DVC 10 - "Unforeseen" - Marco Wagner
 

Well....this project started late Friday and we all agreed that this was to be fun first and foremost, if something came of it great, if not -we had fun. Our victim, Krystal, had never acted before but wanted very badly to try. Cool. She was nervous but very willing. The killer had been in a few very old bits we did like 5 years ago, James, great to have him in a role he could sink his machete into.

We didn't get to finish everything i had in mind - so i pieced together what i had to work with to make what could be called "a random killing". Kinda surreal. I didn't want to be on the wall of shame :-) so WYSIWYG.

As always, criticism is welcome.

Hi Marco!
 

Having fun is definitely a criteria to follow.

You had some great stuff in your film! That James Bad Ass Bass Dude was perfect for this part. Your new acress, Krystal did a wonderful job and should be very proud. Especially knowing that this was her first time.

I liked your sound design too. Really enhanced the feel of this film. James and Jon did a hell of a job on that music composition.

That wide shot of Machete Man just standing there is my favorite.

I liked the dizzying editing you did as well.

Thank you, i'm sure all of them will be really happy to hear those comments. Jon did all the eeerie electronica stuff. James did the basslines, and other out-there stuff inside that bass track package. I loved that shot of him standing there, it even gives me the creeps. :-)

Did she lose her cell phone connection during the call to 911? Dang! That happens to me all the time! (losing the connection--not calling 911) Now I’m going to be paranoid…

Okay, Marco, this is the movie that has come the closest to scaring me. The victim tried to do everything right—calling 911, telling the guy she’s calling the police, not going outside; yet, nothing worked. That is scary.

The spookiest sequence for me? The motion detector with the guy there….and then not…

Smack me upside the head, I forgot to comment on this one. Sorry, Marco!

Another of my favorites, the score gave me chills. Very, very well done. If I may be so bold, I would suggest having obfuscated the gentleman's face, as I found it less frightening to be menaced by someone who I can clearly see. Your excellent visual style helped, but I still think he was a tad too visible. I'd also change his wardrobe. For someone exhibiting such supernatural movement, he does come off as kind of a 'regular guy' in the t-shirt. I'm not sure what I'd do, though; maybe a cloak or long coat would have helped. Just that extra touch of mystery, you know? One more layer of "what the hell am I dealing with?"

Really not a big deal, considering the audio; it takes the cake for scares by a mile.

Thank you very much Lorinda! I wanted that touch of realism with a smart victim, still a victim, but short of a gun and lightning quick reflexes -smarter. This was filmed in my house, I have 4 weatherproof CMOS orb cameras with audio mounted around my house for extra security. They came in HANDY for this, finally. They are b&w, and have that creepy wide angle, gotta love it. Four cams with 60ft of powered cable each + switch unit for $114 -they have lasted two years outdoors in Phoenix!

The cell phone connection, yes, she lost it. I also, if not noticed, set the LCD light timeout on that old blackberry she is using to go off exactly when the dialog starts for the address. She did it on the first take!

Robert,

Thanks a bunch for your review and suggestions. I would've loved to have had more time for this. I was fresh off of a music video AND parents wrangling me for "rockstar" pop warner videos, lol...

Your, right, he probably was a tad too visible by most standards. I think I would've done some make-up and a bloody doctors coat with an ID (not his) still on it. If had even more time in post, some face tracking and distorting.

For audio, thank you very much -I can only be credited for mixing the two audio tracks I was given and also putting certain pieces of them in specific spots. The largest part, the creation, goes to James Ray and Jon Morris, two wonderfully talented musicians and friends. Obscure minds think alike, lol.

You’re right! That is cool.

After reading Robert’s post I went back and watched the movie again. I agree that the sound on this one is the scariest—hands down.

About yours and Robert’s discussion concerning seeing the guy or not: No, no, no! Leave him alone! He’s disgusting, creepy, angry and menacing in his stark, real self—all the things that would scare the daylights out of any woman.

edit: Heh heh...please don't tell your actor I said that, or just remind him that he did a heck of a job playing a ROLE. :)

Now THAT is funny!!! THank you again, :-) I'm still very happy with what we created vs. the little time we had to tape it. And we had a blast, I'll post a couple bloops later this week. One in particular floors me every time.

When the theme was released and they said scare us this is what I had in mind :) Nice and dark and you let our imagination help us with the gore. The security system was a nice touch! After having his face hidden for the first few bits I was hoping for some sort of deformity or something when you revealed him. That or continue it with him in the shadows. He did look rather sadistic so it did work though :) Overall I really like your film :) For the parts where she was trying to call and it was very dark, how did you light your scene? I had some very dark images that I had trouble bringing out for everyone to see, Did you film so you could easily see it on camera and then drop the exposure or was it filmed as is? One other idea for "next time", I didn't use it in mine but if you ever stab or hack at someone, have em actually put the blade into some fruit, maybe a watermelon, it gives it a much more painful looks when they have trouble pulling it out :)

Good job :)

ok, if creepiest is the criteria, you knocked the ball out of the park, marco.

this kind of reminded me of an excerpt from "twin peaks" -- no direct comparison here, but more vague and associative...something about how david lynch has that knack for getting underneath your skin and crawling around in there, like some kind of tick. this had the same feel.

good horror has that ability to stay under your skin with that feeling of fear after the movie ends...at least, i think it does, i hate being scared for real and tend to avoid the genre (so why did i masochistically sign up for this scream-fest??).

shiver me timbers, i need a bath!

what i'm finding most amusing is the stark contrast between the film--so darn dark!--and the always cheery marco waving at us as if nothing happened..."we had a blast"

what a good time was had by all, carving up the victim! fun time fun times!

Thank you Josh!!! I really appreciate the review. The dark scene where Krystal was on the phone was filmed with my VX2100, it works great in dark areas. I did nothing special, I actually told myself that for this piece I wasn't going to be anal about exposure, steadiness, focus, shutter, etc. I actually let the VX deal with the light on its own (auto), a first for me. I had the living room lit up enough to not make the kitchen super ugly. The backyard being lit helped through the window. The light from the phone was the final piece that helped the light on her face. I purposely let the camera have gain and noise.

The watermelon, yes, I was supposed to go get one before the shoot but ended up spacing that. That would've been really nice :-)

Oh Meryem - i was waiting for your review, muha ha hahah. Thank you greatly for your take on this. I only wish I had another day or so to really make what I had envisioned -but I'll take what I got. After 28+ years of watching horrors I finally got to regurgitate some of mine own ideas. I'm very much liking it and it has motivated me to push up production of our full length horror/thriller.

When i first started cutting this piece -it started giving me the creeps too, at that point I knew we had something to work with. I remember clapping and looking at my wife "James is creepy, and I love it".


The always cheery Marco has a deep dank dark side, hah ahah ahahahh.

yer scaring me, my friend. get out there and shoot some more "desert playground" or something and shove that dark doppelganger back into the rat-infested, cobwebby coffin from whence it came.

quickly, group hug and a john denver sing-along, before it's too late for marco!!

Marco,

This is the scariest one I've watched. The real surveillance camera added a believable element. The killer showing up on camera and her turning around to see the killer behind her works.

Great audio as mentioned before. I also loved that it was shot in B&W.

There seemed to be a flash of orange color in the monitor when she turns it on, but I couldn't tell what that was. I was expecting color to come back into things at the end, maybe red blood or something after seeing that flash of color.

Pretty creepy. I bet you could shoot something pretty scary if you wanted to expand on it.

Thanks Dick,


You're close on the monitor, it flashes blue before going to the input. When put into b&w it seem to retain a little opposite color or something, weird.

I went with the theme, and wanted scary, I'm glad some of you think it is so. Thank you very very much!

Can't believe I haven't commented in this thread but I loved the film Marco! Great job man. You hit the nail on the frigging head with the security camera footage. Whenever I see a film that has security cam footage that shows some kind of freaky occurrence it always scares me the most. And to be honest one of the ideas I had playing around in my head was to use a similar style (using the surveillance) with a different plot.

That idea is actually still floating around in my noggin and I have the actors from my entry ready and geared to do something else so you may see something in the future.

Also kudos to you using black and white it is a great touch to this haunting piece. Oh, and what is that weapon he is wielding?

Thanks Tavis! The weapon is a homemade machete. A large rusty blade bolted to an aluminum pipe.

I love b&w for stuff like this - I wanted to capture the mood more than distract with all the colors in my house. I appreciate your great comments! I want to go further with this short too, I think I really like horror/suspense/thriller genres.

You're welcome bro! Kudos on the weapon design. I think for the extension of my short film I'm going to really work on turning into a true exploitation film, scratched, grain, hairs, drained color...ya know the whole nine yards. I'd love to see more of this film if you decide to go that route.

The horror/thriller genre is a fun one. I had so much fun doing this and my friends agreed wholeheartedly. I've always wanted to delve into it but wanted to venture into crime drama's or action first, hell maybe I can mix the two.

I'll be sure to post any new cuts or additions. Next week I'll post a couple bloops from the original shoot. Thanks again!

It took so long for me to comment that everything has been pretty much said. Eerie, great sound design and perfect killer. I liked the altered state of consciousness feel that some crimes of violence victims actual experience. This one was excellent.

One of the few scary films in the contest. Really made me feel trapped. I liked it alot and I personally think you will win. the only constructive critism i can give is to use the trail effect a little less. that is all, good stuff.

Thanks a great deal Branden! I really excited to see who wins, you just made my day!

I've just watched your "Unforeseen" on YouTube, but I think you should have warned me :) I'm working night shift and do walk alone around in big and dark corridors of the worlds largest salmon slaughter factory. This night I just have to watch my back a little extra, hehe.

Great music and a great short, really scary this one.
The story get me thinking about Michael Jacksons "Thriller";

"The foulest stench is in the air
The funk of forty thousand years
And grizzly ghouls from every tomb
Are closing in to seal your doom
And though you fight to stay alive
Your body starts to shiver
for no mere mortal can resist
the evil of the thriller"

About effects maybe a bit less on some places would have worked better, but never the less a great video in both storytelling, editing and horror.

Will the "Unforeseen" killer - be the winner - of this "Thriller"?
That's for us to see - later - on DV-C.

All the best
Geir Inge

Marco-- very eerie and scary feel for me. Got a little dark on YouTube version, but I think you hit the mark pretty well on this film!

These comments alone make me feel like a winner! Geir and Chris, you two are among the many here I deeply respect as filmmakers - thanks for making me feel like I'm finally on the right track with something....