Creative Critical Reflection

Here we go! I talk about my trials and errors, what I learned form this experience, and how this whole idea came from start to finish

FInal Project

Here it is! The full two minutes.

I hope you enjoy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3ezxnvCDHU&nohtml5=False

Filming!

Filming has commenced.

Alright so let's talk some challenges:

I had to stay near street lights and I'll probably have to
improve the lighting while editing.

LIGHTING! My God, lighting was a much bigger issue than anticipated. The video capability on the iphone does not take up that much light which really through me off guard and forced me to changed things around. I had planned to film a lot around my neighborhood, which is very gloomy and empty at night, to show Marcus walking around after leaving his house do to work-related stress (a trigger for schizophrenic episodes). The problem is that the gloominess comes from the very little lighting, and although my eyes can see perfectly fine and think it is very well illuminated, my camera does not see like my eyes do.

Another struggle I had, this being my first time being behind the camera, was that I was not sure how long to make the shots. I planned for cuts in certain point, yes, but a lot of questions ran through my head. Should I just film enough to where I think I’m going to cut or should I film a little extra just in case? Will I need to reshoot? How many takes should I have just in case? These are all questions that I’m sure a filmmaker has asked himself at one point.

Let’s talk about a couple things I’m happy about:

My actor, Harrison Sharpe

LIGHTING! Although there were some challenges, we achieved something really awesome by playing around with lights. I had planned for Marcus to wake up in his room (my room) while having minor hallucination. In order to create a creepy and hallucinogenic feel, I wanted the light to be red. It was actually easier than I thought. All I had to do was get some red china paper and wrap it around the lightbulbs. It was cheap, fast, easy which was great because I then took it out to film in normal lighting.

Contrary to me saying that I was going to film in the forest, I filmed at home. In the end, the plot needed it to be filmed at home. And they both came organically from each other, for the sake of convenience I stayed at home which in turn made me rethink my plot to something I ended up liking better.

If anybody tries to tell you that my desk is always this messy,
they’re lying

So I’m happy with turning my room into a little set. I messied it up a little bit in order to imply that my character’s disorder makes him... a tad disorganized. I left little clues on the desk so people could imply that he is a college student, such as a textbook, a letter from his university, a backpack near the desk, and school supplies.

I’m almost done with the shooting, we worked pretty late last night, so I’m happy with than. Now I just need to go on with my editing and see if I want to re-do any shots.

Thanks for reading, thinks are looking good!

Here’s the plot for my movie: Dosage

Alright all, here's the plot!

Marcus is a 19 year old college student who lives with his parents. He has recently been diagnosed with schizophrenia and is still learning to cope with the medication; getting into the habit of taking it when required, getting used to the side effects, and to the idea that he is dependent on that medication to have a proper perception of reality. The problem is, he is having a lot of trouble with coping with that dependence and how the drugs make him feel; so he decides to throw the drugs away. This, I plan to include in my opening.

This, obviously, will leave his mind unbridled and open to different perceptions of reality and hallucinations. Since he is new to the disorder, he does not know fully how manage and control it so he is susceptible to its symptoms. 

He wakes up and begins to have delusions although he is still in somewhat of his right mind (this is also intended to be in the opening). He can still make reasonable choices so he tries to recuperate his medication. 

He goes the doctor to get a new dose. In between this and him throwing away the medicine, his symptoms have been getting more intense; by the time he gets to the doctor, he becomes incredibly paranoid, thinks they’re trying to kill him with the medication, and runs away. The doctor, gets concerned and calls the police to try and track him and get him help. Marcus, being paranoid and not having a proper perception of reality, thinks he is being hunted for doing something wrong, he’s not sure what. It isn’t until he is finally caught that he is properly medicated and put under watch. He wakes up in his bed the same way as in the beginning of the movie. Now though, we see the doctor and the medical staff as well as the police being who they actually are; friendly and/or helpful. He realizes the importance of the medicine, how he can live well with it, and how he is weak without it.

By the time he gets to the doctor, I inted to make it all from his perspective. So the doctor really will be "evil" and the cops really will be "hunting" him. This is in order to create more tension and fear in the audience since we are not sure what is real or not along with him.

Aslo, I want the plot to say something. It will be a little over the top, but it's a movie and it has to be entertaining. I want the ending to be able to have some sort of message that tells people: doctors are out there to help, they're not naturally evil as in some movies; and medication is essential when you have this kind of disorder.

This day has been full of work related to the project, preparing to film and doing more research. I actually plan to start filming tonight so I'll deffinately post something about that. Thanks for reading!

Codes and conventions of a PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER

   Ok, I realize that in terms of plot and genre I have been a little vague and have been focusing more on researching schizophrenia. That's because there was so much less that I knew about the disorder and it's portrayals than anything else. That doesn't mean that I have nothing to learn about thrillers, I've got a lot of that to do.

It is also essential to understand what puts the story under the category of "psychological thrillers" as well.

This is a list of basic elements found in thrillers/mysteries/suspense stories.

• Suspense and tension: there should be a "raising of the stakes" for the protagonist.
• Proactivity: The character should be proactive instead of being reactive and letting things happen to him/her.
• Character growth: Characters need to have shown growth and change by the end of the novel. Something that will help them win by the time the climax rolls around.
• No open endings: There should "no more loose ends" and the character should have learned something from the experience.
• No coincidences: Although common in real life, everything must seem to have a purpose.
• Plot: In terms of plot, there should be a turning point, something that happens to the character that makes him/her change his/her everyday life, conflict, complications, a darkest hour, where it seems that the character has lost and that there is no more hope, a climactic battle, and a denouement.

In psychological thrillers, the conflict should be centered around the mind of the character. Dangers are less physical and more mental; the final battle/climax can definitely include life and death situations, they are just more centered around the mind.

Some common themes found in psychological thrillers:

• 
  Reality: The character often struggles with determining what is real and what isn't.
• Perception: Often, characters misperceive the world around them through their senses.
• Mind: Usually a source of inner conflict where characters struggle to find a new level of purpose or understanding
• Existence/Purpose: The narrative's conflict is often a way for a character to discover a purpose in life.
• Identity: Characters often have a skewed perception of their own identity and try to discover what their true identity is.
• Death: Characters either have a fear or a fascination with death.

These rules are not set in stone and are frequently broken, that's what makes a breakthrough story. Having this as a general guide has helped me pin down the important elements of my plot to actually make a story. I had the idea in mind, however, it was hard to find a conflict or where to go from my intro. However, no I have a plot that I am very excited to share with everyone and I will do so shortly!

Thanks for reading.

Bundy, Nick. "Codes And Conventions Of A Psychological Thriller." Codes And Conventions Of A Psychological Thriller. N.p., 09 May 2011. Web. 02 Apr. 2016. <http://www.slideshare.net/NicBunby/codes-and-conventions-of-a-psychological-thriller>.

"Elements of the Psychological Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, and/or Crime Fiction 
     Genres." Hunter is Writing. N.p., 12 Oct. 2012. Web. 2 Apr. 2016. 
     <http://hunterswritings.com/2012/10/12/ 
     elements-of-the-psychological-thriller-mystery-suspense-andor-crime-fiction-genre 
     s/>. 

"The 100 Best Psychological Thriller Movies." IMBD. N.p., 17 Feb. 2013. Web. 2 
     Apr. 2016. <http://www.imdb.com/list/ls057336010/>.