Film- Midterm Submission

Film- Shot List

Film- Script

In our film called, The Neighbor, Ally a privileged teen that has the perfect life with two perfect friends, Ashley and Sarah are faced with the moving in of a creepy neighbor named Patty, the familiar face of a girl who followed Ally home from a basketball game the other night. Patty starts to stalk Ally and her friends. She wants the perfect life of Ally and the first threat she establishes is the kidnapping of Sarah, Ally's close friend.

Film- Storyboard

On December 12th I began to work on the storyboard, while the shot list was created on December 14th we needed to wait for some shots to be evaluated on the shot list for the storyboard to finally be done on December 14th at the same time the shot list was finished.

I decided to create the storyboard because I was the more artistically inclined and chose to participate in the making of the drawings for the storyboard itself. Rachel, Chelsea and Meredith all contributed to find the most important shots and angles labeled on the top frame and I drew them out as well as adding descriptions to summarize the shot in the scene and its meaning.

Film- Schedule Filming

Our group filmed our short film on December 5th and December 6th. When scheduling our film, The Neighbor, we watched multiple horrors and thrillers like, The Boy Next Door, for inspiration to come up with our script. Our goals while filming our film were to play roles of the teenagers spots so the plot was clear and understandable. On December 5th we filmed the first scenes which were needed in the daylight so we got much of those done and out of the way. We did this because we needed all the scenes within the same timeframe with the amount of sunlight given. The next day, the 6th we shot the night scenes such as when Patty breaks into Ally's house and takes the picture frame of her and goes through her clothes. This was our first time we had produced a short film so we had mistakes such as in the beginning when Ally and Ashley were listening to Payphone by Maroon 5 in her room and the next scene she is still in the same place but not listening to the song anymore. After finishing filming we clearly understood our mistakes looking back and watches a few clips. If we were to do this again as a group we have a greater understanding of what to expect and how to handle things differently.

Film- Scout Locations

During December 3-7, my group and I planned out where we were going to film.

The house we chose to film at was Meredith's house because it a new nicer modern house. We were attempting to have the audience know that the main character, Ally, was a rich girl who everyone was jealous of because of her popularity and wealth, especially her new neighbor, Patty. My group and I had filmed most of the series at Meredith's because the film shows the girls having a fun time in a fun house when Ally parents weren't home.

My group and I decided to film in Meredith's backyard for an important scene as we believed it would look very creepy at night with Patty walking through the yard while Ally parents weren't home and neither were they. Also, the setting of the backyard shows the gates which dipict more realism because the gates are not that high making it easy to trespass if someone wanted to. This scene shows an example of responsibility when it comes to keeping your house secured and locked and also lets the audience know Patty wanted to sneak into Ally's house and was clearly stalking them.

The group chose the neighbors house to be Patty's house in the film as it is rundown and abandoned making it look more creepy and fit the role. The house matches Patty personality. By making this Patty's house it tells the audience they should fear her. It also gives a comparison to Ally's house and Patty's house side by side. Since both houses are located next to each other and they are on the same street it shows more of Ally's wealth when comparing the houses that are only a few yards apart from each other.

Film- Casting

Patty- She is an 17 year old girl who doesn't fit in and is obsessed with Ally. She gets jealous easily
and wants to ruin Ally's perfect life. She is a stalker as well as a psycho. We chose Meredith to play Patty because she is considered a good actress and has a crazy side to her fitting the role more.

Ally- She is an 18 year old privileged teen who lives in a nice upscale house. She has the perfect life and perfect friends. Ally can be judgmental of other people who she doesn't like. Rachel was chosen to play the role of Ally because she has a sassy side to her and has participating in main roles in prior short films created in school.

Ashley- She is an 18 year old girl and is Ally's best friend. She is very energetic and is just like Ally, also known as her 'twin'. I chose to take on the role of Ashley because in real life I am close friends with Rachel who plays Ally.

Sarah- She is one of Ally best friend and is very responsible. She has a job and works often. We chose to have Chelsea play Sarah because she reflects this role. She is also friends with Rachel and I in real life showing better connections.


When deciding who was going to be each character it was pretty easy. We easily decided Meredith and Rachel were going to be two very important characters with different personalities.

Film Project Genre Research- The Ritual

The opening shot of the film The Ritual are production credits that flash to a mid shot of a man at a bar ordering drinks. Then the camera is on a steady cam that follows him to a master shot showing all the guys in the bar that he was apart of. There were then multiple short takes of close ups and men talking back and forth. These shots and mixed with over the shoulders of people talking as well. These shots are used with a hand held because the shots are more shaky and not as smooth. The noises present are background sounds of the TV playing and other speaking.The beginning minutes of the group of men speaking gives the idea that they are college friends reuniting at a bar talking about traveling and deciding their destination, deciding on hiking in Sweden on Kings trail. The budget of the film was 75,000 and the money produced by showing the film is unknown but this movie earned a nominee for British Independence film award for best effects and best actor award.

Film Project Genre Research- Open House

We watched The Open House as it is a horror thriller and has many techniques that are used. Open House is a new film released in 2018. There were multiple shots taken such as a fade into the title which is stated in the beginning with creepy high pitched music then gradually went into a sound bridge of someones breathing.You can hear his running steps and the scene is a mid shot of one of the main characters running which is shot at a low angle, then an over the shoulder of a conversation the father is having with his son that is running.Then a master shot of the whole family in the kitchen with dialogue. I can tell within the first minutes of the film that they are a happy family with a son that runs track and is trying to get into a good college, the mom is cooking dinner and the next scenes are tragic as the son and dad go to the store to buy this missing ingredient. There is a two shot from of the dad and the son in the car and music playing originating from the car radio. The scene is still as the dad gets out of the car to go into the store and suddenly gets hit by a car and the screen goes blank. The budget of the film was 100 thousand dollars and my group and I are unaware of how much the movie made in the end. The Open House was a nominee for fright meter award and jury award.

Film Project Genre Research- Hush

Hush is a thriller/ horror that was released in 2016. The opening of the film shows the production credits and the movie title. The first shot taken in the opening scene is an establishing shot of above the trees, indicating that the movie was filmed in the woods. This shot was taken off a crane as the camera gracefully glides down from the tree tops to the forest floor and turning to zoom into the house located within the trees. The first two minutes of the film are multiple short takes of the main actress preparing and making food. There are many close ups of her facial expressions when making the food and point of view shots at when she is looking at the meals. These scenes also have cut takes to where she is texting a friend, so she seems to be alone in these scenes. There are also sound effects of the noises coming from the preparation of meals such as the stirring of a spoon on a pot or cracking of an egg. Hush was presented with a nominee for the Chainsaw Award. The films budget in all was one million, resulting in it being a smaller film. The money made is unknown.

Film Project Genre Research- Would You Rather

The film Would You Rather is a thriller/ horror released in 2013. The first scenes include the credits displaying production, associations, created by, actors and actresses, edited by, designers, writers and directors as well as the title of the film, these credits are filmed with faded transitions that fade in and out of the scenes with credits . The opening to the movie is easy to comprehend, there is lots of dialogue and the story is a younger girl has moved back to her hometown because of an accident which is unknown and she has to take care of her brother, in this scene she is applying for a job and explaining her reasoning to a manager and/or employer. The scene is directed in one place, a restaurant. The beginning shots are filmed on a steady cam and dolly giving the clips a smooth transition through the restaurant. Most of the first minutes of the film are over the shoulder shots of the man speaking to the girl. There is a lot of dialogue with subtle music in the background that is intense and mysterious. The films budget and the amount of money made off of it are unknown and cannot be found on multiple sources. However, the film did earn a Fright Meter Award labeled as nominee.

Film Project Genre Research- The Gift

The Gift is a psychological thriller released in 2015, to begin with the first scenes are the production credits. The first three minutes of the opening scenes tell the viewer that a couple most likely married are looking to move into a new house, moving from Chicago to California because of a new job opening. The opening scenes are being filmed with a track camera or steady cam, resulting in a smooth steady side to side movement horizontally throughout the scenes. Multiple short takes are recorded at the beginning of the film when jumping from room to room indicating the house is empty and no one lives there currently. Long takes are shot when the actors are walking into the house and having a conversation of the houses features. This gradually changes to a master shot which includes all the actors in an entire shot. When the two main characters start to talk the shots taken are two-shots which show the two in the frame, as well as an point of view shot when the women is looking out the window into the horizon of California in which this shows an establishing shot of the setting. There is continuous dialogue in the scenes and it gives a clear understanding of what is going on. The shots are complimented with sounds that are presented as soft intense background music throughout the first three minutes until the movie title appears. These sounds are sound motifs which mark the creepy emotions coming from the introduction. The budget of this film was 5 millon and the overall sales were 60 million. It gained a nominee for Saturn Award of Best Thriller and Empire Award for Best Thriller film.

Project Selection- My Decision

I have chosen to do the AICE Media Studies film project. The reason I chose this project is because I love watching films and movies. I find it interesting that I can create my own film and make up a story line with a group. The skills I believe I possess are previous knowledge in film along with editing software's such as iMovie. I also have held different cameras and know multiple shots that can be taken to match the scene. I chose to work with a group because I tend to work better with multiple people because their are many opinions and perspectives swarming around. Our story line is based off of a crazy psychotic teen that will be played by Meredith and a popular teen with the perfect life, who will be played by Rachel. The story also includes two of the popular girls best friends, Chelsea and I  who are constantly avoiding the danger presented by Meredith. All the members in my group have different skills that contribute to the film. Meredith has good writing skills enabling her to write a thorough script and contribute as director. Rachel is one of the main characters, she has a great talent in acting and will also contribute to directing the film. Chelsea is also director and will give contribute great characteristics toward her character in the best friend role. I will film a great majority of the film, by taking numerous shots from several angles. For me, knowing my group members and having a personal connection and friendship with each one of them will give us all an advantage in the film process.

Project Selection-Film

Film production is interesting to me because it shows greater emotions and can be visually more creative. In Ferris Buellers, All the Presidents Men and The Newsroom there are creative scenes with unique angles and shots that make the film attractive. Learning all the different transitions and visual effects builds character and interest within the movie. It's fascinating how much you can put into a film, designing outfits and props which I find compelling. All the films watched in Media Studies had different plots and conflicts as well as used a vast majority of different camera shots and angles. In film production the skills I possess would be past knowledge on filming trailers and little movies/ dances in multiple classes for different reasons. I have worked with a camera before and have some experience on online editing softwares such as iMovie. I also tend to watch movies monthly and a wide selection too meaning I have seen multiple ways of film production and its effects. However, a challenge that may be face will be casting roles to people that suit a character most and having suitable locations that my group and I can depend on to film as well as props and materials for scenes.

Project Selection-Magazine

Print journalism is very interesting as though it is less popular in this day in age it is considered one of the first ways word of news and events traveled around the world. In class, all the examples of print media we have been learning about such as Nixon, All the Presidents Men and The Newsroom have been supported by magazines and print journalism. It is fascinating how print journalism swarms around in these films. To add on, I like the fact that you can write articles on topics that you enjoy and insert pictures as well. I have been writing throughout all of high school and in most of my classes. I believe I have an advantage to writing an article based on my previous knowledge of writing essays. Magazines are interesting to read although I do not read them as much I do like to flip through and see advertisements, pictures and some interviews on famous celebrities. However, making a magazine may be challenging because writing can be difficult when it comes to grammar, sentence structure and making paragraphs are in sequence. And finding people to interview and the right topics to talk about that are current and trendy.