So… this is my final project for this class. This time around, I decided to go with something more creepy in tone, like my Audio project.

This project actually started nearly 5 years ago. Back when I was a Sophomore in High School, I picked up a hobby in screenwriting. The first script I ever wrote was the first draft of a horror film called The Man Among The Trees. It was inspired by the Slenderman character, but with my own original take. Since then, I have written 6 different drafts of the script and am currently working on a seventh.

The basic plot is that it’s about a young man who returns to his hometown for a funeral, but upon arriving to the town, he can’t shake the feeling that there’s something watching him from within the woods.

I decided to use the basic concept of this script as the basis for my final project, because I wanted to work on something more cinematic and eerie in tone. Plus, I wanted to work more closely towards something I have a strong passion for (film-making).

The original plan was to have friends of mine walk around the woods and say a few lines that would build up the suspense surrounding “The Man” (in the script, “he’s” referred to as The Figure). Also, before the main title card, I wanted to film a sequence where the main character would walk around the woods in the dark with a flashlight and he heard a twig snap near him. He would then turn toward the source of the sound and a dark man-like figure would lunge at him before cutting to black. Sadly, I didn’t get to film these scenes because the friends that I talked to that said they were available never got back to me when I checked in with them. Thus, I was stuck with about 30 minutes of footage of trees, branches, and a couple of squirrels.

I admit to being disappointed with the video, because I personally don’t feel like everyone is going to get what the story was supposed to be based on a montage of trees and branches. There isn’t really a narrative here.

I don’t know. Maybe I’m being too harsh on myself, but I know that I could’ve made something more unique with this concept if I had more talent in front of the camera and more time to get some more variety in my shots.

By

Hunter Ruland