The Closet Killer

We had group meetings again yesterday and I shared with them my problem with my killer's nickname. At the beginning, I wanted to do something with homosexuality or homophobia but my peers advised me that that choice would give out too much about my film. So it was better if I do it related to the weapon or to the killer's M.O.  So, I talked to my teacher to get a little bit more of insight and sh told me that my peers were right. Also, I'm not doing alliteration anymore.

I looked up some serial killer nicknames and I have to admit that most of them were really bad. I never notice that people just combine the place where the person is killing with the way he/she does it and then POOF! nickname created. For instance:

Even BTK, who I thought had a cool nickname:

Instead, I wanted something like:

So I talked to my friends and I started to look up synonyms for cutter, stab, knife, etc. And suddenly we came up with...

The Closet Killer

So before I explain the meaning of it... remember that I also needed a signature for my killer? Well... what if, after he kills his victims he hides them in the closet, as of ''stay inside the closet'', because they're gay, get it? Thus, that's where The Closet Killer comes from. 

I really liked the nickname and the symbology of it since it adds something extra to my film. Nevertheless, I don't think that it is as powerful as to put it as my movie title. THEREFORE, here I am again in a dispute for my movie title. I want it to be a single ambiguous world. I'll think about it in the next couple of days and I'll keep you update it. 

Sources:

"42 Dangerous Serial Killers Who Had Nicknames." Ranker. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2017.
"21st Century Serial Killers." Ranker. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2017.

Step by Step

So.... I started filming last Thursday and it was a mix of success and failure.

First, let me introduce you to my actors.

• My killer:

Christopher Beytia  Frentzel

• My lesbian couple:

Isabella Armas - Leon

Catalina Castro

Also, here's my set (Isabella's house)

 

 

I arrived at her house at 6:00 pm to start organizing everything, and everyone else got there at like 6:30/7:00 pm. Nevertheless, it was still too clear to start filming, so we started filming the last scenes, like the one in the bathroom and in the kitchen. As it was getting darker, we could film the rest of the scenes. I was really worried about the lighting since I needed it to be dark but not as much so the audience could understand what was happening. Before I left my house I remember that my mom bought this Push Light for our kitchen so I decided to take it with me hoping that it would be really useful; and actually, it was. Larissa Martins helped me holding 7

Adhesive Push Light

At 8:00 pm we were all really tired but I still wanted to finish the final scene. The problem was that we were laughing so much because Cata and Isa couldn't be a real couple. At the end the scene was perfect... but then I realized that I wasn't filming. Everyone was so mad at me. So we had to film it again. Later on, I decided to order pizza for my actors, thanking them for all their cooperation.

When we finished eating, we still had a couple of scenes to film. So we started doing them as fast as possible because everyone else had other places to be.

However, because of this rush on filming, I completely forgot a really important scene. Also, when I started putting all my shots together on Monday, I realized that there are some continuity issues with some of them. Therefore, we all have to go next week, because this one is really busy for everyone, and film the remaining scenes. 

The good thing about filming is that I had to decide my killer's weapon fast. So I think that the easiest and more accesible thing to use was a knife. I was going to shot it as if the killer got it from the kitchen but then the perception of him coming ready to kill would be lost. So, I just decided to introduce it as if he has had it in his pocket since he arrived at the house.

Lastly, while we were eating Chris suggested that for my nickname choose a word related to homosexual relations or homophobia. So, I'm going to do that research today and decide whether I should go for the alliteration route or the symbolic route. 

Also, my goal for this week is to record all the sounds that I posted in my last post, so I'll keep you updated with that!

Sounds, sounds, sounds

Since I finished my storyboard yesterday, I started thinking about the production process. This process, even though characterized by filming all the scenes needed, also includes the creation of sound effects. I decided to make a list of all the sounds that I have to produce for my very soon-to-be short film.

Here's the list of all the sounds that I've thought about so far:

1. Footsteps in the pavement
2. Nature sounds
3. House door opening
4. News report of the beginning
5. Lights turning on in the kitchen
6. Fridge door opening
7. Fridge door closing 
8. Kitchen's cabinet opening
9. Kitchen's cabinet closing
10. Putting glass in the counter
11. Pouring water into the glass
12. Kitchen lights turning off
13. Turning off the TV
14. Phone vibration 
15. Water from the faucet of the kitchen
16. Bathroom door opening
17. Bathroom faucet 
18. Bathroom door opening
19. Bathroom lights turning on
20. Bathroom door closing
21. Bathroom lights turning off
22. Sighs
23. Low voices 
24. Strong bump in the wall
25. Heavy breathing
26. Bedroom knob door trying to be opened
27. Screams?
28. Final news report.

Music Maker JAM App

I think these are all the sound effects that I need for the creation of my short film. Maybe I'll add some more after I start editing.  Apart from this, I have to look up for suspense music. I don't know if it's possible to create this music in the Music Make JAM App that I downloaded on my phone or if I have to find a free soundtrack. 

In the meanwhile, I leave you this short film directed by Daniel Jewel about two Foley Artists: Pete Burgis and Sue Harding.

Sources:

Music, JAM - just add. "Music Maker JAM APK mirror Download - Free Music And Audio Apps for Android." APKupdate. N.p., 18 Jan. 2017. Web. 23 Mar. 2017.

"THE SECRET WORLD OF FOLEY." YouTube. N.p., 10 July 2016. Web. 23 Mar. 2017.

Act III

And... my storyboard process has come to an end. 

A couple of things that I need to point out:

1. I haven't decided what's going to be my killer's weapon. A gun is the easiest one but I'm not going to go and buy a toy one just because I have a low budget. It could be a knife, even one that he grabs from the kitchen but, for some reason, I feel that that's a little bit cliché. I thought about rope but then we would've seen him bring it as he gets to the house, and that would be a little sketchy. So, I'll figure out this by the time I film. 
2. Remember my peers advised me to have a signature? Ok, I haven't figure out that either. But either way, I don't think that I'd need to show it; instead, it would be something that the news reporter would mention at the end.
3. Last thing I haven't figure out is my killer's nickname. I have to force myself to dive into thesaurus and start looking for words that start with C until I find something catchy and innovative. But once again, I still have time for that. 

I think that's all that I needed to mention; here you have my last 2 sets of scenes. The drawings are even worse than the previous ones but understand that at this point I've already done 12 sets of scenes and I just wanted to finish the storyboard.

I'm going to start filming tomorrow (insert excitement!) and I'll be adding a couple of pictures of my set in my next post so you can have a better idea of it. Until then!

Act II

I just finished the storyboard for Act II, and it's looking good! 

I'm really excited about starting filming; I can see every scene very clearly in my head and I hope they look similar in camera. Once again, I need to apologize for my drawing quality, but I really tried to make them as pretty and understandable as possible.

Something that I forgot to mention in my Act I post is that I'll be implementing a low-key lighting in my film, just like is usual in horror/thriller productions. In addition, I won't be showing my killer's face in its entirety just to keep the suspense of his identity. Nevertheless, I will be showing his eyes and mouth in moments of tension and suspense. 

1.-  This selection of scenes is also in the Act I post because there are some scenes of that Act as well.
 Nevertheless, after the sweater shot, Act II starts. 

2.- This one doesn't look very neat, but I think it's because of the friction
 between the scanner and the index cards; my apologies

3.- 

4.- I'm really proud of my eyelashes in the first scene of this selection 

5.-

6.-

7.- My friend says that the last one looks like a spaghetti;
thank you for the support, friend

8.-

This is the ending of my Act II; I'll be posting Act III tomorrow!

Website

When I was watching all the home invasion movies that I could find, I came across the Ils (2006) part on IMDB. In the trivia section is written that ''As a promotional gimmick, the official website for the film ran a mock news interview where a woman who is supposed to be Clementine's sister pleaded for the safe return of her missing sister and Lucas.'' From this marketing idea, I thought about having a news announcement asking for anyone who could know something about the crimes committed against homosexual couples in North Carolina. I decided to expand my research into other movies to see what other practices I find interesting and useful for my film.

When a Stranger Calls website

Most of the films that I researched have a website linked to the production company, such as Universal, Miramax, Fox, etc. You're Next (2011), Nocturnal Animals (2016), and The Girl on the Train (2016), When a Stranger Calls (2006), are examples of this. 

Nevertheless, You're Next released a Tumblr page as well, where it shares images and videos from the film. They also created a section where they would post pictures from their fans with the phrases ''Ýou're Next'' or wearing the masks from the movie.

You're Next Tumblr

The girl on the Train  website

Nocturnal Animals website

All of these websites featured the movie main trailer, pictures, options to go see the movie in the theaters or to buy it as a Blu-ray/online, as well as all the Social Media links and the cast list. The Nocturnal Animals one also had interviews with the actors.

The Scream franchise (1996-2011), created a website for all 4 movies. Once again, photos and videos are shared; however, the website also offers a Music section, with all the soundtrack from each movie, a Shop section, selling Ghost face costumes, books, and other merch, and a Ghost Face section, which features all the interesting facts about this costume.

Scream website

The Insidious (2011) welcomes the viewer with a video background with scenes from the movie. The website offers a game section, which didn't load on my computer, probably because of my Internet. It also contains a Wallpaper section, which I personally don't understand because what sane person would decide to have wallpapers from this type of movie on any of his/her technologic devices, but oh well...

Insidious website

The Babadook (2014) one first asks the consumer his/her age and then continues to introduce the story from the movie by inviting the individual to scroll down. By doing this, multiple images from the book are shown on screen. It finishes with great reviews from the film.

The Babadook website

I hated/loved The Rings (2017) website. It starts, as predictable, with a static T.V. and continues with a series of images coming from the tape that people are not supposed to watch or they would die in 7 days. From that, it passes to a video of Samara coming out of the well. If one would get to scroll down, just to avoid watching the video over and over again, the website offers a series of memes from the movie. I said I loved it because it's a great way to surprise the viewer so he/she gets afraid and interested by the character and so wants to watch the movie. Nevertheless, I visited the website at 1:00 AM in the total darkness of my bedroom and with the door open, so you can imagine my first reaction when a watched the introductory video.

The Rings website

Lastly, my research finishes with Get Out (2017). What made this website stand from the others is the communication that provided with their fans. First of all, it has an Art section which basically is a collection of scenes from the movie but made by the viewers. It also offers the option of creating the consumer's own warning to Get out.

Get Out website

Yes, I was tired when I wrote it

What most of this website have in common, other than sharing the film's social media, posting videos, wallpapers, pictures, is that they have a way to interact with their fans. What's important to websites in this era is to offer a way in which the audience feels connected with the output, maybe through a game, fan art, memes, any way as long as the viewer feels that he/she is doing something more than just watching the movie. Therefore, by recurring to postmodernist practices, the marketing process gets easier to the producers.

Sources:

"Trivia." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2017.

"You're Next Official Blog." You're Next. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2017.

"When A Stranger Calls (2006)." Sony Pictures. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2017.

"The Girl on the Train." The Girl on the Train | Movie Page | DVD, Blu-ray, Digital HD, On Demand, Trailers, Downloads | Universal Pictures Entertainment Portal. N.p., 18 Mar. 2017. Web. 19 Mar. 2017.

Deadline.com, March 16via, March 10via Www.hollywoodreporter.com, March 9via Www.hollywoodreporter.com, and March 8via Variety.com. "The Girl on the Train." Universal Pictures. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2017.

"Nocturnal Animals | Official Web Site | Trailers and Release Dates | Focus Features." Nocturnal Animals | Official Web Site | Trailers and Release Dates | Focus Features. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2017.

"Scream | HelloSidney.com | The SCREAM website." Scream | HelloSidney.com | The SCREAM website. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2017.

"Visit The International Site for Insidious: Chapter 2 If You Dare." Insidious 2. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2017.

"Discover the Babadook." Discover the Babadook. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2017.

"The Ring - Official Movie Site, Video, Trailer, Preview, Download, Photos, Pictures, Film, Pic, Cast Bios, Image Gallery, Scenes." The Ring - Official Movie Site, Video, Trailer, Preview, Download, Photos, Pictures, Film, Pic, Cast Bios, Image Gallery, Scenes. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2017.

"Get Out | Universal Studios." Get Out (2017) | Trailer & Movie Site | From The Mind Of Jordan Peele. N.p., 24 Feb. 2017. Web. 19 Mar. 2017.

Decisions

As I said in my last post, I started my storyboard a few days ago. I'll be attaching images from the scenes from Act I.... but first, I'll explain some of the initial decisions that I decided to take:

• My killer's clothes are going to be black jeans, shoes and sweater and a red t-shirt. The hoodie will be complementary to the fact that it's going to be a rainy day. The red t-shirt is linked to the thought that with red clothes, the blood of his victims are not going to be visible after the act.
• It's going to be a rainy weekend day because the majority of people decide to stay at their houses rather than go out in this type of days,
• The color scheme of my movie is going to basically be a combination of blues, grays and blacks, but I will also add a yellow tone coming from the lights used throughout the production. It's going to be a Complementary Color Scheme, which is choosing ''two colors on opposite sides of the color wheel.'' Usually, ''orange and blue colors can be associated with conflict in action, internally or externally'', being in my movie the conflict that our psychopath has with homosexual couples, leading him to react the way he reacts. 



Color Wheel with a Complementary Sceheme

• I'll introduce the news report with the presence of the T.V.; nevertheless, to avoid the whole process of filming an entire news program, I'll just turn on the T.V. but locate the killer in the middle of the screen so it's not visible to the camera but the audience can understand where the audio is coming from. 
• The date September 14, 2016 and the place Charleston, N. Carolina were chosen due to the whole controversy that arose before the elections in the U.S., especially in Southern States regarding the LGBTQ community. 

Without any more explanation for Act I, here goes my storyboard (it's subject to change):

The blue circles are puddles

I haven't decided what's the name that my killer will receive from the media

In the last image, there are some images from Act II as well. Lastly, I'm sorry for my poor-looking drawings, but my art skills have not developed in the last year, at least I hope, that you can understand them.

Sources:

"Basic color schemes - Introduction to Color Theory." Basic color schemes: Color Theory Introduction. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2017.

"5 Common Film Color Schemes - Cinematic Color Design." Cinema5D. N.p., 21 Oct. 2016. Web. 18 Mar. 2017.