As a senior in Film, it was my time to create my epic senior narrative film. The requirements for this project were that I had to work with a partner, help with four other films, and create my own film from start to finish.
Me + My Camera
This was an incredibly rewarding project, and ultimately I think I did very well. Introducing my film, So We Killed Juliet: A plot to sabotage the high school newspaper's senior editor goes horribly wrong, and two underdogs must hide the body.
Synopsis:
After a mysterious photographer defaced school property, the student body wants answers. A lowly columnist at a high school newspaper decides to take out the senior editor (a type a, passive-aggressive, golden-girl who was assigned to write the report and interview on the event by the paper's head faculty member) so she can finally have her work noticed. The columnist is also worried for her guy friend who does photography for the paper, as he is not well liked and suspected to be the culprit of the incident. Despite locking the senior editor in the closet so she misses the interview, the girl escapes. After being confronted by the editor who threatened to report her, the columnist hits her with a chair. The editor falls down dead right as the columnist's photographer friend walks into the room. Instead of reporting her, he helps her hide the body as the columnist tells the student faculty that the editor didn't show, resulting in her receiving the assignment instead. The two students then set foot on a series of trials as they bring the corpse to the dumpster in time for the interview; i.e. other students see the editor sitting dead in the chair and trying to talk to her, carrying the body through the hallway, being forced to make excuses. As they finally approach the dumpster, the photographer is called away to talk to the faculty member, who is convinced that the guy was the culprit of the incident and removes him from the newspaper. The columnist finishes disposing of the corpse in the dumpster, and rushes back to the scene only to realize that she is too late- and another student has stepped in for the job. As the columnist, the photographer, and the faculty member watch the interview from afar, and the only interviewee/witness who saw the offender confirms that the photographer was not the person who defaced school property. The faculty member apologizes for judging the photographer harshly, and gives him his position back. However, the columnist is seething about losing this opportunity, and realizes that the student is a witness. As the student returns back to the newspaper room to write her report, the columnist follows her with a chair, waiting for the right moment to dispose of her as well.
Pre-Production Process
My pre-production process was lengthy and very focused on ensuring that minimal errors occurred during production and post production. I personally really enjoyed the process of making a pre production package and planning the most out of all the three aspects of film production, and it’s an area where I have grown a lot and proven myself to be strong in. There were major areas where I really realized I have overestimated or underestimated my time needs. Additionally, there were areas where I had definitely organized the spreadsheets somewhat inefficiently. However, all the hard work I put in really helped me speed up the process of filming and by ensuring that my lists of information were organized on the basis of multiple things such as props, set, costume, character, I was able to use my time really effectively and think quickly in unexpected situations, such as when actors failed to show up or canceled last minute. Additionally, the way I organized my shot list has helped me through the editing process, which is making my rough cut go much quicker. Because I really enjoyed the process and have felt so rewarded by all of my hard work in this area, I would love to talk about it and share what I learned to make the best of pre-production. This is why I chose to include all of my files as downloadables on this page- I want people to be able to see my level of detail as well as have a template that they can use. If you like my pre-production package files, feel free to make a copy for your own personal use!
What I valued the most from this project is the hard work I put in and my ultimate results. I really enjoyed that everything I did was entirely my own, and I liked seeing how my creations differed from those of my peers. I enjoyed the pre production process the most, and I learned I really have a knack for creative planning in the aspect of film. I also enjoyed the production and post production processes, because I had planned early on in such detail that I was able to avoid serious setbacks. It was so nice to feel like my efforts were for a reason, and it was amazing to see things that I created go from mere visualizations to plans to a final project.
