CCR

Mortem Porcos (death to pigs) - Film Opening

Its finally here!!! I worked so hard on this project im so happy to see it done and complete. Enjoy!

Editing

    Editing is always my favorite part, it's so much fun. I remembered all the shots I loved the most and it took me about 4 days to fully edit and complete the project. Editing itself wasn't that challenging it took time but I enjoyed it. I realized I was going to need music so at school I asked my wonderful AICE Media teacher Mrs. Marchetti for the website known as Killer tracks so I can browse a whole bunch of copyright free music. I was searching for like a creepy piano type vibe but what I found was a good pick because it does bring out the feel of the film opening. Ultimately, I believe I probably could have found a better song but i'm not complaining because the one I chose I do like it's just not perfect. In the opening credits I give credit to the creators of the song I chose.     
    After my editing process which consisted of me sitting in class editing until my computer died and editing at home, it was time to save and export. This was the most frustrating part. For some reason everytime I would export my opening the editing program would crash right before it finished. It took me about two hours to figure out that I just needed to change the format I was exporting it in, but that definetely stressed me out and got me very frustrated. Also, the part I talked about earlier in previous posts about how I messed up filming Juan in the corner and then jumps to in front of the bed, didn't come out so bad. It took me a while to get it to look as good as I can but it came out not too bad. But, in the end I think my film opening came out wonderful and is one of my best projects I've done, and hopefully all my next projects just get better and better.

Finishing Filming

    After the bathroom scene we only had a couple more shots to shoot. At this point it's already getting darker out so we know we could do those scenes next. But, the first scene we filmed next was a shot back in the beginning which is Juan first entering the house and seeing the bedroom door open. For this scene I Googled something again, this time I looked up what policemen usually say when entering a home. We did this because I love the feeling of realism in horror. The best horror is when it relates to life because the scariest things is what's around us not what we imagine. Especially with this concept being a break-in and that could happen to anyone. So, Juan came into the house saying "This is Broward Police Department if you're in the house make yourself known." That came out great, we then filmed him walking around and I used again: medium shots and over the shoulder shots.
    After that scene, it was finally dark out so we filmed what is the closing shot of the opening: Matthew leaving. I knew exactly what I wanted for this shot and used a long shot for this one because it makes the scene feel more creepy. Just watching the murderer calmly and slowly walking away from a crime scene where he had just killed two people, it's a real and scary shot. Matthew was very cooperative and knew exactly what I was asking for so this shot came out great. We then finished the night off filming Juan first approaching the door to the apartment which is ajar. For this I used over the shoulder and relied on the rule of thirds so I had space in the shot for credits as for this is a film opening. I used the rule of thirds throughout the beginning scenes for that very reason, also because it looks great. After that Matthew left because he had finished his part and Juan only needed the last shot which was him in the car and walking away from the cop car. We used Matthews car for when Juan was in it and then when he left I cut it and we went to the cop car that usually sits outside of my building and filmed in front of it. This scene we filmed relatively quick because the cop car was sketching us out. After that Juan left and I had finished filming! It really was a fun experience and I loved making this opening.

The Bathroom scene

    The bathroom scene is definitely my favorite scene in the film. This is the scene where Juan sees an arm hanging out the tub, approaches it, and then is shockingly revealed that it is a bloody mess and he's in the middle of a disgusting crime scene. So, to create the image of a crime scene we took the fake blood spray and sprayed it all around. I wanted it to looking like he got slashed and dashed so we had spray on the walls as if it was getting all over the place. We made it more bloody in the corner of the tub because that would be where his body had been laying. Another thing we did was take off my shower curtain and replace it with just the clear plastic part of the curtain which I think adds more to the fear because it seems more real, like you're there. So we sprayed the curtain and it started dripping down which created such a cool shot! Then Matthew came up with the great idea of turning the tub on and filling it with water just a little bit and then mixing the fake blood with the water to make it more realistic in the fact that there would be blood pouring out of him if he'd been just dead laying there. The shot I could already tell was going to look so cool, I was so excited to get Matthew in the tub and start filming.
    So we continued from the last scene and I used mostly medium shots and over the shoulder shots. I used these because I want the audience to feel as if they are in the house with Juan and they are approaching the body slowly and suspensefully as he does. We took our time with this scene and I shot it multiple different times from different spots getting different reveals each time. While filming I knew exactly which shot I wanted to be the one. It wasn't even supposed to happen how it did and came out wonderful. So, I was filming the scene normally and everything was going great, I really liked it so far. Then as Juan got closer the light escaped the camera and unfocused. At first I was annoyed and almost cut the shot but Juan kept going. As he approached the body it focused and created a beautiful reveal shot that I don't know how I would have done otherwise. I really loved this scene and it came out great.
   Once I knew we got that beautiful shot and had plenty to look back on. We needed Matthew again but this time he's the killer. We had him be both because I didn't have another person and no one sees his face as the killer anyways. So, we gave Matthew time to shower and get the blood off and we cleaned up the tub. I gave Matthew my Groot mask from Guardians of the Galaxy and he wore a hoodie to cover everything else. Ultimately, you can't see the mask in the film but I had him wear it just in case. For this scene I googled what the police codes were for a murder and it turned out in California they call it a "section 187" so in the film I had Juan say "We got a 187 here, i'm gonna need backup." and then slowly Matthew appears behind him. We also had Matthew wearing gloves because a killer doesn't want his prints to get everywhere.

Filming the first scenes

    So, from the last blog post you know that we started filming the indoor scenes first before the outdoor ones because it wasn't dark yet. The first scene we filmed was Juan the cop entering my bedroom and discovering the body in the bathroom. My goal for this scene was to create suspense and a dark tone to hopefully make the audience feel the anxiety and tension of the scene. Juan was very cooperative and had some great ideas that we could incorporate into this scene, so it wasn't hard at all working with him. I filmed him entering the room from about four different shots and angles. I used close-ups, medium shots, over the shoulder shots, and a simple pan shot of him walking. I chose these shots and angles because they were the easiest shots to capture the action in the little light we had. I actually had another flashlight on besides the one Juan was using in the film to get better lighting. I didn't point the light directly at Juan because it would take away from the suspense of the scene and make it seem more fake than it was. So I had the light on but I pointed it down at and angle so we got some light on Juan but not too much to make it look phony, I actually think it came out quite naturally in this scene.
    Although this was not a perfect shoot and we did mess up a couple times. There actually is a notice able mess up in the film that I will try to cover up with editing. But, I noticed it while filming the first scene but once we got into the second I completely forgot about it due to how much fun we were having setting it up. The mess up for some won't seem like a big deal but for me it's just a little frustrating in editing. So, in the first scene I have him walk towards the chair while clearing the bedroom and the next shot would be him going to the bed and checking under it. Well we filmed him clearing the room but I forgot to film him moving away from that corner so I know in the middle of that scene there will be a jump cut from him in the corner to now next to the bed looking under it. Hopefully my editing skills come in handy and I can clean up that scene. Now that we finished the first scene; here comes the fun part. Getting Matthew bloodied up and in the bathtub.

Beginning to Film

    Today is the day! We’re going to film this project and then tomorrow I shall begin the editing process. We’re starting the day and Matthews house because we all stayed there the night before, at about 12:00 a.m. we made our way to my house. Before getting to my house we made a couple stops: first we went to the Dollar Tree to pick up a cheap and realistic toy gun that we can give to Juan for his police officer costume. The gun was a simple black gun and had an orange tip on the front to indicate that it in fact is, a toy (although I did take the tip off when we were filming).  Then, we went up to Party City and bought a bottle of fake blood spray, which is just a bottle of fake blood in a spray bottle so when we spray it it looks more realistic and spread apart.
    We wanted to start filming even though it was still light out because we wanted to start and get it over with so when it gets dark we'd only have a couple shots to shoot: Juan approaching the apartment, Matthew leaving the apartment, and the beginning scenes of Juan in the cop car. But, in order to film inside we needed to get rid of all the natural light coming in from the windows. So, for about thirty minutes to an hour Matthew, Juan and I were struggling to tape a bed sheet to the window to block the light. We tried taping my comforter but that was too heavy and kept falling down so we moved to a lighter alternative and used a bed sheet, which, didn't work either. Matthew then came up with the idea of going outside and taping the sheet from there. After about ten more minutes we realized this wouldn't work; but, my mom then came out and told us the great idea of just using a stapler. It was amazing how that idea had just slipped our minds. So, we went inside stapled the sheet and covered the window. In the film if you look closely you can see the sheet in my room blocking the light from the window.

Title

    Today is the big day! I have called off of work today and my friends Juan and Matthew are coming to film. This is very exciting because I have so many great ideas! Also, I wanted to share something new I have thought of that helps for the title. So, I am going to title the movie after a cult (no not a real one). I am doing this because it allows me to have a simple title and also because what the movie would be (if I created a full length version) is about a cult. A Charles Manson or American Horror Story Cult style of cult. What I mean by this is the movie would be about the cult and its leader and what the cult does (like breaking into houses). I rather like this idea and it still allows me to use the same inspirations as before. So now that you know why I am naming it after a cult, its time to share the title.
    The title for my film opening is: Morem Porcos.Or translated in English it is Death to Pigs. I chose this title because the saying “Death to Pigs” I got from the Charles Manson Family Murders, which on the walls of the house they wrote in blood “Death to Pigs.” So, I took that quote and translated it into Latin and got Mortem Porcos, and I thought that sounded really cool so I kept it at that.

STORYBOARD

    Ok, I have completed the storyboard and honestly I am very happy with it. It's 15 slides and fits the two minute time limit that I have for the film opening and I posted pictures of it below. The other day we had another group discussion in class to like bounce off ideas and get feedback. Last time it didn’t really help but this time it did greatly. My classmates helped me evolve my idea into something better, easier to film and in my opinion: scarier. I told them my ideas and what shots I wanted and I heard their opinions and then we put our minds together and came up with a great idea and some really cool shots and angles that I can use. This chat we had really boosted my confidence with filming this project and replaced all the stress I had with excitement and an eagerness to film something wonderful!

More props and shots

    So, for the opening I’m gonna need a couple props. I no longer will be needing any prop knives or things like that. Instead, I most likely get a costume for a police officer and a toy gun. The other props I need will be a mask and a flashlight, besides those that’s it.

    As of right now, I’d like for the opening to be of one long shot (a master shot) where the camera doesn’t cut. I like this idea because it’s creative and the master shot will help bring suspense. The master shot would be if the camera following the cop as he searches the house, it would mostly be over the shoulder but the angles could change as well. 

Plot / story changes

    Ok, so I changed the idea a bit to make the final project what it is. So, we’re no longer going to have a couple. Instead it will be just a cop and his partner with the masked killer. It still is a break in and all that but instead of the opening starting during the break-in, it starts after. I feel this new idea I have is better for an opening for a horror film and will make it a more thrilling and scarier experience. It will create more suspense and hopefully frighten those easily scared.

School and Schedule

    So, today in class we had time to talk to other groups and share ideas and give ideas and what not. I don't know if it's just me but the kids at my table didn't really help. I told them my ideas and helped with theirs but they didn't really add anything to mine besides "Oh, that's cool," but it's okay because I still learned from theirs and created more ideas of my own with inspiration from theirs (not saying if it's positive nor negative). I have a shooting schedule now, not the exact days but I know it's going to be a Saturday when I come home from work. My friends are gonna come over and we're just gonna have a blast filming this and I can't wait. Whenever we all get creative we really create something special and I'm excited to see how this one goes.

Props

    My last post I discussed my cast, location, and how I'm writing the storyboard. Now, instead I have ideas for props! So, I was talking to my girlfriend Samantha about what I needed from her story-wise and how the opening would play out based on what I have so far. About halfway through she asks me "What kind of weapon will Matthew be holding?" and honestly I hadn't really thought about that more than just assuming it would be a play knife that I would buy at Party City. That's when she told me that her step-dad, who's a cook, has so many different types of knives in their kitchen that we can check them out and see if I would want to use one. So, we went to her house and I looked at them and they were really cool! We ended up picking this butcher knife which would really be dope. Now, in the scenes in which Matthew is up close and personal with the actors he will be using a fake prop knife, although in the scenes where he's walking around intimidating them he will be holding the real one. I think this adds something really cool to the opening and helps bring out the horror. Especially due to the familiarity of the knife in horror such as films like Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Friday the 13th. It's a small detail that brings the real sense of horror to the film opening. 

 

    Another prop that I have for the film opening thanks to my wonderful girlfriend Samantha is fake blood! Although no body will be shown being harmed or killed in the opening, having fake blood also creates this effect of realism in the film and adds to the fear. Seeing blood is just something the human body associates with negative things which is all my opening is about.

Cast

    Ok, so I found my cast I'm pretty sure. Unless someone cancels or can't play the part I will find others but as of right now this is the cast: my friends Juan and Matthew and my girlfriend Samantha. Matthew will be the man in the mask breaking in and the couple is Juan and Samantha. This is good having the cast be my friends because it will make the filming process easier and we can have fun with the genre and make it really scary by putting our heads together.
    The location is going to be my apartment but the house we'll use for the exposition shot in the beginning is going to be Matthews house because everyone else lives in an apartment so that's all we got. I have the basis of what the film will be, when we actually start filming is when we will come up with the scariest parts because me and my friends are especially good with improve and when we're in the moment we can definitely come up with scary stuff. In the post-production process I will take whichever ideas and scenes I liked the most and put it together like a giant puzzle. It might sound harder than storyboarding and all that but to me its my favorite because I love editing so picking through all the scenes and putting it together will be a lot of fun for me.

So going back to my little checklist, this is what we've got so far:

Come up with plot and characters DONE
Make storyboard NOT COMPLETE YET
Locations DONE
Cast Characters DONE
Make Shooting Schedule NOT COMPLETE YET
Props NOT COMPLETE YET
Music NOT COMPLETE YET

My next blog post will most likely contain a shooting schedule, props, and maybe more shots for a storyboard. 

Some Research

    Ok, so I've been researching the true stories about those movies I am getting information from (The Strangers and Wolves at the Door). What I learned is absolutely sick, and I love it! These stories will really help me come up with ways to scare the audience and really draw attention to the first two minutes of my film. A cool idea I derived from The Strangers is to have the tormentors wearing masks. I think it's a really easy way to get a good thrill out of the audience because nobody wants to think about a creepy guy with a mask breaking into their house and tormenting them. Although, my opening will not be graphic and it will be school friendly although it will still be just as terrifying. I also thought of a great idea to open the opening. So, since we're going to have to film at my apartment (which isn't a house) I need to "tell" the audience it's in a house. To do this, I will have the very first shot be blank, just a black screen. The date will slowly fade onto the screen "month year date" not sure what I want the exact date to be. But yes, that will happen then as it fades out we hear a scream, when we hear the scream it cuts directly to a shot of a house (I'm telling the audience where we are) and the camera will move towards the door, transition and boom! We're in the "house." So that's what I got for plot and those movies and stories really helped because they let me see the best ways to create the suspense and it helped me see the thought process of some of the directors and what the best choices would be.


The Strangers inspired story : http://horrorfreaknews.com/fact-fiction-strangers-real-stories-inspired-film

Wolves at the Door : http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4670016/plotsummary

Basic Plot and Characters

    Alright so I've sat down and come up with a couple more strong ideas for the film opening. So let's start with the characters, so far I have no names or motivations or backstory. I just know I want a couple (boy & girl) to be the main characters which are going to be the owners of the house that's being broken into. As of right now, I'm still debating with myself on if I should make the tormentors a couple as well or if it should just be one male.
    Ok, so that's about as far as I got character-wise. But I do have a strong idea for what I want the opening to contain plot-wise. Basically, I want it to start at the end. Maybe not the exact ending but I wanted to have it start during the break-in because since this is a film opening it wouldn't make sense to start the movie off with a break-in unless I was planning on having the tormentors be serial break-in people (I don't know what to call it). Which, at first intrigued me but then I remembered the opening could only be a maximum length of about 2 minutes, so what I would want to do wouldn't work with that short of time. If I was to do that I would want a nice scary long opening of a break-in and have the full movie be about serial-breakiners (thought of a name, don't know how I feel about it). But, what I am doing is not that, I'm going to have it start with a couple on their knees in a house. Their hands are tied above their heads and the girl is crying. The tormentors will play with them for a little but somehow they are going to fight back and run. I know I want it to end with the guy and girl hiding in the bathroom and hearing the intruders come closer and closer, then it will cut to black before something awful happens (them entering bathroom). This way I can have the real movie start after this and lead up to that exact moment which is going to be towards the very end. Although this is all subject to change because I might think of something better, but, we'll see.

IDEA CHANGED

    Ok, so basically what happened was I realized in order to do a kidnapping I would probably need an adult so that idea just fell through. I know I could find another way to do it but I would rather not make things hard for myself so I came up with a brand new idea. I am staying within the same genre of Horror, I just got a new idea for my opening.
    So, in general my film opening will be of a break-in. Except it's not like a normal break-in, like it's not gonna be a robber or a girl home alone or any of that. I'm going to take inspiration from films like The Strangers (2008), The Purge (2013), and Wolves at the Door (2017). Two out of three of these films are based on a true story, with the exception of course being The Purge. What this means is that my opening will be dark, spooky, and cruel. Spooky is a lighthearted way of saying it will be scary, not sure if everyone got that haha. This idea is also better because I know it's going to be an absolute blast to film, especially with all my friends working together to create it.
    So, for my next blog I will have the basic concept of the idea and what I want the opening to contain in it and also in my next blog I can cross off the first part of the checklist I made: Plot and Characters.

FIRST IDEA AND CHECKLIST

    Welcome back! I'm excited to say I have my first great idea for the film opening. Previously, I discussed which genre my film will be and I came to the conclusion of choosing horror. I've taken time and thought of an idea which if done correctly, will be something great. So, the concept is having the opening be of a kidnapping. As of right now I'm not sure of where exactly. I've got an idea of doing a girl walking home from school, or doing a kid playing at the park. The point is to make it as suspenseful as I can and have the opening be basically some exposition of what the full movie is about, which would be of a serial kidnapper. 

To keep myself on track and to make sure I actually get work I made a little checklist for myself:

 

- Come up with plot and characters

- Storyboard

- Locations

- Casting

- Shooting Schedule (although I'm pretty sure I know when I will film it already)

- Props if needed

- Royalty free music

    For the shooting dates, I'm pretty busy during spring break coming up. So I was thinking the week after maybe I could shoot that weekend. Dedicating a full day to shooting should be enough since I am going to plan out everything and make a shot list to go along with the storyboard. I'm excited for this kidnapping idea since usually my horror films are ghost related and spooky, it'll be fun taking a more psychological route then the frightening one this time. Although, this is only my first idea and is subject to a lot of change over time. By the end of this, my opening could be a completely different horror film. 

    

GENRE

    Hi! I'm back, and with a decision on my genre too. So since my last blog post I took time to really sit down and think about what genre I would like my opening to be. I discussed with you the top three choices that I had on my mind which were: horror, action, or drama. Well I decided to do horror. Now, let me explain to you the reasons why. For one, I've done horror films before, I love the element of fear and I believe I can do really well and be able to get some scares within the two minutes that I have. I will probably rely on darkness techniques and suspense to set the tone and mood of what the opening will be. I have some idea of what the plot and characters will be but it's not very set in stone yet because I still need some time to brainstorm on that.
    So, as for the target audience of this genre it ranges from ages 17 and up. Which I feel it needs to be because with a genre like horror it's difficult for younger audiences to enjoy the film without crying and wanting to leave. Right now, what my plan is, is to have the idea for what the film opening will actually be by my next blog post. I don't want to work on a thousand things at once just so I don't overwhelm myself and start stressing out about this project. Slow and steady wins the race, as they say.

FIRST BLOG POST 2/27/18

    Hi! My name is Benjamin Popkin and this will be the start of many blog posts to come. These blog posts will be dedicated to the process of creating my film opening for my foundation portfolio project. I am working on this project alone and any and everything I do for the project will be documented in these blog posts. As of right now I have not gotten my idea for what I would like the film opening to be, but, hopefully my next blog post will be me explaining an idea I have come up with. For now though, I just thought I would introduce myself to whoever is reading my posts and prepare them for what is next to come.
    Although, I don't have an idea set in stone yet I do have some sort of idea on what genre I at least would want the opening to be. Most likely I will choose to do horror or action, not quite sure yet, maybe i'll even end up doing drama. The reasoning behind those choices are as follows: Horror is one of my favorite genres of all time, it's easy to execute and the final product can come out very well if executed correctly. Action, because it can come in a variety of ways and there are so many different tones and moods that an action movie has in it. If I really think hard enough and use all my tools and knowledge I believe I could film a great action movie opening not only because I have seen like every action movie there is but, I know all the best angles, cliches, and techniques to film a great action scene. Drama I just threw in there in case I didn't like any of the ideas I come up with in the horror and action genres. Drama can be used in a wide variety of ways and I can even input drama into action or input drama into horror.
    Well, that's about all I got as of right now. My next blog post will probably be which genre I decide to use and what my idea for my opening will be.