I am using my friend's house to shoot as it contains the characteristics I need for my opening of my film. I would like the mise-en-scène of my piece to look as realistic as possible; to look like an ordinary house. However, I want there to be key aspects that will cause the audience to question whether the house is ordinary, such as blood and broken glass.
This hallway is where I'm going to shoot the scene where the woman hangs up her coat and notices the broken glass on the floor. It is a good location as the hallway is narrow and the claustrophobic feel suggests that the woman is isolated and lonely, something that is essential for my film. However, the mirror will have to be taken down in case the camera is seen in it, although won't be a huge problem.
The kitchen is a good location as the lights are spotlights, which are needed for the part the woman having only one side of her face lit, as one light bulb blows, to show she is two faced and has a split personality
Lastly, the front door is made of glass, which is needed for a key scene in my opening sequence, where the woman notices a shadow coming closer to her house. Also, the front door is in view from the stairs, which is wear the character is placed, as she then frantically rushes upstairs.
Actors
I attended a friend's college performance where I then noted who would suit the two characters needed for my film. One of the girls I thought would be very good as the role of the main woman, however, she was busy with other commitments for a long period of time, so I went back to my notes on who else stood out in the performance. Playing the role of Scarlett is Lauren Umpleby and playing the role of Josh is Adam Ritchie.
Costumes
Josh's costume won't be seen very much, only part of his leg, so he must have three quarter length trousers on, in order for his leg to be seen. He will also need an outfit for the flashback, so a casual top and jeans
Scarlett's costume needs to be a suit or of formal wear, to show she has just come home from work. I want Scarlett to be shown as middle class, rather than working class as I want to show that money, a good job a nice well kept house won't necessarily make a person happy. In order for her to look as professional as possible, her hair will be tied up, possibly in a bun or ponytail. I also want it to be clear that Scarlett isn't a teenager returning from a night out and is a woman returning from work, which is why I have picked a suit for her to wear. Furthermore, in a lot of horror films, the woman is either seen as the weak, vulnerable victim or as a sex symbol; I want to get away from this stereotype, so I won't have a lot of flesh on show. She will also have to have some casual wear that she will be wearing in a flashback, so will be just leggings and a top.
Props
The props needed for my film are
- A coat
- A broken glass
- A dustpan and brush
- A bin
- A picture of the two characters together
- A bottle of wine
- A glass
- A radio
- A duvet
- Fake blood
Rejected location ideas
I had planned to have most of the film shot outside, in the garden at night. I thought this wouldn't be a problem as the outside light is fairly strong, however as you can see, the light isn't strong enough and would only light a small part of the garden; thus limiting the space available to be shot in. I could have changed the film to being set in the daytime, however I think darkness and night time is a major convention of horror and wanted to go along with the convention.
Rejected Prop ideas
I was going to attempt to make the glass a sugar glass, so it could be smashed around the character's head with no damage, like seen here;
However, not only was it quite difficult to make for only a short scene, but it didn't look very realistic, as it was hard to shape the glass. So I decided to instead use the "Hitchcock" technique and cut the scene just before the action happens, so the audience can just assume he was hit.
Rejected Costume Ideas
At first I wanted my female protagonist to be wearing casual clothes, in order to be more relatable to my target audience, however I wanted the audience to understand that the couple were slightly older, so would be working, which is why her costume is a suit. I also first decided that my actor would keep her facial piercings in, so for the audience to relate to her, however I decided that too look professional and as if she has just returned from work, that the character would not have any.
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| Original costume |