Zombiequality WordItOut

Zombiequality Script

Inspiration For The Short Film: What We Do In The Shadows

We used the film 'What We Do In The Shadows' as inspiration for our short film. It is a mockumentary horror comedy film about a group of vampires who live together in Wellington.
We found it to have similar themes to our idea which helped us to form detailed descriptions of what our film was meant to be in terms of acting, shot types and editing.

It helped us to give our actors better instructions for their acting. Before we shot our short film, we had the actors watch it so that they could gain a better understanding of the type of style of film that we were going for. This therefore made our film much better as everyone knew exactly what they were doing.

The film also helped to give us some inspiration for screenwriting as it inspired us to make the short film quite comical. This therefore made our film more enjoyable to watch and easier to watch as it became a light-hearted comedy.

Our day-in-the-life theme was highly influenced by What We Do In The Shadows as it is essentially a mockumentary of what these vampires do with their time. It gave us a better idea of how to make the film interesting yet, at the same time, not overly complicated.  It said in a review of the film that theymade it enjoyable by avoiding the cliche and "making way for the ridiculous". This review made us understand how we should approach the writing and filming of our short film.

Zombie Make-up Ideas

This is a video that our group watched to help give us an idea about the make-up that we would use on our actor playing the role of Steve. We aimed to go for a cliche style in terms of looks for the zombie. This made it more of a plot twist to find out that Steve acted similarly to most humans. Obviously, due to the time that we have we will not be able to have make-up that is as detailed as this however, it does help us plan the way we want Steve to look.

After watching the video, our group made a list of make-up products that we would need to purchase in order to give the right effect for Steve.

Preliminary: Short Film Notes

"Mockumentary" style.
Plot revolves around zombies being discriminated against.
Film will open with humans running away from a zombie. - It turns out that the zombie just wants to hand a woman back something she had dropped.
Turns into a day-in-the-life with Steve the zombie.
Walks past yard signs in a harden of a human against zombies. The anti-zombie group HAZE (Humans Against Zombie Equality) makes these placards.
Scene at the City Hall where people are protesting against the zombies' rights. Humans shout abuse at Steve the zombie as he walks past. One human is giving a speech about how zombies are destroying their way of life. One of the humans walks quickly over to the zombie and swings a punch at him and Steve gets hit.
The aim is for zombies to be allowed to get involved in politics.
Steve the zombie wakes up one morning and turns o the TV to see zombies have gotten equality.
 man in a suit shakes the zombie's hand and his arm breaks off.

Preliminary: Cinematography Advice

For our preliminary task, I have been assigned the role of cinematographer. This means that I am responsible for choosing shot types and filming everything, making sure that every shot fits in with the other shots and that, as a whole, they tell a story. There are is lot of advice online for how to be a good cinematograher. Here are some of the best tips that I found:

• Choose locations with lots of space.
• Take your time making decisions.
• Don’t just copy others.
• Understand the importance of lighting.
• Don’t cut corners.
• Keep up with new technology but remember the storytelling.
• Learn to put things aside.
• Be true to the story.
• Know what you want to see in the shot before you plan logistics.
• Listen to the director’s instructions.
• Know what the scene is about and what the purpose of every shot is. Know how the shots advance the storyline and how each of  them fit into the overall editing puzzle.
• Ask the director if you are unsure.
• Pay attention to detail.
• Strive for perfection in every image you create.
• Go to locations early and think about what images you want to create in that area.
• Be proactive.
• Be mindful.
• Be curious.
• Be efficient.
• Be ruthless.
• Be aware. 
• Be confident.

Short Films

Sudden Death

How is it structured?

The main protagonist is the first character seen on screen but then as the story continues we see other less known characters before the other lead roles for example, the people on the news station. We then see characters outside in the streets who are being affected by this disease as well as the main protagonist and his feelings towards the situation. Just over two minutes into the film one of the other lead characters in shown reacting to the news. We begin to see even more smaller characters as the film goes on. It is over four minutes into the film before the title appears. After the title fades, we are introduced to another lead character. Throughout the film more and more characters, mostly consisting of people out of the streets being infected but also including characters with quite a bit of dialogue, appear to add depth to the story.

Are there any rules to follow?
This film goes against the rules of more conventional films. An example of this is how it is only under 20 minutes long and we don't see the title until past four minutes. It does however, follow the rules of many musicals, for example, filming the characters in the street from above dancing and singing which is a common shot that tends to be used in musicals.

Attitudes towards characters/setting/theme?

The characters are all very comedic. each character appears quirky and different. The main protagonist opens by explaining to the audience what has happened. The shot types help the audience to se him and therefore they develop a relationship with him straight away. It helps that the audience can relate to a character as they will then have a better understanding of what is happening throughout the rest of the film.

There are numerous themes throughout the film such as illness, death, music and comedy. These themes do not seem as if they would fit together however the short film makes it work.

The setting fits the story as it shows how normal life has been affected by the illness. Many scenes are also shot in a lab which is effective as it shows the people of the area coming together to help find a cure for the illness.

How does it differ from conventional films?

It has many themes that would not normally go together. It is also extremely comedic and the comedy occurs numerous times in every scene. The comedy is a different style than the comedy in most conventional comedy films. The acting is quite over-the-top and shot types pot ray the characters as extremely outgoing and confident. Mise-en-scene helps to add to the upbeat theme e.g. characters are all wearing bright colours in the streets making the film for theatrical. It has more in common with a staged musical than it does with a conventional film.

The Going Away Party

How is it structured?
We see the title of the film as if the main protagonist is typing it onto a screen. We realise later that he is organising the "party" on Facebook. This way of showing the title helps to foreshadow this incident later in the film. We then see a range of long shots and close-ups of the main protagonist and what appears to be his morning routine. Then, are seconds later, a wide shot of him lying in the bath drinking helps to give the audience a sense of what is going on and appears to be a sign of his struggle and depression. This way, the audience are not left shocked when Connor's therapist tells him that he is depressed. A pan sit followed by a variation of mid-shots and wide shots show him at a funeral home foreshadowing his death. We begin to see other characters as he use public transport. During the party scene it is clear to the audience while he is in a room with other people that he does not fit in. We are also introduced to his friend who becomes another important character. The scene between Connor and his grandmother is filmed mostly using shot reverse shot which helps show the emotion. A close-up is used to show her putting her hand on his showing that unlike the other characters, she is very considerate. Halfway through, we see many shots of him preparing his funeral which helps to create emotion and makes the audience realise how extreme his negative feelings are and helps them to predict his fate. The shots of him sitting alone after no one turns up to his apartment emphasise his loneliness. A close-up shot of Connor preparing the substance with which he will kill himself is alarming and helps to show how much danger he is in. A long shot shows him spraying the gas and a mid-shot shows him fall down, signalling that is dead.
Are there any rules to follow?
The storyline of this short film is typical of the indie style of many different short films. The tone throughout is very calm which is ironic due to how emotional the story is. It goes against the rules of most conventional films due to the layout in terms of shot types and dialogue in different scenes. It does however, follow the rules of short films based on its length.

Attitudes towards characters/setting/theme?

The main protagonist, Connor, is the only character we really get to know and even at that we still do not really know that much about him. It is not very clear what has caused this man to become suicidal or why he is so determined to take his own life.

There is a theme of mental health problems and death but the comedy makes the story seem less negative and in a way covers up the struggles of the main protagonist and the horrific end his life comes to.

The main protagonist's grandmother is portrayed as weak and ill which is the typical portrayal of a woman of her age and does not seem far-fetched and she in a way becomes the most relatable character in the film and she appears very ordinary.

The main protagonist's friend, however, seems unnatural. She meets him and speaks with him about his plan to commit suicide but she does not seem remotely concerned and her attitude towards his plan seems almost comedic, however, given the circumstances, this would very much be dark humour as it is concerning that she is so calm and does not try to stop him.

How does it differ from conventional films?

Story is quite straightforward. The story passes at a fast pace. Dark comedy and in parts almost looks as if you are watching a documentary. The main protagonist is the only character whose story is told. We also do not find out what happens after the young man dies as the film ends when he commits suicide so it is unclear how the other characters feel about his death and the circumstances in which it has occurs although we do know that he was very open about his decision and that no one seemed to really take it seriously or care much for him or his life which is not a common storyline in conventional films in which people tend to try and help the victim.

Dotty

How is it structured?

There are a total of three characters in the film. The first character to be seen is the protagonist which helps to set the story. We then see the nurse coming into the elderly woman's room to check on her.  The titles are seen at the beginning which causes the film to flow more smoothly as there are no interruptions. The entire film is shot in the one location. It switches between the two main characters inside and another elderly man outside walking slowly around the garden. Most times that he appears the other two characters are still visible and he is never shown in a close-up, showing his inferiority.

Are there any rules to follow?

It follow the rules of most short films in terms of its lengths. The simple storyline and the fact that it is one whole scene with dialogue breaks in the way of outside shots is very untypical of most conventional films. The plot twist at the end is typical of sort films but not just as common a method used in conventional films

Attitudes towards characters/setting/theme?

Characters act in a way that is typical of their age group. For example, the old man outside walking is very slow on his feet. The old woman is having difficulty using technology and the younger woman is showing her what to do and taking care of her.

There is a theme of age in the film as it shows the difference in age between the nurse and the elderly people. 

The setting is a care home for elderly people and we see the outside of the building, just outside of one room and the main room in which most of the interaction occurs.

How does it differ from conventional films?

All of the dialogue takes place in the one room and it all occurs in the one location. The elderly man outside is shown numerous times throughout the film in a way to break up the dialogue between the nurse and patient inside as well as to add a comedic effect. The comedy within the dialogue is very simple and does not fit the typical comedy of a conventional film. It also ends with a plot twist that appears quite emotional as the nurse's phone goes off and the audience realises that she is the old woman's daughter.