#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.