Fake blood And Prosthetics

For preparation of  my movie, fake blood was required so that we can have realistic cuts, blood spurts and almost anything to do with blood. I used a specific recipe that has been mentioned to atleast at one point to of been used in the production of blood in "The Walking Dead".

This fake blood recipe consists of:

• Golden Syrup
• Chocolate Syrup
• Cornflour
• Red Food Colouring
• Blue Food Colouring
• Green Food Colouring

I created some of my own fake blood to for use in some scenes of my own. I needed to test this blood to see if it looked alright and acted the same way blood is actually seen in movies, an effect which I think has been achieved, looking at my test footage.

Below is two skits/clips I created in an attempt to show off the fake blood before it is used/changed for the final product.

For the first clip, I wanted to see how blood looked coming out of the mouth of a dying character, giving it that realistic look to show he has coughed up the blood. The character also had blood over his face from coughing up blood which for me enhances the look and the authenticity of the blood. As for the second scene I wanted to have a fight scene between two character and one of them to die. I have the main character punch the bad guy in the face then immediately break his neck, killing him. Although this clip breaks the 180* rule, I feel like it works out for this scene as it shows the chaos of the scene and also shows the main character getting ready to hit the bad guy as it quickly transitions to him hitting him in the face and making him spit out blood. It was supposed to be a direct cut from an entire fight scene, so it would have that chaotic feel to it as he fights the bad guy.

As an overall look back on the fake blood test. I am pleased with the blood and how realistic it actually looks when it is used. I feel like it would be great for use in my final product although I will probably darken the blood as my scenes will be shot in the afternoon for my movie.


As for Zombie makeup, prosthetics were needed to create cuts and exposed flesh/wounds for my zombies. For this I created my own prosthetics using Latex Paste and liquid latex, alongside fake teeth, which I fashioned out of Polymorph Plastic. To make the latex paste I used liquid latex alongside cornflour. One thing to point out is that making latex paste is HARD. Latex paste starts drying into a rubber-like substance  very fast and latex paste is a very inconsistent thing to make as you have to slowly add cornflour whilst mixing the paste until it becomes rather Doughy.

To create the prosthetics I used clingfilm and added a liquid latex foundation then put down 2 big tablespoons of latex paste. I then dipped a finger in liquid latex which I used to mold the latex. To make the prosthetics transition to skin as smooth as possible, I made the edges of the latex paste go really thin so that the edges are not visible through footage. To add a more ripped, rugged appearance I used the tablespoon to create lifts in the prosthetics to make a harsher, rough edge and lifted skin (around wounds where flesh would look "pulled").

Example of Cut on cheek, ripped, dead, flaking skin, dried flesh and slashed throat

For my other zombie I created fake teeth as I wanted to expose the top set of teeth and give the effect that the cheek is ripped backwards as if the mouth has been chewed and started to almost rot backwards. To create the teeth I warmed a tablespoon of  Polymorph plastic beads in a cup of boiling hot water. This causes the plastic to go transparent, with the spoon I took a piece of the plastic out of the water (the beads stick together into a large piece of plastic) and morphed it into a tooth-like shape, after comparing it to the size of a regular tooth. After that I made more teeth to the same size as the original tooth so they look like a matching pair. 

 Next up, I started making the piece which would hold the teeth, to do this I made a thick piece to go over his top lip and then I pushed the teeth into it, after this I added a small cover to the teeth to make it look like the flesh is ripping and rotting away from the teeth exposing parts of the roots to the teeth. Next I created a part for his right cheek which would be where the mouth is ripped backwards, for this I created a ridge to give the effect that the jaw has a deep wound which has created a thick cut in his face.After creating the prosthetics, I left them to dry for 24 hours before peeling them off the clingfilm and letting them dry a further 24 hours.

Makeup of a Full zombie, seen in the first scene

To add the prosthetics to the actors, I add a layer of liquid latex to the bottom of the prosthetic alongside a layer onto the face of the actor and I apply pressure so that It drys and sticks to the face. A quick note to add is that if a prosthetic is used over hairs, vaseline must be added so the hairs aren't ripped out whilst taking off the prosthetics.

Personally I feel that the Prosthetics and the process of making them are much easier and for future reference, would be much better quality as I know the flaws of certain methods and how to make better looking prosthetics in general for future videos/projects.

Script

After finishing my storyboard I moved on to the script of my opening sequence of my movie "The Last Few". I started after doing finishing my storyboard because I was rather skeptical with my original Idea so to see if it actually could fit into the designated time whilst portraying the same emotions I wanted the audience to feel.

I used a website called "Plot Bot" to create my script so I set my script out properly and to a format I could understand.

I used asterisks to point out stage directions of the characters so they know what exactly they need to be doing in front of the camera. and when the camera changes, it is called on the script by a -CUT-

this lets the actors and the cameraman know when to stop shooting. I use lines that are called out by "SFX:" which means what sound effects are being played through the scene.

For my first scene I wanted the shot to start of with an extreme closeup of a zombies eye and for it to zoom out into a normal closeup, only showing the zombies neck and head. This is used as a stage direction for the camera and for the zombie which will be stationary in the center of the screen. As mentioned in the storyboard post, this is so the audience thinks that the extreme closeup is of a human, which is drastically changed by the time the camera has zoomed out to a closeup shot. This is to let the audience know that this is clearly a zombie movie.

After that I use stage directions to show when the main character (Ben Lloyd) Enters the scene and from what direction.

For my Interior Car Scene I wanted to use a Sound bridge of the two characters laughing to transition between the two shots, this would be used to move the shot from the Exterior Scene to the Interior Scene, this effect would be used as it would be good practice to learn when to and when not to use sound bridges to add emotion to a cut.

After this the two characters have a conversation on how lucky they are to be alive right now and I use indentation of the word "-CUT-" tells me that i will cut the edit to the other camera the other side of the car.

The next scene was crucial to the character development of Ben Lloyd, This scene starts with a low, wide shot which was intended to only show the characters feet as the car stops right in front of the camera, this quickly cuts to the character Jason walking towards a body which was propped up against an embankment to the side of the road with a rifle beside it, this scene was supposed to build up tension just before the next scene where the body quickly gets up and bites Jason on the neck, a wound which in later scenes kills him. 

This scene takes place straight away from previous scene, as the two characters are in the car, starting with match on action of  Ben Lloyd opening the glove compartment in the car to retrieve a rag to put over the wound on Jason's bite wound. Half way through this scene we see a fade which is used to show time progression has happened and that Jason looks more like he is about to die than previously seen. My initial intention for this scene was to use makeup on the character to give him a more pale, ill look to him with darker eye sockets to show how fragile the character has become because of the wound, something closer to what could be deemed more realistic if they were bitten by a zombie in real life. 

For the final scene, We have a transition from the last scene to the next via a fade to black, this is to show a short time jump to Jason's Dying scene. This starts of with an over the shoulder shot of Jason looking back on Ben as he grabs something from the car, quickly cutting to Ben walking up to Jason and holds out a gun to him. This is supposed to be a kind gesture to Jason as he stated in the previous scene that he wants to go out his own way. The significance of this scene is to show that Jason was a strong enough character to end his own life rather than force Ben to do it or let himself turn, something. This was to show that the world has lead astray too much from reality and that they could possibly never come back to a normal society.

Storyboard

I finished the full storyboard for my opening sequence entitled "The Last Few". I had a few shifts within my story as my original plan just wouldn't fit into the two minutes we actually had. I created a new start to my movie (Indicated by the section in between the **) In the storyboard, I gave myself a few extra seconds to give myself some leeway when it came to filming. My opening sequence will fit within the two minute mark.

I decided to hand draw my notes just for a so I could get a feel for the main plot. I will mainly be referring to my script for stage-directions and obviously, the script. I will only use my storyboard for camera angles/ movement.

Below is my storyboard, quick sketches were used to plot out a basic view of the actual scene.

For the first part of my opening sequence, I wanted to make the audience feel like the zombie is the going to be the main character of the scene, this is why the camera fades from black onto an extreme closeup of the zombies eye. After that it zooms out and you then see that it is just a zombie, I will have the eye look human but when you get to the mouth of the zombie, it is ripped open and all disgusting, to show he is dead. The main character then comes from behind into the scene and kills the zombie. I did this to "replace" the zombie as the main focus on the screen to the actual main character, shifting the focus.

After this the scene cuts to a side on static (or dolly) shot of the characters making their way to the characters car. My thought process is that it shows that the characters are skilled at killing zombies whilst also showing them as a big threat as the characters are trying to make their way to the car fast.

The scene then cuts to a shot of a zombie standing next to the car, and I've taking inspiration from "The Walking Dead" as they show that zombies are literally EVERYWHERE. I feel like that is a good approach to my movie.

Another reason to me filming the scene like this is because Legally  my character cannot drive without someone above the age of 18 in the car and 3 years driving experience so an adult will be the actual one driving the car.

For the Interior shots in the car, I will have the windows green screened and the car stationary. I will have footage of the car driving so I can just cut the footage behind the glass so it appears to be driving as many films never actually have the actor driving and sometimes do use this method to filming car scenes.

I will film the whole sequence three times over from three different angles so I can shift the camera to show each characters facial expressions.

For the Second page I have a low, static shot of the car pulling up in front of the camera and I will have the character "Jason Wright" get out of the car. Only his legs will be visible on the shot. After that the shot cuts to "Jason" looking around, observing the area. I feel like this would be good as he is just making sure to see if the coast is clear before he goes towards the body that is in the middle of the road.
The camera then cuts to Jason walking up close to the body (which is now the main focus of the camera). This is when tense music starts as the character draws closer to the body and bends down to grab the gun. This is to give the audience the feeling like they KNOW that the zombie is going to get up and reach for the character. It's a common theme that is used in zombie movies and TV shows almost like a stereotype to say "yeah, this is when the character gets grabbed by the body which is obviously alive". For mine though, I want the tense music to stop when the character believes the zombie is just a body whereas its going to jump up and bite him on the throat just as he lets his guard down.
There will then be a Match on action shot of the zombie moving its head back from his throat showing a bite mark and blood dripping from the mark and the zombies mouth to give the effect that he just bit him on the throat. I feel this is the best way of doing it as it is not financially viable for me to actually show the zombie rip flesh off the character plus I think it's better to show a bite mark rather than meat actually being pulled from his throat creating yet another piece to the risk assessment as the meat would have to be cooked properly and masked into the characters makeup.

After this, the shot cuts to the character holding his throat as it bleeds as he runs back to the car (after retrieving the rifle), the character called "Ben Lloyd" (the main character) gets out of the car and shoots the zombie in the head. For this is will have a cut where the zombie is shot and we will stop recording, add the prosthetic for a gun shot and make the zombie fall back giving a really cool scene. I feel like this would be a cool way to do it as we will then see a slightly zoomed in shot of the zombie with a bleeding gunshot wound on his head to show he has actually been shot and died.

The next scene cuts to an interior car scene. There is match on action to show that the glove compartment is opened to get a rag to put on Jason's wound to stop the bleeding and apply pressure. However this does not stop him from becoming a zombie, and both characters know this...

For the final page of the storyboard we see a shot of the car driving away with dialogue of the character Ben Lloyd demanding that Jason doesn't die on him. This scene fading to black gives me the thought of the character slowly slipping away from Ben giving the audience the feeling of loss of the character.
The next shot is Jason in the car, with a blood stained rag telling Ben that he is ready to die. Shot reverse shot is used in this scene to show of the emotions of both characters, first to show the audience that Jason is weak with no energy as his life force is literally being sucked from his body and secondly, so the audience know that Ben (even though he knows it will happen) is reluctant to let Jason go. It then comes back to Jason Saying with what little energy he has left "Yes" and that he wants to go his way, and not become one of those "Things". the scene then ends with the car stopping and Ben getting out of the car, still showing Jason in the car holding his wound.

This next scene is Ben coming to terms with what has to happen and allowing his friend, his BEST friend to go through with this. We see Jason laying beside a boulder whilst Ben gets something out of the car, the scene then changes to Ben walking over to Jason and bending down, offering him the pistol, with the line "Do you want this?". This line is special as this shows Ben is okay with his friend going the way he wants to go.