Obstacles: Red, White, and Time

I have an update! I am alive, I am no longer stressed!

The second half of February and the first two weeks of March were a long, stressful, exhausting journey for me. We began tech rehearsals for my last AMT show at Cypress, Mamma Mia, and the tension among the cast way high. There is a lot of drama in drama. I played Rosie's understudy, and only had one night to play the role. However, the understudy cast work diligently- as did the lead cast- and it became one big disaster of stress and exhaustion. All of this resulted in a small blow-up in the cast. It took a toll on all of us, and we missed a bunch of school to try to recover from so much missed work because we were rehearsing- we even missed school to rehearse. 

It was an experience that was tough, but worthwhile in the end. People are still recognizing us cast members out in the community and congratulating us.

Then, I went to my State competition with Drama Club for 5 days. That was a trip I will never forget, I had so much fun and I bonded with a lot of people in our troupe, and met a bunch of others as well! I learned a lot, tried lots of awesome food, and celebrated great victories within our club!

Then, Spring Break happened- I went on a trip with my Father and Sister to Orlando and worked a few shifts at my job. It was a nice, final break for the year. 

I really needed the time to allow myself to de-stress after a very intense period. I have started to adjust back into better school habits, eating habits, and exercising habits. 

However, I have now stretched myself a little thin regarding the time frame I have to do this project. I am scheduling everything, and believe I will be able to create the film I want to, in the quality that I want to, if i work hard and diligently enough. 

Titles: Here We Go Again!

I don't really like the title "72 Hours" for my project. It just doesn't fit the piece the way I thought it would initially. The script, as I wrote it, ousted the room for there to be a commentary about the "72 Hours" issue in the justice system. The film is more of a commentary on the existence of pure evil in the world, and how scary that reality is. The film will be better with only one focus, and it will allow for a more cohesive story-line and better conveyed tone and purpose.

In researching films that fall under the general crime genre and similar sub genres, a common theme is including only a few key words. Convention doesn't favor long, wordy titles. The titles are normally symbolic to the plot or describe the conflict. Movies like "Sin City", "The Departed", "The Town", and "Zodiac". I want the title to describe the psyche and persona of Hader Jones. I thought about translating the title into a different language, but decided that would be an insignificant and unnecessary effort. I want the title to be a singular, unusual adjective. I used Thesaurus.com, starting from general words like "sadistic" or "eerie". I eventually narrowed down to "Demoniac". It sounds evil, which is what I like about it, and it is unique enough to remember and hard to confuse.

Resources:
Thesaurus.com

A Very Scripty Sequel

I have finished the script! I will probably still be editing some dialogue throughout, but there will be no more major changes. I plan on printing a copy and making a shot list production notebook out of it. When i have finished the project, I will post pictures of it on the blog! I can't wait to start filming, but first- I still need to finish casting and filming!

The Google Drive link for the script is posted below!

I'm also going to include the link to the document where I first outlined the film and where I did initial character analyses.

Bye for now!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H7vhZSv_gyi1BytKUmmwMZH06r_UZyzZO5BMv7geV5E/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OikEtLKLfJE4asO7s6-ZPPj9wKJ3E8G4qkA1p-98Fq4/edit?usp=sharing

2 Busy 2 Compose

I had originally envisioned composing my own music for the project, but I do not think I will have enough time to do so.

I have been watching a lot of movies and television shows with the same tone as the film, and I've noticed the suspenseful music, with stings and fast paced beats. It really contributes to the mood of the piece. However, I also want to include music with a modern twist on past thrill movie scores. I want viewers to understand that the film takes place in the current era, and every aspect of production will reflect that.

I want to incorporate a kind of "mini-soundtrack" into the piece. Last year, I only used one song in my portfolio project, and it was primarily because the film was only two minutes and was supposed to be a "film opening", and not reflect an entire story arc. I plan on using at least two or three royalty-free compositions in the project to emphasize different feelings and emotions.

I did some research into general crime genre films to understand what an excellent soundtrack should be for my specific type of film. The website, criminalelement.com, gave the names of the composers of the score for the piece as well as songs from the soundtrack. Because of copyright issues, I will barely be able to use any actual "songs", and the film will be full of instrumental music. Specific scores that stuck out to me included the piece "Oraculum"  by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for the film "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". It isn't the typical slow, brooding tune one would expect, but full of clashing and clanging that has an eerie effect. An abnormal score such as this may fit in well with the piece, matching the unusual character of "Hader".

While I was thinking about odd score choices, I remembered a song from "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri". The song was used throughout different parts of the film with tension and action- an operatic ballad. It added an odd sense of validity to the piece, seeing as a piece of such grandeur was in a setting of chaos and confrontation. The song is called "The Last Rose of Summer". The vocals make the violent action of the scenes feel beautiful, like a piece of art. I also think that this notion fits very well with the character of  "Hader".

To find the music, I am going to use a website given to us by a county administrator that provides royalty-free music for a certain fee. Killer Tracks is easy to use and searches using wide parameters and multiple genres.

I'm excited for this specific aspect of the project, especially since I only used one song last year. I can't wait to explore the music library, and select some of these "odd" choices that I hope will challenge the audience's senses and disturb them even further.

Resources:
http://www.criminalelement.com/face-the-music-five-crime-films-with-first-rate-scores-and-soundtracks/ (Information on stellar crime film soundtracks)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viDB6qzRp0s (Oraculum)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Girl_with_the_Dragon_Tattoo_(soundtrack) (Further research on the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo soundtrack)
https://www.soundtrackmania.net/three-billboards-outside-ebbing-missouri-soundtrack.html/ (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Soundtrack and "The Last Rose of Summer")

An All Week Vacation

I wanted to dedicate this blog post to my plans for the next two weeks, as it will prevent me from getting a lot of work done. This Wednesday, I leave for States with my drama program, and will be in Tampa until early Sunday morning. I am so excited to have a blast with my friends, especially since  it will be the end of the quarter, and I can focus on starting anew next quarter, plus I will be heading right into spring break when we get back.

March has been a hard month for me. Since late February, I've been rehearsing for the school musical, Mamma Mia! It was emotionally and physically exhausting, and I was in a bad mindset for a while. Coming off the show's run was a weird shock, because I was actually going home on time and having time to complete homework and study. It's a shame that I let my grades somewhat slip this quarter, because of all my commitments and time constraints. I plan on focusing a lot on school next quarter, so I can end high school on a good note!

I am excited to work on this project over spring break and hope to be ready way before the due date!

Casting: 2 the Streets

Today, I asked my friend Aitana if she would be open to acting in my short film. She is one of my good friends from our advanced musical theatre class and drama program. She is a phenomenal actress, competing at our annual States competition in the Monologue category multiple times, and scoring high level ratings. I think she will be able to show the terrifying vulnerability and traumatic energy pent up in Sephone, the victim.

I was deciding how to find adult actors to portray the adult characters, and eliminated posting a call to Backstage after talking to my teacher and learning about a price. I will probably post something on my Facebook page, as I am connected to a lot of actors in the South Florida area, or people who know actors. I am going to do this by the end of the week, so I can start filming as soon as I get back from Tampa next weekend.

I also contacted a mentor and teacher of mind, Robin, for help in looking for some of the adult roles. I think she may even be in the film herself as the psychologist! She is a phenomenal actress, and I hope I am able to use her as she will bring everything to the character I imagine. We primarily discussed the character of the kidnapper, as it will be a very difficult role to fill- the actor needs to have great acting ability and must be believable. She gave me a few names, and I plan on reaching out within the next few days to secure the actors. Something else on my to-do list is create a production schedule, that way I will be able to give the people I am reaching out to a finalized commitment.

Untitled: A First Draft Part 2

I have started writing the script! It is a few pages long, but I'm really enjoying the process of writing it and creating characterization through dialogue. Its fun to play around with different types of attitudes and implications conveyed in speech, and it will also be interesting to direct actors with this in mine. I am attaching the first part of the script below via Google Drive link!

The dialogue of the kidnapper, Hader, is short and witty, and sort of ominous. The attitude of the character reminds me of Hanibal from "Silence of the Lambs." I believe that this sort of attidue will further disturb the audience on top of the act itself.

The psychologist is inquisitive, genuinely curious, and at some points vulnerable. She asks about hypothetical reasons for Hader committing the crime, and he responds sarcastically, creating a speaker and listener relationship. This background information will help progress the narrative from the point of view of the psychologist.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H7vhZSv_gyi1BytKUmmwMZH06r_UZyzZO5BMv7geV5E/edit?usp=sharing

Basic Outline 2

I wrote an outline during class time so I could start developing a script this week. I'm afraid that there is too much material, and it is becoming evident that time constraints are going to be a huge obstacle for me. Creating a detailed, cohesive narrative in only 5 minutes in a huge challenge. I have so much story and detail I want to add, to develop characters, but the development is adding time to the piece. My scenes are going to have to be cut or quick paced. I will leave the outline below. 

All of the character names are temporary. I tried to play on Greek names with meaning, because I feel like this haunting tale is as dramatic as mythology and will exhibit modern, let similar characteristics of a dramatic story. Kidnapping is associated with the Greek myth of Persephone and Hades so the names of the victim and kidnapper are plays on their names. 

Running through the woods

Running into police station

Police debriefing on Hader for Psychologist

Psychologist interviews Hader

Flashbacks and Inserts of Kidnapping/Situation

Somewhere in the middle on the interview, we shift to trial

Psychologist testifies?

Sephone testifies, Hader winks at her from the stand, she declares she is done being questioned

Slow zoom on Hader as Sephone keeps pleading to be finished answering questions

END

Show Week 2: Bruise Control

The past 3-4 weeks, my musical theater class has been intensely preparing for our musical, "Mamma Mia". We were very devoted to the show, and took a lot of time to make sure every detail was perfect because people  wanted to see Mamma Mia, and it is such an iconic show. Yesterday, we closed our 4-day, 2 sold-out show run, and I've never been more drained. There have been weeks and weeks leading up to this moment, even years and years, and now it is finished.

These rehearsals and my schedule have prevented me from working on a lot of other things, but now that it has finished, I can breathe, and get back on track. This week, I plan to do a lot of work for this short film- like writing the script and location scouting, but I also plan to have fun with it.

Overall, this post is dedicated to me saying that now that another chapter has closed with Mamma Mia, another can open for the short film, and my work can really begin!;)

Psychology: Back in the Habit

I was thinking about the role the psychologist should play in the movie, and how she affects the resolution of the film. I want her to have to testify about the kidnapper's mental state during a trial, and I also want the film to be told through a frame narrative which takes place from her point of view.
My vision right now is that she interviews the kidnapper, comes to the conclusion that he/she is aware of the wrongdoings they have committed but only wants to see the world burn- there is no mental health diagnosis, it is just his demeanor. She thinks for this reason, he should be fully responsible for the crime and serve his sentence behind bars. I think she is very disturbed by his thought process, and really wants to see justice served against this vile man.
My research on this character was primarily to find out how a psychologist works within a criminal trial. I wanted to understand the schematics of the impact of a psychologist testimony in a trial, and how they can play a major role in a case.

I plan to start typing a script this week, because I will have so much free time now that Mamma Mia is coming to a close. I want to start filming over spring break, to give me sufficient time to edit and get production shots. I'm so excited to watch this film grow!

RESOURCES
http://criminal-justice.iresearchnet.com/forensic-psychology/psychology-and-law/roles-of-psychologists/
http://criminal-justice.iresearchnet.com/forensic-psychology/psychology-and-law/roles-of-psychologists/
https://www.justcriminallaw.com/criminal-charges-questions/2017/01/27/should-criminal-defendant-testify/
https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/victim-witness/handbook

22 Location Street

When thinking about where I wanted to film, a few obstacles were present. I want to film inside a courtroom and outside of a police station or a station-looking building, but security has become so intricate and protective that it would be very difficult to actually get inside a court room.

I spoke to my mom about finding a mock-trial room at a local law school, and she said that if I was unable to find one to use, she could see about using her firm's offices one day after hours. If I were to use this location, it would be perfect for the inside of the police station, the interrogation room, and maybe even a court room. I may be able to knock out the filming of all of those scenes in one day if I plan everything correctly.

I called a local private college with a mock court room and asked if I could film inside, but they denied my request, saying the room was for student use only.

For filming in the "woods" for the beginning and for kidnapping b-roll, I was looking for parks with dense forest looking areas. That's not a very common landscape where I live, with places like the Everglades being more typical. I don't imagine this story taking place in South Florida, but rather a more Mid-Western area, not along the coast, so using the Everglades was out of the question. I thought about all the parks I had been to and did some research, and decided to go to Regional Park and Markham Park. Markham Park has a lot of forest area with trails (so we don't get lost!) that will be perfect for filming based on the pictures. I really like different parts of Regional that go past the bushes, and look like an instant contrast between civilization and the "wild".

For filming in the area where the victim and the abductor will live together, I imagined a very bland, empty area. I don't want them to just be camping in the woods, as I feel as though the kidnapper is too smart to camp in an area that will be searched. They are not staying in the woods, but near the woods. Areas I was imagining were like a garage, storage space type location. I can't use my garage, because it is set up like a gym, so I will need to ask around about using someone's garage.

Resources:
https://www.yelp.com/search?cflt=parks&find_loc=Weston%2C+FL

Pre-Casting: The Revenge

Now that I have the framework for my characters, I've been trying to put faces to them. Last year, I used my adult mentors who happened to be trained actors for my film, and I believed that it heavily added to the quality of it, so I plan to use age-appropriate and trained actors again.

For the role of the girl, I have a few people in mind- the actress will most likely come from my musical theater class at school, which will be very beneficial as I will have easy access to them and they would live relatively close to me. I plan on asking around this week, and hopefully finding someone who can commit to the filming days.

For the roles of the Kidnapper and Psychologist, I have considered putting out a casting call on Backstage under "Short Film" to see if anyone would be interested in helping a film student out. I think that a few people would apply, and I would be able to pick great actors for the film.

For extras and others, I plan on asking friends and family to help and pitch in for a day or two, in exchange for pizzas and sodas possibly. I really want this film to live up to my expectations for it, so I will do anything I can to truly make it happen. I'm going to further flesh out the characters so I can have a better idea of who I am looking for to film these parts. I can't wait to see!

Character Development! Part Deux

After talking with my critique group, I decided it was time to begin on developing the characters in the film. I think the most important character I have to work on is the third narrative-progressing character, because the entire way the narrative flows rests on their shoulders. While I write this post, I'm going to be brainstorming and doing some research, so by the time I'm done writing, I hope I'll have at least a skeleton of who these people are.

Third Character- Female, early thirties.
Psychologist- Direct contact with abductor, direct impact on the trial, all case details given to her. She has never encountered someone as peculiar or sadistic as this abductor. She is disturbed, yet fascinated by him, trying to delve deeper into his mind to figure out what caused him to commit this terrible crime.

Abducted Girl- Female, between 15 and 17, old enough that she comprehend the intensity of the situation and realizes she is in danger. Intuitive enough to find a chance to escape her abductor. She is a high school student, living with her parents and older brother. She escapes at the beginning of the film, running into a police station and identifying herself as the missing girl. She is resilient, but traumatized, but still staying strong in the face of adversity. She has been missing for 10 months.

Abductor- Male, Mid-20s. A completely sadistic, evil man, with cruel intentions. He is completely aware that his actions are wrong, and simply want to see the world burn. He becomes infatuated with the girl he would soon abduct, and torments the family by leaving subtle clues of her presence around the woods where he keeps her. He only keeps the girl in order to cause pain and anguish on multitudes of people. His infatuation with the girl adds to the disturbing factor of the film.

I found an academic journal on the motives of kidnappers and the effect of being kidnapped on victims that I think will greatly play into the way the script is written. The author discusses different types of motives, leading me to classify this abductor's motives as a hybrid between "instrumental" and "expressive". What makes his motives expressive are the fact that he is committing this crime because of an immeasurable darkness contained inside of him, an odd yearning which he embraces. What make his motives instrumental are his goals of spreading the darkness and causing an eternal suffering.

This week, I plan on trying to organize the plot a little more and try to make it more cohesive. I also plan on finishing a schedule for the rest of the project, as I want to have more than enough time to edit the project.

RESOURCES
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2008/aug/03/internet.email
https://owlcation.com/social-sciences/Kidnapping-Overview-Causes-Effects-and-Solutions (Research on the causes of kidnappings in order to develop the abductor character)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2627800/ (Research on the effects of being kidnapped, and on the strategies victims use in order to stay alive)

Look Who's Composing Too (?)

I want to preface this post with some context:
This week, I have had tech week for my school show, "Mamma Mia", and I am completely drained and exhausted from it. I came home on Friday, and thought about how I wanted to relax and let-go. I decided I wanted to sit down at the piano and just start messing around, playing songs I knew and fiddling around with little melodies. When I get stressed, I like to blast music in my car and scream along with it, or  Singing releases endorphins, and endorphins make you happy ("...and happy people don't just kill their husbands!").

While I was messing around, I stumbled over a melody I really liked, and thought was eerie. I thought about it, revised it, sat at the piano for nearly an hour just finalizing this thirty second melody, recording it and laying some background behind it, when I realized that I might want to use it for my short film. I'm still working on it, it isn't perfect, and it is just an idea. But, I figured I would just give it a shot and see if it works. I don't think that the tone of the piece completely matches the tone of the film, but I can keep editing and revising it until they match. I'll attach the tiny piece I have so far to the blog post.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_ZuVDQdQ-YuOTF2SFA3eWplUGNhSFByY3pBQjBlczFyZGFZ

Critique Groups 2: Critique Harder

Today, we met with our Portfolio Project critique groups in class, and spoke about our preliminary ideas and research. I talked about the genre I wanted to create, and how the horror and thrill of he movie would come from the mind of the abductor rather than excessive external action. The group seemed to be perceptive to that idea, with my reasoning being about how the human mind is becoming as dangerous as weaponry or mass destruction. In fact, it is the reason for weaponry and mass destruction. I want to focus not only on the event itself, but the psychological state of the abductor.

The group liked the idea of a third character which progresses the narrative, like an investigative journalist or a criminal defense lawyer, maybe a psychologist. The type of narrator they would be is "third person- limited" as it is a single perspective, without infinite knowledge. I think that the progression of this character will be influential in how people perceive the relationship of the kidnapped girl and the kidnapped, as she will be a sort of "interpreter" for the audience.

I collaborated a lot with my friend Lau to try and come up with the reason for the kidnapping, trying to delve into what would be shocking and have a real impact. We came to the realization that infatuation, or simply choosing a victim, is very disturbing. We talked about the Jayme Closs case and the Yoga Studio shooting in Tallahassee, and how terrifying their motives were. Jayme Closs' kidnapper simply "picked" her when he saw her at a bus stop, and then proceeded to kill her family in order to kidnap her without witnesses. The Yoga Studio shooter killed multiple women out of a pure hatred and dislike for them. That is pretty scary. I think talking to the killer directly, from the point of view of this mysterious "third character" would really shock the audience and produce the impact I wish to create.

I also discussed a possible film title- "72 Hours". I think this title works because the first 72 hours after a child goes missing are crucial to finding the child. Often, teenagers, adults, drug abusers, past runaways, and others reported to the police as missing aren't actually considered "missing" for 72 hours. Police officers and law enforcement tell families to come back in 72 hours if the person hasn't turned up. So much can happen in 72 hours- one can cross state lines with the victim (which is a federal offense itself apart from kidnapping), one can severely injure or harm the victim, and one can even kill their victim. The group members seemed to think the title was appropriate, some people didn't even know this "72 hour" rule or stigma, which I think is important to expose to the public. I understand that police forces don't want to expend manpower on someone who turns out to be safe, but it is so important that missing people be searched for within this time frame. I don't want this to necessarily be the "center" of the film, but an aspect of it.

Lau recommended that I watch the film "The Call" starring Halle Berry to get a feel for a good kidnapping movie, so I plan on watching it this weekend. Along with all the other movies I want to watch.

Resources:
https://www.thoughtco.com/third-person-point-of-view-1692547 (Research on third person narrators in film and other media)
https://abcnews.go.com/US/72-hours-missing-persons-investigation-critical-criminology-experts/story?id=58292638 (An article on the importance of the first 72 hours of a missing person's case)
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jayme-closs-accused-kidnapper-reason-i-did-complicated-n980811 (Context information on the Jayme Closs kidnapping case and Jake Patterson, her kidnapper)