is through the sound design. In fact, a lot of the inspiration for this piece comes from music. Our plan is to change the music subtly through the film opening, also using stings to add suspense.

This is the playlist Kristen has been making inspired by elements we want in this piece.

We also plan to use color, costuming, set design and makeup to change the tone of the piece. We hope to change each element of mise-en-scene deliberately, possibly making the colors cooler tones, having the costumes and makeup reflect the emotions of the different characters, and having the set design gradually change and become more creepy and stylized.

<https://www.pinterest.com/pin/21532904443077910/>

<https://www.fastcodesign.com/3037618/the-architecture-of-fear-how-to-design-a-truly-terrifying-haunted-house>

Getting Started!

Our group is excited and nervous as we start work on our final project. While we’ve been exchanging ideas all year, we are struggling to pick one, but we have a couple of directions we might want to go. In terms of genre, the three of us are leaning towards science fiction or fantasy.


We were thinking of going a darker route, pulling cinematographic inspiration from films like Alien, and 10 Cloverfield Lane. If we were to go that route, our plot would try to be rooted in reality, using what we’ve researched and learned in our astronomy class to supplement our story. For example, one idea Ash had was to base the plot around someone listening for aliens using radio-waves. This would be based on something like the Allen Telescope Array, a field of radio telescopes in California that are constantly looking for signals from extraterrestrial beings.

The other genre we were considering was fantasy, but this too would be rooted in darker tones. We were also thinking of pairing the fantasy genre with the action genre, using elements found in both. Kristen’s idea is still in its early stages, but it involves witches with action film tropes added in.