Evaluation
Script
The original script was heavily inspired by Tales from the
Crypt episodes and various horror comedies. The biggest part of what made these
successful (The good ones anyway) was their ability to not to take themselves
so seriously. In Evil Dead 2 we had a scene with everything in a room coming to
life and laughing along with the main character. This happened shortly after we
saw his decapitated come back from the dead and start trying to seduce him. Both
are comedic and yet amusing at the same time. The Tales from the Crypt series
perfectly mixed this with the main character (usually a bad person) getting
their comeuppance in an ironic fashion. There’s an episode where Joe Pesci is a
con man fooling a pair of twins into marrying him twice. At the end of the
episode, after the twins realise they’ve been duped they decided to cut Pesci
in two so they can share him. I decided to replicate this type of plot and feel
which was usually gained by having purposely corny dialogue. The biggest difference
is my main character would have gotten more sympathy due to the fact he
regretted his previous actions. In the later script it was changed so he was
less likeable.
Filming
The first day of filming went wrong in several different
ways. It started off decently after we filmed the ending first. This was done
so that there would be no continuity issues that could end up happening in the
rest of the filming would not effect this scene. This was done quickly and went
decently. Things quickly went downhill when halfway through filming the camera
suddenly ran out of batteries. This caused filming to come to a grinding halt
and it made me realise a few things. One, I needed to recast. No one really fit
their role. I couldn’t play nervous; Rob couldn’t play arrogant and so on. Another
thing I realised is that we wouldn’t be able to drag the equipment around town
like we had intended. It’d be too difficult so I decided to go back and change
the script. I changed it so it took place in one location and put more of the
focus on the comedy. I still like the original script better but I also like
the new script.
The most notable change in the script was the audience’s
perceptions of the characters. Jack has gone from being a sympathetic victim to
more of an antagonist while vice versa has happened to the other characters. It
also has more of a focus on comedy. It’s also notably shorter with the parts of
the script with the group squabbling at the start cut out.
The second day of filming was the next day and went
extremely well. We got the ending finished right of the bat. This turned out to
be one of the smartest moves I made that day. We moved onto the start of the
movie, where I chose to get more creative with my camera work, using the
surrounding environment to my advantage. We climbed up onto some structures and
filmed through different gaps in walls and such. While this did make some of
the audio difficult to hear but I think it improved the look of the film.
Previously I’d been limited to what I could do with the camera but because I
could climb up on things and get some more interesting angles it made me think
harder about the camera moves I wanted. This did render a large part of my
storyboards unused. A majority of the film was done in this day until I
stupidly decided to do the blood effect before the end of the day. This
resulted in us (mainly myself) getting splattered with fake blood. This caused
filming to grind to a stop as now I was unable to hold the camera due to how
sticky the blood is. We retreated with 60% of the film completed.
The third day was prevented by bad weather. This meant we
had to wait until it was decent weather before filming could continue. The
third day eventually took place two days later. This was probably the session
in which we worked best together. This was due to each person getting more used
to their role and finding it easier to perform it. It was a slightly gloomier day which I think
enhanced the atmosphere. We decided that this time we’d do anything with blood
last. The fact that my character was now dead allowed me to get behind the
camera and now I could think my camera moves through better. As Filming focused
on the characters getting rid of the body, this meant we had to have Steve (My
stunt dummy) lying on the ground while I filmed. It is noticeable in one shot
that it’s not me laying on the floor but I think the audience will be
distracted by what’s happening with the other characters. A sequence I was
forced to omit was an effect sequence in which the characters would test the
acid on a severed hand. I had to get rid of this due to me not being able to
get the effect working. I’d planned to film this at home so I could correct any
mistakes made quickly. This did not work out. The effect involved using liquid
latex to create the acid burnt flesh. After covering the hand in Liquid Latex I
sprinkled some Alka Seltzer (ground up before hand) onto it which would fizz
when it has water dribbled on it. This didn’t go to plan when the liquid latex
simply absorbed the alka seltzer. I could not find a way to fix this. In the
original tutorial video I watched the person doing the tutorial suggested
Liquid Latex as a replacement to the product she used (Which is not available
in the UK) and I could not find another way to fix it. I was eventually forced
to abandon the sequence. This does create a strange moment in which one of the
actors seems to throw the hand into the tub in a scared fashion despite looking
at it disgustedly for a few second previously. I intend to keep this in the
shot in order to clue people in to what is happening. It being Jack’s dream he
would have different perceptions of the characters. In real life someone who
you think is a funny kind person could be seen as an arrogant jerk by someone
else. Jack has a mixed perception of Mickey, in that he wants to be friends
with him but he also hates him due to him being generally more liked by the
other characters. The final shot of the
day was done because one of the actors really wanted to have a scene where the
victim is curb stomped. The shot came out pretty decent with a huge blood
explosion on the first stomp but then very little afterwards. This clip was
rendered unusable due to a continuity issue in the background. We can clearly
see a severed arm already in the tub before it is cut off.
The fourth day was the final day of filming. It took me a
short amount of time to do this. It was only the scenes that took place in my
home. I got these done quickly so that I could begin editing. It was a few
shots of the main character waking from his dream and the opening scene of him
heading out to be killed. It went easily and there not much to really say about
it.
Editing
In editing (as usual) a large problem presented itself. I was
using a different file format for the clips which instead of needing
converting, just lagged a lot on screen. This only happened on the software so I
decided to just deal with it. This ended up causing some problems later on when
I watched back the finished sequences. I separated the short into 4 sections
and edited them together one by one. This meant when something went wrong (and
it did) I could go back and change it easily. Certain sections I couldn't tell
when I said action so certain clips either started early or ended late. The
only real problem was the previously mentioned effects shot which I had left
over clips for. These clips were not used but did cause a strange moment to
occur. I eventually overcame this and
edited the full film together.
Changes and expanding
If the movie was to be feature length I like to do it in two
different ways. The first way is that after the murder and body disposal, which
in this version was not a dream, we follow each of the killers as they each get
their comeuppance. Whether this would be natural or supernatural I’m unsure of but
I would have liked it to be more like the original script where they were still
horrific yet still somewhat amusing due to the stupidity of the
characters. The other way would be a
continuation of the second script where, after murdering everybody, Jack
realises how stupid what he has done is and his life starts to fall apart
around him. I think both of these could have some funny moments and could turn
out decently. I prefer the original version in general as I believe it would
have been the better movie.
Conclusion
I’m sad to admit that I’m not happy with this project. After
filming and reviewing the clips I thought it to be pretty good but my editing
has been too rough. A big part of this is the audio not matching up correctly
due to the amount of cars driving past in the background. This was something I
couldn’t fix but if I did it again, I would figure out a way or I’d film with a
microphone. Another thing that went wrong (which is the biggest cause of
regret) is the fact I had to change my script to a new one.
But in conclusion the movie is as good as it could have been
at the moment. At the start, I realise I’d been too ambitious. Putting too much
into the script (Effects, dialogue etc.) and over estimating what I’d be able
to do. 3 months is way more time than I’ve had for previous projects but it was
still not long enough to make the film I wanted to make. When it really comes down to it though fact
I’m still learning, still improving and I’ve got to increase the stuff I take
on slowly. Am I 100% happy with the finished project? No but I can accept that
this is the best I could do right now.
