#74 Production: The Things We Didn’t Expect

    Hey everyone, today I’m talking about all the challenges we went through while filming The Hollow because… let me tell you… there were more than I can even count on my fingers.

    The first complication was the dates. We originally planned to film during winter break, so we’d have plenty of time for trial and error. But between Christmas, New Year’s, and everyone traveling, it was basically impossible to get the whole group together. And since I had to go wherever my parents went, it made everything even more complicated. Every time I was free, someone else wasn’t. So, we pushed filming back and used that extra time to plan better and add new ideas instead of wasting the break stressing.

    Then came the script.... omg, don’t even get me started. We kept the main story the same, but the dialogue changed constantly. Some lines sounded stiff, others didn’t match the vibe of the scene, and a few just didn’t feel like something our characters would realistically say. We wanted everything to feel natural, not like we were reading off a Google Doc. So, we kept adjusting until it actually sounded like real people talking. So the ideas kept changing, so I had to rewrite the script multiple times for my group, and that was a very stressful thing for me since I was the only writer, but I didn't bother because I wanted a script that not only I liked but my whole team did as well, because the project is for all of us not just me.

    Now… lighting. This was by far our biggest headache, trust meee. We didn’t have professional equipment, so we had to get creative with whatever we had. My camera let us control the exposure, which helped, but filming in the garage and outside was a whole different battle. In the garage, there was a light switch that controlled two lights. We experimented and ended up turning off the big light and leaving the small one on, and honestly, it changed the whole vibe. It went from “random garage with tools” to “actual movie set.”

    But the worst part? The lights were automatic. They would randomly turn back on in the middle of a take. When I tell you we had those lights timed, I’m not kidding. We had to reshoot so many scenes because the light would flip on at the worst possible moment. It’s funny now, but in the moment, it was a nightmare. We even had Sebastian stand by the switch to keep turning it off. And sometimes the garage was too dark, so we used a mini flashlight to brighten specific spots like when I was shining the light on the mask.

    Filming outside came with its own problems. It was so bright during the day that the camera refused to make anything look scary. But instead of fighting it, we used it to our advantage. Lighter scenes were for Madison and me since we’re the “good guys,” and darker, shadowy areas were for Ethan to make him look more villain‑like. We literally waited until sundown just to get his scenes right.

Bright street without the editing

Bright street with the editing

    Another issue was location. At first, we wanted dramatic spots like Black Point Marina or Deering Estate, but reality hit fast. Those places are crowded, loud, and honestly not worth the chaos. We realized we could film everything we needed at Madison’s house and actually have peace and quiet. It ended up being way easier and way more practical.

    The music was honestly one of the biggest headaches. Trying to find something copyright‑free that actually matches the vibe? Impossible. Every track we liked either needed permission, cost money, or just didn’t fit the older, instrumental style we wanted for the trailer. We kept digging through apps and websites, but nothing felt right. So yes… the soundtrack hunt is still going, and at this point we’re just hoping the perfect song magically appears.

#73 Production: Behind the Scenes Pt. 2

     Hey everyone, today I will be talking about the start of our second trailer that we got started on after school. We started off with scenes that just made sense to film that we would definitely use, and then we moved off to somewhat filler scenes, just in case we needed them to add more time to our trailers. Now let’s break this all down! 

   For our first shot, we all chose the garage because we were supposed to do a scene with the crime board, which I had brought, that looked so good. So, we set it up and ended up recording this scene instead. This scene is of me, the co- detective searching for clues in the dark garage, which gives off a creepy tone that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. While I’m searching around with the flashlight, I find the mask, and Maddy was holding the camera at the time, so she made sure to grab my reaction. But Ethan was standing behind me the whole time, and then BAM, there’s a jump scare to the audience, I get hit with the hammer, and die. This scene took me a lot of tries because I’m always laughing, so you can already imagine how that went for me.

    For me, my garage scenes were so hard to act because we would all start laughing really badly, so we had to do like a good 4 reshoots of that scene. Another issue with the garage scene was that Madison's garage light would turn on every now and then when we had to film my scene with me finding the mask, so yeah, that was a bit stressful. I swear we filmed this like soooo many times, I wish I was joking!!!

    Next, we did the interrogation scene. Sebastian plays the victim, and Madison questions him about what happened on the night of October 2nd. This was so cool because he just mentioned a date on the spot, which was 10/10. His acting was just top-notch you guys, because he even made his sound like he was in fear, and his face gave off an I'm in fear for my safety type of face. Another thing was that this scene was really annoying for me to film because Madison had just finished showing me the works of the camera, so it could focus, because it wasn't focusing with my idea, which was this over-the-shoulder shot.

    Then we filmed a car scene, where Maddy and I both have a discussion about the files we have. We decided to open the files again due to the amount of new information we have received from the incident. OMGGG let's not even begin to speak about how many times we had to re-record this scene, as well as find the angle that worked out so we can see both of us in frame. At first, we were going to do this scene while the car was moving, but that was soooo impossible due to the fact that we didn't have anything in Maddy's car to hold the camera upright, while driving, it would drop all the time. On top of that, I am really not that good at acting in front of others because I laugh too much, so that would all create an issue at times, but we were all locked in and had a good time, and there were no tense moments.

    Moving on to the next scene, Ethan and I had taped the crime board tapestry that I had bought off Amazon to make everything look more real, like the detective shows they have. We taped everything up, scattered the files on the floor, and filmed the whole setup to make the investigation feel active and ongoing. and Also I took it upon myself to also take photos that whole day as well because I had great idea to make a real social media page on Instagram and I know that I wanted to make a post about props we use (I would give Maddy the 50/50 of the ideas and she would give the other and she would take charge of the account because she's more smart on Instagram, I mean I don't even use my Instagram account lol:))

    After that, we switched to a shot of Ethan making his way toward the detective’s house. Instead of filming him from the side or at a distance, we had him walk straight toward the lens, so it feels like he’s closing in on the viewer, not just the character. It gives the whole scene this uncomfortable, almost confrontational energy. Once he reaches the yard, we follow it with another shot of him pushing through the gate and moving toward the camera again. Repeating that forward movement keeps the tension mounting and makes the audience feel they’re being drawn right along with the detective.

    The next moment in the trailer completely shifts the perspective. Instead of showing the villain directly, we start with a quick glimpse of a shadowy figure lingering outside the kitchen window. He isn’t just staring; it feels like he’s studying the detective, almost like he’s waiting for the perfect moment to move. We wanted this shot to feel more like an intrusion than a jump scare, the kind of thing you only notice once it’s already happening.

    Right after that, we flip the angle and show what the villain sees. The camera becomes his eyes, watching Madison while she’s washing dishes, totally unaware. This POV shot is meant to feel uncomfortable, almost too close. We’re planning to layer in heavy breathing over it so the audience feels like they’re stuck inside the villain’s head, not just watching him from the outside.

    The kitchen scene is where the villain finally attacks. Madison tries to confront him, but he suddenly rushes forward and knocks her down, staged for the shot. Her scream makes the moment feel intense and shows the danger becoming real.

    The very last shot ended up being my favorite part of the whole trailer. I didn’t originally write this moment, but I threw the idea in last minute once I realized the mask pack Ethan ordered came with extras. That instantly sparked the thought of, “Wait… what if there’s more than one Hollow Man?” It felt like the perfect twist. Since Sebas is shorter than Ethan, we lined them up so he could hide right behind Ethan while they walked toward the camera. When they split apart, it reveals the second masked figure, and the shot looks so smooth and unexpected. It created the exact cliffhanger vibe we wanted, and honestly, when we watched it back, even I was shocked at how clean it came out. I was genuinely proud of us in that moment.

#72 Production: Behind the Scenes Pt.1

    Hey everyone, today I will be talking about what went down behind the camera of shooting The Hollow, my role was being the co-detective and I wore a nice black shirt, black dress pants, and dress shoes AKA flats (that really hurt my feet good god it was bad). We shoot these two trailers at our teammates house Madison since she has a big house and gives off the scary vide because most scary movies are shot in like a nice house in the suburban. JUST SAYING!

    Now for the beginning scene we did the discovery of the mask which was my character finding the mask of The Hollow man (Ethan) in Maddie's garage with the lights off to give it a scary tone to it all. This scene took sooo many times to film because of trubble with the camera focusing and the lights would always turn off and on like crazy you have no clue, it was two the point we need all three of use including the extra (seb) to help out. This scene was hectic to film, but I fell in love with the final product.

    Next was the caution‑tape scene. Ethan and I covered the door upstairs in Madison’s house with tape and filmed it to make it feel like a real investigation like the movie "The Conjuring (2013)" when they filmed the scene of the Warrens investigate a home that becomes partially taped off as the case escalates. The looked that we were going for was that we watched to catch the audience's attention to the door as if a hidden clue was behind it kind of like a cliffhanger.

    One more thing I wanted to add was the photo Maddie printed out in her house with her printer, we were talking that we need more photos for when she opened up the files because the game came with photos of suspects we don't even have. Maddie started looking at pictures of burning houses and she gave me a couple of options, and I told her the one of the houses looks the best because we are filming in the house so that's the best option we could've ever done.

    The following scene that we filled was this number on the wrist “006” shot. We shot this in the living room area with our extra/ second masked man of the hollow to lay on the ground and we put on his wrist the numbers 006 like Eleven on the show called "Stranger things". This was a great idea because it will give audience a crazy mystery because it looks as if a body has been found so it gives a creepy vibe like what the heck just happen you know.

    After that, we got this shot of Ethan all the way at the end of the hallway. He kept his head down and then lifted it super slow, just to give that creepy “okay… why is he looking at me like that” vibe. We filmed it in that tiny walkway at Madison’s house, so the whole thing automatically looked dark and empty. It honestly feels like the moment where he finally shows up for real, like his first actual reveal.

    Now to the sidewalk symbol shot where Ethan gave an idea to make a symbol like a demonic symbol which was great butttttt. We did not any chalk whatsoever and that made us all fall into destress but the I was like "I mean we can just find a stone or rock outside, and it will work like chalk" and that's exactly what we did.

    The last shot was of me looking around for clues in Maddie's garage with the flashlight in the dark, but little did my character know that The Hollow man was right behind me watching me the whole time. This scene was also to leave the audience with a guess to want to watch more and see what ends up happening because the audience can see him behind me, but I cannot.