Reflection FOR “HAPPY” VALENTINE’S DAY

“Happy” Valentine’s Day is a short romantic-drama film, created as a response to the iconic toothbrush scene chick flick Bring it On. Inspired by the infamous Saint Valentine’s Day massacres, I decided to inject a touch of murder into the clip, featuring a jealous third-party female. Said character is the former love interest of the main male character. Knowing that her ex-boyfriend is currently spending time with his new girlfriend on Valentine’s Day, she gets upset and vents her anger. Meanwhile, the couple wakes up and they begin their morning routine by brushing their teeth together. Knowing this, the jealous ex-girlfriend sneaks into their apartment, finds a knife, and proceeds to the bathroom to stab the girl.

Initially, I planned on having the camera follow the jealous ex-girlfriend’s movements for the stabbing. Unfortunately, I had to scrap the idea as, after a few takes, I realised that the camera could be seen in the mirror due to the angle. However, I still wanted to achieve the effect of “being watched”, so I placed the camera such that the bathroom doors were clearly framing the subject as if someone was right outside the bathroom.

I also wanted to convey to the audience that the girlfriend would be stabbed, without having to show what happened, so I filmed the ex-girlfriend’s stabbing motion and cut to black in the middle, enhancing it with a scream and a stabbing sound effect. Watching it back, I feel like I (acting as the girlfriend) could have reacted to seeing the ex-girlfriend coming into the bathroom, as it would seem more realistic had I noticed her in the mirror.

Apart from that, I wish that I had taken more angles for the toothbrush scene, but due to the size constraints of the bathroom, other angles seemed unsightly and unfeasible.