Here is a short that I made with producer, Wynda Knight. I used the BMPCC 4K camera.
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watch ENTITY WITHIN (horror short)
- Thread starter Scoopicman
- Start date
Thanks for watching, Richy! Wynda and I literally snuck around that house, trying not to wake her parents and brother. She asked me on a Monday and I brought my gear over to her house that weekend.
I do have a self criticism, which is I really should have gotten a shot of her doubt and self-reflection, after the bathroom bit. It wasn't in her script notes, but I should have caught it. Still kicking myself over that.
Honestly, I was trying to get through shooting as fast as I could. When someone asks you for the favor of shooting, editing, scoring, and directing their idea, you tend to want to knock it out, quick. What I didn't realize was how much I was going to put into the finished product, and then grow to really like it.
The original idea was cool enough, her walking in a creepy house and the time loop, but I wanted to see a goal for her character. I threw in the bit with myself calling and the deed in the safe (giving her motivation to be there).
We originally shot footage of her little dog, but it wasn't convincing. That thing didn't look like it could hurt a fly. I went home and shot my dog, Chewy, and comped him into her garage.
I was going to keep the music to a minimum (some drones and stingers), but Wynda showed an early cut to some people and they weren't really paying attention. She told me about their reaction, so I did an "in your face" score to make it more immersive.
Probably the coolest part was the ghost reveal. Wynda is both people in that shot; one in the foreground, with the flashlight, which she shines on her ghostly self, entering the doorway. In the second take, it was me pointing the light at her, but it looks like she is shining onto her other self. It was two separate shots, blended together. The fact that there was a pan and (digital) zoom made it more complex. Though I added the demon eyes, as an afterthought for the final cut, they really helped differentiate the two Wyndas.
I do have a self criticism, which is I really should have gotten a shot of her doubt and self-reflection, after the bathroom bit. It wasn't in her script notes, but I should have caught it. Still kicking myself over that.
Honestly, I was trying to get through shooting as fast as I could. When someone asks you for the favor of shooting, editing, scoring, and directing their idea, you tend to want to knock it out, quick. What I didn't realize was how much I was going to put into the finished product, and then grow to really like it.
The original idea was cool enough, her walking in a creepy house and the time loop, but I wanted to see a goal for her character. I threw in the bit with myself calling and the deed in the safe (giving her motivation to be there).
We originally shot footage of her little dog, but it wasn't convincing. That thing didn't look like it could hurt a fly. I went home and shot my dog, Chewy, and comped him into her garage.
I was going to keep the music to a minimum (some drones and stingers), but Wynda showed an early cut to some people and they weren't really paying attention. She told me about their reaction, so I did an "in your face" score to make it more immersive.
Probably the coolest part was the ghost reveal. Wynda is both people in that shot; one in the foreground, with the flashlight, which she shines on her ghostly self, entering the doorway. In the second take, it was me pointing the light at her, but it looks like she is shining onto her other self. It was two separate shots, blended together. The fact that there was a pan and (digital) zoom made it more complex. Though I added the demon eyes, as an afterthought for the final cut, they really helped differentiate the two Wyndas.
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That is really great! Why put it off? Life is short, and who knows what tomorrow will bring? Good for you two getting right to it and getting it done.
LOL, well, it looked like that house was very disordered, and I was imagining that it was yours or someone's. So I was thinking, OMG, you guys must have done so much work to mess it up and then presumably clean it up again. (Pardon me for saying so if that's just the normal state of her family's home! xD)
You know, since you mention it, I was also thinking it might be helpful to have some close-up reaction shots. Or maybe that's just what we've been trained to expect? Still, I think you're right about that.
The way you describe it, for sure, I think it was a great call to give her a solid motivation like doing her friend an important favor like that. And nice cameo, by the way.
Yeah, Chewy! Hey, man. really, I thought Chewy was pretty scary. I bet he's a sweetheart in real life, though?
I do remember thinking about the score at at least some point and wondering if you had scored it yourself. Otherwise I don't recall really thinking about it, so awesome.
Great way to make use of the tools at hand for that ghost effect.
You rock, Scoopicman & Wynda! Keep doing it! Hope to see more.
LOL, well, it looked like that house was very disordered, and I was imagining that it was yours or someone's. So I was thinking, OMG, you guys must have done so much work to mess it up and then presumably clean it up again. (Pardon me for saying so if that's just the normal state of her family's home! xD)
You know, since you mention it, I was also thinking it might be helpful to have some close-up reaction shots. Or maybe that's just what we've been trained to expect? Still, I think you're right about that.
The way you describe it, for sure, I think it was a great call to give her a solid motivation like doing her friend an important favor like that. And nice cameo, by the way.
Yeah, Chewy! Hey, man. really, I thought Chewy was pretty scary. I bet he's a sweetheart in real life, though?
I do remember thinking about the score at at least some point and wondering if you had scored it yourself. Otherwise I don't recall really thinking about it, so awesome.
Great way to make use of the tools at hand for that ghost effect.
You rock, Scoopicman & Wynda! Keep doing it! Hope to see more.