Planning
Production Schedule AICE Media by Wilmer Silva on Scribd
With such an intricate production process, I had to take the necessary measures and set deadlines for different milestones in order to deliver my opening film on schedule.
Film Title - The Lone Driver
Storyline - Bryan is the lone driver. He developed his abilities through numerous crimes and jobs that he has performed in the past. His favorite thing in this scary world is too drive, it's his escape. So when he stops to overlook his favorite lake, he receives a call from a client. The driver has never killed, but he always keeps a gun on him. He needs to kidnap someone and transport him and coincidentally, the target is at the same park where he receives the call. Is this a trap, or a legitimate job? Will this be the first time he kills?
Film Title - The Lone Driver
Storyline - Bryan is the lone driver. He developed his abilities through numerous crimes and jobs that he has performed in the past. His favorite thing in this scary world is too drive, it's his escape. So when he stops to overlook his favorite lake, he receives a call from a client. The driver has never killed, but he always keeps a gun on him. He needs to kidnap someone and transport him and coincidentally, the target is at the same park where he receives the call. Is this a trap, or a legitimate job? Will this be the first time he kills?
Rough PlanThis is where I wrote all of my initial ideas. At first I was looking to make a comedy thriller, but I forgot about the idea when I looked at opening films on youtube.com and realized that many of them were serious and had a dark tone. Thus, I went into a more serious and dark realm. I personally don't like blood and horror, so I was aiming for more ideas that fit the fit the bill for an emotional thriller and intense thriller. A film where the viewer almost feels empathy for the protagonist in order to draw them in.
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BrainstormOnce I reached a vague understanding of what my film idea would be, I need to decide on the type of mis-en-scene, sound, and shots I would be using to portray my ideas. I wrote down several ideas for where I could shoot my scenes, which one of my friends could play the part best, and also different types and specific soundtracks that can be used to truly dramatize the development of the protagonist.
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Characters
Bryan
Age: late 20's
Job: driver for organized crime jobs
Bryan is not your average criminal. He's lowkey in nature, and appears at first to be very reserved and shy. He is an introvert at heart, so don't expect him to open up too quickly. He's a quiet and simple guy that gets the job done in a timely manner. I want to show Bryan as a simple man with a very lonesome vibe to him. He will be wearing casual attire, such as a black jacket, pants, dress shoes, and a and straight look on his face. He's not an eccentric guy, and he's very quiet. I want to show him as one of those people that seem to always be thinking about something else and lost in thought.
Robber
Age: 20's
Job: robber
We don't really know anything about him, simply that he had just completed a heist when we see him for the first time in the film
Age: late 20's
Job: driver for organized crime jobs
Bryan is not your average criminal. He's lowkey in nature, and appears at first to be very reserved and shy. He is an introvert at heart, so don't expect him to open up too quickly. He's a quiet and simple guy that gets the job done in a timely manner. I want to show Bryan as a simple man with a very lonesome vibe to him. He will be wearing casual attire, such as a black jacket, pants, dress shoes, and a and straight look on his face. He's not an eccentric guy, and he's very quiet. I want to show him as one of those people that seem to always be thinking about something else and lost in thought.
Robber
Age: 20's
Job: robber
We don't really know anything about him, simply that he had just completed a heist when we see him for the first time in the film
Costumes
Bryan: He is the lone driver. He is the protagonist of my short opening film. He wears dress pants, dress shoes, and a simple windbreaker. He is almost always wearing sunglasses, as he believes that his eyes show weakness. His clothes show that he has plain and dark personality. They also show that he is serious, but also casual so he blends in with the crowd.
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Robber: he wears a simple red hoodie and black pants in order to fit into the crowd. The crowd doesn't know because this is simply the opening part of the entire film but, he is actually wearing a mask with the face of someone else. Thus, it is not as if he had just committed a heist without shielding his identity.
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Script
Location
Films like the one I am creating always use settings that tend to be more isolated and never resemble crowded areas. I needed areas that represented the conventions of the movies such as: loneliness, crime, and deep thought. For this reason, in my opening film I used three locations: a nature park, the open public road, and the top floor of a parking garage. I chose all of these locations because they were remotely isolated, and quiet. The public road may seem very crowded, but each car interior serves a private domain.
The parking garage:
The top floor of the parking garage was the perfect setting for a crime scene. It fits my genre of an intense thriller because they are isolated and secluded. I struggled the first time we came to film with my crew due to the lack of light. The film would come out too grainy if there wasn't enough lighting. So, we came back the very next day and film all of my shots right before the sun went down. We also encountered a problem when the security guards had asked what we were doing, but they were fond of our school projects. |
The car shots:
The car shots fit the film perfectly because they focused on one thing: the driver. I made sure to play with the focus of the camera. This was it focus on the driver for the entirety of the shots and blur out the background. I really liked the interior car shots because they were isolated. Many movies that involve crime focus on the act of driving, so I thought that this setting fit the bill perfectly. |
Rookery Bird Preserve:
Rookery served as the establishing shot for my short film. It's quite far from where me and my friends live, but the location was used in my film as well my friend Max's film. It set the tone for my film, as it is a very isolated place. My main character spends most of his time thinking, contemplating, and in thought. So, I thought that this was the perfect setting for the beginning of my film because it embodied all of the conventions I was trying to express. |
Equipment
Props
Besides the vehicle present throughout the whole film, the only other props I used were a briefcase which represented all of his belongings that he had, which isnt much. And the duffel bag that carried all of the money when the robber hopped in his car.
Music and Sound Effects
I used one main song throughout the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfufrJcLsWs
Soulwax - Krack
This song represented an element of blandness but intensity. The song progressed quite slowly and lacked any lyrics which gave Bryan a vague, but intriguing persona. It also created a dramatic element to the driving scenes.
I also used a couple of sound effects:
Police Sirens
The sirens let the audience thinking whether or not he was doing something illegal, or if he was simply near the law enforcement out of casuality. The sound effect had a very eery and echo-ish sound to it that almost made it seem as if it was coming closer.
Security Alarm
The security alarm confirmed to the audience that a crime was being committed. Paired with the sirens in the background, it contributed to the intense feeling of the thriller. This sound effect also lasted for quite awhile, aiming to make the viewer feel more and more desperate as the police got closer.
Car Ignition
This sound effect basically cued the end of the scene and was meant to tell the audience that hot pursuit and getaway was about to start. It also made it seem sort of like a cliffhanger. The calmness of the driver and the intensity of the engine also foreshadows that they were most likely going to escape the police.
Soulwax - Krack
This song represented an element of blandness but intensity. The song progressed quite slowly and lacked any lyrics which gave Bryan a vague, but intriguing persona. It also created a dramatic element to the driving scenes.
I also used a couple of sound effects:
Police Sirens
The sirens let the audience thinking whether or not he was doing something illegal, or if he was simply near the law enforcement out of casuality. The sound effect had a very eery and echo-ish sound to it that almost made it seem as if it was coming closer.
Security Alarm
The security alarm confirmed to the audience that a crime was being committed. Paired with the sirens in the background, it contributed to the intense feeling of the thriller. This sound effect also lasted for quite awhile, aiming to make the viewer feel more and more desperate as the police got closer.
Car Ignition
This sound effect basically cued the end of the scene and was meant to tell the audience that hot pursuit and getaway was about to start. It also made it seem sort of like a cliffhanger. The calmness of the driver and the intensity of the engine also foreshadows that they were most likely going to escape the police.
Editing
Editing Software Used: Final Cut Pro X
The editing was quite simple. After finding the different sound effects and the main soundtrack that I would be using for my film, I just pieced all together, shortened some clips, and added the credits. It was a little difficult because there were many variable that had to be taken into account when splicing and moving the clips, but otherwise it was a successful edit.
The editing was quite simple. After finding the different sound effects and the main soundtrack that I would be using for my film, I just pieced all together, shortened some clips, and added the credits. It was a little difficult because there were many variable that had to be taken into account when splicing and moving the clips, but otherwise it was a successful edit.