Final Project for Cambridge - Horror Film Opening

     Here it is. After I'm done posting this, all I can do now is wait and hope I get a good grade. Thank you for watching this journey, and I hope you enjoy all my hard work and effort I put into this piece. Personally I like it, but maybe I'm being biased :). Also to make things clear, the names in the film are all fake. I just felt that it would look weird if all the titles such as director and editor were credited towards my name. I wanted it to feel more like a high budget film, where hundreds of people work on it together and are all named in the credits.

THE RUBBERNECK

My Creative Critical Reflection

     After many grueling hours, it's finally been finished. My health has slowly worsened these past few weeks from no sleep, but if I get a decent grade then it would have been all worth it. This was probably my least favorite part of the project, it took way too much time to make and I really think a simple blog post would have done the trick, but rules are rules. What a rollercoaster of emotions I felt during my time working on this project. At the end of the day though, I think it came out well and I'm happy, so enjoy!

CCR

Finished Editing + What I Learned Overall

     I finally finished editing my project. Because editing is my weak spot, it took me quite a while to make something that I considered good, but it's over now. I had to deal with a couple of obstacles along the way, but now I can concentrate everything towards my creative critical reflection.

    

    As you can see, the software I'm using to edit my film looks different from the previous screenshots I shared in my older posts. That's because I had to switch to CutShot, as OpenShot was simply not cutting it. It was so basic I knew that submitting my project with OpenShot being what I used to edit my film would likely land me with a C as my maximum grade. So, I asked a friend and he showed my CutShot, so I decided to go with the change. Of course, that meant I had to redo my editing. It took some time, but I got what I had edited in OpenShot and managed to replicate it somewhat onto CutShot, but with better effects added on. However, this did lead me to another sort of major issue: I had no idea how to use it and the deadline was looming in.

    CutShot had a ton of more features and different effects that could be used for my scenes. As such, I felt completely overwhelmed and had no idea where to start. Fortunately, I was able to find a ton of videos giving tutorials on how to use CutShot. Once these videos told me where to I can go to add words onto my film or apply fade-ins, etc., it became relatively simple to handle. Long story short, OpenShot is not going to have a nice review from me.

Shoutout to this channel, they really helped me out with quick and easy to understand tutorials

    For the last two months, I've been working and taking hours out of my schedule every week to make this project something I can be proud of. When the project was first announced, I'll admit that I was annoyed. Having to do 20+ blog posts, a CCR, and a film opening sounded like it would take me 6 months minimum. Especially the movie part, as I had barely done any improvements on my editing skills since I joined the class. I mean, I already get less than 10 hours of sleep in a full school week, my body feels weak all the time during classes, I need to study for the SAT in May, and I can almost never concentrate when working on schoolwork. So, getting this project on top of everything else felt like someone punched me in the gut. But the truth is, it wasn't that bad in the end. The blog posts were time-consuming, but they weren't difficult to make since I actually did the work and didn't have to make-up stuff. I haven't done the CCR yet, but if I managed to pull through with creating an opening that I'm actually proud to have made, then I think I can also make a CCR that I will be proud of. I also had a great time hanging out with friends who volunteered to act in my film piece, so that was nice. Granted, there were a lot of bumps down the road during my journey leading up to and during this project, such as having a minor Covid scare (luckily, I tested negative). I'm not lying when doing this project reminded me of something: just because it's a school assignment does not automatically make it boring. Granted, I would have preferred to indulge in my hobbies rather than research and make a film opening, but I'm glad that I got this experience. This was a unique experience to me, so the change of pace felt nice. 

    If there are two things I learned from this whole thing, it's that planning is everything in order to be successful in school and in the future, and that working in the film industry is much harder than I had originally believed. If this blog portion of the project was optional, I would not have done it. And that would have led me to do everything-the research, planning, filming, editing-the last week or two before it was due. So, while these blog posts cost me a lot of my time, they ultimately did help me earn a better grade than what I would get had this not been part of the final grade. Also, I really used to envy people like Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino, and anyone else whose role focused around the camera and deciding how a scene should be shot. I genuinely believed that their jobs were insanely easy for the money they make. What's so hard about getting a good camera angle, I thought. Well, after enduring this project, I realize how much talent they have for what they do, as well as how much effort is put into films. It took me a couple of hours with my friends to simply create a 2 minute opening. But if I were to create a whole film, now that'd be impossible. This project has certainly opened my eyes up with what goes on behind the scenes when producing a film.

    

Certain Changes to My Film

    Before I finish editing my film together, I need to address some overall changes that are occurring in my project and in the editing process. While the changes made were not necessary, I personally believe that the changes I decided to make are better than what was originally intended and will help me earn a better grade.

    One of the changes made was how some of the shots were made. Originally I had not thought of these two angles to produce, but my friends suggested it and when we filmed it, it turned out better than I had expected so I'm adding it into the final edit. For example, after the two men begin running from the Rubberneck, I took shots of simply their feet as they run and then the Rubberneck's shortly afterward, to convey the idea that they are being chased. We did not really know how to properly get a good chase scene with the people jumping over bushes, etc. so we thought this was a good compromise. Furthermore, there was a small puddle which would reflect ourselves when we stood near it because of the intense sunlight. That caused us to film a suspenseful and brilliant (in my opinion) scene where the Rubberneck attacks one of the characters, but it is only shown through the reflection of the puddle, leaving the audience wondering who died. This leads to another change that definitely needs to be discussed, which is what happened to the two characters in my story? It is not revealed who dies. At first, I planned to kill either the Nerd or the Jock, but I thought it might be better if it never is revealed and the audience has to wonder who passed, if both of them passed, or if they even died. I think this would help them stay rooted to their seats and watch the rest of the story, hoping it is revealed later on in the film of who died. 

    Another change I made was the editing software I was using. OpenShot was honestly to basic and did not have a lot of the features I needed to make this work. I would look for something basic to use, but it would not have that effect. So, I asked a couple of friends what software they are using and one of them suggested I use ShotCut, so I got it. I had to transfer all the editing I had done to the other application, but I think I managed to do it and it'll allow me to have a better edited film.

    Another change I made was to the introduction to my opening. When I filmed with my friends, I made sure to take a couple of shots of the scenery to provide establishing shots of the peaceful environments. It would also be around this part that I would quickly add the credits so that the audience does not have to see the names as important stuff is occurring. However, viewing the shots I took left me unsatisfied. They were small clips and I feel like they would abruptly change if were to put them together in the video. In my opinion, it felt like the audience was teleporting around the environment, making it feel weird. As a result, I returned to where we had filmed and took some shots by myself. Not going to lie, I felt pretty lonely since it was just me in that place but I think I got some good pieces. I made long continuous scenes because it'll give me time to put the credits there, and it will help the audience see the location and have a better grasp of it. Furthermore, now that it is one long tracking shot, the audience will feel like they are physically walking there and are about to be attacked, which is what I was going for.

Editing the Scenes Together Pt. 1

    Finally started the scariest part of the project for me: editing everything together. Just the thought of it definitely worries me. Still, it was now or never, so I decided to start it right away. After a couple of hours of organizing my clips and editing them together, combining them, cropping stuff out, adding music in the background to have tone, etc., I made a ton of progress. There were a couple of issues I made while filming, but I did my best to work around it and adapt to the situation. I will honestly be really mad if I get a failing grade on this because I truly believe I tried extremely hard to get the best possible opening I could think of.

    One thing that definitely had me a bit nervous during editing was the software I was using. Like I said in one of my first posts concerning the Cambridge project, I'm using OpenShot due to how basic it was to a newbie such as myself. The problem that had me concerned was that it might be too simple and I should probably look for another application. Instead, I held back my fears and went ahead with it.

    At first, I was wondering what I was going to do with the background music that I wanted to add into my opening. My teacher had told the class how we couldn't use copyrighted music in our opening without permission from the original creator, so I looked around the Internet searching for free music anyone could use. It took a while, but eventually I found FreePD.com, which had a ton of useful files of different music I could incorporate into my opening.

    Because of my genre (horror), I looked for music that interrupted the environment or caused the audience to jump in their seats. Whenever I think about this, I always look back to the screeching violins that were used in Psycho when the woman was murdered in the shower. In my opinion, it's a great example of what to look for.

    Again, even though I was editing for a long time, there is still some left to do. I'm still in the beginning to middle stages of the editing process, but I'm confident I can get it done by the next two blog posts. Either way, the final two blog posts are coming up, so I need to finish this quickly so that I can work on my creative critical reflection.

    

Movie Has Been Filmed!

     After a lot of checking up with people and seeing if our schedules aligned, we finally set the date for me to pick up my actors around 1 P.M. on Tuesday, March 23rd. My family went to visit relatives in Chicago and I stayed at home because I had a ton of schoolwork to focus on, so I was basically free at any time. When I picked them up, I was originally intending to bring them and film at the spot that I had found in my previous blog post, but I was also going to act for my friend's film, so they needed a location that was convenient for everyone. Luckily, my friends had done their own scouting beforehand and found a spot that was perfect for everyone's film piece. When they told me to drive to our town's community, I was extremely hesitant because I've been there many times and could not recall a setting that appeared abandoned or had lots of vegetation surrounding the area to resemble a forest. However, as we got out of the car, they took me to a place that required passing through a couple bushes to get there. That's when we ended up in a completely different place that I've never seen before. It was full of trees and grass, had a marsh on the side, and it was an overall great place to film. 

    My film had a couple of modifications in the end, but the general story and overall idea is still the same. In terms of technical differences, I had brought my earphones and Airpods, intending to hide them somewhere in my clothes so that the audio could be heard well. However, when we tested the scenes without the earphones, it sounded good, so we decided to simply film it without them. I have a Samsung, and the camera/video features definitely lag behind those of the iPhone, so I used my friend's phone to film the project. 

    I think the major difference my film had to my original plan was the emphasis on the doll. Originally, the doll was mostly meant as a prop for the Rubberneck, serving as a clue for the audience to understand that the villain is some sort of deranged child. However, when me and my friends would place the doll on the trees in the setting it just appeared so ominous and scary. In actuality, the doll scared me and my friends more than the actual Rubberneck. So, we decided that the doll should have a ton of more screen time to make the audience realize who the real villain is.

    All in all, I think all the clips I got were really good. A lot of them had to be done multiple times because we knew they could be better, our acting wasn't on point, there was a mistake, etc. Once I'm done editing everything together, I really do think it'll end up looking like a good opening. Like I said a lot of times in my last couple of posts however, my editing skills are below average, so I really need to step up for this part.

Location Found!

    Today was the second day that I went out to look for a potential location that I would use for my film opening. Like I said in my previous post, I came much more prepared than last time, looking up different locations on Google to get an idea of where to look. And it paid off, because I think I found a good place to film.

    After I found four locations on Google writing "abandoned places near me", a couple places loaded up and I wrote them down. Next, I went to Google Maps to see exactly where the areas were and if I had access to them. Two places were automatically scratched off; the only way into one of them was through a gated community, while the other one was simply impossible to get to on foot or car. 

    That only left me with two other spots to check, but they were directly across from one another, so that was lucky. After driving for a couple of minutes, I finally arrived where Google Maps had directed me towards. To get into one of the places, I had to turn left and then drive straight ahead, according to Maps. Once you turned, the asphalt roads turned to dirt, and you would be greeted by a cow enclosed in a large fence. Private property could land me in trouble, so I decided not to go there and just take the loss.

    The other place, however, had no road leading into it. It was a little passage through some trees on the side of the road. So, I parked my car on the gravel washboard, which was a little bit farther away from the passage. I then got out to investigate the area, and it looked really good. There was a small metal gate to block any cars from passing through, so I don't know the legality of walking past the gate. I'm going to have to do some research and ask people if I can film in that area, but I most likely will. In my opinion, it's too good to pass up and I don't believe I could get into any trouble if I film there.

    One thing I really liked about the location that added to overall setting in my horror film opening was the canal that can be seen on the first picture. I think towards the end of the opening, as one of the characters is being dragged away by the Rubberneck, the other sees the tubes that the audience can also see, running towards it because that means he is getting closer to civilization and away from danger. I don't want to jinx anything, but if I manage to resolve the dialogue, my project could turn out just how I want it.

Scouting a Location for my Film

     Today, I finally hit the road and went around the city looking for a place to film my horror opening. With the due date getting closer and closer, I'm starting to panic. I'm looking for a spot ahead of time so that I won't be searching for a location last minute. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find what I determined to be a suitable setting, so tomorrow I'm going to go around another area of the city to see if I can find what I'm envisioning. If nothing comes up, I'll have to film in Markham Park, but I don't feel like the settings there would make it look authentic enough, which is why it's more of a final option.

     In my mind, I'm thinking of a forested area covered in vegetation, like the picture I took above. I also want the area to not have a lot of cars passing through so that it won't be heard in my film and cause a distraction to the audience, ruining the isolated atmosphere I was going for. In my opinion, this setting would have been perfect to film. It looks good enough that people would believe it to be some kind of birch tree forest. Unfortunately, the entire floor past the bushes was a lake full of lily pads and things. 

     I think the area that I was looking around was close to the Everglades because a lot of the forested areas were submerged in water. Don't get me wrong, it could have worked for filming, but I'm not trying to get eaten by an alligator.

    Most of these areas were covered in water, while other areas were gated and we weren't allowed to enter. I'm going to try again tomorrow and see if I can locate the perfect spot. I searched up "abandoned places near me" and a couple of street names and pictures appeared on my screen, so I'll look into those places next time.

 

Group Discussion Post #2

     Today in class, my teacher decided to have another one of those breakout room sessions (since we are virtually learning) where she splits the entire class into groups of 5 or 6 students and then lets us discuss with each other the progress we have done concerning our Cambridge projects. These discussions are useful since we can obtain new information on how and when to use certain film techniques in our opening, as well as allow us to explain any problems we are experiencing so that someone can provide a solution.

     One of the members in my group was doing a horror like me (!), but in the perspective of the killer. It would start with them buying something at a 7-Eleven and they would pick up a newspaper where there is a headline about a killer on the loose. The whole time, the face of the person is never shown, with POV and over the shoulder shots being used to conceal their face. I really liked the idea they had in mind, as it was different from the usual horror film where we watch from the victim's perspective. A lot of the shots they planned on using sounded like I could incorporate it as well, such as having a prop cover up the killer. In my case, I could have a tree partially cover the Rubberneck when the two characters first notice him hiding.

     Another person was doing a drama about a couple of high school friends who were struggling internally about what to do with themselves in the future. What I really liked about their idea was that they were able to adapt to the obstacles thrown at them. Originally, they planned on having a scene take place at the my school's auditorium, but they were not allowed to. So, they decided to have the scene take place online, in the form of a Microsoft Teams meeting. I personally think the online route was better anyways, considering the current state of the situation we are all in. Them having to ask the school for permission to use the auditorium reminded me that I probably have to ask around to see if I can use a location I have in mind. If I'm not allowed to, then I will have to search elsewhere.

     Furthermore, another student was planning on doing a drama about a student struggling from mental abuse at home. They planned on having using juxtaposition to show the differences in her life at home and at school. I really liked this idea, and I feel like I can also incorporate this into my opening. I could use it at the end of my opening when the Rubberneck manages to snatch one of the actors, there will be a shot showing the horror of one person as they are being taken away, while a cut to the other person will show them happy that they made it out alive.

    One student decided to make a drama/coming-of-age story about a deaf girl who plays the piano and meets another girl, who begins learning sign language after finding out the other one can not hear. The plot for the student's film was very interesting in my opinion because it reminded me of movies I have seen, such as A Silent Voice. 

    Lastly, someone opted for a comedy about two girls who wake up after a house party and have no recollection of the events that occurred, only knowing that there parents are on there way back, unaware that their house is trashed. I rally like this idea because of the potential it has, as well as the fact that I have a soft spot for comedies. 

    One concern that I had with my project was the audio. I did not have any idea on how to properly get the audience to hear what the two characters would be saying to each other at the beginning. At first, I was thinking about using either AirPods because I have a pair, or go to Walmart and buy one of the cheap small ones they offer. However, someone had a really good idea of what to do in order to record audio. They would have the characters wear earphones that would blend into their fashion. For me, I could have my characters have earphones around their necks and see if the audio can be recorded well enough for the audience to understand it. This way, I can get my dialogue without having to buy a mic while still making it look like a fashion choice. Teens my age are really into music, listening to it everywhere they go. So, having earphones around the neck will not look weird at all.

Changes to the Rubberneck

     After a lot of careful thinking, I thought it would be best if I made some slight alterations to the design of the Rubberneck and added an extra prop onto him. The reason for this change was due to the people that I have access to as my actors, as well as adding to the scariness factor. Originally, I had planned to make The Rubberneck a tall, muscle figure that looked intimidating. I figured that his look and intimidation would make the audience tense and scared. However, that design would only make him look like your average criminal/serial killer, and I needed something other than his utility knife that would make him unique and unforgettable. Not only that, but for my available actors, I had only one tall friend that told me I could use him for a role. The problem with that is I needed a tall villain and another tall person to be one of the victims; to be more specific, The Jock also needed to be tall in order for it to be easier for the audience to know what kind of archetype I was going for. The Jock has a dominant aura to him, so the large height would help convey that. Also, girls like tall guys (unfortunately for me), and his tallness would imply to the audience he probably has a girlfriend or is at least popular with the ladies. So, if I were to my friend play The Jock, someone much smaller (and therefore less intimidating) would have to play the killer, and vice versa. For those reasons, I decided to make a few changes to the antagonist in my opening. 

    As for what I decided to change, I think I am going to give the Rubberneck a more evil spirit presence- something supernatural. Because I could not go for that big burly killer, I'm opting to make the killer seem more child-like than originally intended. Now, the killer in my mind is fairly short (at least than originally intended), wear most likely the same get-up, but this time have him hold some sort of doll on his other hand to enforce that child-like nature of his to the audience. Because the killer will appear to be a kid (I hope), the audience will associate the killer as being some sort of ghost or evil spirit. Kids in horror movies are usually demonic or other worldly, so my movie would not be as realistic as I wanted to, but it doesn't really matter. For the doll, I am going to look around my house for any plush toys that I have lying around that would scare the audience. If I can't find any, I'm going to have to ask my friends if they have one lying around and if they don't, I'll probably just buy one at my local Walmart.

    Dolls in horror movies are extremely helpful in scaring the audience. Personally, I find that dolls are really creepy, especially those that are meant to resemble actual human babies. Thinking that they could in fact be alive or at least possessed by some demon really scares me. And horror movies are the reason I hate/fear them. For almost a century, dolls in horror movies have completely changed the way people view toys aimed at little kids. Because of their effective way in making the audience scared of dolls, people developed pediophobia from it, or the fear of dolls. In fact, a 2013 paper by psychologist Frank McAndrew saw that "collecting dolls" was named as one of the creepiest hobbies. A lot of this has to do with the fact that there are actual stories of cursed dolls that have caused misfortunate events on people, such as Robert the Doll. It also has to do with the fact that dolls look too much like humans. Our brains are made to read faces for any kind of emotion, intentions, etc. Look at a doll that looks human but exhibits none of the traits above is quite odd. Either way, scary dolls produce results, so I'm going through this route.

The Boy (2016)

Elements of a Horror that Make a Film Scary...Part 2

    I decided that I should probably investigate a couple more elements to see if I could incorporate it into my film. I figured that the more elements that are added onto my film, the better chances I'll have of scaring my audience AKA Cambridge, and then that will hopefully increase my score for the final project.

Dismemberment

    People fear being dismembered because losing an arm or a leg, for example, is essentially losing a part of yourself as a person. Not only that, but just the thought and pain that occurs when losing a physical body part is enough to make a few pass out in horror. This is one reason why the Saw franchise is so popular among horror fanatics. In the movies, the only way to escape the traps set up by the sick genius known as John Kramer, or simply Jigsaw, is to cut a part of your body, or the traps will do it for you, except death is guaranteed. 

Saw III (2006)

Suspense

    You might be annoyed with the amount of times that I've mentioned suspense within my blog. But, it plays such a huge role in horrors that it needs to be mentioned often so that I do not forget to include it within my piece. Suspense is a most for horrors because it makes the audience anticipate ahead of time that something terrible will take place, but they do not know when. Sometimes, suspense is used in a horror in such a shocking way, such as the main character getting killed in the end, for example, that the audience is still surprised by the events that took place.

Us (2019)

Creepy Music (Score)

    You can't have a scary movie without the music in the background that helps make everything scarier and more suspenseful. That's what music in horror generally does; it creates moods and emotion. Music in horror can be creepy to frighten the audience, or it can be used to flow along with the actions of a character. For example, an eerie sound can play as someone slowly approaches a dark closet; as they get closer to the closet, that eerie music gets stronger until it is blaring at full volume. In this case, the music is meant to make us feel tense because we know something scary is about to occur, and shocked once it finally does happen.

Psycho (1960)

Lightning and Thunder

    Children are generally afraid of what they do not know. When we first see lightning or hear thunder, we have no clue what we witnessed. I remember when I saw lightning for the first time; I really thought the world was ending. And then the deafening sound that came afterword shook both me and the earth below me. As stated previously, fears we have during childhood may go away when we become adults, but that feeling will come back if horror movies utilize it correctly. The flash of light that goes off before hearing a sort of "CRACK!" pierces the skies. The quick flash and loud sound that it creates make the audience startled and raises their blood pressure. Although it rarely happens, lightning is capable of striking down on someone and ending their life, which is another factor of where most of that fear derives from.

Fear of the Unusual

    Lastly, similar to the idea of being afraid of disfigurement, people are also scared of what we perceive as different or unusual. Some horror movies use this technique to make an everyday item such as a doll into a terrifying source of evil. By taking something not considered scary and making it into something out of our nightmares, it becomes unusual to us and therefore scary.

Anabelle: Creation (2017)

    I definitely will use some of these things for my horror movie opening. I could give my villain a doll that he carries around, and seeing that would make the audience scared and confused; however, that also means having them try to fit into that role. Also, because we live in Florida, I feel it can be relatively easy to incorporate the sound of thunder and lightning into my opening. If I get lucky enough, the weather will begin to start lightning while I'm filming, so I can simply add that to the piece. Furthermore, I am also planning on finding some sort of suspenseful music to make certain scenes stand out more. For example, towards the end, I plan on having one character be on the floor, when suddenly they are dragged out of the screen while screaming. The minute they start moving out of frame, I could add some sort of screeching violins like they did in Psycho in the hopes that it enhances the scare factor I am trying to go for.

Elements of a Horror that Make a Film Scary...

     As you already know, the entire point of horror movies is to grab the greatest fears and phobias of the audience and bring it to life. For years, certain elements of horror movies have been used so often that it is now scary to us by default. Here, I'm going to explore the certain elements in horror movies that are effective in making the audience afraid and excited.

Fear of Death

    Research has shown that death is the fear that scares the audience the most, both existentially and psychologically. That is why it is common for characters in a horror movie to get killed by the villain or antagonist of the story. Knowing that their life is about to reach its end frightens the audience and makes the villain seem that much more scarier.

Saw (2004)

The Dark

    During childhood, one of the most horrifying things to us is the dark. Some people don't even grow out of that fear, but most do. However, that feeling will still always be there whenever we see a scene full of just darkness. And what scares us is not the dark, but what kind of monster or creature could be hiding within it to scare us. Funny enough, I'm currently writing this at 3:04 AM in the living room couch with all the lights turned off so my parents don't wake up and realize I'm still awake and working. As I search for pictures to put on my blog, some scary images appeared and now I'm a little worried that something will attack me as I write this.

Lights Out (2016)

Insects and Other Creepy Crawlers

    Anything that crawls around the floor or resembles an insect, such as a spider or rat, is already considered scary by many, so much so that a lot of people have phobias of said animals. In scary movies, these pests commonly come up close to the character and come into contact with them, increasing that phobia. Some movies even make these animals abnormally large, such as in King Kong, which added to the overall fear and gross factor of the film.

Slender Man (2018)

Scary/Isolated Locations

    Certain settings and places combined with other elements create for a fear-inducing film. Places that are usually described as creepy or uncomfortable to be in alone add to the frightful atmosphere that horrors try to depict. Graveyards, large forests, attics and basements, etc. all have dark spaces within it, allowing for evil entities to hide in. Even if there is nothing there but darkness, the audience will still be afraid because in the back of their mind, something is lurking there.

Pet Sematary (2019)

Disfigurement

    Some things that come to the minds of people when they think about blood and gore in horror movies would be disfigured bodies lying the ground, disfigured facial features on the villain, etc. Many people, when they see the burned and messed up face of the infamous Freddy Krueger, scream in horror and are terrified at such a sight. As it turns out, infants associate uneven and disordered faces with fear, which is most likely where we get that fear as we grow up and watch horror movies.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

    Looking at these elements, I will definitely be using some of these and incorporate them into my opening. One of my characters will be killed by my slasher at the end of the opening, which plays into the fear of death. Furthermore, my desired location, which is a forest or simply an abandoned area (if I can not find a suitable environment that resembles a forest), plays into that fear of scary places. If I feel the need to add anymore elements, I will choose another one from the ones listed above or research a few more before I finally begin recording. 

Script for my Opening

    Because the due is getting closer and closer, I really need to start the going through the process of filming the scenes needed for my opening. However, to make things go smoothly when filming does begin, I decided that I should create a script for the actors so that they know what to say ahead of time and practice in the mean time. So, when it finally is time to film, they will all be prepared and everything will be completed faster. 

THE RUBBERNECK SCRIPT

How I Will Produce the Film

     As it is almost time for me to start filming, I need to look through my inventory and see what items will help me to produce, mix, and edit and scenes together. No horror film will come out looking good if the camera quality or the equipment in general is not up to standard with the technology of today, so I need to make sure everything I have is up to date. If I need to buy something at my local Walmart, then I will probably buy it if the price is good.

    I have a Samsung S10E, and all of my previous projects where I recorded something have been through my phone's camera. However, this is the final Cambridge project we're talking about. As such, I will most likely be using the phone of my friend's iPhone due to the superior camera and video quality. Every time I finish filming a scene for my opening, I will send the video from his iPhone to my Email. While this will take longer than simply filming from my phone, I want to get the best possible score on this, so I will take the extra steps necessary.

    Lighting will not be a problem because I will be filming during the day. The only realistic issue I see coming my way is that the sun will be extremely bright while filming and it will make the video hard to see. Considering it's March and approaching Spring, as well as living in Florida, it could be a concern. Worse comes to worse, I will change the contrast of the video to make it more visible for the audience to see what is happening, but still realistic enough that they won't notice a change.

    Once my Email has all the scenes sent from my friend's iPhone, I can easily access it through my laptop and begin the editing process, my weakness. All year, I have been using the app known as OpenShot Video Editor for my films. It is really basic and makes it so that someone like me, who has no experience whatsoever with editing, can decently put together a small piece. Unfortunately, it might be a little too basic, as it does not have a lot of features that other video editing applications have, such as small animation effects. If I have to, I'll use the free trial of some other application that has features beyond my imagination, such as Wondershare.

    

    My main concern with this whole thing is how my editing will turn out. Again, I have stated this previously many times, but my editing needs a lot of improvements. Thankfully, when we were doing group work within our projects, I met a lot of people that are good with editing that I became friends(?) with. I have their numbers so if I feel like I need help, I can ask them for any tips and tricks on how to improve my editing. I will also ask what software they use to make their films, which will be a big help.

Setting for My Film

     One of the most important aspects and most basic element necessary for a story, the setting is where the scenes take place. It describes the "where" and "what" of the plot, giving the audience context as to what they are seeing. In horror movies, the setting can vary widely, from a dark secluded room that the character is trapped in, to an entire woodland forest where an evil entity chases them at night. When it comes to the setting, there are many factors that need to be considered in order to effectively create the perfect horror environment.

Alternate History

    This is when the setting uses a historical event but diverges it from what actually happened. For example, I could talk about a top secret experiment that goes wrong during WWII, causing fallen soldiers to rise from the dead and attack their comrades. However, due to my budget and current circumstances, I'm staying away from this type of setting. Still, it would have been cool to do something like this.

Time Period

    The time period in horror can also have an impact in the setting. Most horrors take place in the present, but others have made it occur in different times that are not our own. Depending on what you are trying to go for, the time period will help create a sense of realism within that film. For example, in the 2015 horror The Witch takes place in 17th century New England. In that time period, settlers were terrified of witches, believing that they would abduct their children to eat. Because the villain in the story is a witch, the time period helps the audience settle into the story better and provides some context about the situation.

The Witch (2015)

Location

    This is the physical location of the setting- a forest, house, etc. People can connect the setting with a certain emotion. A house in the woods makes them think about paranormal activities. The desert makes reminds them of heat and dehydration. In my case, the woods/forest reminds the audience of isolation. 

The Forest (2016)

Day Or Night?

    Horror films are mostly known for taking place at night, as the dark background makes it easier to create fear and a sense of something evil lurking within the dark or unknown. However, this is over-used, so it has lost some of its charm over the years. Having it during the day can make the story slightly more original, as now the audience can not connect the daylight to safety and security, which would add to the overall horror effect.

Final Thoughts

    In my case, I need to consider what is convenient for me and what would work best with what I have. After a lot of thinking, I have a general idea of what my setting for the film opening will look like (with 99% certainty). Set during the day, the characters will find themselves hopelessly lost in some sort of abandoned part of town close to a heavily forested area. Due to a practically non-existent budget, it will be set in a normal timeline (no alternate history) and take place during this time period. Personally, I would love to go for an old timey-vibe where the characters are wearing clothes from the 90s because the audience would get that classic horror feeling. Unfortunately, I do not have the clothes that fit well with that time period, so I'm going to have to stick with today's fashion. As for the location specifically, I think I have found the perfect place. All I did was search up abandoned areas in my suburb online and found a few good locations. Over the course of 1 week (maybe more due to a heavy load of daily assignments), I will be visiting each of these locations to see if they are what I envision as the opening for my film. Worse comes to worse, I will go to Markham Park, which is close by and can offer really good shots.

Group Discussion

     Today in class our teacher gave us the opportunity to meet with other classmates through Microsoft Teams and discuss what we had done so far concerning our final project for Cambridge. I was put into a breakout room with 4 other people, and we began talking about our genre and plot for our story.

    One person was doing a psychological film mixed with horror elements. They wanted it to be about a man who could not hear for some reason suddenly hear a loud bang, and music would play throughout the opening to create suspense. I had completely forgotten about the musical aspect of my film, and hearing their idea on how they want to incorporate it reminded me that I have to think about that. I want the beginning to be silent so that the audience can focus on what is being said by the two characters, and then when the killer is introduced there will be a quiet melody of violins, which slowly ramps up as he walks towards the characters. Once everyone breaks into a run, the violins will be blaring across the opening to raise the tension among the viewers.

    Another person decided on an adventure piece that would have a voiceover in the beginning, something I had not thought about implementing. I really liked the idea of using a voiceover, as it could definitely introduce the audience with the basic premise of the story or what the character is like. However, I will not use it because I do not think it would mix well with my genre or what I have in mind.

    Continuing, someone else had decided to do a drama revolving around a kid's life in school. They wanted to film multiple shots in the dark to get symbolistic concepts integrated in the piece, which I thought was interesting. They had LED lights and other tools to help them, which was also smart. However, I plan on filming in during the day, so I do not think lighting in my piece will be an issue. They also wanted to have some sort of color scheme in the piece to create a sense of formalism, using Lady Bird (2017) as an example. I am going for a sense of realism, so this did not help me in terms of adding something new to my film.

    Finally, the last person was doing a romantic comedy surrounding two kids and their lives. They really enjoy watching this type of film, so they were confident they would make it work. Personally, I find having to create a comedy difficult because you have to be really fun so that the audience will laugh, and I do not want to risk that for Cambridge. One thing I liked what she said was that she planned on filming some scenes at the park. The specific park mentioned would be a really good spot to film my scenes, so I wrote that down in case I decided to film there.

    One issue we all seemed to agree on was the editing aspect of our film. Almost all of us were not confident in our editing skills because either grades were low when we did edit, or the projects that were graded higher had someone else in our group edit the project.

Storyboarding

     I feel a little worried with the progress I have done on this project. I feel like I should have already done the the storyboards, but here I am only just getting around to it. Sure, it may feel like I still have plenty of time to work on it, but so many tests are coming around the corner that I am dreading the next month and a half. While I am not too worried on filming the actual opening, what scares me the most will be the editing process. My editing needs to be top tier to effectively scare the audience, but knowing that my skills could definitely use improvements, I am afraid that I'll fail to deliver. Hopefully I can pull it off, because my Cambridge grade depends on it. For now, enjoy my storyboards for the film, which should make things easier when I finally decide to record.

    The film would open up with an establishing shot of characters J and N (Jock and Nerd) walking through a heavily forested area. J is clearly annoyed/mad at N, saying that it is his fault that they got lost trying to find the way to their friend's party, he can't believe how N got invited in the first place, etc. In the next scene, J has had enough of N being so quiet and pushes him onto the floor for a reaction. An over the shoulder shot from J shows N slowly pick himself up and fix his glasses, before noticing something out of the frame, prompting J to turn around as well.

    In this section, the two subjects are not in view, but they make some sort of gasping sound to let the audience know that they spotted something weird off in the distance. Hiding behind bushes and trees, they see a masked person with their hands behind their back, as well as tilting their head about 60 degrees. The Nerd begins panicking, explaining about a rumor they had heard a while back about a killer who wanders the forest looking for victims. People called him "The Rubberneck" because of how he moves his head in a funny manner while watching his victims. The Jock, not buying it, laughs it off and mocks the killer. Only when a utility knife is pulled out from behind the killer do they realize how much trouble they could be in, so they start running.

    In this section, the two characters decide it's every man for himself, running in opposite directions hoping the killer chases after the other. Parallel editing will show the perspectives and surroundings of each person, but at the same time let the audience know that both are occurring simultaneously. While The Jock is running and jumping over bushes, rocks, etc. like an athlete, The Nerd is simply running straight with his hands over his head.

    And that's all I had drawn for today's post. I plan on probably finishing it up over the weekend so I can have it ready for filming. What I had not drawn yet includes the POV scene of the killer chasing either The Nerd or The Jock; it is not meant to show who he is chasing, as this will create suspense within the audience because they do not know who will get jump scared and die. Another scene left to draw would be when both characters hear a rustle from some nearby bushes and as they are bracing to be attacked one of them is greeted to a lizard or some sort of animal, while the other is killed by the Rubberneck.

 

Target Audience & Representation in Horror

     Before I can elaborate further on my film opening, I went ahead and did some more research on the horror genre so I could understand more about this type of film. I had a general idea about who horrors were directed at, but to be honest, I  had no clue about anything related to representation in the horror film industry.

Target Audience

    Horror films are aimed at an audience between the ages of 15 to 30. Going lower than that would go into the range of kids who are still to young to enjoy this type of film because they are too busy crying or covering their eyes due to the violence and villain, making them terrified. On the other hand, going towards an audience that is not young adults would lead into territory where they were not desensitized to blood and violence when they were little because they did not grow up with technology. As a result, they would view the gory special effects as too much and would not be able to handle it. As people get older, they tend to gravitate more towards drama or romantic films, topics that many young kids and teens typically view as boring. This is why the range of 15 to 30 is a good target audience for a horror; teens and young adults within this group are into thrills, as it is excites a younger audience more than it would an older one.

    Furthermore, people in this target audience like to get that rush of adrenaline while watching a movie. The extra blood pumping into their veins and faster heart rate is something young people love to experience when watching a quick chase sequence. Meanwhile, the same cannot be said for older people, as an adrenaline rush is likely to put stress on their heart and have other health implications. 

Representation

    Representation in horror movies has often been subject to criticism by everyone. Women in the film are usually shown as being the damsel in the distress who needs the help of a strong, male character (The Nice Guy). Also, many women who are attacked in a horror movie have often committed some sort of sinful act, as if being murdered is some sort of sick punishment for them. Horror movies would portray women as the victims unless they were shown to have masculine traits or characteristics, while men were the heroes or the killers. However, over the years, this has become less of a problem, as more horror movies are giving women the star role and are able to figure out how to beat the villain without help from their knight in shining armor.

    Something horror movies are heavily criticized for is racism and lack of representation of minorities. Many films have a pre-dominantly white cast and focus on developing only them, leaving the minorities to have little development throughout the film. They would only have a minor role to play, so nothing much is ever really expanded on them. For example, black male characters in a horror are mostly known for either being the best friend of the main character or for the presumed trope that they are likely to die first at the hands of the villain.

Creating the Characters That Will Star in my Opening

    Now that I have the basic idea of what my opening is going to be like, I need to create a background for the three characters that will appear in the film. One of them, of course, will be the villain who chases the two other characters throughout the forest. The two characters will be dressed so that the audience can distinguish them as being The Jock and The Nerd. While I still do not fully know where would be the perfect place to film, I am going to go on Google Maps to see if I can find any locations near me that would be an ideal environment for the story. 

Villain/Killer: The Rubberneck

    For the villain, I decided to give them that name because the term "rubberneck" is defined as staring at something or someone in a comical manner. So, there will be a famous rumor within the story of the film that talks about a masked person who awkwardly stares at their next victims from a distance. When The Jock and The Nerd see the masked figure tilt his head in a childish fashion, they will recognize the situation they are in and run, which will introduce the background of the movie to the audience. In terms of the costume, I went around my house looking for something that the killer could wear. I found a creepy skull mask that would definitely scare me if I was wandering in a forested area and saw someone staring at me with it. I also created this all-black getup that would make the villain practically invisible at night, which would make it obvious that I should film at night. Unfortunately, due to certain events, my parents have not been allowing me to be out when it starts to get dark for my high school years, so it will prove rather difficult to film under the desired conditions. As such, I will most likely film during the day, but as of now it is still undecided.

    The thing I like most about the Rubberneck would be his choice of weapon: a utility knife with two sharp edges instead of one and with small razor edges along the side. I did not want to go with the classic kitchen knife that slashers such as Michael Myers or Ghostface, but at the same time I wanted to stick to those roots. I thought the utility knife was a perfect fit, and the design was unique enough that the audience would definitely connect my slasher with that specific knife for years to come.

Ryan (The Jock)

    The Jock known in the film as Ryan will be a good-looking guy with a decent build. In the beginning of the opening where he is conversing with The Nerd, he will be talking in a condescending tone and make the audience sympathize with the other actor. His constant bickering with the other archetype is common since The Jock and The Nerd do not mix well at all. If the audience does not connect Ryan as being a jock, his choice to wear a jersey of his favorite team will support the idea that he is also into sports. Furthermore, he will be wearing dog tags, which is connected to the Marines, which also correlates to staying in shape and being active.

Gordon (The Nerd)

    Gordon, AKA The Nerd in my film, will be a small guy (compared to Ryan) wearing glasses. He and Ryan will be arguing with each other when the scene begins, and it will show Gordon as an outcast and introverted. He does not directly look at Ryan while talking, showing he is not confident in what he is saying. Furthermore, at the end of their argument, Gordon will be shoved on the floor and get dirt on himself, representing his weaker social status to someone such as The Jock. While I do not have an idea of what clothes he will wear, I found some sneakers that were old and were originally hand-me-downs. The Nerd typically either has no fashion sense or does not care about their image, so I thought it would go well with the archetype.

Outline for My Film Project

    For my film project, I decided on my film opening being outside in a heavily forested or simply far away from buildings, infrastructure, etc. Because I live in Florida, finding a place like this is fairly easy. I could either film close to my neighborhood or go to a nearby park, so I will drive around those areas until I find a spot that looks really good on camera.

    I want my film to be introduced with a fast paced running-through-the-forest sequence followed by a slow scene where the character is taken out by the villain. Also, I want there to be 2 characters that are trying to run away from the antagonist. Throughout the opening, the scenes will transition between the location of both characters running in opposite directions, with another transition showing the villain chase after someone. This will be done so that the audience has no clue who is actually being chased until towards the end of the opening. So, as the scenes continuously change, they become slower and more silent as the character is trying to be quiet in the hopes that the pursuer does not find them. At the end, both characters will hear a loud rustle from a bush or a snap from a twig on the floor. Both frantically turn at the area where the sound was heard, only for one of them to be relieved when a small animal such as a lizard scurries out from the place. The audience will quickly be hit with a jump scare when the character who was not greeted by the animal gets attacked the villain, while a scene change shows the other person finally escaping the forested area and runs out onto the streets. The video below is a good example of a chase I would like to replicate. The dutch angle makes the shots look more chaotic and suspenseful, adding to the horror feel the movie creates.

    

Dead Wood (2007)

    However, something that was pointed out to me by my teacher has made me realize that I need to think more about what to incorporate into the opening. Simply begin the film with the two characters would be cheesy; it has to have some sort of context so that the chase sequences mean something; otherwise, it would be pointless to the audience and they would have no idea what to think about. As a result, I was thinking I could start the film with the two characters arguing with each other for getting themselves lost in the forest while on their way to a party at a camp. As they argue they would be greeted by the villain, who they spot staring at them a good distance a way with a mask covering their face. They ask if there is a problem and the masked figure responds by silently walking towards them, picking up pace and revealing a knife or a gun. At this point, both characters figure it is every man for himself and they run away in different directions, commencing the chase sequence.