“THE PANIC” – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtdDhr2Y2us
Artist Statement
I envisioned “The Panic” to be adrenaline-pumping and slightly frightening – enough to convey the mood as panic and instill some level of anxiety in the viewer. However, as I filmed it, I realized I possessed neither the equipment, location, or actors for the fulfillment of vision. But despite the casting of total amateurs and a few improved scenes that were not in my original script, I am relatively pleased with the end result. I believe that through the use of some “point of view” shots, a few key close-ups and appropriate meeting, a mood similar to panic is established. Though, I am not quite sure exactly what mood is created, it is much more along the lines of anxiety or fretfulness or apprehension. Regardless, “The Panic” is a quick pursuit sequence that through the use of key shots and audio attempts to show to frightened young man chased by an unknown and mysterious group or force and I believe the short film conveys their apprehension and anxiety as they flee down familiar streets that have suddenly become hazardous.
Post-Production Notes
I originally set out with a very idealistic vision; I planned this spectacular short zombie film with the premise of conveying the total and utter panic experienced by the human prey of said zombies. I believed it to be the best idea and immediately began planning it. I planned everything quite early, camera shots and angles, dialogue, music, transitions – everything. However, while in production, while shooting, I encountered a myriad of problems and it probably shows in my piece, but, I have learned greatly from this experience and I believe I know have a further understanding of the film making process, from screen writing to post-production.
I began normally with a vision, an idea, and a script-writing word processor (“Final Draft”). I typed and conjured up the script over a period of four days and as it progressed I was quite optimistic. That was at least until I got on location. I thought my location was perfect; the downtown area of my hometown tends to be really quiet and I figured by 11:00 PM it would be perfectly still and calm. However, 11:00 PM on a Friday night also means that people from the nearby bars are leaving. This caused two problems. First, two alleyways that I really wanted to use in the piece were unavailable due to pedestrian traffic. Additionally, people began to make their way to the main street we, the cast and crew were on. So, the script could already no longer be followed perfectly.
The second obstacle was the actors. My two protagonists were totally inexperienced actors that had never done a play, musical, film, or anything. Furthermore, the actors portraying my zombie-like pursuers, left after about thirty minutes of shooting for a party, due to the cold. It was understandable as the temperature was in the thirties, but it was frustrating nonetheless. I had to rethink several shots because of this and change a few lines of dialogue.
As far as the quality of acting, there was really no way to overcome that, I just had to shoot everything at least three times and then, just use the best, even if the best was not even really that good, such as the first dialogue in the alley, where both protagonists are (unfortunately) visibly smiling. Fortunately though, their acting did improve as shooting progressed and they began to get into their roles more.
Another actor-related and script problem occurred after the initial shooting. I had just finished editing for hours only to realize that the piece was only one minute and fifteen seconds long. Now, that still fit into the parameters of the assignment, but I wanted more. I added to the script and then called my main actors and asked if they could shoot again the night after. One said yes, the other was called into work and could not make it. I could have found another person but then I would have had to reshoot the entire piece and that would have been utterly impossible. I just had to deal and that is why, at the end of the piece, only one protagonist is shown. To compensate for the lack of my second protagonist, I decided to keep the camera really tight on the one guy, Zack. By keeping the shot tight on Zack, I make room for the possibility that the other man is there, just out of the frame. In the end it does cause a continuity issue, however, at least I left it open for interpretation rather than just visibly showing that a character had vanished.
Despite all these setbacks and unexpected obstacles, I am fairly pleased with my work and I am proud of my piece. It may not be exactly what I wanted, but it still ended up with the style and atmosphere I wanted. It may not portray panic all that well, but I still think that a mood of fearful apprehension is illustrated and I think it also does a good job of showing a human’s flight response when in a pursuit situation and fairly accurately displays their physical responses to a scary environment. Yes, there are a few continuity issues and a small audio glitch, and the acting does leave something to be desired, but overall I think it is a competent piece of short cinema and I am proud of it.
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