Artistic statement
Jamie was only a regular reporter until his best friend Sam suddenly decides to go missing. No one knows where she went. Her friends have no idea, and the police don’t seem to care. Distraught and angry, he pours himself into a useless search, turning up nothing but empty trails. Just as he was about to give up, a mysterious source turns up with the information he is desperately seeking. Right upon his doorstep.
He follows the clues, taking him to the strangest, weirdest places. Fuelled by his obsessive need to find out the truth behind Sam’s disappearance, it finally leads him to the entity behind it all. The Piper.
But was it all worth it?
Original Story
- Based on the folk tale, The Pied Piper of Hamlin.
- Story talks about how the town of Hamlin is terrorized by a frightful plague of mice
- In their desperation, they hire the Pied Piper
- Using his pipe, he entices the rats to follow him to a watery death
- However, was refused payment for his services
- Decides to lure the children of the town away with his music, never to be seen again.
Pre-Production Phase
Crafting the script
Elements we wanted to bring from the original tale:
- The Piper and his ‘Pipe’
Things we changed:
ORIGINAL | PIPER |
VILLAIN: The Pied Piper | VILLAIN: Pip, our Celebrity |
POV: Third Person – Narrator | POV: First Person – Jamie |
VICTIMS: Rats, Children | VICTIMS: Sam, Pip’s Fans |
MODUS OPERANDI: Pipe | MODUS OPERANDI: Snapchat |
MOTIVE: Revenge | MOTIVE: Unexplained |
- Storyboarding in this case was not very effective.
- More emphasis is put on the script itself.
- The storyboard provided a guideline rather than being a production bible.
Production Phase
Location Scouting:
CRITERIA FOR OUR LOCATIONS:
- elaborate, suitable backgrounds
- chilling, mysterious atmosphere
- fit the flow of the story
- easy commute
- accessible and quiet for filming
After much discussion and google searches, we decided upon five final locations.
Filming Process
Post-Production Phase