Josana Leung
AS Media Studies Portfolio
My Aims:
As my chosen genre is horror, I hope to capitalize on building tension throughout the opening sequence as well subverting usual tropes of the genre to give a more exciting twist by incorporating elements of thriller and crime to my opening.
I plan to achieve this through making the setting in a nice hotel room instead of a traditionally spooky environment to emphasize the feeling that even in such a safe space there is always danger lurking.
Another way I plan to subvert expectations is by making the killer, the most innocent seeming person, with her being a young woman who seems quite anxious and weary.
Idea:
A girl does her daily routine with the radio plays, discussing a recent murder. When she gets panicked and leaves the house, she is being watched through the security camera's by another suspicious woman until it is revealed that the girl is the killer and the woman is the detective tracking her down.
Moodboard
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01.
Colors - I show a black, grey and red color scheme to reflect the dark themes and tone of the film as red is intense and associated with intesity and blood and the black and grey are grim.
02.
Pills - A narrative device within the plot of my film, an allegory for the murder occuring, using a seemingly unsuspecting and unintimidating murder weapon to allude to the simliar nature of the killer.
03.
Blue hoodie - Another narrative device I plan to incorporate into my film, the obscurity of the face reflecting the mystery of the murder. Hoodies are also associated with rebellious youth.
04.
Security footage - The feeling of being watched is very important, it builds unease and tension as the unknown eyes stalking are the main character. This adds an extra layer of surprise when the person watching turns out to be the force of good.
01.
Conspiracy board - I plan to use a conspiracy board for my piece in order to successfully reveal the killer.
02.
Death Note - A piece of media that is similar to what I want to achieve in terms of having protagonist who is a killer along with an aspect of mystery as the other characters guess what each of are thinking and their next moves.
03.
American Psycho - This film is similar to what I hope to achieve, having a similarly psychopathic protagonist that diguises their true nature through their pleasant demeanor and seemingly peaceful and upper class setting.
04.
Black Swan - I enjoyed how the idea of the rivalry between the two dancers is orchestrated in this film, which I hope to reflect in the juxtaposition between the detective and killer in my own film. I hope to create similarities with our protagonist character slipping into madness is portrayed because the detective always seems to be one step ahead of her.
Script
Shot List
Casting
Sylvia
I plan to cast my sister as the protagonist who seems anxious and weary but is secretly the killer.
Joan
I plan to cast my friend as the detective as her confident attitude aligns well with the role, she can be intimidating but in the end is a force of good.
Props
01.
Phone - Used to carry the story forward, being the character's only connection to the outside world, sharing the news about the murder.
02.
Strange pills - Foreshadows the killer reveal as it shows what she used to kill her victim.
Blue hoodie - Also foreshadows the killer reveal, with the blue hoodie being what she wore on the night of the murder.
03.
Conspiracy board - A board filled with miscellaneous pictures and notes that are all linked to the killer using red string.
Costume
My sister
01.
Bathrobe - To signal to the audience that my character has just showered, this scenario implies a sense of vulnernability since you only wear these in the privacy on your own home and don't wear anything underneath it. The white also symbolizes innocence and purity, implying that the character must also share these traits.
02.
Green hoodie + sweatpants - An outfit that is both simliar and contrasting to the previous one, with a simliarly casual feeling but a less innocent feeling to it since hoodies are commonly associated with rebellion. Also used to blend in more with surroundings, used for the the character to be more stealthy.
Addison
01.
Bathrobe - To signal to the audience that my character has just showered, this scenario implies a sense of vulnernability since you only wear these in the privacy on your own home and don't wear anything underneath it. The white also symbolizes innocence and purity, implying that the character must also share these traits.
02.
Green hoodie + sweatpants - An outfit that is both simliar and contrasting to the previous one, with a simliarly casual feeling but a less innocent feeling to it since hoodies are commonly associated with rebellion. Also used to blend in more with surroundings, used for the the character to be more stealthy.
Production schedule
October 26
Time
Location
Session 1: My sister and I plan to film fora good portion of the day estimated around 3-6 pm so that there is time for any shots that need to be retaken.
Session 2: Addi and I plan to film for a good portion of the day estimated around 4-7 pm so that there is time for any shots that need to be retaken.
Location 1: The location will be set in my hotel room for the majority of the shoot, in the bathroom, bedroom and living room where the only potential interruptions are outside noise. Later shots are taken in the corridor outside and within the hotel elevator which could be interrupted by other people. Additionally, I will have to remove clutter around the place in case of tripping hazards.
Location 2: The second location will be set in Addison's house, specifically in her bedroom. The only places filmed are her desk and a wall that the conspiracy board will be on.
People
Both my sister and Addison will need to be free for filming with me.
Risk Assessment
