How can I make my ordinary house look like a high school party?

Watch epic high scholl party movie scenes, and make a not of all the things that make them work. Go into your basement and get all of the things you already have (like fairy/ christmas lights) and then go to a store and get TONS of red cups. like a laughably massive amount of red cups.

Also save up all the drinks cans/ bottles your family and some of your friends families use for for a few weeks. Take these and fill them with water and if they are clear a few drops of food coloring.

Ask your friends/ family who smoke to not dump their ash trays for a week or so and to keep their empty packs for you. (don't smoke in high school by the way I started at 14, because I was stupid and invincible, my lungs collapsed at 23, been off them since but I almost died.)

Order some 1/4th and 1/2 CTB gel (google it ), you wont need much just a few sheets, form the internet. Get some really bright bulbs, some clamp work lights, something cheap light and square about the size of the work lights. This square thing is to hold the gel in front of the light, so it needs to be bigger then the light and you need something to put it. DIY Gel Frame might is a term to google. You can clip the gel to the lights but it could melt or even catch fire if you don't know what you are doing.

Hang all the fairy lights and stuff, litter about the cups full ash trays etc. Get a girl to put lipstick marks on some of the cups. Fill the room with friends (you might need pizza and soda to feed them).

Block the scene with your actor and all of the party goers, get it where you want it and working. Set up the clamp lights. Use C47s (clothes pins) to attach the CTB to the square thing and put that in front of the lights. so there is a nice blue cast and it looks like night. You might want to bounce the lights off white walls or the ceiling so it spreads out better. Re run the blocking with the lights on and tweak it and dial it in. Once the lighting is on point rehearse and shoot.

/r/Filmmakers Thread