PRODUCTION FOOTAGE:

Like I stated in my previous blog, here is the opening sequence of our film opening, unedited.

My group and I are really proud of how this turned out, and we are hoping that the continuing scenes of our film will follow this kind of teamwork, troubleshooting, and adaptability.

LINK TO FOOTAGE: Opening Sequence Unedited

We will continue and wrap shooting this weekend and start editing our film opening this coming Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

ALSO, here is another teaser poster for our film opening...

My next blog will focus on editing the opening sequence to how it will end up looking in the final product of the film... SO STAY TUNED!

PRODUCTION BEGINS:

As I said in the last blog post… WE HAVE STARTED PRODUCTION!

After a couple of annoying delays, production began two days ago and is still currently happening. We started shooting the opening sequence, where the credits will be played, and wrapped that part of production. With that part complete, we will be shifting toward the detective portion of it by this weekend, with plans to start editing as well.

It was a difficult shooting day for a variety of reasons. One in particular was the lighting, which was a massive issue due to the sunlight trying to be the star of the film, when it’s not. We did manage to work around this and created artificial sunlight instead, rather than using the natural sun due to it being way too powerful.

Below, I have included a behind‑the‑scenes picture…

I will continue to keep you guys updated throughout this process!

For my next blog I’ll display and walk you through an unedited scene from my group's film opening!

 "DECEDENT" TEASER POSTERS:

After a few minor delays I can finally say PRODUCTION ON "DECEDENT" HAS BEGUN!!!!

It’s been a challenge waiting a few extra days to start shooting, but overall in those days we have worked on a few extra bits that we would like to present in this blog today.

We decided that while we waited for the necessary materials to arrive, we should just start making teaser posters for our film opening.

Below you will see all the ones we came up with and the ones we decided to go with...

These are the teaser posters we came up with as a group, and the ones that ended up making the final cut are the first two you see.

We wanted something dark but also cynical as our teaser posters. I believe we acheived that.

Group Meeting #2:

Our #2 group meeting was really eventful. Most people in the group didn’t understand our idea. But like the great Sir Christopher Nolan stated, “Don’t try to understand it, just feel it.” Our idea is bold, and it's going to be challenging, but my group and I are ready to take it on.

Everyone was surprised by the camera equipment I’ll be using. Again, I’m very thankful to have the opportunity to shoot using this equipment.

With most people not being able to understand our group’s idea, I spent most of the time making my group meeting partners understand it to a certain extent.

They love the idea for our title, “DECEDENT.”

And the fact that our idea about CCR is also leaning toward the interrogation side was well received by my group meeting partners because they loved how it meshed with our project.

The fact that our idea about CCR is also leaning toward the interrogation side was well received by my group meeting partners because they loved how it meshed with our project.

It was definitely a great experience I had with this group meeting #2. It provided me great insight into what’s needed for me and my group to tune up.

 Titles – Fonts:

A film’s title and font instantly convey its mood, tone, and genre, giving the audience a first impression of the story.. Our film is titled “Decedent.” 

Our font that we will use is Cormorant Garamond.

"DECEDENT"

Decedent: A person who has died

We wanted, as a group, a title and font that pops and delivers the meaning without giving away too much. It took us a while to come up with it, and we’re proud of the decision we made to use it.

One thing we knew from the start was that our title needed to be one word that, in a second, could explain where our film might be headed.

I believe we achieved that.

As for other films, let's dive into some examples…

Here are quite a few examples of film titles through the years… we’ve taken inspiration from these film titles and font usages.

Day 2 Of Production:

 Day 2 Of Production:

Very similar to day 1 of productions, day two consisted of pretty much the same things. Due to unforeseen circumstances with the shipping of our equipment and resources, as a group we couldn’t fully begin our shooting yet.

But that didn’t stop us from continuing to build our film opening. On day 2 of productions, we again practiced setting up and putting down lighting equipment and setting up our camera that we’ll end up using for this project. It’s definitely, again, a giant honor to use this equipment for this piece, and as a team we’ll try our best to make the most of it.

This would be the camera that we will be using if all goes well with our schedule changes, which have not had a dramatic effect yet on our filming. This project is definitely making me and our group learn a lot about the difficulties and delays of production, but we will continue forward and finish this on time and deliver a great piece of work.

Day 1 Of Production:

As of today, my group hasn't fully started shooting the films just yet. We've had minor delays that are elongating this process. Our required resources that we've ordered online haven't fully arrived yet and are still on their way.

I'm hoping to start production as soon as those items arrive. Later this week, I hope to have a post up about our production fully being underway.

On the other hand, luckily I've had support from a mentor of mine who has politely given me permission to use some of his equipment for my film opening. That's what the pictures you see below are about.

I'm still calling this Day 1 of production for one reason, and that reason is because, as a group, we've all figured out what equipment we will use and how to set it up. I'm the cinematographer on this project, so during the week I was learning how to set up C-stands, light stands, and tripods.

This was more of a learning day rather than a shoot day, but it still provided great insight into what's needed from us to complete this project well.

Our plan is to shoot the entire project this week and move the editing to this weekend instead of next week to catch up with our schedule.

As a group, we will bounce back from this and shoot an excellent piece that we're proud of.

 Production Company Logos:

My partners and I made it our goal yesterday to finish our studio and production company logo. After two hours of working on multiple designs, we settled on one that we thought rolled off the tongue easier.

Here are some inspiration pictures from a variety of production companies that we used to give us a sense of what’s best for our project:

These are the names that we were choosing from:

"Beyond Studios"

"Spartan Studios"

"Ares Productions"

"Sunset Studios"

"Space Studios"

"Horror Productions"

"First Take Productions"

These are the logo’s final designs that we settled on as a group...

We decided as a group to go with two simplistic designs that provided much more of a grounded feeling rather than anything over the top. We didn’t want to overwhelm the audience with an overwhelming logo to start off our film opening.

Our goal was something low‑key, and I believe we achieved that.

That was a main focus for us as a group. We believed the studio and production name needed to be something simple that could easily travel with word of mouth.

Sound Design:

Sound design is one of the most influential processes in film production because, without it, your film will likely be incoherent. Sound design is the art of creating, acquiring, or manipulating audio elements to enhance storytelling, immersion, and emotional impact in films.

 - Sets the Mood and Emotion

- Creates Realism

- Enhances Storytelling

- Defines Characters and Objects

- Reinforces Rhythm and Timing

For our film opening, sound is the most important aspect to get right. We want to make the audience experience the film and understand what’s happening without even having to open their eyes. It will be our objective to deliver this project with one of the best sound design jobs I’ve ever done in any of my student films to date.

Foley Art:

Foley Art is going to be used for most of the sounds in our film, including footsteps, body movements, body dropping, heartbeats, blood dripping, knife sounds, picture sounds, room tone, background noise, and more.

Our score, in my opinion, will take this project to the next level. We have already contacted multiple artists to gain permission to use their already created scores for our project. Our goal is for it to be a slow build during the long corridor dolly shot, but when that body drops, we want it to explode into an anthem of despair, creating a feeling of entrapment and unease.

The goal is to deliver or obtain a score that resonates like a requiem…

Requiem: musical composition, hymn, or poem honoring the deceased.

Character Development:

The Killer:

Our film contains three main characters: the detectives and the killer. It’s vital that these characters have depth not just in their appearance but also emotionally. Our goal is to develop the characters without even having them say a word. 

Most importantly, for our killer, whose appearance is mysterious but whose actions and clues aren’t, it’s crucial for us to show the audience the killer’s mindset, goals, and motivation behind all of his killings without telling them straight up. 

Every picture, every note, every clue means something to the killer, and that’s why he leaves the messages behind. It’s not to play with the detectives but to show them instead why he’s doing this damage.

Detectives:

As for the detectives, it’s important for us for each of them to have their own distinct personality, and it’s not going to be like a master and apprentice type relationship between them because how many times have we seen that?

 It’s more of two people who don’t really know a lot about each other but get tasked with finding out who this killer is, and by doing that, it rips them both apart. Their relationship isn’t friendly, and the killer definitely affects their teamwork and how they go about finding him. 

We want to develop these characters based on their actions in taking on this killer, and that’s also how we will show the distinct nature of these guys’ personalities.

                          

Mise-En-Scene: Set Design

 Set Design:

Set design establishes the tone, time, place, and mood of a production. It is extremely important to get the set design correct because without an excellent set, everything could seem out of place. To make sure our group achieves the necessary set to sell our film opening, these are the things we must do first...

- Understand the Story or Purpose

- Analyze the Script or Concept

- Establish Design Elements

- Research & Gather Visual Inspiration

- Consider Technical & Budget Constraints

- Plan Construction & Materials

- Refine Through Feedback

Here are some inspiration pictures that I’ll definitely be using while designing our set...

As our group tries to achieve that crime scene essence, we will obviously need a wide enough area where not only we can place the actors and subjects in the scene but also the crew shooting it.

It's our main objective to portray an active crime scene to the best degree possible, and we wholeheartedly believe as a group we can get it done.

Also, for our long corridor shot, in which the opening credits and all will be showing up, we plan for this shot to be a dolly shot slowly moving through the corridor and abruptly stopping when the body of the victim ultimately drops. So achieving an excellent set design for that scene alone is crucial because that moment will hopefully set the tone for the entirety of the film, and our inspiration for the set design for that shot are these pictures...

Mise-En-Scene: Costume Design

 Costume Design:

Costumes are one of the most important aspects of a character’s depth and personality. They can provide instant context about the character’s life. They provide the emotional and psychological cues, character evolution, audience immersion, and world building. It is massively important to get the costume right. Over the years costumes have defined characters’ identities...

Let's look to see which characters have been defined by their costumes...

EXAMPLES:

Now let's look at how I'll use costuming in our film opening. With our film being a detective thriller story, costuming becomes crucial to identify the film's distinct characters.

Obviously the natural FBI attire is what we will be going for in our film opening, very similar to how "True Detective S1" costumed their characters Rustin Cohle and Marty Hart.

For our killer we will go for a much more mysterious and disclosed look. Something similar to "The Riddler" in "The Batman." Our goal is to keep his identity as unknown as possible to keep the audience in the dark.

Costumes are definitely an important aspect that our group is taking into consideration. It’s not only about getting the costumes right but also delivering with the sets, props, and lighting, for the costumes to be fully represented in a way that can capture the distinct essence of each of our characters.

 Media Theory Integration:

(ENIGMA CODE)

Media Theory is a great way of making any form of media grander... But what is a media theory, you say?

Media Theory is a field of study that examines how different forms of media such as print, television, film, digital platforms, and social networks shape communication, culture, perception, and power in society.

It helps explore the ways messages are produced, distributed, interpreted, and experienced, as well as how these processes affect individuals, institutions, and social structures.

You can integrate media theory in many ways, but this is how I’ll integrate my media theory, which is the "ENIGMA CODE," by using film techniques like long takes, close-ups, restricted framing, suspenseful editing, chilling scores, and symbolic mise en scène.

The "ENIGMA CODE" is from Roland Barthes, and it states that any element in a text that creates a mystery or raises a question for the audience, delaying the answer to build suspense and keep them engaged.

Because our film will explore the thriller genre, we chose to integrate this theory to create that sense of mystery that we’ll be looking to achieve, tying with the suspense.

EXAMPLES OF USAGE OF THE ENIGMA CODE IN FILM:

You could say this media theory integration is crucial to our plot and overall concept, so as a team we are gonna do our best to integrate it in the best way possible to perfectly tie into the overall mystery of our film opening.

OTHER EXAMPLES THAT DON'T INCLUDE FILM:
(SURREALIST ART)

The Screenplay:

The screenplay is one of the biggest and most important things needed to start a production. It is a crucial part of the pre‑production process. It’s either called a screenplay or a script, the names are interchangeable on a production set. The screenplay lays out the entirety of the plot, from the dialogue to the action that occurs during the scenes in the film. It can also give actors a way of connecting to the story and characters.

I’ve written a fair few screenplays in the past, so formatting it came easy to me, but to some it might be a little tricky.

A screenplay isn’t written in a traditional story way; it follows rules and guidelines, from font size to the general font that needs to be used. Here is how a screenplay should look if all the rules are followed…

OTHER EXAMPLE:

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS:

As you see, it’s very different, but in the film industry it is set and written this way to make it easier for directors and other crew members to write notes onto the pages.

As a group, we have written a screenplay for our film opening, and as a group we believe wholeheartedly that we can make it work.

Here is our screenplay...

DECEDENT

INT - NIGHT - DARK CORRIDOR

We see a dark corridor. Nothing is seen except bloody footprints leading the camera towards a door... as we inch closer... and closer to the door, the CREDITS WILL ROLL... about a quarter of the way to the door, we notice an arm laying on some type of surface above the ground and a bloody photo on the ground... BLOOD IS NOW SHOWN dripping off the person’s arm slowly and slowly... almost entrapping the viewer in some type of loop as the camera continues to move slowly through the corridor. The camera stops almost reaching the doorway. Suddenly, we see the body drop to the ground, inserting a large imposing title card (DECEDENT) portraying the thriller nature of the opening. As the title card is displayed, the soundtrack commences with a sinister tone, further amplifying the thriller nature. Since the film is the crossover between a noir film and thriller film, both genres will complement each other, allowing for further interpretation of contrasts and important plot points in the film without being too caught up in the visuals. 

CUT TO 

INT - NIGHT - BEDROOM

Close-ups and extreme close-ups, tagging with panning and tilt movements of bloody photographs scattered around the room. The pictures reveal the killer’s plot. This gives the film its reason and shows the setting up of the plot for the rest of the film. We then cut to a bird’s-eye view shot of the body laying lifelessly... bloody pictures... blood stains scattered... dismantled room... are all seen in this bird’s-eye view shot. 

SINISTER SCORED CUTS ALONG WITH MATCH CUT 

MATCH CUT 

INT - DAY - BEDROOM

We now see a body chalk outline... blood stains scattered... decomposing body... dismantled room... crime scene cones... and forensics and detectives enter. Still capturing all this with the bird’s-eye view shot. Detectives are seen gathering information and evidence with a variety of shot types, from close-ups to wide shots. 

INT - DAY - BEDROOM

The final sequence begins with a mid-shot of the chalk drawing of the body in the crime scene, a tilt/pan up to the lead detective looking disturbed, and as the camera moves out of the room, the camera shakes slightly in the pattern of footsteps, signifying the entity being the killer, and as we finish where we begin, slowly the sinister score returns and there we will abrupt cut. 

CUT TO BLACK 

THE END 

Now it’s time for the hardest part of a production, and that’s actually shooting it…

 Project Idea And Major Inspiration:

My group’s idea is dark, thriller, with a sprinkle of drama. It’s a large concept and will be a challenging one to shoot, but my group and I are ready to take on this challenge to create the best film opening possible. So what’s our idea, you may ask... well, here it is... Our film opening, from the very beginning before our idea was set in stone, as a group we knew we wanted to take the audience on a deep and emotional ride. While not telling them the story, but showing them instead, using symbolic messaging to go along with our overall theme. Our idea is about a man who knows his time on earth is coming to an end, so in the last stages of his life he plans to take as many pictures as possible to pass them down to the next generation. His life will be ended by hired hitman, his fate has been accepted. We intend for those pictures to be Polaroids, and knowing he needs something to connect with the audience on an emotional level, we are going to add a love interest and family to his life that will be seen when the Polaroids are shown. The main shot that I plan for this plot to be sold on is a bird’s‑eye‑view shot of the main character lying lifeless on a bed with the Polaroids surrounding him, using black and white with very sharp shadows to go along with the fact that he is dead. We want this character to go out with some level of humanity. The polaroid's will hopefully bring that essence to the character. Our main character has accepted his death and doesn't want to fight his killer. The overall messaging we want is to bring to this piece is that you must accept death to fully live out your life. DON'T LIVE IN FEAR...

Major Inspiration:

MEMENTO:

Polaroid's

FILM NOIR:

Black And White(Lighting)

KILL BILL:

Plot And Character Development

THE BATMAN:

Tone And Bloody Footprints

INSPIRATION PICTURES:

This are the major inspirations I’ve taken for my group’s film opening. I’m still getting the script ready for production, but everything as of now is moving swiftly.

The main goal I have for this project is to contain the mystery behind the film, but show just enough that the audience knows where the film will be headed. I want to set the stage in such a way where the audience experiences the film and isn’t left with any questions.

 Group Meeting #1:

My first ever group meeting, in my opinion, was a great success. I told my group members my ideas, and they told me theirs. We all helped each other come up with alternative options to make our film openings better. The comments I received on my project idea were great, and I’ll take them to heart and learn how to implement their ideas into my opening. Overall, here is what I took from this project...

Positives: 

Overall Idea

Ideas Of How To Shoot It

Lighting Idea

Composition Idea

Tone

Character Arc

Ending Shot(Bird's Eyed View)

Opening Shots

Improvements:

Find An Emotional Attachment 

Love Interest?

Black and White?

Pictures In Bright Saturation Colors?

To conclude, I learned a lot from this group meeting; it told me a lot about where I’m at with my project. I do feel like I’m on track, and I’ll continue to work toward the final product. This project has brought challenges and definitely will continue to bring challenges as I head into production, but I’m ready and willing to take them on and learn from them as I create my film opening.