Throughout any intensive review process, one is plagued with the idea of whether the final polished product will “be good enough.” This can take a typically enjoyable and fun experience, and mutilate it beyond recognition – transforming it into a nightmare. Although this wasn’t precisely the problem of my group, this fear loomed over our heads for the majority of the film making process. Fortunately, my group had enough cohesion to move the project along despite what seemed like an onslaught of setbacks.
Every person in the group made a concerted effort to add progress to our project. When we first began this endeavor, however, even our undying initiative couldn’t circumvent the problem that plagued us. Initially, we were fortunate enough to have a camcorder to film with; however, when it came the time to film and then capture the camera’s video onto a computer, we had met a dead end. We were stuck and had nowhere to run. This was a horrible omen that had come to us in the very beginnings of our creative process – consuming valuable time. Faced with a computer virus and a dysfunctional camcorder, our efforts became seriously dampened by a longing for food from the popular burger joint “Five Guys.” This may seem strange at the outset, but our film would later incorporate a scene in which the human resistance fighters would have their meeting – as lackluster as it may be – over a warm and greasy meal.
Our plot was strange, but reasonably abstract and unconventional. It would consist of a story that mixes humor and irony with a genre that is typically used to instill fear in all who set their eyes on it. This movie started off with a typical planning scene often incorporated into movies as the scene that takes place at HQ, but with zombies taking the place of the humans as the organized side in an ongoing war. The zombies would convene over a map of the area and make specific plans as to what should be attacked and when those attacks should take place. The cut scenes that we would include were laced with the zombie offensive plans that had previously been discussed; a vivid execution of what should be a human initiative. Our movie would progress through several human planning and training scenes soon after this opening act, filled with more than one’s daily dose of irony. These scenes would revolve around video games and pizza. In rapid succession, the zombie forces would come to dispatch numerous human guards and would infiltrate the defenses of the human resistance. Using a unique set of skills that include stealth and cunning, the zombies end the movie with a cliffhanger, targeting the gluttonous and self-indulgent demeanor of the humans as the weakest link.
As the group’s “stunt” coordinator for many of the zombie attack scenes, I would basically take the role of director for these particular scenes and organize the chaos of an attack scene as best I could. The camera angles used during these scenes were strong indicators of the feelings expected of the audience. During a zombie attack scene where the human guard was completely outnumbered, we used the high angle and medium shot to depict a situation that would hint towards the trapped individual being overtaken with minimal resistance. In the larger scale zombie attack scene, I had set up the actors (which included me) so that they would flow in from the sides of the frame as the scene progressed. The actor portraying the guard would again be easily overcome by the zombies’ joint operation, and the zombies’ strength in numbers would once again be deemed a source of triumph.
As one of the screenwriters in the film, I had allowed for a unique form of dialogue to take place. The zombies were given a sense of self-awareness, allowing them to accurately plan out their attacks on the human stronghold. The humans, on the other hand, were downgraded to a low level of preparation and even to a level of stupidity. The point of the film was to put a spin on the zombie apocalypse genre, switching the mentality of the zombie with that of the human.
We had allocated the front and back yard space surrounding the director’s as the settings for the zombie offensive movements. We took full advantage of the stability of the tripod in order to get the camera in proper position for a Dutch shot. It was essential for us to execute this shot properly because the very angle of the camera would impact the degree to which the shot was believable and effective in conveying the disastrous outcome of poor planning on the part of the human resistance. The film also included a series of close-up shots that were used during the planning scenes. Although the facial expression was not of the utmost priority, we decided to insert the close-up shots so that zombies could be seen as cold and calculating killers rather than the typical view of them as mindless and conspicuous. However, the zombies still retain their “strength in numbers” dogma, as we introduced scenes to the movie where they could act on that statement.
Our group was inspired by the horror movies that have recently emerged under the zombie apocalypse genre. We knew from the start that it would be a massive undertaking for us to make the film genuinely scary and frightening. Although we longed for a film that would blur the distinctions between a zombie apocalypse film and an action film, we were restricted by our resources and the amount of time that we could spend on this film. Ultimately, we couldn’t afford to spend all of our time on this movie – as much as we wished we could have done so. As a result of these limitations, we had decided to put more pressure on our script and plot, but our acting and the camcorder’s sound capture abilities made it difficult to have the effect we intended to have on our audience.
The film was significantly hindered and weakened by our acting experience, which for most of us was nonexistent. We did work at getting the lines in place and conveying the proper emotion, but this is where the cohesion of the group and between the group members met its match. We struggled to keep our state of mind in sync with each other, but we each spoke at different intonations which were rarely an accurate reflection of what the lines wished to convey on their own. Our film seemed great on paper, and our plot seemed well planned prior to filming, but it was nearly impossible to make sense of the movie with issues like background noise and music configuration. The actors of the film were very compliant with the screenplay’s content, but on the other hand, personal interpretations were necessary sacrifices that were made to maintain the group’s integrity. If the screenwriters and the director had decided to restrict behaviors of the actors, the group could have easily dismantled itself.
Fortunately, the strengths had masked the weaknesses to some extent. Our shots were very effective and they served as the soul of some of my favorite scenes. One of the scenes in the middle of the film included a match cut that would connect one of our actors with a video game character. The video game character was confronted by overwhelming odds, and after a valiant effort, would succumb to a heavy barrage of bullets. This character was completely outnumbered by a fleet of humanoid creatures, much like the situation in many of the zombie assault scenes that the group had filmed.
The scene that followed would be a display of carnage that was left behind by a single zombie, using the element of surprise to continue with the battering of human defenses. The actors are depicted lying lifeless in different positions, with one of the actors in a position that mimics the dead video game character. The sloppy cut that takes the audience from the TV screen to the death scene was intentional and was implemented beautifully. This transition, along with a sound that is difficult to describe, but easy to identify, created a scene that was likely the most believable of all of the scenes that came together to make the movie.
For my next film pursuit, I hope to spend more time on the execution of a screenplay rather than become bogged down during the planning stage. By doing so, I really hope to further the quality of the end product, and eliminate much of the disarray that consumed the group during the pre-production. The art of film was a major source of intrigue throughout the production phase. The group was constantly afflicted by the self-proposed challenge to make the film into a work of art that will evoke the proper and appropriate emotions from the audience. This particular process was difficult because we lacked the organization needed to leave enough time to screen the film to an audience of peers and work off of their reactions. I believe that such a procedure would be immensely beneficial to a film because although the population may not accurately represent the future audience as a whole, the feedback received is precisely in making a movie that can appeal to different people with different expectations.
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