Topic: Castlevania: Dark Night Prelude (my fan film)

[Tuxedo Mark]

On December 12, 2012, I started planning out a Castlevania fan film. As the title suggests, it's based on Legends. I spent around a month planning the script, and then I started writing it, on and off, whenever I had the time (in all actuality, I took most of 2013 and around the first four months of 2014 off). The first draft is almost done. Just a few scenes left to write.

To be clear, I have very little experience with video. I still have a tape-based camera, though I hope to get a digital camcorder soon. I took two years of TV Production in high school (1994-1996) and have edited videos for YouTube and fan-edited some films for FanEdit.org. I have never, however, written, shot, and edited an entire movie before. I plan to create some original shorts to gain practice before I even attempt to produce and direct this movie, so this a few years away at least. However, with the first draft of the screenplay being so close to completion, I thought it would be appropriate to announce the film to the Castlevania community on the 17th anniversary of Dark Night Prelude's Japanese release.

My approach:

*write within my means (microbudget, no flashy effects, etc.)

*use what's in the instruction manual (English and Japanese) and game but also try to add real-world historical flavor

*Sonia-centric (so Alucard and Dracula don't appear very much)

*all of the games are canon (there are references to the LoI backstory, and Sonia has a dream/vision of the creation of the Vampire Killer - plus there are some references to Simon's Quest and other games)

*for the gameplay portion of the story, it's done realistically, not with floating platforms and such

*each enemy gets one or two starring appearances when Sonia faces them early on; later appearances will be in montages that breeze through redundant portions of the game

The tone of the screenplay is mostly serious, which is unusual for me, because I tend to write a lot of humor into my original stories. There are some moments of humor in this screenplay, too (perhaps an inappropriate moments), but it's mostly played straight.

Various themes explored are forgotten history, legends, the contrast between the aristocracy and the common people, interpretations of visions and intent, and personal free will versus expectations/duty/destiny.

A lot of the screenplay consists of talking. There are also some training montages. I'm wary of having to deal with the monsters, but I'm leaning toward trying to do on-location or green-screened practical effects instead of CG (though I'm not ruling out CG if it's needed).

Even though the screenplay has been difficult to write at times, I'm trying to add in some fun moments and references for the fans.

Trying to balance the game, the manual, the real world, and the wider Castlevania mythology has been no easy task, but it has made me think about Sonia's story (much more so than I'd ever done before) and how different interpretations could be made of various parts of the story.

The Sonia in my story is a girl that is born into wealth, and her supernatural abilities and destiny excuse her from more traditional expectations (notably needlepoint, getting married, and popping out kids), but it's also a bit frustrating for her. She's being guided by an ancient feud that she cares nothing about - toward some end goal that she can't see at the moment. I can't guarantee she'll be to everyone's liking, but I'm trying to not make her a complete bitch.

So...any questions?

[Donvermicelli]

only one: when can I expect to watch it?

In all seriousness this sounds like an ambitious project and I'd really love to see what you make of it.

[Tuxedo Mark]

only one: when can I expect to watch it?

In all seriousness this sounds like an ambitious project and I'd really love to see what you make of it.

Thanks. The next order of business after the screenplay is done is to get some more eyeballs on it (fans and non-fans) to see what could be improved.

I've done some very basic budgeting, but I also need to figure out costumes, props, and sets, and I have to network with the local geek/gaming community and the local live theater scene to put together a cast and crew (that's willing to work for fast food).

[Shiroi Koumori]

The concept looks good.
It's nice to find people who are willing to work for fast food. XD
The costumes and props might take more time and money to make.

[Chernabogue]

Hope to see some nice stuff you got here. I'm an amateur filmmaker, so feel free to share.

[Tuxedo Mark]

Hope to see some nice stuff you got here. I'm an amateur filmmaker, so feel free to share.

Thanks. I definitely need to learn about proper camera work, lighting, and sound.

This "film" is going to be shot digitally with a 1080p camera. Do you have any advice regarding frame rates (I know some camcorders let you choose between, say, 24 and 60 when recording)?

Obviously, this thing is going to be shot locally and star local actors (yes, there are local actors here; there's an upcoming independent horror film that was filmed here, and the guy that's playing Reed Richards in the upcoming FF film graduated from my high school), but I'd like to see about finding someone in Transylvania that's willing to shoot some exterior location shots.

Oh, in case anyone's wondering:

The Legend of Kate Kensington: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3747436/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Miles Teller: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miles_Teller

[Tuxedo Mark]

I've got a bit of an update on the screenplay. I went back and added some additional scenes that flesh out Sonia's daily life and family history. I finally came up with a name for an original supporting character that I created (Sonia's handmaid). The screenplay is at 60 pages right now. The pregnancy, birth, and epilogue scenes are all that are really needed to be written, but I'll likely write in some more "everyday" stuff as well. If I had to guess, the screenplay should end up being around 70 pages long. From what I've read, one page equals roughly one minute of screen time.

Sonia narrates this story, so you'll hear adult Sonia before you see her. She provides narration throughout the story, although the gameplay portion of the story is very silent.

One part of the gameplay portion that I created stuff for is when Sonia meets Death. They have a conversation before they fight.

Also, I'm having Sonia use the subweapons after she finds them.

Regarding the integration of real-world historical flavor and references to other games, not everything is readily apparent. Some stuff is mentioned in an offhand manor as if the characters are very aware of what they're talking about (names and events are dropped, Bible text is quoted in Latin and goes untranslated, etc.), and it's up to the audience to discover what it means.

[Tuxedo Mark]

The first draft of the screenplay is done. It's 66 pages long. Anyone that wants to read it and give feedback, let me know, and I'll PM you with the link.

[X]

The Sonia in my story is a girl that is born into wealth, and her supernatural abilities and destiny excuse her from more traditional expectations (notably needlepoint, getting married, and popping out kids), but it's also a bit frustrating for her.

I personally wouldn't worry about this part so much since it is already solidified in the Japanese story of Legends. Sonia was born into an aristocratic family though it says nothing about her parents or what they thought of her. this will give you lots of leeway so you can easily write up those elements. But her Grandfather was the one to teach her about being a hunter and using her powers to help others.