Wishlist
Hey folks! I am pretty proud of our film! However, let's imagine a world where I was a famous director with a large movie company. My budget would be absolutely massive. So, let's discuss what I would do differently from my original.
1. Actors
For every well-done movie, the actors are very important. Let's face it, who would want a dry actor with one emotion? It's important to hire the correct actors to play characters, to ensure that the character will be brought out. Since my opener had four actors, I will HYPOTHETICALLY replace them. For the main character (poison-ee), I would hire Anya Taylor-Joy. This is because she has acted in many movies that painted her as a victim, however, it is always revealed that she is more sophisticated than what appears. For example, in The Menu, she is on the edge of death and it is practically promised that she is going to die by the end of the movie...or is it? Moving on, for the main antagonist (poison-er) I would hire Natalie Portman. Although she has not appeared as the villain in the movies she has worked on, she has the perfect innocent look. I am convinced that her soft look would create a dramatic mood when the tone of the movie suddenly switches. As for the first side character, I would hire Emma Stone. She has acted in a wide range of genres, from comedy to action. This includes Spider Man and Easy-A. She could have made our argument scene more dramatic...and her comedic relief would be a great addition. For the last actor, I would choose Jenna Ortega. She has acted in countless movies and shows that required serious acting. This includes creepy shows like Wednesday. Did you know that it was a creative choice made by Ortega and Tim Burton to minimize blinking in order to convey more eerie tones? That dedication would be greatly appreciated in our film.
2. Costumes
Now, I find costumes very important and was pretty bummed out when all we wore was casual clothes. Even though our costumes were regular clothes, they still conveyed a warmth of friendship and family. However, if I had a bigger budget, I would start with hiring a costume designer that creates work I love. For example, Mary Zophres is an incredible designer and has created costumes for the movie called, La La Land. In that movie colors were mostly shown through the creative dresses and suits that characters wore. For our film opener, I am convinced that her skills would be of great usage. The job of creating emotions through colored clothing requires large creative talent. However, I would specifically ask her to illustrate Christmas inspired looks, semi-formal, and cute sweaters.
3. Setting and Location
For our opener we utilized my house that was in Florida for our setting and location. So, to switch it up, I would choose a location that was more wintry, such as the higher states in the USA. This could include Utah, their mountain views are incredible and we could include scenes of outdoor sledding. Additionally I wanted it to be a cabin in the woods, since that is the first idea I think of when someone says, "Christmas vacation!" I would imagine a place with beautiful trees, and piles of snow, a complete white Christmas. Walking inside the cabin would convey a warm atmosphere, emphasizing the difference between the two settings. However, the mysteriousness could be highlighted in the woods, as that specific setting could easily be ominous.
4. Lighting, Sound, & Editing
As for lighting we would keep the same idea of it switching from high-key to low-key lighting. However, we utilized the lighting we had in the house. But with a higher budget we would buy professional studio lighting. The three-point lighting for our last shot required us to use our phone's flashlight, though innovative, the studio light would have turned our nicer. We would also utilize techniques such as backlighting when the antagonist is revealed, to convey a dramatic effect.
Next up, for sound instead of lavalier microphones, we would buy professional shotgun microphones to ensure the highest quality. This would prevent our dialogue from being muffled since we have been having particular issues with that.
Lastly, even though editing has been a great learning experience, it has been particularly difficult to navigate the software. Which means that if we had a higher budget, then a team of editors would be hired instead. Then I would supply the editor a summary of the style we wanted, which would be a psychological thriller!
Well, that's it for today. Even though our budget was not as expensive as what was just written, I am still proud of our ideas and innovation. TUNE IN NEXT TIME!
Some of my inspirational pictures:
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