CCR

My final thoughts...
    https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_QeNQHCxX8eOvcGnRdLjJWwDGpV-_Eeb/view?usp=sharing
Thank you for listening and following me through this process,
Larissa Sallowicz

Film Opening

Good morning,
     I finally finished my portfolio piece. Below is a horror/thriller film about Charles, a mentally ill man who doesn't know how to take no for an answer.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1F9hR99p5b2r52dCcooSNh6ugjuYRq5H0/view?usp=sharing

I hope you enjoy,
Larissa Sallowicz

Reflection

Good afternoon,

Now that I have finished this process I believe it is important for me to reflect on how it went and the overall project.

For my portfolio foundation piece, I produced a horror/suspense film opening which I aimed to leave the viewer wondering what happened next. My film is called “Uninvited” and it is based off a man named Charles in a coffee shop who prays on his victim, a female young adult is known as Mia.

   My male Charles is based off a mentally unstable stalker which desire stems from rejection. This character is a product of the basic stalker ideal due to where his desires stemmed from. Charles represents the issue of stalking and preying on victims, whether it be a female like Mia or just an individual in harm's way due to others which cannot control their desires and urges. I believe that the character Mia is also in tune with the basic female victim which is represented often in media, she is being kind yet assertive and is trying to get away due to clear discomfort. For the most part, I stuck to basic stereotypes and conventions represented in other media and did not stem too far out of the norm in terms of my characters roles, who they represent, and the way they played the characters

     When I consider how I wanted to engage my audience I focused on making my main character, Charles, someone who would leave a lasting impression on my viewers. I wanted chills to go down the spine of those who watched my film opening leaving them wanting to see more, however, I am not sure I was able to fully achieve this. My only concern with regards to my film is that I was not able to achieve the level of freight that I wanted to. Due to the fact, my film is supposed to be scary and suspenseful I would choose specific means of distribution to get it out. I would focus my ads mostly on social media getting the attention of young adults as well as ads which show the eerie creepiness in Charles and the vulnerability in Mia in order to further grab the attention of the audience.

       As I look back from the start of this project to where I am now, my production skills have developed greatly. I believe the skill of mine which has developed the most is my film and directing skills. Before I never had directed individuals on how to act or what to do in front of a camera, however, as soon as I needed to I became a natural. I was quick to tell my actors what to do in a clear way that left no room for discrepancies. Furthermore, my prior filming skills using my iPhone camera were always quite shaky and unprofessional. However, looking at the film I made all of the shots which are meant to be still are, as well as the camera angles and film quality itself is better than anything I have ever done or made. Without a doubt, in comparison to before my skills have increased greatly, and as I continue into the world of film and media I only see them improving.

       To produce my project I used a variety of technologies. Starting from when I was writing it. I used software such as google docs in order to produce my project both at school and from home. However, when it comes to the actual production of my film I used the basic apple iPhone filming software. Once the film was already recorded I used iMovie to edit as well as the free trial of Final cut pro in order to add any final edits which I was not able to implement with iMovie. Besides the online software of Google Docs, I also used Blog spot in order to keep track of my process along the way of production.

       Overall, the production of my film opening taught me a lot from start to finish. I was able to develop my film, production, editing skills. I feel that I did a good job and am proud of my finished product although it is still not up to the standards I had set for myself in my mind. Looking back on my film I see opportunities of clips I could have filmed and added however I was already over the time limit which restricted me in many ways as well. Even Though I believe there is room for improvement in my project I feel that I succeeded in the task at hand and I hope I left my viewers looking behind them for the rest of the day as well.

The challenges of editing

Good Afternoon!
     I am currently in the Pittsburgh International Airport at the gate waiting for my flight to arrive. The weather took a bit of a turn as it began to snow so I hope my flight doesn't get delayed. But, either way, since I had a bit of free time I decided to begin editing my film and write a bit on my blog.
    I was able to get all of my film clips which I recorded transferred to my computer with ease due to airdrop. Then I put all of my clips in their necessary order on iMovie and saved the project. That's all I was able to do in my free time earlier, however, now I think it is time for me to actually begin editing and deconstructing the parts of my film opening.
    I am a bit worried as without any in-depth editing my film opening is longer than 3 minutes. That means I need to cut a good minute or more for it to fit the requirements. This makes me quite nervous as I feel every clip is necessary, I am just hoping that I am able to cut down on each clip enough to reach the time restraints.
     Another concern of mine is that I have no audio. My audio I planned to record all after as I wanted it to be voiceovers of only my male actor speaking. However, as the deadline approaches this makes me extremely nervous that I will not be able to get it all put together in time. However, my entire flight I am going to be editing my film along as writing up the lines I want my male role to record saying so that way I am as ready as possible.
Wish me luck,
Larissa Sallowicz

Filming Day

Good Afternoon,
   It's about an hour after I finished filming all of the shots I needed for my film opening. We ended up filming a day behind schedule due to the fact Ana my actress playing the female role could not make it on Wednesday. Due to this little set back I felt extremely nervous that I would not be able to finish it all. However, all of the filming is done for the most part. I believe that I just need to add a few establishing shots that I can go back later sometime this week to film.
   I leave for a flight to Pittsburgh tomorrow at 3am so this will give me plenty of time to do most of my editing on the flight there and flight back as I will have that time left over. Hopefully, the editing will not be too cumbersome or take too long but I have a feeling that it will.
   Overall though, I believe the filming went extremely well and I am feeling good about my project thus far. I am not sure, however, if it is exactly7 what I had in mind or if it will turn out up to my standards. I believe I will only find this out once I fully edit everything and get it ready to be turned into my teacher next week.
I hope it turns out well,
Larissa Sallowicz

The Plot Thickens

Hi, yeah I know it's midnight...

      But somehow binge watching my favorite shows has paid off again. Now, I don't know if you guys remember but back in my old blog posting's I mentioned how I was inspired by the Netflix series "YOU." Well, I got HULU and once more found myself binge-watching some other tantalizing television series. This recent show led to a complete change in my plot, let me explain.

       I was watching the show "9-1-1" which is an American drama series which captures the lives of the first responders. As I began to watch more and more of the episodes leading to me finishing the series an hour ago, I realized that there was a reoccurrence in almost every episode. Whenever there was some sort of traumatic incident occurring the camera shot would focus on one thing, such as the victim or perpetrator. Even though the camera would be on the incident the audio would be muted or have music behind it. In addition to the speech of the actors involved in that given scene. 

       This made me think of how well that concept would work for my opening, especially considering the level of spine-chilling I want to achieve.  I thought to myself instead of the male and female both having dialogue it would be mostly the male. I say this because when Ana is speaking she will be muted and instead the audio will just be Blaise's current thoughts about her character.  This mute to her audio along with the alarming ideas running through Charles (Blaise) head. I believe this will give me the best shot at pulling off the unhinged stalker role I am aiming to achieve.
Let's see where this leads!
Larissa Sallowicz

Film Crew... CHECK! Equipment... CHECK! Script...CHECK! - Time to begin

HELLO!
   Sorry for the loud welcome but I'm just exuberant considering I have finally found everyone who I want to be in my film. Now I know you might be thinking... "It took you long enough!" But I think it was just in time.
    Wednesday morning bright and early around 9am, I will be meeting with Ana and Blaise from my AICE media class to film all of the scenes I need. We are planning to meet there around 9:30am and be done before 12pm as Blaise has somewhere to be so he can film his opening. Taking this into consideration, I am quite nervous to see how that plays out. In order to save time, I have prepared everything we need on film day as well as printed out copies of the tentative script. I feel confident that I will be able to get most of my filming done focusing on the important shots and angles that require both of my actors. I will leave the shots which do not have the actors in them in my opening, such as establishing shots, for the end just in case we are running short on time.
    I'm excited to finally get this project started and get to my favorite part of production... Editing. Now you may be thinking I'm crazy as editing can be extremely cumbersome, I really enjoy it. I'll get to that later in my future blog posts, hopefully, this weekend while I'm traveling. The next step for me now is just to do a great shoot acquiring all of the shots I need and to get this wrapped up as soon as possible.
Stay Tuned!
Larissa Sallowicz
 

Filming Equipment

Hello!!
   So now that I know when I will start filming I need to think about what equipment I will be using. I    have been given the opportunity to be able to rent out professional filming equipment however, I    don't think that is the move I will take when it comes to filming this opening.
    I am going to film using my iPhone XS MAX due to its resiliant film quality as well as my exiting familiarity with the product itself. I felt that if I choose to use the professional cameras I would have struggled with learning how to use the camera itself rather than focusing on the outcome of the film clips. Furthermore, by using my phone I will have great ease not only because I am used to working the iPhone camera but because I also can airdrop the film clips from my phone to my computer quickly. This allows me to edit as fast as possible because I don't need to use any external sources to transfer the information.
   To edit my opening I will be using iMovie once I am able to get it updated on my new laptop. I     am having technical difficulties when it comes to this, however, it wouldn't be a normal film process if there wasn't a few bumps in the road. Therefore, I will get it figured out as soon as possible and be able to start my filming as well.
Let's get this show on the road!
Larissa Sallowicz

Starting.... NOW

Good Afternoon!
     So spring break begins for me tomorrow! Meaning that it is time for me to actually begin my filming. Now, I know that this is far different than the original filming schedule I had planned, but I    know I'll still be able to get it done with time to spare.
     My plan is to begin filming as soon as possible, meaning that I will send a message to my prospective actors to ask when they will be able to film this week. I plan to finish filming by Thursday as I leave to Pittsburgh Friday.
     So considering the plan I  outlined above I will send a text to those who I hope will be able to act in my film by the end of today. Furthermore, I will do the editing while I am on my way to Pittsburgh and on my way back on the flight as I will have some spare time.
Let's get this going!
Larissa Sallowicz

The Change I had Been Anticipating

Good Morning fellow bloggers!
     It is the start of a lovely Sunday afternoon, as well as the official start of my senior year spring break. Where has the time even gone? It seems like just yesterday I was in my teachers class discussing what the AICE Media Studies course syllabus. Now, I am about to begin filming my entire portfolio piece. It's crazy to think about. As a result of me going to college soon my parents gifted me a new MacBook Pro, meaning that I now have access to more editing and filming software than before.
     In addition, to me having new software to play with I now also have the ease of airdrop and other apple tools. Instead of me needing to email myself each video clip I take I can now just airdrop it to my computer and begin editing right away. I am beyond excited to be able to use my new computer and play around with iMovie in a way I  was never able to before.
I will let you know how it goes!
Larissa Sallowicz

Film Opening Script

Good Morning fellow bloggers!
     So I stopped by at a coffee shop this morning to get myself a sweet drink before school and I had the sudden burst of inspiration to begin writing my script. Yes, the dreaded script. Last blog post I talked about how I was just missing three things until I was able to begin: a script, actors, and to begin filming. I am happy to say I have gotten one of those 3 things down. I was also able to find my female starring role, Ana Rubin in my AICE Media class. Below I attached an image of my informal script which provides a sneak peek of some of the lines said.
     Things finally seem to be falling into place however, I still need to find my male staring role. This is what is posing the largest challenge to me as I wanted my male role to appear more grown rather than just another high school student. I will continue to look for someone who suits the role and if I am unable to find them then I guess another kid from my class it is. However, I am excited about having Ana star in my film opening. Not only because she has the beautiful innocent look I was going for the female role but her dad also owns a local coffee shop. This enables me to be able to record at a real-life coffee shop without any worries due to corporate policies that are imposed at establishments such as Starbucks.
Hopefully, I can find this male role soon! We'll be in touch.
Larissa Sallowicz

Uh Oh

Good Afternoon my fellow bloggers,
    Okay so basically, I'm a bit off schedule. I'm not necessarily behind, just definitely not keeping up with the filming schedule I had set out for myself a few weeks ago. I think this could be because I underestimated how difficult it is to find the proper players for certain roles as well as getting the filming actually started. When I had originally written the schedule I had assumed this would be a walk in the park. Boy was I wrong.
    However, I'm trying not to get discouraged. I am attempting to start filming soon and maybe even sometime this week. I aim to be done with filming in the next week or two and I am hopeful that during spring break will be the best time for me to get all my work done as school and work take up most of my time.
    The next steps I need to take are to find staring roles for those in my film, write a script, and then begin filming. Once I get these three steps down I will finally be able to breeze through the production process. The issue is just getting those three done and started. My issue is that the vision I have I don't see any individuals who would be willing to take part in my film that look like what I want them to look like. Also, for the script, I know what I want to be said I'm just having issues converting the lines to paper.
See you next blog post, hopefully with one of these 3-steps completed.
Larissa Sallowicz

Production props- Mise en Scene

Hey!
   So when it comes to props I need for my film they are actually quite minimal. To begin with the coffee shop scene, I need 2 drinks for my actors to be drinking. I also need a computer and a cellphone for the female role. The male role can have a cellphone as well. Besides that, the coffee shop itself will have the rest such as a place to sit and the proper scenery.
   Once the actors leave the coffee shop they will need vehicles to get to the final filming location. That is all that is needed for my film. It is relatively minimal as the film itself is more based on a realistic occurrence and doesn't require any out of the ordinary props.
    I want to ensure that the movie reflects the current time period so new popular cellphones such as the iPhone XS Max will be used. In addition, the computer that the female role will be using will be a modern laptop. I want to ensure this movie has a as realistic feel as possible so it resonates with those who watch.
Catch you later!
Larissa Sallowicz

Costume Design- Mise En Scene

Hello, my fellow bloggers!

    So I'm here laying in bed just thinking about how I'm going to actually pull of this film introduction. I don't know exactly who I even want to be my actors or what exactly I want them to say, a mess I know. But! the one thing I do know for certain is what I want them to wear.

    For my actors to be able to blend in and play a natural role of being average individuals getting coffee they must dress that way as well. I want my actors to be wearing jeans and a casual top. The female may have on light natural makeup and her hair would be done in a downward manner. Basically, my actors are going to be wearing what is considered a generic outfit for young adults in 2019. I will be attaching some images below of what they would be wearing.

Happy blogging!

Larissa Sallowicz

Titles... Harder Than I Thought

Now,
   What to call this film opening. Something I would think would be relatively easy to come up with, boy was I wrong. I needed something which would represent the intensity and concept of the film. In order to get a better idea of what a film which involves stalking I looked into other films which did as well. Some names of popular stalking films were Unsane, Obsessed, The boy next door, Fear, and The perfect guy. I noticed that most of the titles were based on either adjectives or a description of who the guy was or where he was from. Focusing on this concept I began to juggle around ideas in my mind.
    I started googling synonyms for words such as stalker and began looking into other ways to say words which I felt were too generic to capture anyone's attention. During this, I looked up the word synonym for robber due to the fact the man enters the girls home without an invitation. Then I  thought to myself, he is not necessary a robber since he isn't stealing anything but he is indeed uninvited. AND BOOM! The title clicked. Uninvited.
     I thought that Uninvited would make a great title because it embodies everything that the film is going to be based on, a man who from the start partook in discussion with the female which she did not want to be a part of. I also thought it was a good title because like other stalking films it has a one-word title that makes a large impact. The one word uninvited already gives the idea that there is going to be a conflict and as soon as the viewer hits play he able to tell that the man is the one who is not invited to partake in the women's coffee break or be invited to her home later on. The word also makes it clear that he is intruding whether it be in her personal life with his persistent questioning or it is physically when he enters her home UNINVITED.

SEE you soon,
Larissa Sallowicz

Time to find some helping hands!

Hey there again!
     Now don't get the wrong idea from the title now... I am all up for the challenge of creating this alone. However, some teamwork may help me. I want to gather together a group of trustworthy friends who have prior film knowledge that will be able to help me when it comes to when I blank on what I want to happen on screen and how I want it shown. Just like last class when a student gave me the suggestion to make the film in the perspective of the male I want to be able to have a few numbers a call away to inspire me and make sure my project turns out the best it can.
    I also want to talk to one of my close friends who is highly skilled in editing. I will, of course, be doing the film editing myself as I already have prior knowledge on how to, I would just like to her see take on it. I want to see what she would want to add and where. I would also want to see what type of new fun edits we could incorporate which would make the film that much better.
   Lastly, I plan to talk to my cousin about this film. My cousin and uncle are both renowned photographers who travel the world taking images and creating 3-D art and edits. I feel safe knowing that I have someone a phone call away which could help me figure out how to focus a camera perfectly and play with lighting in order to create the best shot. I also am happy to know that I have a cousin who knows how to mess with those challenging software and he would be able to teach me in order for me to excel with this film opening.
Very excited!
Larissa Sallowicz

Location, Location, Location

Good Morning!
    The fresh smell of coffee beans and the sound of keyboards typing away as individuals work like the gills of a fish. A coffee shop, you guessed it. I had made some mentions in my outline and storyboard regarding my desire to film in a coffee shop. I would like to confirm that is not a false alarm, coffee shop it is.
     I plan to film in a more empty coffee shop or at least a coffee shop during the off hours... if that even exists as everyone is always trying to get their daily dosage of caffeine. According to the Starbucks film policy, they do not condone the filming inside their coffee shops without permission. I attempt to get permission to film, however, if I cannot I will film in a location which offers an outdoor setting in order to avoid any problematic confrontations.
     However, if I am unable to film at Starbucks at all, I plan to choose another local coffee shop. I am stern on the coffee shop idea as that is where I feel confrontations like these often happen. It's just an ordinary day drinking coffee for my female role even though her day will change forever later on.       Who's excited? I am, talk to you soon!
Larissa Sallowicz

Deciphering Characters

Welcome back!
      So on today's blog post, I wanted to focus on my main character of the story and who I plan them to be. In my last post, I told you about my revelation about how I wanted the scenes to play out in the perspective of the male. Sticking to this concept requires a strong male role who can handle such a deed. I want to ensure whoever plays my male character is able to convey the delusion and obsession properly.
      Now just to fantasize for a second, if I were to choose ANY male to play this role one comes to mind immediately.  Micheal C. Hall. You may know him from "Dexter" the American Television Series which first aired in 2006. The reason I believe he is so perfect for the role is because of his charisma, whits, and downright creepiness. He would be the perfect actor if of course, I had an unlimited budget with some impressive Hollywood connections. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Therefore, my actor will just be the embodiment of him... the best he can as it is hard to compare. I plan to find a lead male role who will be able to convey his emotions through a subtle voice that will be showing what he is thinking throughout. I plan for my main male role to be a teen to young adult as the female in the coffee shop will be around that age range as well.
      Let's fantasize once more, shall we? If I could choose ANY female to play the damsel in distress at the coffee shop in my opening film it would have to be Chloe Grace Moretz. I would want her to play the female as she has an innocent look to her as if she is angelic and of course she is beautiful. This beauty in conjunction with the innocence would be the perfect combination to portray the image in my head. But, of course, we must be realistic. I am to find a female actress who is beautiful as well as sweet. I want a female that those who watch the film opening would want to help and immediately dislike the male role for his stalking behavior.
Happy blogging!
Larissa Sallowicz

 

Post Peer Feedback

Good Afternoon,
        Today in class today I walked in ready to work on my project and to further it even more. However, instead of today being a work day, today was a day for peer review with our fellow classmates. At first, I was a little weary to this as I prefer to get my work done independently, however, I'm glad I was given the opportunity to run through my film introduction with my fellow classmates.
          I say this because I feel now more than ever I know exactly what I want to do for my introduction and how I want to approach it. I finally have an image in my head that I believe in my heart I can reproduce exactly how I desire. Thanks to Vanessa one of the girls who were in my peer review group, I am able to create a more enticing and mind-boggling version of my original concept.
Instead of the story being told through the girl's side, I want the story to be told through the lens of the stalker. This way the mind of the deranged man can be conveyed through what he is thinking and saying.
          This new revelation of a simple change in perspective may seem minor to most, but to me... it got me excited to begin the film production process. I believe my excitement stems from my taking of Ap and A level AICE psychology courses which focus on the mental health of humans. I have always been a fanatic for all things psychology and am even considering double-majoring in college with Biology and Psychology on a pre-medical track to set me apart later on for Medical School. So to say I am psychology geek is an understatement. I am now to create the mind of a deranged man as he tracks his soon to be prey, the female from Starbucks.
Buckle Up and get ready for the ride!
Larissa Sallowicz

Pre-Production Jitters!

Good Afternoon fellow bloggers!

     I am feeling anxious as ever to start this project. I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the beginning process thus far. It has been quite the roller-coaster from deciding what genre I wanted a few months ago to having my full piece planned out and ready to film now.

    I can’t lie I am ecstatic to see how this turns out, however, I am nervous if I will be able to pull off the vision in my head. To calm my nerves, I did what I do best… watch Netflix. In the start of my blog, posting’s I merely mentioned being inspired by a new Netflix series called “YOU.”  This show piqued my interest in stalking, and I knew watching it would help me make my film even better. This series sent shivers down my spine with the charismatic main character who formed an obsession with a young female girl. He began stalking her and following every aspect of her life. This show freaked me out so much, so I knew I had to take inspiration from it. The show used many intense camera angles as well as intense music to ensure that the drama of the scenes was captured. I plan to do this as well by incorporating some close-ups and royalty free intense music when needed.

      This series also helped me understand the inner mind of a stalker as he strikes for his victim. I was able to understand the motives which can make someone peruse another person so intently. Needless to say, after a few more episodes I was fully locked and loaded to begin the production process.

See you later... get it… SEE you later

Larissa Sallowicz

Production Planning

Hello!

   I feel like writing on here has become an everyday occurrence for me. Well, now that everything is planned out and ready to go its time for me to plan out my filming schedule. If you ask anyone who knows me, they will tell you I am one of the most organized and scheduled individuals they know… so this… this comes naturally to me. I want to have around 3-4 days reserved for recording purposes. I may think about recording on a cloudy day to add to the mystery and tension of the piece. I then want to reserve 2-3 days for editing in total. Lastly, I want to have a day to make sure the project is up to my standards and that every detail is perfect.

     My film schedule looks something like this:

March 4^th: Filming begins (I of outline)

March 8^th: Filming (II of outline)

March 12^th: Filming (III of outline)

March 18^th: Filming (IV of outline)

March 19^th: Editing begins

March 23^rd: Editing continues

March 26^th: Editing ends

March 31^st: Finishing touches added, and project is finalized

   Above is the tentative schedule for my filming process and the one I plan to follow. However, I hope to be ahead of schedule and start filming as soon as possible.

Talk to you soon,

Larissa Sallowicz

Story Boarding Time!

Hey there!

   So the next step from creating my general outline was to create my storyboard for my piece. I created a storyboard filled with stock images to give a visual to the words written in the outline and below the images. The physical camera angles will still be modified during the production later on. Below is my film opening’s storyboard:

Happy blogging!

Larissa Sallowicz

Outlines, outlines, and more outlines

Good Afternoon from the British Virgin Islands,

     I know... I know... I've been traveling for a while now but it has helped me be able to focus on not only relaxation but my opening scene for my portfolio piece as well. So my in my last post I expressed my desire to make my film about a stalker which stemmed from rejection, so it’s time for me to begin forming my story and piece.  Below, you can see the outline for my piece.

·      I (Setting: Coffee Shop)

o   Young lady is waiting for the coffee she ordered at a coffee shop

o   A man notices the young lady showing clear interest in her

o   The female walks outside with her beverage and the man follows

o   The female sits to enjoy her coffee and the male approaches her

o   The young lady respectfully responds and shows physically she does not desire to consider conversation

o   The man persists his efforts to get the females attention

o   The female politely declines

o   The male walks away to the table near by and just watches as she sips her beverage

o   The female finishes her beverage and walks to the trash can

o   The male takes notice of her soon departure from the coffee shop and becomes visually excited

·      II (Setting: Parking Lot)

o   The female begins to walk to her vehicle

o   The male follows along from a distance the female doesn’t notice

o   The male approaches the female once more asking for directions

o   The female answers reluctantly but still being nice to avoid upsetting the man

o   The man takes the response, thanks the woman, and “walks away”

o   The man gets into his vehicle

·      III (Setting: Vehicles)

o   The female begins to drive away a little frantically clearly frazzled from the man’s advances

o   The male waits for the female to leave and beings to follow her vehicle

o   The female drives home and the male follows her home

·      IV (Setting: Females Home)

o   The female goes into her house without locking the door behind her

o   The male follows her inside

SCREEN CUTS TO BLACK

    The basic outline for my piece is what is above. If need be I will add more or remove some scenes depending on the time constraints for the opening scene.

Talk to you guys soon,

Larissa Sallowicz

Actually getting started... I think...

Greetings from The Bahamas,

        Vacation sweet vacation. Nothing like rays of sunshine and the sea air to inspire my media portfolio even more. So last post I talked with you guys how I plan to do something about stalking. That is still my plan however, I just need to think about the important stuff now such as plot, characters, and really begin setting up the rest of my piece. To understand how to make a horror film pertaining to stalkers I first must understand what exactly it means to be one. According to Marshall University, the profile of a stalker consists of many different things such as their relationship to the victim and what their motivation may be to stalk the victim. Many stalkers stem from rejection by the victim or an unhealthy fantasy about the victim in an obsessive manner. 

          I wanted the stalker of my film to stem from a rejection. For me to be able to pull this off I knew the start of my film would have to start in a public place, maybe a coffee shop, where the victim will reject said stalker upon his advance towards her. This would be the start of my film opening which would then lead to the stalking patterns and threatening behavior to come. According to the MDEdge Psychiatry page, rejected stalkers are the most common and dangerous type of stalker who hold a complex and volatile mix of reconciliation and revenge. 

          Now that I knew what type of stalker I wanted for my film opening and what direction I wanted to take with it I began to feel far more comfortable. Thinking back a week ago I had no clue how I was going to be able to pull off a horror piece. But now, I have scenes popping into my head ready for me to transform into actual shots. 

Time to get to the film storyboarding, who's ready?

Talk to you guys in a little!

Larissa Sallowicz

Refrences:

Knoll, James, and Phillip J. Resnick. “Stalking Intervention: Know the 5 Stalker Types, Safety Strategies for Victims.” MDedge Psychiatry, 11 Dec. 2018, www.mdedge.com/psychiatry/article/62668/stalking-intervention-know-5-stalker-types-safety-strategies-victims. 

“Marshall University.” Womens Center, www.marshall.edu/wcenter/stalking/characteristic-of-a-stalker/. 

Getting Started!

Happy blogging, Larissa Sallowicz here again!
    WOW! It's definitely been a while since my fingers have tapped away on this keyboard to update you all on how my piece is going. I have officially decided I am going to be focusing on the horror genre. Now at first, I was a little worried on if I could pull off a horror piece, however, after researching more about the genre itself horror is definitely what I want to do.
     When I began researching the horror genre I learned much about not only its characteristics and elements but also its history. The genre of horror stems from the gothic era in the 17th and 18th centuries which occurred primarily in European countries. The first horror movie ever on record was released in 1896 and is called "Le Manoir du Diable" or also known as "The Devil's Castle." Movies such as these first released horror films revolutionized the film industry forever by creating the frightening, startling, and at times disgusting films we watch today.
      After looking into the history of the genre itself I immediately knew that I wanted to focus on more of a modern take of the horror genre rather than some of the older films. I began to look into the best new horror films released in the past 10 to 20 years for inspiration, but I struggled immensely. I didn't quite know exactly where I wanted to take my film or how to even begin. Then, after an internet deep dive and a night full of Netflix binge-watching, it finally hit me what I wanted my film to be about.
       After watching a few episodes of the new Netflix series "You" and thinking about what truly scares me, stalking came to mind. One of my biggest fears is being followed or watched, so I thought to myself why not make a horror film based off one of my biggest fears. I felt that the concept of a stalker fit the genre characteristics of the horror genre, especially with its spine chilling creepy occurrences. So once I knew the general concept of what I wanted to do... I began.
See you next post,
Larissa Sallowicz

References:

“13 Steps To Making A Horror Film.” Raindance, 21 Nov. 2018, www.raindance.org/13-steps-to-making-a-horror-film/. 

Most Influential, Significant and Important Films in American Cinema - The 1960s, www.filmsite.org/horrorfilms.html. 

Nour, Sarah. “The First 13 Horror Films in Recorded History.” ReelRundown, ReelRundown, 22 May 2018, reelrundown.com/film-industry/The-First-13-Horror-Films-in-Recorded-History.