Day 1 of Filming

We finally started filming our project, and filmed the bedroom scenes. Overall, it went pretty well, however, we had some challenges filming certain parts.


To begin, we had the shot of the alarm clock, and Parker, my partner, had the idea of cutting from the alarm clock to the bully's eye, who I am playing, to create a smooth cut. We found out that moving the camera closer to the subject creates a higher quality shot then simply zooming in. After these, we sat down and decided how to create the bruises on my arm. We could've had real bruises, but that would've hurt! We decided to take a painless approach and use my moms makeup, who she put on my arm. Thanks mom!

                                        

                                            This is how they turned out.

After this, we hit our next roadblock. The mirror shots. We struggled with not having Parker in the shot, holding the camera. We eventually figured out an angle that had him not visible, and allowed him to get the full shot.

Overall, we had a pretty successful day filming, and we will film soon to film the shots for when the bully arrives home.

Shot List

 

A shot list that is well- organized is essential for planning our movie intro. When he wakes up, we have a series of close ups when he's waking up, showing how he doesn't wanna get out of bed. We will include shots of his tired eyes, his hand grabbing the hoodie, and the bruises on his arms. This immediately creates interest from the audience. When he looks at himself in the mirror, he looks sad, letting his true feelings escape.

When he arrives at school, we utilize medium and wide shots, showing how the bully dominates the other students. After he bullies the students, we use a close-up to show how the student is un bothered, and then cuts to his weak smile, showing how the bullying is ineffective for both people. The camera style also shifts when he gets home, to include more tight shots, to demonstrate how he feels trapped in his room. The shots will demonstrate his anxiety and fear of his parents. The film ends when the door swings open, cutting to black, leaving the audience with fear, and a feeling to know what happens next.

Shot list I created.

Lighting

The lighting increases the emotional depth in this movie intro.

In the opening scenes, where the bully wakes up and gets ready for school, we can use dim lighting. By using this, it represents his internal struggle. We can include soft light shining through the curtains in his room, contrasting with the dark lighting in his room. This represents how he is in real life, tough on the outside, but soft on the inside. We could also use lighting to focus on the bruises on his arm, showing the audience a small, but very important detail. With the POV shot of him driving to school, it could be more dim, as the sun could be covered by clouds, showing his sadness.

This is something like we could go for, dark lighting, but
bright lighting from the window.

He gets to the school after, and we will use brighter lighting, copying the effects of normal hallway lights. By shifting from dark to bright lighting, it shows how much his personality really changes. There is no darkness in the hallways, showing how his classmates don't know of his true pain. When he eventually arrives back home, the lighting goes back to being dark, but a little lighter, has his public persona is wearing off. The final cut to black after the door swings open cuts to black, leaving the audience shocked and uncertain.

This use of lighting really shows how no one is aware of the bully's true pain, and the bright light symbolizes his "true self" leaking through.

Sound

The use of sound in our production plays a vital role in developing the vibe, atmosphere, and emotional depth.

In our bully's room, we can primarily use diegetic sound. For example, we will have an alarm clock going off when our character wakes up, immediately adding sound from his every day life. We can also include muffled sounds of the parents arguing, provides a clue to the audience about his tough home life, foreshadowing the later party of the film. The other use of diegetic sound will be at the end, with the banging on his door, representing the character's freight and vulnerability.

Non-diegetic sound, which is sound that is not from the character's world, will also be used in our production. A slow song can plat while he is picking out his hoodie to wear and when he is covering his bruises, showing his inner pain. While he is driving to school, in the POV shot when he is driving to school, we can shift the score to a more unsettling audio, representing how his life quickly changes around other people. 


However, silence can also be used effectively. For example, when the camera cuts to black after the door swings open, this can be used to add more meaning to our shot. This choice greatly increases the amount of shock and leaves the audience on a cliffhanger, making them eager to know what happens next. 

These sound elements all come together to create a emotionally deep film that pulls viewers in to our bully's complicated life.

A sound similar to want we want to add,
aggressive door knocking.

Set Design

 The set design for any film is crucial, as it helps communicate the character's personality and traits.


When the story begins, the bedroom will feel messy, yet personal. It has clothes all over the floor, bedsheets all messy, and the walls covered in posters, showing how he acts. The blinds are closed, with little light allowed through, creating a gloomy and dim atmosphere. The small details hint at his internal conflict, such as the hoodie with long sleeves, and the pain killer bottle left out on his dresser. The diegetic sound of his parents speaking loudly adds to the atmosphere.

When he is driving to school, we can see him transitioning his personality to his public self. While he is driving to school, it feels cramped, adding to the feeling where he feels trapped. The POV shot of the car window displaying the title, shows a dim, cloudy sky, adding to his isolation. When he arrives at school, the hallways are bright and crowded, showing the harsh contrast between his home and school environments. In the hallways, we include small details, such as students whispering about him, showing his role as a bully.

    

            

Crowded school hallway, what we can base our scenes on.

                                                

Character Bully Design

For any movie, character development and design is a necessity for films. It is vital that the audience immediately gets ideas about the character, to get them hooked on the film.

Our character originally appears as a traditional high school bully, fitting with the stereotypes and social norms of one. However, later in the film, we learn about the cause of his actions, and who he truly is as a person. When we continue watching the intro, we learn that the bully isn't a bad person, and is simply a victim of his poor home life. We learn that he simply is reflecting his internal conflicts onto others.

We will first show his home conditions, him covering up the bruises when he's getting ready for the day. He covers up the bruises to hide his true pain. When gets to school, he exerts his pain on others, in order to feel more powerful. After he does this, we see how it doesn't make him truly feel better, and it is only temporary. He seems to have regret after, and is just trying to make himself feel better.

                                Typical High school bully, from Back To The Future

Storyboard

 Here is our completed storyboard.