How to Shoot 30 Pages in a Weekend Without Anyone Dying

Hey Filmkids, been a bit since my last post, but just because you've been neglected doesn't mean I've stopped loving you.

So over spring break we shot for three days straight and knocked out (barring reshoots) seven out of our eight scenes. Juggling cast and crew, I sort of felt like a kindergarten teacher for a bit and had to stop to do a headcount every now and then, but I think it went ok. We finally got some help in the form of Brad Howard, who made a swell AD and brought some organization to our addled table. We also scored Kenny Martell as our wizard behind the camera.

Some things I learned:

1) actors get more attached to the original script than you do
2) careful when asking your female friends to be craft services
3) continuity errors can really come back to bite you


Also, our marketing campaign is going. The indigogo is looking a little dry, but I did manage to score us an extra 1k facebook likes by going to a blackhat. Cost me $2. I guess it was worth it for the digital validation.

More on the reshoots and exhibition later, I have to get back to editing.

Preproduction

This was an extremely busy week for us. Much of our time was spent playing ping pong with our cast over email, matching up everyone's schedules, and going over each of our eight scenes in meticulous detail. We've locked our cast, with minor shifts to account for a dropout, and set about techscouting our locations.

All that remains until we're ready for production on the rapidly approaching 2/28 is a few props and a couple minor crew positions. Still filling out a few of the bones on our skeleton crew if anyone knows of some filmkids who will be around for Springbreak and want to spend time on a set instead of a couch.

Our biggest concern now is not for production but exhibition. The theatre department is still stonewalling us on loaning out the SRO building, so we're going to have to get really creative really soon on where we're setting up the installation.

Next Monday is our promoshoot at Ortons. We'll have our murder victim lying on the bar and all our suspects drinking over her body in nonchalance. I told John, who owns Ortons, about it. He got really into the theme and had a couple of ideas of his own on things we could add to the shoot. They were morbid.

Development into Fast Approaching Production

This weekend was a bit more busy as we went through our first round of casting. We had a really great turnout and locked in almost all of our cast. Normally, I prefer to do cold reads, but in this case I thought it would be nice to send everyone sides as it forces them into actually learning their lines.

Next stop is the promo shoot to get some traction going with our marketing campaign. If we can get access to a police line-up, we'll go with a Usual Suspects theme.

Locking in a space on campus is still in the works, but the lifespan of this project is looking up as we talk with The Calico Room, Gypsy, and my inside woman at our longshot, The Bellamy.

Here's our script. It's 32 pages but don't forget that the majority of our content will be overlapping with itself, so we shouldn't have a problem fitting it all in. 

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/67740648/Killing%20a%20Southern%20Belle.pdf

The Installation Space

AUDIENCE WALK THROUGH:

The experience of the installation begins when our live actor ushers participants through the atrium and into the space. He’ll half ignore, half guide them as he looks through his notebook for clues. On a table, will be a series of ‘ballots’ that each participant can use to take their own notes and guess as to the identity of the murderer.

After a short introduction played over the TV’s, participants can freely roam from witness to witness or follow the detective as he meanders around the room. Following the overlaying segments, there will be a conclusion scene broadcast across the TV’s.

Lastly, the TV’s will return to static and the PA system will play an outro song as participants file out.

LOGISTICAL CONCERNS:


INSTALLATION DESCRIPTION:
Killing a Southern Belle is a 15 minute, looping installation. The setup revolves around six distinct TV’s that each portray the account of a murder suspect. Participants are encouraged by a live actor to walk around the installation, gathering clues as to which suspect committed the murder.


INSTALLATION INGREDIENTS:
Exhibition Format Details:
- The project will require 6 Televisions of no particular make.
- Material will be looped after a brief credit to intro sequence (1min) comprised of “Wolfe on the River” (working on acquiring rights)  playing over the PA and static on the TV’s


Audio Details:
-sounds will include effects and VO over the PA and stereo sound from the TV’s


EQUIPMENT LIST:
-6 televisions of arbitrary make
-two actors: one Detective; one Corpse; (both have been cast)

POSSIBLE SETBACKS:
               -actor tardiness
               -TV sync errors (but not without thorough rehearsal)
               -our live corpse has to sneeze

A Bit of Narrative Background

Treatment

The narrative of Killing a Southern Belle follows the taciturn midlife-crisis, Detective Waites, from the point of view of an overzealous intern who documents everything with his camera. From the opening scene, we gather that Waites has landed his first homicide, and his veteran partner is leaving Waites with just an intern while he hits the tracks.

After this brief introduction, the film drifts into witness accounts, cutting from account to account with no narrative order. These accounts entail three men and three women, each a typical stereotype turned on it’s head. Each character accuses another of murder while dropping hints as to their own motives. Each character also belittles their late friend, Katie, for her classically moral and chaste sentiments.

Following all six witness testimonies, Waites gets a call from his partner, who has taken a break from the ponies to read out the coroners report. At this point, Waites hears a noise from inside the house and roams from room to room, suspect to suspect, in an attempt to squelch the noise. As he enters each new room, voice over of the coroner’s report reveals each of six causes of death. Waites announces that he’s quitting his job.

Character Bios

Detective Waites: is sick of being a cop, but he just made homicide. Being around college-aged kids really gets his goat, but tries to humor them.

Levi, the Jock: rummages through Katie’s fridge, eating what he pleases while Waites asks him questions. Levi recently started up his own business and owed Katie, who loaned him seed money, a great deal of vig.

Carson, the Marine: cleans his boots while listening to his standard-issue radio. Carson is the most level-headed of the group and argues with Waites about the Epimenides paradox.

Max, the Nerd: goes through Katie’s computer, and he and Waites get a little caught up writing a RIP post on behalf of her facebook. Comically Machiavellian. Killed Katie because she wouldn’t sleep with him.

Chloe, the Recovering Sorostitute: goes really off topic and recounts her days in her sorority with a cult-like revelry. Has to call up her Big, interrupting the interview. She killed Katie because they were wearing the same dress.

Mary-Anne, the Hipster: goes through Katie’s room and bookshelf while she gives her account. Mary-Anne acts really enlightened but is constantly making erroneous references and malapropisms. She meant give poisoned tea to Chloe, but Katie ended up drinking it.

Casandra, the Home-Body: really identifies with Waites on a misanthropic level and speaks with depth before going on a rant about how much she loves anime. Killed Katie just because she likes cats more than people.

Killing a Southern Belle

An installation chock full of satire, murder mystery and b-movie acting, Killing a Southern Belle is a series of scenes depicting the accounts of six witnesses who are suspiciously not broken up about the death of their late friend, Katie.

In terms of content, the suspects will be filmed as talking heads, each suspect a reversal of a common college stereotype. For instance, the Marine is the only one who abstains from vice even though he's on furlough, and the Hipster has thrown out her TV to avoid becoming dumbed down, but she’s constantly spouting malapropisms. All the characters are completely self-centered and belittle the murder victim for her chaste and kind qualities.

All witnesses play simultaneously from his/her own television; this way the participants of the installation can walk from TV to TV, gathering clues as if they themselves were the detective. These accounts are framed by a brief introduction and then a big reveal that syncs across all TV’s as the coroners report comes in, proving that each suspect killed Katie in a different manner.