Evaluation

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.