I've been very busy over here. Since losing our cinematographer, completing the visual mood boards / look book has been more imperative than ever so I can communicate what I need to the new one. Thankfully, I have made a lot of progress on not only the elements that will make up the aesthetic for each scene - and film overall - but also many of the components that will make up the hypothetical world.
The boards are presented in a linear way, from beginning to the end of the story and you'll be able to see how the look evolves through the film.
OVERALL
This is more or less the introduction and summation of how I want The Tear to look overall. When we find a new cinematographer, I need to be as clear as possible as to what I'm going for and the equipment that I want to use. While he or she will be in charge of that department, let there be no mistake, I will not allow rogue elements! :)
THE TEAR
As a character and visual effect, The Tear is taking greater shape. I've been able to find many more examples for reference. I think it's beauty is coming through now better than before. The trick is to make something this beautiful scary.
THE WORLD OF THE TEAR
This new addition is a distillation of some of the bigger ideas I'm incorporating into the background of the short. Some of the ideas are too big to realize in the short or fully detail here, but they include, a shrunken United States, civil unrest and protests akin to the Extinction Rebellion are widespread. 90's technology like the MiniDisc is still popular and the Walled City of Kowloon, a city that was demolished two decades ago has materialized in Los Angeles.
MORE / UPDATED BOARDS
You'll probably see some repeats of boards from the earlier post, but I've updated all of them so I might as well render them all here once again.
THE MOTEL
Cold, old, lonely and bloody. The Tear will largely be a very pretty film, but the motel is supposed to be the opposite. I want it to feel isolated, dangerous and without a lot of beauty. It should be a bit more harsh and contrasty than the rest of the film.
THE RESTAURANT
Unsettling and sick is the general tone here in the restaurant. The green, color cast is how I'm primarily going to insert that feeling into the scene aesthetically. I'm going to begin the motif of reflections here by using coffee as a mirror and do a little center punching of our characters here to make the scene feel odd, like our two characters.
STREET SIDE WITH THE JUNE AND FIONA
The bulk of our protagonist's scene is with her friend Fiona and will largely be played on the sidewalks of my home town, Redlands. Although the scenes take place during the daytime, I want the outside to have a pink hue to them due to the glow produced by the Tear itself which is present day or night.
June, as best represented by Natalie Portman in the frames below from Annihilation, is shown being turned away from the other actors because she is always trying to hid her feelings and avoid the truth, so I'm trying to remind myself that I've got to work in those beats!
IN THE CAR WITH OTHER-SMITH
You can see the pink color cast continuing here with Other-Smith driving through town. We'll use this sequence for to show off some details of the world that we can afford to pull off. I'm hoping to get some trashcans and spray paint "the tear sees" on them and perhaps I'll use VFX to add more graffiti around town.
JUDITH'S HOUSE DAY 1
Judith's house is going to feel warm and safe, which is the opposite of how the scene will feel. I've always enjoyed scenes where the aesthetic works as a contrast to the intended tone. It creates a sense of unease about things. We're told we're safe, but we know we're not. I'm hoping that the safe and pedestrian nature of Judith's home and lighting help sew the unsettledness I'm going for.
THE TRANSFORMATION
Some details and shot ideas are boiled down into this mood board. The sloughing of skin, tentacles and silhouettes are just a few ingredients in this warlock's brew of horror.
IN THE CAR WITH JUNE AND FIONA
June and Fiona are hurrying home after June has an "episode" if you will. Red is for danger. I like the immediacy and insanity contained in these frames. I've never really been a fan of process shots, unless Fincher is doing them, and I want to get the feeling that our characters are really driving.
JUDITH'S HOUSE NIGHT
Judith's house at night, when June and Judith are alone in the house, is going to be filled with silhouettes and darkness. It's going to be a quiet scene. I do not think there will be much music here. I want the rumbling of the tear and the sounds of movement to be our soundtrack.
JUNE'S ROOM
Her room should be warm and natural. One of the few sanctuaries of the film. Lighting will be motivated via lighting fixtures around the room. I don't want to get fancy here with coloring and lighting.
JUDITH'S HOUSE DAY 2
The final day in Judith's house should be a synthesis of the coldness of the first scene with the newness of morning in what is presumably a safe space. I want to add a couple of moments of June peeking in different rooms, looking for Judith, only to find her in the kitchen.
MOVIE SOURCES
Mandy
The Thing
You Were Never Really Here
Prospect
Annihilation
Prince of Darkness
The Void
Monsters
In The Mouth of Madness
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