3,2,1…You Had To Actually Be There To Know That

I don’t have a creative intro but I’m going to talk about another PLP movie, stay tuned or save yourself.

On the shelf next to The Chinatown Podcast Series and The “Macbeth” film now sits our latest feature: “Locked In”. Though at some points you wouldn’t be able to tell, it is the product of the horror unit that took place during October. Our assignment was to create a horror film as a class that held social commentary while also showing an
understanding of Elizabeth Barrette’s Elements Of Aversion. In preparation we read
“Frankenstein” as well as watched The Exorcist and Halloween. While watching we were to study the elements of horror used by the directors to bring life (and death) to their film, how they use these elements differently depending on the zeitgeist of the era, and what social commentary they offer. We wrote reviews for each film as well as an essay sythesizing “Frankenstein”, and “Bird Box” by Josh Malerman.

Sythesis Essay:

When it came to the next step of applying this understanding to making our own movie I think most people understood the Elements Of Aversion as well as what our message was but the trouble came in our execution…buckle up…

This year one of a few changes was the process of assigning roles. This time Ms. Willemse and Mr. Hughes opted for an application based role selection. I could have applied for a role that offered an easy way out but I wanted to step up into a leadership role. I applied for director because I wanted a challenge and have a love for film that I hoped would transition into filmmaking. As director I was third in command alongside my co-director Zakaria. We reported to the Producers: Teva and Chloe, who reported to the Executive Producers: Ms. Willemse and Mr. Hughes. This is the job description for each of us:

However, this is the way people treated them during production, the blue highlight is what most people forgot:

Many people will tell you that the film was behind schedule because Zak and I were indecisive, but what about the scheduling mishap that put us a full day behind, plot holes in the script (producer’s job description states they are to “mak[e] sure the script is finalized”), and the constant nagging from the producer’s and exec. to make sure we are following the storyboards, which were often incomplete and had to be redone by Zak and I (even though producers were supposed to “ensure everyone involved in the project was working on schedule”). I hate to place blame on the producers especially because I recognize that it was hard for Teva to do a two person job by himself, but while I believe Zak and I weren’t perfect, we carried more blame than was justified given our tight timeframe that was worsened with poor scheduling, and a lack of clarity on the job description of our role. One day Zak and I would be “micromanaging”, where another day we “wouldn’t be taking enough control”. There was inconsistency in the direction passed down from the top as the excuses for the faults of the day were always tailored to clothe Zak and I. This is largely due to us being the breakwater between the higher chain of command and the cast and crew. Being placed right in the middle those lower in the chain looked up for excuses and those higher looked down. I felt Zak and I were actually very decisive in our creative choices, but if they didn’t fit what was already written we faced everyone else who opposed the new changes. There were a select few who were not difficult to work with in this way such as the actors, set design, cinematographers, and Teva, and it is not a coincidence that one our best scenes and most productive days occurred when only those people were present. Ms. Willemse and Mr. Hughes have even said that the scene where Eddie is crushed under the bleachers is the most powerful, and we filmed it completely different than the storyboard despite the flack we received prior. It also happens that that was one of few days we finished on schedule. The head storyboarder Michael F even states that his main grievance was that “Instead of using [his] story boards for each shot…[Zak and I] were making [our] own decisions”. It is clear that Zak and I had our own vision for this film and it was due to a lack of effort from some to support us in our vision that failed this project. Another example is the ending. The ending is considered one of the biggest loose ends and weakest parts of the film. Though it was a little clearer in the script, Zak and I knew that I would not come across in the film. The original ending was to have Brad, the protagonist’s life ruined by the events of the night and doing so by having him break his leg and missing his basketball tryouts. Zak and I came up with a far more powerful ending where Brad is framed by the Killers for the deaths of the other characters and have the final shot be of him arrested outside of the school with a phone message from his mom and dad crying, the masked killers waving goodbye from just inside the school. This would give the killers more of a purpose by making their motive based on ruining Brad’s life by severing his connections with those important to him and also making him pay for what her did on a more drastic level. This would also incorporate another element of Aversion in that no one would believe him and he would be considered insane. He would have to live with the real guilt of what he did but also the manufactured guilt placed upon him by his friends and family for what they THINK he did. This would be more cathartic and a better resolution for Brad’s character as he was built up as a character meant to be hated. This new vision that Zak and I were leading up to with the rest of the movie was rejected by most. It would require a change in eveyone’s part, a change people were not accepting of despite Zak and I’s requests. Many people were not open to critique on their work and took changes Zak and I made personally and proceeded to make it difficult for us to pursue our vision for the film.

Isnt it convenient that Zak and I were only labeled indecisive after the movie flopped? How did most of the people using this excuse even see evidence of this if they were never on set? After I was fired, Michael F was hired as the new director. I continued to show up to the set and help, I did whatever I could to help Michael as I understood the challenges that come with the job. Maybe Zak and I weren’t fit to be leaders or maybe, more likely, we were a convenient scapegoat given our constant presence on set and the vulnerability we inherited by stepping into the crosshairs of the director role while most others hid behind the trigger.

I’d like to end by saying that I hate to be so harsh towards my fellow classmates but unfortunately I am put in a position where I am forced to defend myself. I think very highly of each and everyone of them and am proud to come to school and be apart of what I see as the most creative, competent, hard working, and innovative group of Grade 12s I’ve ever met. Please know that moving forward from this project, as my classmates and friends I have no hard feelings towards any of you despite what I have said and what you have said about me.

Anyways, here is a bunch of pictures capturing production and below them is our movie for you to play during your shift at Guantanamo: