Filming Setback

 So today i was supposed to start filming but unfortunately i ran into some issues. Today i was supposed to film the scenes where John is at work at a grocery store but when me, my actors and crew showed up today we were told we were not allowed despite having gotten prior permission with the manager of that publix. So to work around this i am considering changing John's job to a boring office job because i talked to my dad and he said i could film at his office so i might change the story slightly.

The Music

 For the music i want something that can reinforce the feeling of sadness and monotony but it to feel very subtle. I had in mind something similar to Joy Division but more specifically 2 of their songs "Atmosphere" and "Insight". I chose to find all my music on this database that i have access to called "Bulletproof Bear" and here are some songs that i have found and will likely end up using.

https://catalog.bulletproofbear.com/track/44716472

https://catalog.bulletproofbear.com/track/52803985

https://catalog.bulletproofbear.com/track/55490238

https://catalog.bulletproofbear.com/track/20583186

Making The Picture Frame

Today i made the broken picture frame which is the key prop to the piece. I got the picture frame i kept hitting it with a hammer and it just wouldn't break. It took like 2 minutes of just hitting for it to break here is a photo of a before and after of the picture frame and the video of me breaking it. 

before

after

here is the video of me well.... attempting to break it. Just a heads up i was hitting it so hard the tripod kept falling, so yeah...

Recording My Voiceover

Today i have started recording my voiceover. I recorded it on my phone on the app voice memos and when i was recording i changed the script slightly because some of it didn't come across the way i intended and didn't give the necessary affect. The voiceover is basically the same just very slightly changed but the idea and message is the same.

Here is a excerpt of one of the takes

Casting John

I finally cast John for "Manslaughter". When i was casting i kept on running into the same problem someone had the right look but the wrong voice or vice versa so since John doesn't talk during the opening i decided to get two different people to play John one person doing the voice and the other acting. For the voice i decided get my friend Mateo Caridad to do it since he has a very monotone voice and i think it would be prefect for John's character since he is supposed to be numb. For John physically i cast my friend Luke Dierkng as i think he looks perfect and is a great actor.

(This is Luke Dierking)

"Manslaughter" Sound Design

The sound design for "Manslaughter" i will have it be very purposefully boring for most of it to reflect John's mental space and how he is numb and a shell of himself. To sharply oppose this in the scenes where he is reflecting on his time at war the sound design will shift into a very loud and chaotic mess which will reflect the sharp contrast between his time as a soldier and his current life and how it is all still fresh and vivid in his mind and he can't forget what he has seen. The sound design for his time at war needs to be perfect because i want to create something scary and horrific and play with the mind because what you don't see is scarier than what you do which is why we'll only hear his trauma and not actually see it. Here is a great youtube video that explains why something is scarier and more intense when you don't actually see it, i found it very helpful and it's what ended up making me decide to only have us hear the horror of war and not actually see it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nGk8VCVCWw

John's look: Costume

For John's costume i want to use very drab colors to reflect how sad of a life he lives. John will only have 2 outfits, when he wakes up he will be wearing a blood stained tank top and underwear to reflect that he is forever haunted by his time as a soldier and how it has left a permanent stain on him. The other costume is his work uniform which will consist of a green polo and black pants (similar to a publix uniform).

(something like this)

I chose this because the green is reminiscent of a military uniform and it serves as a metaphor that John despite his best efforts he is still haunted by his time at war and as a soldier and how he is still mentally a soldier living his life automatically without thinking anymore.

The key prop: The Broken Picture Frame

 The most important prop in the whole film opening is the broken picture frame with the photo of John and his best friend. It is so important that the piece starts and ends with a close up of it. It is very important as it is a visual metaphor for Joh n  as the army has left him broken like the frame but underneath there is still something there. I have set aside an old wooden picture frame that i don't use and when i saw it i knew it was perfect. 

(This is the picture frame)

I have not taken the photo of John and his friend yet because i have not casted him yet but i am narrowing down my options.

Character Development

My protagonist John Morgan is a 19 year old war veteran and everything about his character will revolve around that. For example every scene where he is walking he will have a limp on his left leg from battle. Also since he was in the army all his clothes and everything in his house will be perfectly straightened and neat. To subconsciously reflect John's sad and monotonous life his house will consist of mostly beige and gray colors so that it reflects his life and mental state as the war screwed him up so bad that he has pretty much given up and lives his life on autopilot. 

(these is the color pallet i want to use for his house to convey his life and mental state)

Despite his time in the military his house will have no military decorations or anything military related as it reminds him of his trauma all except one broken picture frame that is on his bedstand next to his bed and the framed picture shows him and a friend in their military uniforms smiling and the piece will start and end with a shot of the picture frame as it acts as a metaphor for John's life.

My Script

Today i have finished the script for my film opening called "Manslaughter". Some details are subject to change because they might not translate well on screen but this is pretty much the finished version. Here is a we transfer link to the script https://we.tl/t-jtLSl2fYr6.

My Idea

I have finally decided on an idea for my project it will be a drama about a soldier who comes back from war and how his time in the military affected himself. The piece will start with a man who has a limp walking to his kitchen and eating breakfast and while eating breakfast he gets triggers that reminds him of his time as a soldier and instead of seeing anything we just hear it which would make it more powerful because it is left up to the viewer's interpretation like the shark for most of Jaws. As he gets up from the table we will see a title card "Manslaughter" i chose it because the crime of manslaughter is when you indirectly kill someone and that's what the army did to the main character John because he died inside because of it and him coming to terms with that is what the whole film is about. After breakfast we will match cut to him at work as a cashier and we will keep match cutting to him as he goes through the rest of his day and seeing how disturbed he is ultimately until he goes to bed ending the scene. Throughout the whole scene we will hear John giving a monologue through voiceover about his time in the military and this will be the only dialogue in the whole piece.