Casting Call!

I have found my actress for my film after asking a couple of my friends, I decided my best option would be to use my sibling for this project. So here she is! Her name is Cassandra and she is a Freshman at Cypress Bay High School.

As I mope through the the gloomy week, I still bear the hefty weight of this project. On a more positive note, I have begun a rough draft of my story board.

Some key points that I would like to further describe that are present in my story board are, the use of close-ups. The close-ups add the heightened emotion portrayed by the character.
To reiterate this is a very rough draft for the beginning of my film opening.

Under the Weather

A halt has been placed on my studies. I have come up with a severe cold. It has been very hard to begin my storyboard and continue to push in the direction I need to for this assignment. I am crushed because of my current state I had to miss a very crucial group meeting with my fellow peers to get some insight on my ideas, which no doubt would have been very beneficial. I can only hope that this event will reoccur, because I am in desperate need of some insight on my ideas.

Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe

To finally start storyboarding and planning film production, I need to have a final idea. This has led me to two ideas I am considering.
It has really been a challenge to just pick one. Ugh!!
So, I have written all my rough planning down for both to help me clearly choose one.


Creepy Stalker Approach:
-Boy is obsessed with the Girl
-Girl has a boyfriend
-Boyfriend notices of someone following them but does not know who they are
-Follows him/her around the school, car etc.
-Sends creepy love letters
-Can end on a cliffhanger of boyfriend going missing at the end to entice mystery

Setting: School (Can film at Cypress Bay High)

Cute Secret Admirier Approach
- Begins with girl oblivious to her secret admirer
- Girl recieves little notes with gifts, pieces of chocolates, etc.
- Secret admirier asks girl to meet her at the park
- Girl goes to park and can either go one of two ways
 - One :
           She arrives and finds a note that says “try again” or “not so fast”
   Two :
           She gets there and a trail of what is left with previous notes, leads her to an adventure.

As of now I feel that I am leaning more to the Creepy Stalker idea that it would be more exciting to create. But I know either route I choose, I shall put 110% of effort into it. 

Time Management

Throughout a busy week due to lacrosse season being in full swing, I have miraculously found time to continue to push on this project. To keep myself on the ball, I have created a schedule. Including after school activities, sports, and of course this monster project.

This of course is all subject to change, but I would really like to stay on task and complete the project in a timely manner. To stay on board with this schedule is my goal.

Romance & Mystery

To further dive in, there are many characteristics of romance and mystery films. I want to combine the two, so it is key that I know all the characteristics. So that I can effectively mash them together without the two clashing.

Romance:
- There needs to be something keeping them apart.
- Love-Hate relationships.
- If they don’t get together at the end, they have to be happy or have learned something from the whole thing.
- Conflicts
- Heartbreaks

Some other romance characteristics that I did not mention can be found here.
Additionally, I found some more examples of Romance films that I would like to include here.


Mystery:
- Crime or puzzle that needs to be solved.
- The main character, which tend to be the detective is the one who sets out to solve the mystery.
- Overt clues in the crime are presented.
- Hidden evidence, and foreshadowing is present.
- Red Herring, a technique to falsely foreshadow, to throw the audience off.


Not to list them all here, there’s more characteristics of a mystery here, and a really helpful chart that helped me is linked here.

A New Path

With still feeling lost on what I should produce, today in class I consulted with my teacher to help me get back on the right track.

The discussion first begun with what my favorite films are. I have never fully answered this question before, so it was quite difficult to answer.

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The first film that came to my mind was the Arrival. This is one of my favorite films because of the elements it holds. I have always been very interested in mysteries, and even more interested in sci-fi. So for a film to combine the two, hit the jackpot for me. I also really enjoyed the special effects in the movie as well as the mise-en-scene.

JB Hi-Fi 

Following that, I thought for what seemed like a century, flipping through the mass amount of films I have seen in my lifetime. But finally it hit me, 10 Things I Hate About You. This holds its place because it is my favorite romance film. I enjoy the story it tells, I feel that I can relate myself to the main character. What she experiences is similar to what I am going through,  as the movie dives into everything high school throws at you. 

FTSA

Lastly contrasting from the rest, my final choice was the television series Parks and Recreation. It’s different as it is not a film, but a television series including seven seasons. It is significant to me because of how the comedy is presented in the show. The comedy stands apart due to more separation shots as they use close-ups quick zooms into the character’s face to show their reaction, creating the relaxed comedy feel.

After discussing my liking's about these three pieces, a new idea sprouted in my head. Taking the mystery component from the film Arrival, and the romance in 10 Things I Hate About You. I have decided to produce a romance mystery film opening. I am very excited about this because I now have many examples to help me get a base for what I want to create. 

Research, Research, Research

Before I can start storyboarding, and brainstorming I have first gathered solid research behind me.
An important piece I would like to note is a list of all of the subgenres of a drama, the list as a whole highlights the diversity there is in the drama genre. This is extremely helpful for the director, which in this case is me as it allows me to have a range of ideas as I can comfortably stay in one genre.

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Two case studies I have selected are Breakfast at Tiffany's and The Great Gatsby.


Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961):
Breakfast at Tiffany's is an absolute classic as the film holds a place in the National Film Registry. The piece is deemed as a romantic drama because it tells the tale of a high class extrovert girl, Holly Golightly. It is a romance when the main character Holly Golightly, meets Paul Varjak. The two become friends then fall into a spiral of if he can fill in Holly's aspirations in life

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The Great Gatsby (2013)
Based on the 1920's novel. Following that there has been many adaptations, especially in film. So for this case study I have chosen to research the most recent film production. Directed by Baz Luhrmann, the tragedy drama highlights the murder of Myrtle, George, and the main character Jay Gatsby. This film could also be considered as a romantic drama as a love triangle evolves.



The spectrum the drama genre bears throughout all of its subgenres is why I am selecting it for my film opening.

Clarity

As we meet again, I have came to a conclusion.

I have decided after talking to my peers and after doing some research, that the genre of my film is going to be a drama. Choosing this genre will allow me to create something I am more confident in, as well as a drama bears more variety, through which I can design a more unique piece and still be able to stay in my genre.
The road seems never ending at this point in time, but I am very excited to begin my journey. Because I know it will be an exciting one.

A Conflicting Begging

Hello!
As I set to begin this journey, I am at a fork in the road. Choosing the genre of my film opening, thus far is the biggest task I have set infront of me. I am deliberating between going for a horror psychological thriller film or a completely different route and producing a heartfelt drama. The genres I have placed in front of me are both very contrasting where as the one I choose, there is no going back. As I continue my research about both of these genres, I have gathered ideas about what I would like to produce going down either of these paths. I hope I will conclude my setback so I can put all of my effort into one idea that I am confident in.