Dialogue and Film Prep

 While it's still a hard time for me, I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. I figure this project will be a good way for me to take my mind off of things, and not sink down into the doldrums of anguish and despair. Poetry aside, let's get into the good stuff.

THE SCRIPT:

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TRAILER #1

Scene in Car

Steve

We’re almost here

Scene in Front of House

Steve

That’s our house. Pleasant, like the town.

Val

It’s marvelous! Say, is this place new? I’ve been trying to read up on it before we left. Looked it up online, everything. Didn’t really find anything on it.

Steve

Sure, I guess it’s relatively new. Just don’t focus so much on the ghost stories you read up on. (Val looks sheepish - Steve light chuckle) 

Val

After everything we’ve been through, I… I just want things to be perfect for us.

Steve

It’s already perfect, we’re pretty much in paradise! Now come on inside.

Friendly Neighbor

Hey new neighbors, pleasure to finally meet you!

Montage of Tranquil Shots

Val and Steve dancing in front of record player

Val

I think we’re finally home.

Scene Later with Val and Steve at House After TC Incident

Val

(Panicked)There’s something not right with this town.

Steve

(Much more robotic) This is our forever home, isn’t it. (darkly) We’re not leaving.

Scene of Val in Car Trying to Leave

Friendly Neighbor

Leaving so soon? (Voiceover recording) No one ever leaves this town.

Scene at Park With Sigma in Shadows

Val

(Shouting  panicked) Who are you?

Scene of Val Shaking Door

Val

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?!!!

Scene of Sigma in House

Sigma

With all of the terrible things you’ve done to get here, you were already almost a demon anyway. It was you who wanted to escape your family, escape your town, escape yourself. I’ve given you a way to do just that! Now, you get to spend eternity in PARADISE!!! 

(Voice over fading black) Tell me….. Did you really think you could ever escape yourself?

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I figure I'll just put the script for the first trailer here. It's the trailer where I'm going to utilize more dialogue anyways, so it's probably the better one to include. I do want to touch up some of the lines in the second trailer, so I might just put my final draft of that one in a later blog post. 

Now, to dissect this one. I want the tone and cadence of the opening scenes to almost resemble that of a sitcom. The couple finally moving into their new house, the wife overjoyed, the husband proud, etc. etc. I did add some extra bits of dialogue in the scene where the pair are standing in front of their house that I know I'm probably not going to use, but I wanted to see if I could add just a note of suspense during that sequence. Just to make it into an easier transition into the thriller part of the trailer. Or I'll just cross out a few of those lines. I want the pace of this trailer to start off slow, and then quickly pick up. But, I worry that those few extra lines will really mess with that pacing in the beginning and won't allow for a smooth transition. 

I'll most likely play around with the dialogue while filming. The last trailer project that our class did, I made up some of the scene dialogue on the spot, just because the script was finally read out loud and I didn't like how stiff some of it was. It's always hard to write dialogue, it's apparently one of the most difficult part of pre-production to get right. But, I like what I have for this trailer at this moment, and it's safe to say this is my final draft and what I'll be working with for the duration of filming.

Film Prep!

I'm just about ready to start filming and it feels good. I'm trying to give myself as much time as possible for editing and the other components of my project, so hopefully I'm keeping at a good pace.

I have to work out some of my settings. I already have my settings list ready (I'll put it right down here):

-Town Center

-My house

-The plaza

-Markham Park

-Everglades bike trail

I just have to decide if Markham Park would be the best choice, or if I could just film at a park that's a little closer. 

This is Markham, and it works well for the shots I want to get. But, I just worry about how crowded it will be. I'm going to go later, when its darker, just for the thriller shots. The lighting is something that's gonna be crucial, but I do have a plan for it. My main concern remains how packed the park will be. I'm hoping that nobody wants to go to a park when it's darker out. Even if it is Markham. I do have a contingency plan, and that usually is not crowded. So all in all, I think I should be fine. Catch y'all next blog post.

One last thing: