Experiments in Blood and Shadow

I am a filmmaker. Ever since I made the decision to embark on this endeavor the world has seemed different. I’ve been lighter, more positive, more confident. I might write at length about the amazing effect of embracing your identity and pursuing your goals at some point. But right now I just want to tell you about some of the fun I’ve been having.

When I wrote the script I had vague ideas in mind. As I've been working on this with no budget some things have changed a little, but the essence of each scene is still there. Figuring out how to do things with no money and next-to-no previous experience has been one of the best challenges of my life! I've been visualising each moment I want to capture in my mind and then looking around and figuring out how to make it happen. This has lead to some creative moments I can't wait to show you!

Blood didn’t take long to get right. I’d found a few recipes on the internet. Most had a lot of ingredients and a few different methods but in the end I went for a drop of red food colouring mixed into a glob of golden syrup. Simple and completely effective. Also tasty. Here it is running down the Real Estate section of my local newspaper:

 

Oh yeah!

I also wanted to do something with shadows. Shadows are so creepy. Especially if you are alone at night and you see a distinctly human one move through the hall. Like this:

Getting the shadow right was a long and tiring process. I turned lights on. I moved lamps around. I borrowed a lamp and moved that around. I paced back and forth down the hall. Finally I realized that I was over complicating things. I should have taken a leaf out of the ‘keep it simple’ book like I did when mixing the blood. After many experiments with different lighting set-ups what finally worked best was switching on the existing ceiling light in the hall and turning all the damn lamps off. Facepalm. Then again this is my first project and this project is all about learning.

So this is what my experiments in blood and shadow have taught me:

Keep it simple.

Know exactly what you want to achieve - this is crucial in being able to achieve what you want.

See what you can do with what you already have before you go out looking for something more.

Not Alone – my first horror short. Coming Soon!

Note: The above videos are not footage from my short film. These are just the footage of the results of me mucking around getting things to work. Hopefully they've whet your appetite!