Final Major Project - STALKED (A Short Horror Film)

My final major project is a short film called Stalked. Stalked is about a girl who is home alone when a series of mysterious things happen to her. I decided on doing a horror film because I wanted to do something a little different to anything I had ever done before, I think I was successful in this because I had never thought of doing a horror film. A thing I didn't realise was how much goes into a horror film. A big aspect of my film was the music, I think music is always important because it is essentially the difference between a horror and a thriller; this is because I believe the music can give it a 'scarier' atmosphere and almost makes the audience feel for the characters. To me the music was important because I didn't use any spoken dialogue therefore the sound within the house was very important.

Filming 

I filmed my FMP on the 27th & 28th of April. I filmed it at Yelverton Cottage which is my friends house. The reason why I used his house is because we knew that it would be empty therefore we wouldn't be disturbing anyone. The other reason for filming in his house is that it is pretty big therefore it gives the atmosphere of a 'haunted house' this was incredibly important to me because the setting of the house would help in order make it 'scarier'. I decided I wanted to use three parts of the house, the living room, hallway and upstairs. The majority of the shots were in the living room this is because all of the major events happen in that room. 

I started by filming all of the shots that were in the living room. I decided to film in the order on my shot list, I found having a shot list so helpful because it meant that I was able to keep on track of everything that I was supposed to be doing. I also found that by having a shot list I had planned it thoroughly therefore I couldn't miss out any of the important shots, although this still gave me the leeway to add any extra shots if I needed to. 

The actors in my film were Olivia Searle who played Megan, the girl who was being stalked and Matthew Jury who played the stalker whose shadow appears. I filmed everything during the day, the reason why I filmed during the day was because everything was shot inside the house therefore with the correct lighting I could make it look like it had been filmed at night. I used the Dedo kit in order to make it look like the evening; which is better for a horror film. I did a lot of my shots using a tracker, I think the shots with the tracker went really well because they were very smooth this is due to the room being pretty big and the fact that I had to keep going from one side of the room to the other. I think the hardest shots to do in the living room were the shots of the email, this is because they were over the shoulder shots which meant that I had to hold the camera incredibly steady in order to get the best shots. 

I shot a lot of very similar footage coming from different perspectives because this way it doesn't get boring with just having one shot. I think my favourite shot from the living rooms scenes, is the scene where the door slams for the second time and Olivia drops the phone and turns around in surprise because the door slams at the same time. This shot works so well because she didn't actually know the door was going to slam therefore it was a genieue reaction. 

The lighting in the hallway was a lot more difficult to get correctly because it was a lot brighter therefore the reflection wasn't quite as good although I still think that it looked good. I changed a bit of this shot because Matt had a glass door that he could pull open which would look better than him just standing still because the shadow would then be moving. For the shots of running up the stairs I decided to take it from two different angles. The reason for this is because I wanted one from the bottom where she is running away from the stalker but alongside this I also wanted a low one from the top of the stairs where the shadows hand is still behind her as she is running up the stairs. The only problem with the low one was that there wasn't a lot of room therefore making sure that Olivia didn't stand on the lights and camera was pretty hard. 

Finally the last two shots were done upstairs, the slamming off two different doors. The last shot is important because it gives the audience the choice to decide what happens as the stalker is getting into the room, they can decide whether he gets in the room or not.

BTS shots from filming.

Sounds 

I used multiple sound effects, I did the sound effects after I had all of the filming done. The most important sound effects was the door slamming's, this is because there was mutliple doors being slammed therefore I recorded a lot of different door slams. I decided in doing different door slams because after my test shoots I learnt that all the different door needed to make different noises because these can get incredibly boring and repetitive another factor is that the door were all made from different material therefore all the door slams aren't going to sound the same. 

The only pieces of dialogue I used was the voice of the phone where Charlie Theron says 'The Truth Will Come Out' & 'You Can No Longer Hide.' This is the voice of the stalker talking to Megan because he wants her to feel afraid. This dialogue although it isn't much is very important because it tells the audience that he is serious and that she is in danger. The sound that took the longest to record was probably the hardest because it took a few times to record in order to get the sounds in line with the film. 

The other sounds that I used was email alerts and rings tones, I also recorded all of these although I could have gotten them from the internet I wanted to have them instead.

Sounds being edited. 

Editing 

I decided to edit it over the course of a few days, this is because I had over 100 clips to edit and go through. I think the editing of this was probably my favourite thing to do. Once I had all of the clips the editing was relatively easy. The hardest part of the edit was matching the door slamming to the video clips because I needed to make sure that they were in time. I didn't have an ambience sound therefore I found one online called 'Haunted House' this sound was perfect for my video because it had exactly the sounds I was looking for. I edited the ambience sound quite a bit though because it had a lot of unnessariy children screaming which didn't happen in my film. 

With the dialogue of Charlie's voice I edited it quite considerably and adding some echo's to it because he didn't sound quite as scarier as I wanted it to. I edited his voice on Adobe Audition, this was my first time using Audition and it was quite hard to use to start with but I think I managed to get the hand of it in the end. 

I colour corrected the entire film because I wanted it to look darker than it actually was therefore I turned up the brightness and turned down the contrast in order to give it the look I was after.

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I'm really happy with the way my Final Major Project came out, I think the clips and audio had come out the way I was hoping it to. I think if there was anything that I would change with it, it would probably have more clips so that I could make it longer as it is just under 3 minutes although I don't think that this is something essential. 

Overall I had a lot of fun filming and editing Stalked and I thoroughly enjoyed making it. 

Here is STALKED - enjoy. 

               Final Major Project - Stalked (A Short Horror Film) from Naomi Doddridge on Vimeo.

Pre-Production

For my pre-production it was essential that I had got all all of the documents, these documents included; risk assessment, overhead floor plan, storyboards, shot lists, person release forms and location release forms. In my Proposal you will also see that there is a schedule of what I planned to do every week from March. Alongside that I also did a questionaire the reason for doing that was so that I could see who was intrested in horror films and what they would except to see in a horror film. I think that by doing a questionaire this helped me out quite considerably because it meant that I could do something that I felt a lot of people would be interested in. 

I feel as though my pre production was very successful because it helped give me a good understanding of what I needed to do in my filming but also gave me ideas of what I wanted to do. This was because I had changed from my original idea, this happened in my pre production after I had done the survey because I realised a lot of horror were done in houses and therefore changed mine so it was also in the house. 

My Killer Press Kit was based on my original idea, although I still think that the poster and trailer works well with my new idea because it isn't that much difference due to the only thing that really changed with was the location. 

Risk Assessment 

A risk assessment is incredibly important to not just the director but everyone working on the film shoot. The team needs to know that everything they are doing is completely safe. The most important aspects on my risk assessments is inside the house and that while inside the house there is no unnecessary wires and leads that people can trip over. 

Overhead Floor Plan 

I did a overhead floor plan for each of the areas in the house that I will be using for filming. I suspect that the majority of the filming with be done in the living room this is because that is where most of my shots take place. I decided on a small room like a living room because it is a horror film and the idea that in the living room she is very enclosed and that it is harder for her to get out. I think that the hallway and upstairs will both be used as well because she will be running up the stairs to get away from the intruder. 

Storyboards

I wrote up this storyboard after I had finished filming and before I had recorded my sound effects, the reason for this was so that I could work out what shots I had and if I had any missing, luckily I had all of the shots that I needed. These two storyboards were just trying to work out what sound effects I would be using and how I would go about using them. 

Shot List 

Location Release Forms

Person Release Forms 

Stalker Review

Stalker is an American police procedural drama television series about victims of stalking and the detectives of the LAPD's Threat Assessment Unit who investigate the crimes. The series premiered on October 1st 2014 and airs on CBS.

The show starts when Detective Jack Larsen played by Dylan McDermott transfers to the TAU from New York City's homicide division. He is a confidence, strong personality, with a questionable behaviour that has landed him in trouble in the past. Alongside him there is his boss Lt. Beth Davis who is played by Maggie Q. She is a strong, focused and experienced in the field, driven by a traumatic personal tragedy in which she was a victim within a stalking case. The other two members of the TAU team are Detective Ben Caldwell who is played by Victor Rasuk who is young but eager detective then there is a deceptively smart Detective in Janice Lawrence who is played by Mariana Klaveno. The other main cast member is Amanda Taylor played by Elisabeth Röhm who is the mother of Jack's son. She left New York and moved to Los Angeles in order to start a new life at the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office. She currently serves as the TAU's Deputy D.A.

While the TAU cast remain the same each episode the rest of the cast changes with a new case happening every week. Each week there is a different plot with a different cast, stalker and stalking incident however the background of the main cast stays the same every week.

In the first episode 'Pilot' there is two stalking cases; the first one is about a man who has a liking for setting people on fire, with setting his ex girlfriend on fire in a car in one of the first scenes. The other stalking case is when a college student is charged with assaulting one of his fellow students. It turns out that he was actually just defending himself from one of his old roommates, a guy named Perry - who turns out to be a reoccurring character. After Beth deals with his case he follows her home.

In the second episode 'Whatever Happened to Baby James?' a woman kidnaps Thomas who is believed to be the same age as her son that went missing, she believes that Thomas is her son and holds him hostage. Perry confronts Beth after she punches him in the face after the last episode. The third episode 'Manhunt' is about a man who plays on various women phobia's therefore putting there fears into their own houses. While up to now I think that the stalkers are pretty normal however this one was a little weirder because it is obvious that this stalker had to know a lot about the victims in order to find out their phobias.

In the first few episodes the only continuing storyline is Perry stalking Beth, as he finds out where she lives and comes into her house when she is out. Alongside this he also has hundreads of photos of Beth stuck to his wall in his college bedroom. The problem with him though is that Beth keeps rejecting his intentions, therefore he starts to take it one step further and does some research into her. He finds out that she moved away after an ex boyfriend started a fire that killed all of her family. In a desperate attempt to get close to her, he goes and finds her ex boyfriend Ray. Ray and Perry travel back to Los Angeles in order to get closer to Beth. Ray eventually kills Perry after annoying him too much and because he also wants Beth however Ray believes that only he can have Beth. After killing Perry, Ray goes to Beth's house and kidnaps her, so that she is his. Ray takes Beth to a house in the countryside and holds her hostage, he tells her that all he wants is for her to come back to him; she agrees however he doesn't believe her and keeps her hostage. The rest of the TAU finally find her and rescue her as the house ironically sets on fire.

Stills from Stalker. 

I think that each of the storylines are very important because they move away the focus from Perry's obsession with Beth which after each episode is slowly building up. From my perspective I started watching it because I wanted to find out about other stalking stories in order for my film to be the best it could be. I think that this programme is very important in showing just how many people get stalked and how easily it is. I think that this programme shows that it is not just woman that get stalked but also men. The show highlights that there are also many reasons why people do stalk; usually it is because they have a jealous streak or because they aren't mentally well and therefore it is all in their head.

While I think it was good that they had different storylines each week, I think a lot of people would have preferred if they kept to one stalking account and didn't have so many episodes in the series. I think that this was a big problem, altogether there was 20 episodes and each of them an hour long. There were a couple of hiatus which isn't good for a programme because once people are getting into a programme they want it to be on regularly but with the hiatus they then forget when it is.

At the start of the series it started pulling in over 9 million viewers however once it moved from Wednesday's to Monday's the viewing figures went down relatively fast. CBS cancelled Stalker at the end of the first series. Due to the fact that is quite a creepy thriller and having to put on TV at 9pm, this is the wrong time I think to target the adult audience that they were most probably after they should have aired it at 10pm because this is the time that a lot of people sit down and watch television.

Overall I actually really enjoyed this series because I found it interesting however I acknowledge the fact that this program isn't for everyone and that some person won't find it quite as interesting as I did because it isn't to their taste.

Manhunter Review

Manhunter is a 1986 Crime Thriller based on Thomas Harris' novel Red Dragon. Written and directed by Michael Mann. The film stars William Peterson who plays Will Graham who is a FBI profiler responsible for the capture of serial killer Hannibal Lecter played by Brian Cox and who is later assigned to capture serial killer Francis Dolarhyde (Tooth Fairy) played by Tom Noonan.

Plot

When a case comes up where they are having to investigate a killer known as 'Tooth Fairy' (Tom Noonan) FBI profiler Will Graham decides to come out of retirement to help out on the case however in the mean time he has to confront someone from his past and meet with a jailed killer who almost had Graham as one of his victims.

Will Graham is a former FBI profiler who retired after a breakdown when being attacked by Dr Hannibal Lecter a cannibalistic serial killer. Will's former FBI superior Jack Crawford comes and searches for him at his Florida home asking for help on a case Graham agrees to help seek out this serial killer. Graham goes to visit Lecktor is in his cell and asks him for insights, Lecter agrees to look into his case files.

Graham travels to the first crime scene in Birmingham when Jack Crawford contacts him telling him of Freddy Lounds involved a journalist that had bitter history with Graham. Lecter warden finds a note in his personal effects and it reads that 'Tooth Fairy' has an admiration for Lecter and an interest in Graham. Part of the note is missing and is analysied to see what Lecter has removed It is found to be an instruction to communicate through the personals section of the National Tattler, the newspaper run by Freddie Lounds.

They plan to fake an advertisment to replace Lecter however soon realising that Dolarhyde will know it is fake without the proper book code. Graham interviews Lounds during which he gives 'Tooth Fairy' a fake profile in order to stir things up. Lounds is then kidnapped by 'Tooth Fairy' and when he wakes up in the killers home he is set on fire in a wheelchair and killed his body is then rolled into the parking garage of the newspaper as a warning. 

They crack Lecktor code message to 'Tooth Fairy' it is the home address of Graham with the intruction to kill the family, the message ends 'Save yourself, kill them all.' Graham rushes back to his family home to find that they are all safe but terrified. At his job Francis Dolarhyde approaches a blind co-worker and offers her a lift home, they go to his house where Reba is oblivious to her surroundings of videos of his next victims. Dolarhyde is confused by this new found relationship though it helps to suppress his bloodlust. After some research Graham realises that 'Tooth Fairy' has an overwhelming desire for acceptance and therefore factors it into the murders. Dolarhyde is watching and sees that another co-worker takes Reba home, he mistakes them kissing and therefore gets jealous murdering the man and abducting Reba telling her that Francis is gone, forever. 

Graham realises that someone must have seen these home movies and there set out to find where, they figure that it is in a lab in St. Louis when Dolarhyde works. Graham works out which employees have seen the movies and then gets his home address. At his home Dolarhyde tries to kill Reba with a piece of broken glass. Graham lunges through a window when seeing this Dolarhyde injures Crawford and kills two police officers. Dolarhyde returns to the kitchen with the intention to shoot Graham however he misses due to his injuries and is killed himself as Graham returns the fire. Reba, Graham and Crawford are attented by paramedics before Graham returns home and retires permantely. 

Stills from the film. 

Visual Techniques 

A big focus on the film is the work that they do on the forensic team run by the FBI to help track down the killer. This highlights the effect that this cases have on Graham. This then highlights the similarities between him and his enemies. 

Thoughout the film the use of colour used is heavily stylized this is because it conveys a sense of duality. The scenes that are shared between Will Graham and his wife Molly there is a light blue while there was an unsettling green used for scenes between himself and killer Francis Dolarhyde. It has been observed that the colour blue is associated with Molly, sex and their family home while green is used for searching and discovering, the colour of his shirt at the start of the investigating and the green tone of the interior shots of the Atlanta police station. It is known that this helps identify the character of Will Graham with the 'goodness' of the natural world and that the Dolarhyde is in the city with all of the sickness and bad things happens. Originally the meanings behind the colouring were critisced however as the years have gone on people have grown to accept it.

Blue vs Green - Visual Techniques

The film is able to draw close attention to the relationships of Graham and Dolarhyde. This is because in the film Michael Mann has chosen to emphasise the novel's symbiotic relationships of Graham/Lecter and Dolarhyde by using this visual techniques of the blues and the green alongside screen acting where being subtle plays a key role.

Something that Michael Mann does very well is the soundtracks in his films, in this film in particular the soundtrack dominates the entire film. The reason behind this is so that the audience knows when to react and when to distance themselves from the film. 

I think that the way the sound and visual techniques are used within this film are really important because it is a lot different to anything I have ever seen before. I like the way Michael Mann does this in all of his films but especially in this one because although it wasn't received as well as people hoped it would when it first came out, over the years people have come to like it more because they believe that it is very unique within it's ways.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091474/synopsis?ref_=ttpl_pl_syn

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhunter_(film)

Test Shoots (FMP)

As I had an idea set out I thought that it would be a good idea to get some test shoots. The idea for this was to have a couple of ideas going into my final major. The style of the shoots was a good way to see if that was what I wanted for my final major. The concept I carried out was what I wanted in my final project. The location in my final major will be different because I have decided that it will be better to film at Matt's house than mine because it is much more spacious. 

The final project will be a lot more detailed although have some similar concepts such as the door opening/shutting, the phone ringing and running up the stairs. This ideas will have alot more detail to them as well. In my test shoots I didn't record any sound however I took it straight from the internet just so I could get an idea of what the type of sounds I would need. In my final major I will be producing the vast majority of the sound because I think it is important because it is a horror film. 

When it came to the editing, I played around with the source to see how real I could make it sound. I made sure that the ambient sound wasn't too overpowering and was just in the background. I also made sure that the sound effects were a bit louder and a lot more powerful because they were the most important parts. Alongside this I also but the opacity up and turned the brightness down, this was so that it look a little more scary because it was shot in daylight and a lot of horror films are shot at night. 

This is my test shot video. 

                   

Secondary Synopsis

Synopsis

I decided that I wanted to change my idea because after watching the television series 'Stalker' I thought it would be better and a lot creepier if I set it in a house. My idea was to now have a dark empty house where a girl is working at her desk when the door suddenly slams shut. Due to being the only person in the house she gets up to check the door. Noticing that there is nothing at the door she shuts the door again and continues working again.

After a few minutes of working she notices that an anonymous email has popped up, not knowing what the email contains or who it is from she she opens it, to her horror it is a threat reading 'watch your back because...the truth will come out, this is your last warning.' The laptop is then shut down and she pushes it away from her and walks out of the room in horror.

The next thing you hear is her phone ringing on the table next to the laptop, she walks back into the room again and picks the phone up however when she picks it up she doesn't actually say anything as she hears another voice on the end of the phone saying 'the truth will come out', something very similar to what the email read. As she drops the phone to the floor in shock the door behind her slams shut again. Once the phone is on the floor the phone rings once more, this time there is more focus on the phone and it shows that the call is from an unknown number. Once it has shown that she picks up the phone and slowly backs up against the wall slides down it (to show that she has no way out.) This time it is the same voice on the end of the phone this time the phone calls says 'you can no longer hide'. Again she throws the phone to the floor.

In the next scene she is seen scrambling out of the room and closing the door and leaning to the side of it trying to get her breathe back as she feels that the room is haunted. The thought that it is only that room that is haunted is only short lived when on the other side of the door in front of her there is a shadow appearing, too scared to move she just puts her hand over her mouth in shock. She realises that the shadow (person) is about to open the door, once the door opens the smallest amount she runs up the stairs. Once she gets half way up the stairs the hand of the shadow is behind her and almost caught up with her.

Once she is up the stairs she runs through one of the doors and slams it shut and then through the other. The end shot is of a hand trying to get into the room and then it fading to black.

Sounds

The sound throughout that I plan to use is ambience track, the reason for this is because I want to get the feel that it is a haunted house, I think that this is important in order to get the horror genre through it because otherwise it is more going to be a thriller which isn't what I want.

For the rest of the sound effects I am creating my own sound effects/foley because I want it to sound as real as possible, I think that this is important because that way you can see but also feel what the character is going through.  

Proposal - Research and Pre Production (FMP Proposal)

Log Line 

It is about a girl who is being stalked by her ex boyfriend after she broke up with him. He is now resentful of her and wants her back however the only way that he believes that he can get her back is by following her and making her scared. She is alone in her house one evening when she hears a door bang. Can it really be him.

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Summary Of Topic

One in five women are getting stalked and although it is for numerous reasons it is important that society notices that it is becoming a serious problem. The most common age for women to get stalked is between the ages of 16-30 however I believe that the majority of the people in that age range that are getting targeted are between the ages of 16-21 this is because they are most vulnerable and probably aren't as physically or mentally as strong as those that are 25-30.  

This film is about how psycho some people can be after something they have devoted so much of their time to end without any real reason. Therefore her ex boyfriend is now so resentful that he feels the need for revenge. The purpose from his perspective isn't to her hurt just to scare her and to make sure that she acknowledges his existence because he misses her.

There are five type of stalkers or reasons for people to be followed

The Rejected Stalker - he rejected stalker cannot accept that a relationship is over and swings between dependency on the other person, pleading for a reconciliation and flying into a rage at being rejected.

The Intimacy Stalker - These stalkers often target celebrities or people they do not know. They fix on someone and believe they are in love with them. They also think in time their love will be reciprocated. 

The Incompetent Stalker - This type of stalker is usually socially incompetent, chauvinistic or a misogynist who believe they are entitled to a relationship with a woman. Although often short-term, stalking is characterised by awkward pleadings or aggressive demands.

The Resentful Stalker - Unlike other types, these stalkers behave deliberately to frighten their victim. It is often motivated by a desire for revenge. The stalker targets the person who has hurt them directly - or a representative of that group or person - for instance, a boss, a woman or a certain ethnic minority. This accounts for a minority of cases and is often rooted in the workplace.

The Predatory Stalker -  This is the least common and most dangerous type of stalker - the category that sex offenders fall into. They follow their victims, observe their behaviour and gather information in order to plan a real attack. They are exclusively men and stalk victims for a feeling of power, control and sexual excitement.

The category that the stalker in my film falls into is the rejected stalker. Which also happens to be the most common type of stalker. This has become a global issue because if someone believes that they are being stalked they need to make sure that they contact the police before anything else comes from it. In my film the never confronts him because it is important that the stalker is never interrupted from his thoughts. 

I feel that I am the best person to tell this story because I believe that it is something that I am very passionate about and therefore think that the best films and stories are written and told by those who believe it is the most and follow it through with the upmost passion. This film will become important to a lot of women because they will see this as a way of independance. In trying to stop stalking this means that everyone is safer and won't be stopped by going out alone once it has started to get dark. 

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Treatment 

The main character is called Megan and is 19 years old. Last year she split up from her boyfriend after learning that she has a new boyfriend he is out to get his revenge on her. He is resentful to her for ending it with him and for getting into another relationship soon after.

It is a story of seeking revenge and to see how much her past is going to come and haunt her. 

On the screen the audience will hear the footsteps of him following her, heavy breathing, Megan screaming. You will also see Megan go from calm to terrified in the space of minutes. The face of the his shadow. 

The type of music I will use will be similar to a heartbeat, something which is calm and quiet which will be in contrast to the film.

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Synopsis 

A year ago Megan hurt him. It has been a year since Megan has left him. Left him for no real reason. He has been watching her from afar for some time but after learning that she is in another relationship he gets incredibly jealous and he wants her to know that he still exists. 

Megan is unaware that he has been following all this time and is shocked when all of this is happening. It big reveal happens all on one night, it is just a normal night and Megan is working away at her computer doing some work when she hears the door slam, knowing that she has locked the door she goes to check it out. She opens the door and notices that there is nothing there. After thoroughly checking the door to make sure there is nothing there she walks back into the room and goes back the the computer to continue doing her work. 

After going back to her work she receives an email from an anonymous source. However the emails ends with the words 'Yours X' prompting her to realise who it is that is following her. The email also reads 'The Truth Will Come Out'. The truth about her new relationship that is yet to be exposed. In shock horror she closes her laptop down and moves away from the table, she then leaves the room in horror only for her phone to start ringing back in the other room. Megan slowly bends down to pick up her phone. She picks the phone up and lifts it to her ear however she doesn't say anything. On the end of the phone there is a voice that says 'The Truth Will Come Out' exactly like it said on the email prompting the audience to know that it is the same person. 

Megan drops the phone on the floor as the door behind her swings open, the phone rings again and again she lifts it to her face but doesn't say anything when she answers it this time it is the same voice on the phone saying that she can no longer hide. Megan then runs out of the room slamming the door behind her and standing against the door, breathing heavily. In the other room there is the shadow of her ex boyfriend, Megan can see it in her corner of her eye too shocked to move she stands there with her hands over her mouth. The shadow is then appears to stand directly in front of her. She then runs up the stairs and the shadow is seen to still be behind her and she runs upstairs into a room and slams the door. 

The last time heard is a gun shot. 

Status Of Film

The current status of the film is that currently all of the research for it has been done. I have also done some research along some practical work into looking into the sound that I can use for it. These sounds are foley sounds that I have played around with to see what works well with it. I have cast my main actress. The only thing that isn't 100% certain which will need to get sorted in the next couple of weeks is the location. The reason for this is because I am stuck between two locations; a busy city one and a quiet one. 

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Total Budget

0 - no money will be spent in the making of this film. 

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Length Of Work

I believe that my film will be between 2-4 minutes long. I think that this is long enough to get the main story across. I don't want the film to be any longer than 4 minutes though because I believe that it could get incredibly boring and not worth it. 

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Intended Audience 

I did some market research in order to find out who the intended audience was for horror films. As the graph above shows the vast majority are between the ages of 18-24. I think this is because this is the age group where there is the most adrenaline junkies. Another reason as to why I believe 18-24 is the most common age is because they are more likely to be able to watch it in the cinema or watch it in big groups. 

This is the intended market that I hope my film will interested, I believe that due to social networks a lot more youngsters/teenagers will watch it due to them being the most active in Twitter & Facebook. As graph 5 shows the most common way that people watch horror movies is with their friends therefore this is again showing that the 18-24 category is the strongest because they are the ones that are most likely going to be watching it with their friends.

A result that did surprise was how infrequently people watch horror films with 64% of people surveyed saying they either never watch them or only watch them a few times a year, I feel like this goes hand in hand with the favourite sub genre horror. The majority of people said that their favourite horror type was comedy horror I think both of these answers show that we are a nation that just isn't all that into horror. This shows that a lot of us our too scared of them.    

(http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-21634/One-women-stalked.html)

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Schedule 

The Killer Press Kit (FMP Proposal)

The Killer Press Kit

A 5 Word Tag Line - When The Truth Comes Out

Movie Poster

This is the movie poster for my horror film, Stalked. The font I have used is a horror font from DaFont called 'face your fears' I really like this font because I think that it goes well with the horror theme on the poster. Alongside the title it also has the 5 word tag line which is 'When The Truth Comes Out' I have used the black font again because I think that it works well with the colouring of the background. The date underneath is the date of the films release I put this is white because its only small and therefore I think that it goes well with the black and the light shining on it. 

At the bottom of the movie poster there name of the main actress alongside whose film productions it has come from. 

Editing 

1. The image is one I found on Google and I think it suits my film well. 

2. Title Stalked - Font 'Face Your Fears' 

3. Tag Line 'When The Truth Comes Out' - Font 'Face Your Fears' 

4. Date Of Film Release - 01.06.2015 - Font 'Face Your Fears' 

5. Name of production company 'A Naomi Doddridge Production' - Font 'Face Your Fears' 

6. Name Of Actress - Olivia Searle - Font 'Face Your Fears' 

Teaser Trailer

                    

Stalked - Horror Teaser Trailer from Naomi Doddridge on Vimeo.

For the video of the teaser trailer I used two different ones. I took part of a video that I found on YouTube which is called Stalker Short Film which is directed by Jonny Eden. Alongside that I also used a lighting storm. I used the lighting storm to correspond with how Megan the main character would be feeling, as in the terms of the fact that all her lying has meant that a storm is brewing. 

I used a vast majority of sounds because I believe in a teaser trailer that only lasts about 15 seconds long it is important that sound is used just as much as video. The sounds that used all the way through were a horror ambiance and hallucination, this is because these were both very airy sounds which gives the feel of a horror film. Alongside that I also uses a knife scrape,  a screaming woman and a lighting strike all this sounds were included because they correspond with the trailer and with the story of the film. 

The font that I used was a horror font called 'Face Your Fears' I thought about using a normal font but I decided to use a horror film because that is what the film is about. This is also the same font that I used in the teaser trailer therefore I felt that it was important to make sure that it had some sort of continuity 

I am really happy with how it came out in the end.

Counterpoint (FMP Proposal)

(Something I Filmed)

Modern/Old

To create counterpoint I took apart parts of my music video in order to create emotion and create the opposing emotion. The task was to create the emotion through the use of colour grading, sound design and adding music.

Beforehand the music video was very modern using a very modern song therefore I decided to take advantage of how modern it looked and turned it into an old film. I decided to do this instead of changing the feeling was because I believed that the emotion would have been more powerful and something completely different. In order to create this I researched what colours they use in old films and how to grade the footage.

I took four or five separate clips from my music video. The first thing I did was speed up the clip to 120. The reason for this is because in older films they are a bit faster and aren't at a steady paste therefore these made it easier when it came to colour grading because it already looked older. The next thing I did was made it black and white and turning up the brightness and contrast. It was important to make it black and white because no old films were ever in colour therefore this is probably the most important thing in order to create the emotion to the audience. Alongside the black and white I also added a brown to it, I did this because it create a sepia effect which every old film had. The sepia effects shows how off colour the televisions were.

While colour grading was very important I also added film grading this was clips of black and white flashing throughout, the way that old films were run this then created the opposing mood of new vs old.

I added some sound to it, I found some music that they used for silent films and added it to my music video footage. I then adapted the music so that it fit in time to my clips.

The emotion I wanted to create was an old/reminiscent feel to it and I feel as though I created this through a number of things; colour grading, sounds and adding effects. I believe that the most important element to creating the new emotion was adding the sepia because that is what is used on old films and therefore the audience are aware of the emotion I am trying to create. This effect manipulates the viewers mixed with the sound used as there eyes and ears are both seeing and hearing the emotion changing. Considering this footage was originally from a modern song I think that the changing emotion was done successful because it is something that the viewer can hear and see.

A Still From A Film That Doesn't Exist (FMP Proposal)

The idea for this was we have to explore mise-en-scene, lighting, shot type, shot length and post production effects. 

The location, actor and object were all picked from random. That is why I have a random cause of Joseph Gordon Levitt, a giraffe and a deserted location. Alongside that the film title was also picked by random; Jumping On My Cheating Heart. 

The Way Things Look (FMP Proposal)

The Sacrament 

I have chosen this shot because I really like the lighting in it. In this image the lighting is very dark as it is all natural lighting done by the sunset. From this image you can tell that the time of day is most likely to be early evening judging by the way the sun is setting. Behind the man who is the main concept in this shot the sun setting behind the trees. I think that this screenshot is very reflective in a way that he is standing and holding the camera it is as though he is about to take the photo however something catches his eye and therefore moves the camera away. 

I think what is great in this shot is the dark colour palette with hints on light coming through the top. The man is blocking the majority of the light coming through the picture due to where he is standing that is why the focal length of this shot is on the man. Other than it just being on him there is also great emphasis on the camera and the way that he is holding it. 

I think the part of this shot I would be interested in including in my FMP would be the lighting. The lighting is slightly different in this shot to a lot of films purely because it is a little hard to look at therefore there will be emphasis on the shadows that would be created with this shot. 

Under The Skin 

I have chosen this shot because like the one above the colouring of this is really unique. There is a light colour palette used with it being whites and grays. The woman is in the center of this shot and the only thing visible. We can't actually see if there is anything in the background because the fade effect has meant that it has been hidden. 

The woman is obviously the focal length of this shot. This means that the shot emphasizes heavily on her features especially she facial features; nose, lips and chin. Everything in this shot gives off a very neutral colour apart from her pink jumper which even with the fading on it still stands out. While it has been faded quite considerably it is clear that the lighting is very bright because it looks as though it could be on a white background. I don't necessarily think that's the case and I believe that the background is most probably dark and grey with potentially mist and fog. 

The part of this shot that I believe could be applied into my FMP is the side profile of the woman. I really think it gives it a completely different feel than what it would if she was stood full profile looking towards the camera. The reason I think that its probably the side profile is because the camera is focusing on her and then it would turn and focus on the subject she is looking at. 

Surveillance

I have chosen this image based on the fact that the girl is the only one in this shot, which could be applied to my FMP. I like the fact that this shot is only the back of her and again aren't getting the face profile. I think I would like to include this sort of thing into my FMP. 

The colour palette on this shot is the bottom end of the light palette and the top end of the medium one this is because I feel as though it overlaps the both of them. As it is too dark to be completely light and too light to be completely medium. In this shot the girl is central and holding onto something however we aren't quite able to see what it is. The girl is looking ahead and to the left because she is looking up at a car which is driving ahead in front. This scene is in a quiet location with only one car being scene I think this represents the fact that this is only what the girls sees. The girl looks to be standing on what seems to be either a field or a woods. 

The focal length of this shot is the girl however I could also say that the car is the focal point because it is what the girl is staring at. The lighting in this gives the shot an overall feeling that it is pretty light. The sun is shining in the middle part of the shot. (between the young girl and the car) Although I do believe that the lighting may have something to do with the perception to make from the shot. This is because she sees the middle as light yet the car and herself are both dark therefore suggesting that there is some trouble. 

Death Proof 

The colour palette of this shot is dark this is because of the situation, I doubt that the entire film has a colour palette of just black although this scene is. In this shot the girl in the center and to the right. It is a close up shot and you can see the fact that she has been crying, It is a close enough shot to see that her face is red. 

The shot has the colour red theme running through it this is with her face and the background to the right of her all being red. Although the left side of her is blue and white I think that this suggests that she is in danger as she is leaning more towards the red side of the shot. The cinematographer has obviously looked into great detail to try and separate the red from the white and blue.  

The focal part of this shot is the girl who has obviously seen something that has made her hysterical. I am able to see this through her facial expressions and because of how wide her eyes are. The lighting in this shot is overall very dark this most likely reflects how she is feeling in that particular moment - scared and worried. 

I really like how close up this shot is I think that is my most favourite thing about this one. That would also be the one factor that would be applied to my FMP that is because my FMP is going to be a horror/thriller theme and I know where I could use a shot very similar to this. 

Run Lola Run 

The colour grading of this shot is medium and dark. This is because the background of the shot has more of the dark palette running through it while the front of the shot isn't that dark and therefore I think more medium. 

The woman is in the center of this shot. The background isn't in focus but from just this shot I can't exactly see where she is. From this shot I could take a guess and say that it looks as though it could be an American underground station. I think this because of the colours being used and because it looks as though the background roof is made up of a lot of arches which would be used in a station.

The focal point of this shot is of the woman running away from whatever is following her. I can tel that she is in the middle of running due to the way that her mouth is slightly opened and formed. In this the lighting is lit differently because the woman herself is very bright so much so that you can see all of her features however the background is very dark. 

This type of shot would be applied into my FMP because I will have a lot of running shots due to being followed. I can take inspiration from the way this shot is laid out and can apply it to my own work.  

Original Idea - Script Writing ( PRE FMP)

Script Writing 

Location - Plymouth City Centre

Characters - Girl 1 Boy 1 

Extras could be added and there is the chance that there will be extras. If it is filmed within the town areas then I don’t think there will be the need for extras because it will be relatively busy there and therefore they are just walking past. If there is any problem with these extras then there will be extras/actors put in.  

(Girl) feels as though she is being followed, she turns around every couple of seconds to find that nobody is there. She walks faster through the centre to try and get away from (Boy) however she can feel him getting closer even as she feels further away she can still feel his presence. 

Scene 1 - Day 1 

MEGAN 

Walking the normal route home from college, that she walks everyday however today she notices something different, today she can feel someone following her. 

{she turns around}

{nothing there so she carries on walking} 

{The footsteps are getting closer and closer}

Whispered

{Stop It}

From here she runs and runs until she has made her way home.

She believes that it is all in her head that it is her head that is making it up. 

She’s scared she can’t tell anyone because they will thinking its all in her head… truth be told she thinks it all in her head again. 

{MUSIC THROUGHOUT}

BOY (EX-BOYFRIEND)

He sees her everyday, she walks this same route home. In all honesty he has seen her everyday for the past year but before this never gone near her. In truth he would never go near her or hurt her… he loves her.

She hurt him a year ago and now all he wants is revenge, he wants revenge because she hurt him more than she will ever know. 

Beforehand he doesn't actually do anything he just stars at her, looking at her from afar. 

{He’s walking about 20 steps behind her, this is because he knows that she is behind him}

{FOOTSTEPS}

He knows that she can hear his footsteps because she keeps turning round, every time she turns around he can tell that what he is doing isn't right however once she turns around he just disappears moving away to the side. 

He needs to slow down his pace in order of not being noticed. 

He knows about her history he knows everything about that she’s been through therefore he knows that she can’t say anything without being sent away… he has her right where he wants her. 

Scene 2 - Day 2

(3 Months Since Day 1)

Three months ago for the first time she had been followed on the way home. She had thought about it every time she had walked the route since, yet nothing had happened. 

The problem is that this is the only route home she can’t go anything route because there isn't one. She too scared, scared that this is all in her head. She can’t tell her parents she told them that this had been happening before and the truth was it hadn't it was all in her head. She couldn't tell them that this was happening again, she would be sent back to the ward where she had spent the best part of last year to. 

MEGAN

She started the route home again, ever since she had last been stalked she had to compose herself before she walked the route because she had to make sure he head was in the right place.

She turned a noise the sound of glass smashing behind her. 

{noooooooooooooo, this can’t be happening}

{strained voice} 

 Her pace fastened quicker than she had every walked before but she knew she had to get away as quickly as possible. 

{FOOTSTEPS}

{Again she glanced around but this time instead of seeing nothing all she could see was a shadow}

This shadow was approaching her, this must mean that he is nearer than she thought, that 

wasn't a good thing. 

Although maybe it was… now it was a shadow this mean’t that this wasn't all her head. A sense of what one would describe as relieved came over her. 

A shadow wasn't enough for her she needed to see some part of him, if she told someone she had seen a shadow then they still wouldn't take her seriously. 

{She walked faster again and ran, this way getting away from the shadow and its existence}

The shadow was over taking her, she dare look back in fear of what she would see.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

{VOICE SCREAMING} 

She called hoping that somebody would notice her, although there was people walking across the street, nobody so came anywhere near her. 

This was her fault hadn't she said anything previous then of course people would come over to her but nope. 

Heads were being lifted to see where the noise had come from but that was that, she was known for being the girl that. Had called out before and everyone had been there to help however this time they knew her past they knew where she had been. 

It’s different, different this time I swear…. please help me! 

{whispered voice}

{She composed herself before carrying on walking her route however this time she just walked a steady past}

She turned around one more time but this time there was no shadow there, this was because there  was no shadow no nothing… what. 

BOY (EX-BOYFRIEND)

It had been three months since I followed her home that night. nothing had happened since then because I made sure that I stayed away, I made sure that I wasn't near her. I had this plan that would spread out the whole year and today was part 2 of it. 

Like usual Megan was walking the same route home however this time she seemed a lot more composed than the first night that I saw her.

I walked closer to her than I did last time, so close that she could see my shadow, we both knew that even if she did anything right now nobody would notice. 

A glass then smashed, if I’m honest I had no clue where it had come from… even I didn't want to look. 

I could here her whisper {noooooooooo} that was how close I was to her instead of being a quiet whisper it was almost as though her voice was strained. 

Suddenly, she moved away sprinting but she knew I was still behind her all this time because my shadow was over taking her it was getting bigger and bigger. 

Megan screamed and I wanted to put my hand over her mouth although I couldn't do that because then I would expose myself to everyone. 

Had this been an empty street than maybe, but not here not where there was a lot of people around. 

I did the only thing that I could think of doing and that was running, I had no run I had no other choice luckily nobody seemed that interested. 

Just as I took off running I could here Megan in the background sinking to the floor and whispering It’s different, different this time I swear…. please help me! 

As much as I wanted to go back and see her I couldn't, I wanted to her but I just couldn't. 

Scene 3 - Day 3 

{6 Months Since Day 1}

{3 Months Since Day 2}

Six Months Ago Megan got followed home for the first time. This had seemed like so long ago. This was the day that she believed that she was seeing things again that her paranoia was so strong that this was all in her head all over again. However three months ago Megan knew what she had seen she had seen the shadow of someone and that the time she screamed he went away. 

It had been exactly three months since then and six months since the first incident… she was preparing herself for the worse because she knew that something was going to happen tonight. 

MEGAN

All day this was all she could think about because she knew that tonight was the night. She had to believe again that this wasn't in her head, this time she got a little bit closer to home than the other two times and part of her thought that maybe it wasn't going to happen tonight however she was very wrong. 

{BANG}

That was the only noise that she heard and it made her jump. 

This time she saw the shadow again however alongside that she also saw a pair of shoes she couldn't bear to look up anymore in fear of seeing something in which she didn't want to see. 

She could feel a breath over her shoulder 

{She stopped in her tracks and in that moment all she wanted was for all of this to go away} 

That is what half of the problem was because she knew that no matter what it wouldn't go away. 

{‘Stop, stop it…. you need to stop it. I’ll do anything really anything but please stop, I can’t do this… why are you doing this to me?’}

{‘I know you’re there I can feel your presence I can feel you there above me, just leave me alone.’}

{KNIVES GOING INTO WHAT SOUNDS LIKE A HEAD}

sound that I need to come up with - what sounds? what am I using for these sounds? Where are these sounds coming from? What is the atmosphere for these sounds? 

{oh no}

Megan runs and runs faster than she has ever ran before….

For her the sound was all too real it was as though someone had been stabbed but what? who was it? 

{Sighs a breath of relief}

Megan knew that it could be her, that this stalker is all too real and that it could of been him doing it to her, she doesn't even know if it was him doing the stabbing she just couldn't look. 

The idea that she could be the next victim… no she couldn't deal with that. 

BOY (EX-BOYFRIEND)

This wasn't right, all he wanted to do was love her yet he seemed to be getting further away from her. Part three was about to happen and he didn't know how he felt about it. Part of him didn't want this to happen that he wanted to leave her alone after last time however he knew that she was expecting something. Instead of being in the same place that they were the last couple of times he got her to walk home a bit further he didn't want to stop her in the same place, he knew the area was busy and he knew that there was a rather large chance that somebody would notice them looking suspicious… he didn't want to cause any problem. 

I heard the noise and I know Megan did to, it was the sound of a bang, nobody actually knew where it come from… but I could tell Megan heard it as well. I think we must have been the only two that had heard it because nobody reacted… nobody else moved an inch. 

I started to believe that it was in both of our heads and that we connected on such a high level that we would be the only ones to hear this noise. This made me certain for my love for Megan for how raw and real it was. In all honesty I had never seen Megan jump so much before she was honesty scared… perhaps more scared that the first time I followed her that time. 

I wanted to make sure that she felt protected so I walked over closer to her, my shadow was incredibly overpowering and the only other thing that she could see was my shoes. In that moment I begged that she wouldn't move or look up. As much as I loved her and needed the world to know I also didn't want her to know in this moment… the only thing I knew was that she needed to be protected and that was all that mattered. 

As much as I tried not to breath anywhere near her, I knew that she had felt my breath on her shoulder, I could hear her breathe in heavily and that was the only single I needed to tell that she knew I was there. 

The next thing I heard was her voice… I don’t understand why was she scared I would never harm her. Why didn't she understand this… to me this was so important because I needed her to feel safe and yet even while I was around she didn't {’Stop, stop it…. you need to stop it. I’ll do anything really anything but please stop, I can’t do this… why are you doing this to me?’}

{‘I know you’re there I can feel your presence I can feel you there above me, just leave me alone.’}

The next sound we heard was the sound of someone being stabbed… I found this kind of weird because I felt really light headed after this because I realised I had been the one who was stabbed. 

I doubt Megan wouldn't have know that I was the one who was stabbed because she moved away quickly… far too quickly for me to even react… was this the end of us? 

Scene 4 - Day 4 

(9 Months Since Day 1)

(6 Months Since Day 2)

(3 Months Since Day 3) 

It has been three months since he has been stabbed. Six months since Day 2. Nine months since Day 1. Nine months ago today was the day Megan became aware that something strange was happening. For the first three months she believed that it was all in her head… that this whole time she was going back to the state that she had fought so hard to get away from. Six months ago she learnt that wasn't the case that there was something definitely following her. Three months ago she learnt on that night that somebody had been stabbed… yet no idea who. 

To her this entire situation was still so messed up, she couldn't tell anyone they would all think that it was still all in her head. This was the problem because it wasn't in her head it had never been in her head, she lied… everything she done was a lie and now it had come back to haunt her. 

MEGAN

She knew what was going to happen today… today she was going to walk how and that her stalker was going to follow her home again.

It was 6pm, the exact same time that it had been on all of the other occasions. 

Like the other three times she walked home, took a steady pace praying that it was the stalker that had been stabbed. 

She heard footsteps approaching her… however it was weird because these footsteps were getting louder way more quickly that she remembered. 

The last couple of times they hadn't been that loud that she could recall. 

She kept walking but then suddenly she fell… 

{‘Stop, whatever you are doing you need to stop now?’}

The shadow again was over the top over her and standing high above her… she could see the face. 

(Audience doesn't see the face)

Megan is shocked.

{’n-o-o-o-o-o-o-o, is this why you’re doing it because you wan’t revenge. I know what you want… you want me to admit that I was wrong’}

There was the sound of stabbing

This time it was a lot louder than it was the previous time and this scared her more than anything

{‘Okay… I’ll admit it… i’ll admit it. I lied, I lied and I’m so sorry I shouldn't have lied. You have what you want now please leave me alone’}

{Laughs}

Walks away

BOY (EX-BOYFRIEND)

This was the final part of my plan. A plan that was all finally coming together. This would be the last part of it and then everything would go back to being normal again. I would stalk her again, I would get the truth. 

At 6pm the exact same time that it had been for the past 9 months. I followed her home I got quicker a lot faster than I had normally, this was because I knew what I was going to do. 

I tripped her, well technically I didn't she fell over something on the floor which I put there in order for her to fall over it. 

I could here how desperate her voice was, she was scared 

{‘Stop, whatever you are doing you need to stop now?’}

Stop whatever I was doing? I was’t doing anything this was all Megan’s fault she was the one that caused all of this, all of this hell was all of her fault. 

My shadow was so much bigger than her, it made her feel infer, which was what my purpose was to make sure she knew that she was small, that she felt small and that she felt as though she wasn't anything special. 

Megan looked up I knew she had seen my face… I tried so hard to cover it but I knew that she had seen me, especially if what she said next was anything to go by. 

{’n-o-o-o-o-o-o-o, is this why you’re doing it because you wan’t revenge. I know what you want… you want me to admit that I was wrong’}

The sound of stabbing behind us again, I knew this got her scared, now scared than ever before… and that is what made her break. 

{‘Okay… I’ll admit it… i’ll admit it. I lied, I lied and I’m so sorry I shouldn't have lied. You have what you want now please leave me alone’}

I got it, I got her to tell the truth… finally. 

I laughed because I knew that she had finally cracked after all the hell she put me through. 

The only I could do was laugh. 

I turned around and walked away from her… she finally felt as I felt for the past year. 

I walked past her and out of her life forever. 

END