Storyboard Pt.2! Scenes 5 and 6

Hey! Here are the storyboards for Scenes 5 and 6! Once again, please ignore how horrible of an artist I am, even my stick-figures look rough. The reason I haven’t storyboarded scenes 1,3, and 7 is because they will all be formatted the same, which is a close-up shot of Eve since we never see the Interviewer. However, I do plan on inserting extra footage between those scenes just so they remain more engaging. For example, whenever Jane is mentioned during the interrogations, I will insert footage of Jane acting suspicious or moments of Jane and Eve interacting. The extra footage will correlate to the content being spoken about. 

That’s all for now! 

 

Filming Schedule + Actors!

 

This is a rough schedule of how I plan to film during spring break! I'm not a fan of filming so late in the week, but everyone is on vacation so this is was the only way I could do it. I am missing scene 4 because it is a night shoot, and I have to film at a time where Town Center is somewhat empty. However, I failed to realize that it is spring break...and it is the end of the week...which means a lot of people. Therefore, I'm hoping I can bump the filming of that scene earlier, perhaps Wednesday, but I'm still trying to find actors to play Persons #1, 2, and 3. As for the Interviewer, I decided that I would play the role since it would be easier to manage casting-wise, and I can find a way to deepen my voice...maybe. 

Speaking of actors... I FOUND THE LEADS! YAY!

Eve - Emma Twombly

Jane - Olivia Wagner 

I decided to go with Emma and Liv for the lead roles because I felt that they would be able to capture the seriousness of both Eve and Jane, as well as bounce off each other during intense moments. Along with this, I felt that their personalities went well with the characters that they will be portraying, thus making their relationship with each other more realistic. 

UPDATE!!

As I was about to publish the blog I found two more people to be in the film! They are going to be person #1 and #2! I still haven't found #3, but worse case scenerio is that I cut them out of the scene and just go with two people instead of three. 

Due to this, I've decided that I'm going to film Scene 4 Friday night, despite how busy Town Center will be. I'll have to film in a more secluded area of Town Center, and I have a couple ideas as to where I could. I'll keep y'all update on that! 

Person #1 - Katie Dohner 

Person #2 - Alex Land

I've known Alex and Katie for a while, and they have been in drama club with me since middle school and all throughout high school. I felt that both of them could capture the creepiness of these two characters since I have seen them perform weird roles in the past.

Storyboard Pt. 1: Scenes 2 and 4

 

Hey! Please excuse the TERRIBLE drawing skills but this is what I have outlines for scenes 2 and 4! The second part of scene 2 is at the bottom, but it is below scene 4. Why? I have no clue and Blogger won't let me fix it :(

I'm planning to finish scenes 5 and 6 by the end of the week, and scenes 1, 3, and 7 are going to be storyboarded as one scene because they are all the same shot. During post-production, I will be inserting different clips to make those scenes more engaging, but the outline of how those specific scenes will be shot are going to remain the same, so I figured that I would keep them their own separate storyboard. 

That's all for now! Bye! 

Location Scouting!

 Hey! Now that I'm starting to go into production, I began thinking about the different locations I wanted to use for the short film. I know I want to remain in town, especially since I need quite a few actors for the film and I don't want to force them to go to far places. I found a couple of places that would be functional enough for the film, so this is what I have decided. 

Eve's Bedroom

The first two photos are specifically of the window that will be used for the scene in which Eve directs Jane to look out the window to see "what she is seeing", aka, the camera. I wanted to use my bedroom window for this scene because my window is the only window in the house that faces the neighborhood, and I can get a nice close-up shot of the two girls from my roof (yes I have been on my roof and it's totally safe...for the most part). 

The second set of photos display my sister's room, and I wanted to use her room instead of mine because it has less stuff lying around in it, which allows Eve's character to seem more grounded and mundane than those around her (also my room is a MESS. I will clean it...eventually). As for the mirror, I wanted this to be a key prop used throughout the bedroom scene, specifically for Jane as she continuously uses it to check herself out and make sure she looks presentable. 

Interrogation Room 

The photos look deceiving, but I was planning on using tight close up shots to remove the painting from view, and this room of the house is actually the darkest one, since it receives little light and it also has blinds on the window that I could use to shut out any remaining light that is able to come in. Using the darkness of this room, I thought it would help capture the eerieness and suspicion of the interview scenes seen throughout the short film.  I would also like to prefice that the doggy themed blanket, and Fiolo, will not be apart of the film...Fiolo was simply a model for the reference photo.

This is the specific corner I want to use to film Eve, and it will mainly be a close-up shot of her since the Interviewer is never seen. 

The Town

As I have mentioned in a previous blog, I will be using Town Center for the scenes of the girls walking around town, as well as the scene where Eve is out by herself out night and has a strange encounter with the town's people. I was initially set on this location because of its colorful buildings, which I felt provided the impression of "perfection" that my fictional town was going for. When it reaches between 8-9 PM in Weston, Town Center is practically dead, so I thought it would be a good opprotunity to film at night, and use the empty nature of the area for the night scene, which would help present an ominous nature to the town. 

For the scene where Jane warns Eve for the first time, I was thinking of filming under the bell tower since it can act as a safe space for the girls, and it is in a part of town where there is a lot of activity, thus capturing the center of this fictional town. 

These are the three main locations I will be using throughout the short film! Any additional locations used are just sub-areas of these three main ones. 

Yes, Another Schedule :)

My main goal for this week is to have a storyboard ready and locations choosen so that I can start filming. I'm planning on filming during spring break, since that is when I will have the most time!

Schedule for this week:

1. STORYBOARD !!!!

2. Find locations

3. Find actors/actresses (I have a few in mind but I need to see who is available and plan out those days based on availability) 

So I Made a Mistake...

 After writing the script and seeing the plot develop itself, I realized that Keep Watching is not a psychological thriller. Like at all. Not even close.

But...that's ok! I've realized that it turned into a mystery thriller, so essentially removing the psychological part and replace it with mystery. Yay!

Why Keep Watching is NOT Psychological

    My original idea (Finding the Right Match-Picking a Genre and Writing a Psychological Thriller: Screenwriting Research) consisted of Eve, who didn't have a name at the time, being impacted by her environment to a point in which she started to feel insane, hence the psychological aspect of the film. I wanted those around her to make her question herself and what she believed. While the first part of this concept still remains, since she is being heavily impacted by her environment, she isn't doubting herself, or analyzing her emotions. Eve feels confident in what she is witnessing and wants to change it. Therefore, the thriller element still remains, which is that Eve is trying to uncover who is "watching" and trying to stop them from watching, but the mystery aspect comes from that investigation itself, as the audience, along with Eve, are trying to uncover this question. Little does the audience know, however, they are the answer to the question, but what keeps the film a mystery is that the audience will have no idea until the end. 

    Overall, key components of the thriller genre remain within the script, such as the element of suspense, as well as the use of a cliffhanger which is incorporated at the end of the film. I still feel as though the research I did earlier (Writing a Psychological Thriller: Screenwriting Research) still applies, as elements of the overall thriller genre exist. Along with this, this research has allowed me to realize that while writing the script, there weren't any psychological elements to my story and my story as a whole wouldn't pan out in the direction I originally intended. At first I was worried about this because I was afraid that I would have to rewrite the entire plot to fit my original research, but instead I decided to let the plot take its course and unravel the way it needed to, and I'm content with the final result. 

Anywayyy I just wanted to do a quick blog post updating y'all on this change! 

Starting My Social Media Page!

 Hey! Taking a break between my plans for production, I started my social media page today! Here is what I have so far!

    

This is the logo that I created for the profile picture on Instagram! I wanted to keep it simple, while keeping the premise of the short film as vague as possible. Originally, I wanted to have the title of the film be inside the TV screen (see below), but it didn't come out right when I tried to set it as the profile picture. Therefore, I felt that this format better suited the aesthetic I wanted to go for. 

Original concept for the logo

Aesthetic/Branding Theme

I wanted to have the aesthetic of the film convey a sense of darkness and mystery, hence I decided to use reds, blacks, and whites to illustrate this theme. 

The color scheme was mainly inspired by the colorscheme used for Wandavision, especially since I am trying to go for that static/mysterious look for the brand. Later on, I want to incoorperate elements for the fourth wall breaking, especially within the poster for the film. However, I want to start making that poster once I have the actors for the film, that way I can incorporate them into the poster. 

Below is the type of/inspired fourth wall break I want to create. This is the poster for Season 3 of Stranger Things, and while I'm not trying to copy the 80's aesthetic choosen for this particular piece, I'm instead going for the eerieness they created for the branding, such as how Eleven is looking out, while the other are not.

Movie Poster (for now!)

    I wanted to have something to post on my social media account, so I decided to create a "teaser" movie poster. I wanted the aesthetic to be ominous and suspensful, so I still incoporated the use of whites, reds, and blacks. Along with this, I added a tagline at the bottom, "Everyone has a role they must play." I felt that this line captured what the short film is about, as it involves people, like Jane, forcefully playing roles in order to fit the mold of a perfect society. However, like the tagline and the static screen of the poster suggests, not everything is what it seems.

    

    For the title itself, I decided to go with the "Year 3000" font on Canva, because I felt it illustrated that frightening, suspenseful vibe I was going for, and it matched with the static background of the TV screen. As for the tagline, I used the "Lastica Light" font because I wanted the tagline to remain simple, but easy enough to spot and read. Additionally, I didn't want to repeat the font used for the title (even though it was tempting) so that both the title and the tagline can remain separate from each other, but appear cohesive in their message. 

    As for the tagline itself, the two key words within the line that should be focused on are "role" and "must". "Role" is important because everyone in this piece, besides Eve, are forcefully presenting as someone else out of fear of being watched, hence they aren't who they truly seem to be. As for "must", I felt that this word reinforced the forceful nature of these roles, and made the problem within the short film seem more grave. 

This is what the social media page looks like as of right now! I still have to follow some accounts and gain traction, but I just wanted to get started on setting up the brand/establishing the aesthetic of the page before I began advertisement. 

Final Script + Changes!

 Hey! I FINALLY finished the script, and while I was editing it, I realized one major thing: I can't spell nor write in English because the amount of grammar mistakes I had was atrocious.

Anywayyyy here are the parts that I changed:

Firstly, I took at the whole "grammar correction" conversation (ironic...) because it felt out of place, and didn't convey the seriousness of the situation going on between Jane and Eve. Instead, I decided to make the scene more action heavy in order to illustrate the severity of the survellience. 

Originally within this scene, I had Eve confront Jane, but she would notice the camera later, after Jane left. Now, I decided I wanted to have her notice the camera while Jane was still there, so that Jane's reaction to Eve discovering the camera's (which still remains the same) was not as sudden as it used to be. 

Jane's fear repeats in this scene, but this time it becomes more physical as she is literally trying to restrain Eve from discovering any more information. I felt that originally this moment was more abrupt, so I wanted to add a little bit of dialogue and action so that this moment was eased into. 

    The ending is different from what I had in the first draft, and I'm definetly more comfortable with this ending than I was originally. While it still does feel abrput, I'm hoping I can smooth this over during production, as the actors could space out their lines/add intensity to the scene. Anyway, I decided to end with a simple glance from Eve as she breaks the fourth wall because I'm hoping it will leave the audience wondering if she ever liberated herself, thus adding suspense to the overall piece. 

    Now that the script is done, I want to start planning for production, including storyboarding, and finding locations to shoot on. I have a few ideas as to where I want  to film, but I'm hoping to finalize those locations this week. 

Link to the whole script: 

Keep Watching

Schedule for the Week! ~ Edits, Storyboarding, and Other Tingsss

 Hey! So this is what I'm planning on getting done with week:

1. Edit and finalize the script

2. Storyboard the film

3. Start looking for places to film/finding actors - I'm hoping to film during spring break, since I will have more time and availability to do so!

My main priority for the week is to finalize the script (be really confident and happy with it...fingers crossed) and start storyboarding! I want to make sure I'm comfortable with the script and that the story flows, but right now, it feels like a draft and not the final result. Therefore, I'm hoping to find ways to add to the script or improve it so that the story doesn't feel rushed. I'll keep ya'll updated on that! 

Short Film Script Part 4 (BTW I Have a Title!)

Hey!

 This is the ending of the short film, but I don't feel super great about it. I feel like it ends abruptly, and the characters aren't totally as fleshed out as I want them to be. After all, this is a rough draft, so I'm not super upset about it. I'm hoping that throughout next week, I'll be able to edit it, while also starting to storyboard what I have, and have a rough idea of what I will be filming once I head into production. 

    What I was trying to go for was the idea that Eve was questioning the world she is living in, and felt isolated in the world she was forced to participate in. She doesn't want to be controlled or told to be perfect in order to entertain and comfort others when she is unable to comfort or care for herself. Therefore, the ending is meant to imply that she knew the audience was watching her get interviewed from the getco, and that she unmasked what was behind the facade, which is that what the audience is watching is a bunch of fabricated lies that they weren't supposed to see. What I realize is a little unclear is how we reach this part in the story, and as of right now, I'm not sure how I can add on to this scene, as I'm afraid that if I write too much, I won't be able to fit the story within seven minutes. Although, what I am planning to do is have scenes overlap this one in which other people notices the cameras, slightly break the fourth wall, but say nothing about, thus contrasting Eve's reaction and justifying her view on everything she saw. 

    There are definitely changes going to be made to the script, and I even started making minor ones here in there. I will blog about the major ones, especially about the ending, in the future, but as of right now, this is the first draft I have of "Keep Watching" (yes, I have decided to go with this name! Yay!). 

Short Film Script Part 3!

 Hey y'all! I have more of the script, soooooo let's discuss.

    This mini scene between Eve and the Interviewer is meant to highlight Jane's friendship, and Eve's questioning of it. Originally, I had the Interviewer say that Jane "knew her place", but I changed it to "role" for two reasons. 

1. I wanted to portray the idea that everyone has to play a role, and are complicit in it

2. I wanted Jane's character to seem off and not someone the audience should totally trust

    Meanwhile, Eve is questioning her relationship with Jane, since everything in her life during this point in time, at least in her mind, seems fabricated. The Interviewer says that Jane was in fact "real", but do they mean real as a person or real as a friend? I wanted that aspect of the conversation to remain vauge, so that the audience can question that for themselves. 

    The scene changes from Eve being interviewed to her wandering the town at night. In this particular scene, I wanted Eve to feel isolated and uncomfortable, so I added three random characters to make her experience more frightening and suspenseful (I'm such a nice person, I know!). Persons' #1, #2, and #3, are meant to resemble "actors", or planted people to stop Eve from discovering who's watching her and everyone in town. I wanted them to act as townspeople, or those really annoying guides that help you at theme parks or your local Sephora. I wanted them to pester and annoy Eve, but in a really pushy way, as if they are preventing her from doing something (spoiler alert, they are!)

    Eve running away in this scene is meant to be her first act of rebellion that will begin to pile up as the story continues to unfold. From this point foward, Eve is meant to grow more anxious and afraid of her surroundings, and starts to become hyperaware of who to trust and talk to, and who not to trust. 

Instead of going back to another interrogation scene, I wanted to dive deeper into the past, so I switched the scene to Eve's bedroom. Of course, Eve calls Jade over because in that moment, that is the only person she trusts. When Eve confronts Jane about what she saw a couple of days ago, which was the scene in which the first instance of breaking the fourth wall occured (Short Film Script Part 2), Jane denies what she saw and come up with an excuse. Jane does this out of fear that they, or rather she, will get in trouble. Along with this, I had Jane constantly repeat that she was Eve's "best friend", and that everything she was doing was out of Eve's best interest because she cared about her as a "friend". The reason I emphasized this was because two scenes prior, the Interviewer mentioned how Jane was playing her "role", and now in this scene, Jane is literally playing said role, which is to be Eve's "friend". 

However, Jane becomes less caring and more scared as the scene progresses...

    Jane switches her way of words and manner of speaking. She becomes more rough with Eve, and instead of calling herself her "best friend", she calls herself her "friend". Jane is now completely disregarding her friendship with Eve, and has become complicit in the actions that this society poses onto its citizens. Eve, in turn, grows worried about Jane, while Jane becomes more villinous. 

    Once Jane gets Eve to agree to her terms and stay out of sight, she reverts back to normal, just as she did that day in town. Jane's sudden change in mood is meant to represent how anything inconvient or bad that happens is automatically erased, forgotten, and not spoken about. Eve, on the other hand, doesn't abide by this, and sees that this way of life is wrong. She wants it to stop, and hence, she runs outside to protest the survellience. This scene is meant to be uncomfortable, as it shows Eve is losing her mind, as she no longer wants to be watched and followed. The yelling and protest coming from Eve slowly progresses, and while that isn't in the script, it is something I want to portray when I start production. 

Changes and Progress

My worry as of right now is that the script is too long, as the time limit is seven minutes. I first want to finish the script before I make any edits or changes to it, just so I can see the story complete and somewhat fleshed out. I'm hoping to write the ending sometime this week and get started on editing the script, as well as thinking about production. I have a couple of locations in mind, but we'll see how it works out depending on what the final script looks like. 

That's all for this blog! Byeeeeeee