For his final major project, the student will produce a short horror film called "Russian Roulette" focusing on suspense and supernatural elements. The film follows a man named John who is suicidal after his wife and daughter's deaths. His daughter's ghost visits him and forces him to confess his mistakes by playing rounds of Russian Roulette. The film will be shot at the student's home to allow more creative control over lighting and atmosphere. Practical makeup will be used to make the daughter's ghost appear severely injured.

1. Final Major Project Pitch

2.  For my Final Major Project, I wanted to produce a
Short Horror Film, where there would be a huge
emphasis on suspense, and will include supernatural
elements.
 The film is called Russian Roulette, named after the
titular game that is played within the film.
 I was inspired to create a horror film because I like
some films in the genre, most notablyAlien (1979)
and Hereditary (2018). Impressed by their methods
of filmmaking, I wanted to execute some of these
ideas myself, especially to experiment with some of
my own techniques for creating suspense.

3.  I wanted to create my horror film in a fashion similar to that of other films
common to the genre. I want to mainly focus on suspense, instead of using
traditional jump scares. My reason for doing so is because I believe immersing
the audience into an atmosphere and using suspense creates a better viewing
experience for a horror film.
 Since I incorporated the game of Russian Roulette into my film, I wanted to have
the game play a key role in the film’s narrative. It’s the game that will be the
basis for the film’s Narrative Structure.
 The film will show flashbacks involving the main character, and will see how his
actions have affected the present time.

4.  The story is set in the present time.The film depicts a man named
Jonathon Harper, also known as John, who is seen playing a game of
Russia Roulette. He feels suicidal after the death of his wife and
daughter. His daughter was killed in a car accident, and his wife was
murdered by an unknown assailant a few weeks later.
 John's dead daughter, Allyson, visits him in ghostly form and torments
him by forcing him to confess for his most unforgivable mistakes. She
does this forcing John to continue his game of Russian Roulette.
 Allyson will ask John about the five mistakes he has made. He has to take
a click with the gun after each mistake he confesses. If John attempts to
lie,Allyson will possess him and force him to injure himself.This will be
the basis for the Film’s Narrative Structure.

5.  I am mainly influenced by horror films such as Alien (1979)
and Hereditary (2018). I drew my influences from those
films as they are most notable for utilizing horror in their
own unique way.They are also among my favorite horror
films.
 I took inspiration from Alien for its use of pacing and
suspense. And I enjoyed Hereditary for it’s use of it’s
atmosphere, immersion, and how it uses suspense over
traditional jump scares.
 When including Russian Roulette, and how the main
character feels, I borrowed this element from the video
game, Detroit: Become Human (2018).There are a couple
of scenes where one of the main characters, Hank
Anderson, is seen playing Russian Roulette, and also feels
suicidal after the death of his son, Carl.
 After watching these films, and after making my Radio
Drama (Alien: Everlast), I wanted to make a horror film so
that I could see how well I could handle suspense in my

6. Location
The main location I have decided to shoot for my FMP will be at my own home. I want to do
this, as opposed to shooting in a studio, in order to have a more authentic set. It will also allow
me to have more freedom with the a variety of locations that I can use, enable more creativity
with the lighting to create atmosphere, and the ability to manage my own Production
Schedule. I will shoot in the bedroom and the living room at home, and I will shoot a third
location which will be at the College, just outside Creative Studios.
Cinematography
For my Cinematography, I wanted to use a variety of shots in order to make some scenes
seamless and focus on the characters emotions. For example, there will be an edit in Post-
Production where a ghostly figure will appear in a dark room. When the main character John
goes to turn on the light in the room, the figure will instantly disappear, all on screen.
Practical Effects
There are a couple of practical effects that I wanted to use in the film. Firstly, I want to have
practical makeup applied to the actress playing the ghost of Allyson. I want the ghost to appear
as she did at the time of her death in the car crash. She will have severe cuts and injuries all
across her body, making her look very mangled. So in a way, I’m taking inspiration from
An American Werewolf in London (1981). I also wanted to use fake blood, and some will be
seen on a table after John injures himself in one scene. One of my actresses has had experience
with Practical Make-Up, so I will assign her to design the make-up.