X PRE-PRODUCTION17 Zombie Makeup

We tried to test out the zombie makeup again but with face paints this time.  We hadn't tested out these face paints previously so this was a trial.  We decided to not have the green highlighter underneath this time as it made the look too lively last time and I think the more matte it is, the less life-like it looks.  We were taking more inspiration from videos I had previously researched, but we weren't actually following anything.  I think that's where we went wrong.  If we had followed the videos a bit more closely, I think it could have turned out very well.  Yet again, I think we had a bit too much colour with the blue so next time we will make it more grey.  We also didn't have a sponge to use so the face paint wasn't going on Louis' skin as well as it should have and it was very streaky.  We will purchase a sponge for the next time we try this.  I think the red eyeshadow Louis used as bruising at the end looked much better, however there was a bit too much, especially in the camera.  We need to make sure that what we create looks good in the camera.
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X PRE-PRODUCTION16 Mia Jones Outfit

INSPIRATION

In the beginning, we took inspiration from the character Wichita in the movie Zombieland, played by Emma Stone.  We were going to have Mia Jones dressed in a plain white, slightly baggy, V-neck top with a black leather jacket, blue ripped jeans and black flat boots.

Wichita in the middle

Now we have changed up her outfit a bit for a bit more male gaze, a theory by Laura Mulvey (you can see my other post about this here).  We took some inspiration from the musician PJ Harvey.  She often wear a dress or skirt with some boots.



Mia Jones will be wearing a short black dress which has the same sort of shape as the first picture, besides the neck line.  We will also have her wearing some black boots and a khaki thin jacket.

OUTFIT

These are sort of what the boots look like.  They have this snake skin shiny print and the buckles but have a bit of a higher heel like the next photo.

The dress looks exactly the same as this with the slight slit on the left thigh.  The length was inspired by the PJ Harvey dresses.  It's going to be quite cold so I will wear skin coloured tights underneath.

This is what the khaki jacket looks like.  It has a smaller collar than the one in this picture and it's slightly more cropped.

X PRE-PRODUCTION15 Blog posts

BLOGS POSTS FOR MONDAY

We've come up with a little schedule for what blog posts we need to make sure we have created by Monday.  This will help us get more on track and to be more organised.

EMMA

• Makeup video and blog post 
• Text above post - link to other post - possible influences
• Mia Jones outfit 
• Gather any missing bits of costume

LOUIS

• Zombie outfit 
• Specify any missing bits of costume
• Idents - Louis combining them together
• Tristan films Saturday, Louis and Emma's have been filmed, James TBC
• Equipment used 
• Details, pictures - be comprehensive 

JAMES

• Animatic 
• Animated story board - using clips from practice shoots etc. talking about the shot types, mise-en-scene, transitions, FX - outlining what the final cut will look like
• Casting 
• Who and why they are casting

TRISTAN

• Eddie Pegg outfit 
• Specify any missing bits of costume
• Donnie Romero outfit 
• Specify any missing bits of costume - think about stains as well
• Screenplay 
• Ask Mr Burrowes for template

X PRE-PRODUCTION14 Zombie Makeup

I'm doing some more research for the zombie makeup as I believe ours could look better.  We are using liquid latex, so I've watched some videos on zombie makeup which has liquid latex scars/cuts.

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I think her makeup was a bit too excessive for what we're looking for so we will take inspiration from the liquid latex technique but not the eye makeup.  I think that we will have the makeup look more like how we had it before.

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The makeup is a lot more what we're looking for on this video.  I thought that the tissue was a bit more obvious which I didn't like, however, I like how she covered it with the fake blood.  I also like the effect the sponge gave with the blood.

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I think this way of doing the cut is really cool and very different.  It might be a bit too complicated for our first try but I think it is worth a go.  I really like the red on the waterline with black/grey just underneath.  I also really like how she did her lips.

X PRE-PRODUCTION13 Makeup

I've bought some more makeup to help with the zombie makeup because I think it needs some improvement.

Blue Face Paint

I think we could possibly use the blue face paint as a bit of discolouration for the zombie's face.  I think it will make it look a bit more gruesome without making the age rating go up.

Grey Face Paint

The grey face paint is vital to show the lack of life in the zombie.

White Face Paint

I think the white face paint will be useful but we need to make sure it's not too white so it looks ghostly.

Green Face Paint

The green face paint, like the blue, can be used to make the zombie's face look a bit discoloured.

Fake Blood

Obviously fake blood is a massive part of this.  It is important we use something that isn't going to irritate skin and this one is specifically for the face.

Red Lipstick 

We could use this red lipstick for blood.  It might cause a bit of a problem as it is matte.  This could make it look very unrealistic and not the look we are going for.

Eyeshadow Palette

This eyeshadow palette may be a bit too bright for the look we're going for.  However, we may be able to use the blue and green shades to set the blue and green face paint.

X PRE-PRODUCTION12 Weather

Monday 20 January (6 days before filming)

Tuesday 21 January (5 days before filming)

Wednesday 22 January (4 days before filming)

Thursday 23 January (5 days before filming)

We've just found out that we won't be filming outside on this occasion so the weather isn't specifically a bit deal, however when we do film outside, we need to make sure that the weather is pretty equal to this day as there may be shots with windows showing the weather outside.

X PRE-PRODUCTION11 Zombies

(This post was originally by Bright Films)

COSTUME + MAKEUP

I put together a slide show of the topics covered, meaning the points specifically about the zombie makeup our group talked about with our teacher and the improvements and additional points that were discussed thereafter, I will go over them in depth underneath.
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(Slide 2) The test and influences have been covered in recent posts so a summary is:

We have heavily intertextualised elements of Shaun of the Dead, where some elements are close to a simulacra (Baudrillard) following a postmodernism theory, anchoring the preferred reading because if it is left as a polysemic reading, following many examples in the film industry, the preferred reading will be lost as the primary and secondary audience will have no anchorage to access it.
One of these elements is the makeup and therefore we are drawing heavy inspiration from zombie characters in Shaun of The Dead, especially Nick Frost's

(Slide 3) The Improvements from the first makeup test are:

- Firstly to include more blue and purple makeup, in the bruised areas of the zombies face's. This will make the look clearer on screen anchoring the fact that it is a zombie, not someone dressed as one.
- The hair wasn't worked on but we are probably going to add talcum powder to make it look more scruffy and dirty
- More white face paint needs to be used to make the character look pale, which is symbolic and connotes zombies as they are cold and dead, however in the example above that wasn't as clear so to anchor that we are going to use more white face paint.
- We didn't use the contacts we ordered as they had not arrived at this point, but they have now arrived so in are next makeup test we will get a completed look for the makeup.
- We also were unable to use liquid latex due to only Spikey Films and Scope Productions being together for the first test and neither of them had liquid latex with them.

(Slide 4) Additional points about the Zombie look 

- One of the zombies will have the pleasure of eating a dead corpses guts and we are going to attempt to achieve this using shallow field of focus and focusing heavily on the audio in post production editing.

- We need to use blood capsules for the zombies but we don't know how the effect will appear so we are looking to test that soon 

- We have decided to not film Sunday as we feel we need to test more points 

X PRE-PRODUCTION10 Donnie Romero

(This post was originally by Spikey Films)

This post is about the costumes and props we will use for the character Donnie Romero.

Donnie Romero (props and costume) from LouisHodges3

X PRACTICE9 Zombie Practice Makeup

This zombie makeup didn't turn out too bad.  We will be making a few changes for the next time we try it out.  For example, we won't use the green highlighter underneath the white makeup.  I think it was a good idea, however, it made him look too lively.  We will also try pick up some supplies like face paint or a whiter foundation as the makeup I already have isn't as white as we wanted.  As we said in the video, we will make the scar go up through the eye and have the contact in that eye.  I think the bags under the eyes aren't too bad and I like the bruising around the scar.  The rest of his face just needs to look more zombie-like.

VIDEO
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PHOTOS

X PRE-PRODUCTION9 Location Scouting 4

(This post was originally by Bright Films)

These are some videos of possible areas to film, in our film opening, however it is not necessarily going to be filmed in these locations, this is just part of the pre-production. 

LIVING ROOM

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Benefits of Filming
- Space to film in 
- Lots of mise-en-scene already available 

Disadvantages of Filming
- Lots of removal in order to place correct props and create mise-en-scene, as to get preferred reading
- Not the best as far as social class, it doesn't fit the middle class stereotype
- Awkward for group members to get to

BATHROOM

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Benefits of Filming
- Space to film in 
- Lots of mise-en-scene already available 
- Has mirrors we wanted for certain camera angle 

Disadvantages of Filming
- Awkward removal of items in order to place correct props and create mise-en-scene, as to get preferred reading 
- Not the best as far as social class, it doesn't fit the middle class stereotype
- Awkward for group members to get to

KITCHEN

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Benefits of Filming
- Lots of mise-en-scene already available 
- Fits the social class

Disadvantages of Filming 
- Not a lot of space to film
- Challenge to avoid fill-in balcony window 
- Awkward for group members to get to

X PRE-PRODUCTION8 Location Scouting 3

BATHROOM

(This post was originally created by Spikey Films)

LIVING ROOM

KITCHEN

X PRE-PRODUCTION7 Zombie Characters

Zombie Character

(This post was originally created by Spikey Films)

Our film opening is going to be a zom-rom-com, meaning we need to plan a look for our zombie characters. It is important we get this look correct to obtain verisimilitude. Our plan is for our zombie to have white eyes (to show they aren't alive), several wounds/cuts across the face, white face, ripped/dirty clothes and then covered in blood. This style is inspired by the zombies in Shaun of the Dead.            They are all wearing normal clothing, however its all hanging off them as if it was unnatural. Looking at the close up of Nick Frost, you can see his face has been covered in white powder/paint to show the character is lifeless. We have ordered white contact lenses from amazon to create the same effect as Shaun of the Dead. We have blood capsules as well, meaning we would be able to create a similar effect to what is going on around Nick Frost's mouth. 

Resources

Liquid latex - we ordered some to create any disfigured sections of the zombies face.

Equipment to create scars/cuts - we have been practicing creating realistic cuts. On the right is an image of some practice cuts I have done on my arm (using glue, makeup and pens).

White make-up - we have access to makeup that could be applied to the face to create the dead look.

Fake blood - could be applied to face or clothing
Contact lenses - we have ordered 2 pairs of white contact lenses. 

Clothing

We haven't made any specific plans for clothing yet, however preferably baggy clothing that can be covered in blood. The point is for it to look like the zombies have been turned immediately from their normal self to a zombie, which is why they would be dressed in clothing that they would usually wear.

Walk

Once again, inspired by Shaun of the Dead. We chose to go for a slow zombie because we felt it would be easily distinguishable between the zombies and the normal characters. For example if our characters, Donnie, Fred or Mia, are running away, the comedy would be in the style of the slow walk.

Sound

Similar to the sounds above, the generic zombie noise would work well for our scene, as it has been used in several zombie movies before.

X PRACTICE8 Practice Shoot Bathroom

I think this bathroom is a likely contender for our film opening.  Although there would be a slight struggle with the space, I think we could make it work.  We would definitely need to take into consideration the amount of reflective surfaces.  If we do film in here, we would need to make sure that none of the crew are seen.  Although this is a problem, I don't think it would require a complicated solution.  Another thing we would need to take into account is the acoustics.  The bathroom is relatively echoey but I can imagine there is a solution to that in post-production.
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AUDIENCE FEEDBACK

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X PRE-PRODUCTION6 Props

These are some of the props we will be using that I have accumulated.  We may make some changes as to which props we will actually use.
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Props from EmmaScoble1

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X PRACTICE7 Practice Shoot Kitchen

I don't like the kitchen idea as much.  I think that our character would make his life as easy as possible by having everything he needs right beside him in the living room.  I also think that my kitchen doesn't really reflect the character as it's very spacious and quite modern.  It is also quite difficult to go about things in this kitchen due to the many different reflective surfaces.  The windows don't help because even though they give a great amount of light, it could make our character under-exposed if he stands in front of them.
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AUDIENCE FEEDBACK

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X PRACTICE6 Practice Shoot Living Room

This video is a practice shoot of a possible location, my living room.  I used my dog to play Donnie's character so I could move the lights so I could get the best possible lighting.  The lighting it my living room is quite good, however, I think we're going to use a professional LED light as well. The acoustics were fine, obviously besides the music playing in the background and I think the table gives us a lot of things to work with when it comes to mise-en-scene

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AUDIENCE FEEDBACK
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X PRE-PRODUCTION5 Pre-Production Schedule

Scene 1 

• Wakes up on sofa - snoring and drooling 
• Playing movie in protagonists messy living room
• Not showing protagonist immediately (narrative enigma)
• Playing Scream / Halloween / Dawn of the Dead / Shaun of the Dead
• Opening Baked Beans can with pocket knife and eating them cold

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Locations

Emma's living room

Props

Baked beans

Pocket knife

Video games (PS3)

CD's

Empty energy drink cans

Burnt toast/open butter/jam with knife/mould

Mr Burrowes t-shirts 

Plates or glasses

Kruger rand money

cigarettes

Characters

Donnie

Costumes

Graphic T-shirt

Short Shorts

Odd socks

Possible slippers

Scene 2

• Protagonist in shower
• Pans from feet to head (cuts in between)
• Oblivious to zombies in bathroom
• Dropping shampoo bottle knocking out zombie
• Slipping and kicking zombie killing it
• Possible shower singing scene for comedic effect

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Location

Someones shower

Props

Shower gel (sporty) - nearly empty

Liquid latex

Fake blood

Glasses

towel

Characters

Zombies

Donnie

Costume

ripped up t-shirt

Contact lenses

Ripped up sweatpants

Scene 3

• Getting ready scene 
• Quick shots like in Shaun of the Dead
• Brushing teeth
• Going to toilet
• Putting on glasses
• Getting dressed 
• Putting on badge for blockbuster store

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Location

Bathroom

Props

Run out toothpaste

Middle class Toothbrush

Glasses

towel

Badge for work

Costume

creased shirt

Smart trousers

Name tag

Glasses

Black Smart shoes

White visible socks

Characters

Zombie

Scene 4

• Walking out of house with headphones on looking out phone
• Not looking around
• Sees girl ahead (love interest) trying to tell him theres a zombie behind him
• False scare - hand on shoulder 
• Turns out to be the best friend character who pushes him out the way
• Shouts 'get in car'
• Pulls dead body out revealing title on floor

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Locations

Emma's house

Props

Wired Headphones

iPhone 5

Microsoft phone

liquid latex 

fake blood

car

Costume

Same costume for Donnie as previously

Fred - cool friend, Black trench coat, Black trousers, smart shoes, Black socks, Black shirt

Hair gel

Cigarettes

Mia Jones - white vest, black leather jacket, blue jeans, hair in ponytail

Characters

2 zombies

1 dead person

Donnie

Mia

Fred

Dates

Practice shoot - 10/01/2020 - 12/01/2020

First shooting day - 19/01/2020

Second shooting day - 26/01/2020