Brandan, Dillon, Fraser

0When discussing our script “Basement Dwellers”, our group came to the conclusion that we each wanted to create our own individual interpretations, while still remaining connected in some way. We eventually came up with the idea to structure our film as a series of 3 horror shorts following the same story outline, that would crossover in an additional short acting as a twist ending to all 3. This way we could achieve narrative cohesion, while being able to explore filmmaking processes on our own terms.

 

“Dwellers” Short (rough cut) Directed By Dillon Mcguinness

This short was inspired by the desire to change the basement location from the original script, as attempting to recreate this setting in lockdown proved difficult. I had tried to shoot in my garage and use editing to create the illusion of a basement, but this restricted the type of shots that I could capture, and I never felt satisfied with the look of the film. Re-writing the film to instead revolve around a shed outdoors fixed this, as I could now shoot however I wanted, and experiment with more memorable cinematography. Creating this work benefited my filmmaking abilities by giving me a lot more confidence in my shot composition.

Original Short (Rough Cut) Directed by Fraser Rochford

For this short, I filmed the original Basement Dwellers script incorporating a shed instead of basement due to the lockdown setting. I felt that the shed was able to give off a creepy vibe necessary for the horror style genre I was trying to achieve while shooting this cut. The process of learning to produce a more moody colour grading was rewarding for me and has helped deepen my knowledge with the capabilities of premiere pro. In addition, learning to use wild lines and a consistent atmos I felt improved the soundscape of the piece.

 

“10 of Hearts” Short (Rough Cut) Directed by Brandan Lapeyre

This short was similarly inspired by finding workarounds to the lockdowns put in place. The main inspiration came from the “duress” style of horror films – the most famous being the Saw franchise. Using the creative process developed in this studio, an original script heavily influenced by Rory’s concept was developed with a final product in mind each step of the way. Challenging my own capabilities in editing, various tricks were used to fake the illusion of the short taking place within a room, not outdoors. Crafting an eerie audio presence through the use of atmos, SFX, Foley and soundscape music truly allowed me to bring the vision to life.