It's Never Too Late for Research

     As the final date for the project looms closer, I have succumbed to a massive amount of stress. I decided to ease some of pain by researching into other student-produced films. I feel that the main source of my issues is that I am holding myself to the standards of a professionally-produced film and the assertion that my film opener will obviously not look or be produced with the same professional appearance. After watching multiple student-produced films, I am extremely relaxed. Also, I am inspired. I have now thought of a way to begin the opener with "Ashley Productions" creatively drawn onto a whiteboard. I had completely forgotten that that is the basis for the beginning of all films. I have also decided to incorporate opening credits through text in multiple scenes. I am much more excited and eager to see what I will produce!!

Filming Progress

     Filming has begun! I have been making spontaneous edits to my story due to random inspiration that hits me in the moment. I have leaned more towards a comedic plot revolving around the idea that I am always a third wheel. This inspired me due to the fact that I have always been the third wheel in my previous experiences. I am aiming to do an opener similar to that of Napoleon Dynamite, however different. I am trying to do some aspects that look home-made, as does Napoleon Dynamite. I am planning on doing a voiceover narration throughout the majority of the opener. My voice is going to be featured as the narration and I am going to edit that into the film after my shots have been filmed. Much more progress to be made!

Yet Another Change

     After deep thought, I have changed more aspects of my story. This project has demonstrated what the true curse of being indecisive is. I have decided that my film will contain a series of self-filmed journal entries, almost like a virtual diary, created by my main female character. I have also changed my main characters names and physical descriptions. Through an extensive thought process, I have decided that I myself will play the main female character, therefore her name will now be Ashley. My male main character will be played by my best friend, therefore his name will now be Kole. I have decided to keep our names the same in order to maintain a comfortable portrayal as we film scenes for the film opener. I feel that changing our names might cause an awkward aspect to our filming. Due to my concern of making the scenes seem uncomfortable, I am going to use filming that will be as natural as possible in order to truly capture what I am trying to portray. I am going to be filming many scenes for the opener over the next few days while we explore Spring Break adventures. My film opener will also contain generic, yet original, scenes that would be seen in an opening sequence. Throughout these generic shots, I will insert the scenes made to look like home-videos, and I will end the two minute opener with a diary entry that will reveal the main plot. Now that we are speaking of the main plot, that is also different. I am no longer conducting a film based off a schizophrenic girl. I have decided that the plot will revolve around the death of my (Ashley's) boyfriend. The diary entry that will conclude the film opener will reveal his unexpected, unexplained death. I have pinky-promised myself that these will be the last of my last-minute changes in order to begin the process of filming. 

All of the Pieces to the Puzzle

     Now that I have decided what the topic of my film will be about, I need to decide all of the other factors that contribute to the overall piece. For now, I am just going to focus on the elements that will be possibly featured within the two minute opener. 

Setting- Charlotte, North Carolina 
-populated city
-summer break
-current time period

Overall Layne Family
-extremely privileged family
-moved to Charlotte, NC after Duke&Meredith were married for Duke's work
-parents do not pay extremely close attention to their children due to their demanding careers
-children are not relatively close due to their lack of relationship with their parents

Main character- Caris Layne
-short, blonde, beautiful
-born and raised in Charlotte, NC
-schizophrenic, yet is not aware of her mental illness
-17 years old
-senior in high school
-stubborn, refuses to acknowledge her disorder
-popular amongst her peers
-delusions did not begin until beginning of junior year

Main character- Nate Kensworth
-tall, brunette, handsome
-does not really exist; figment of Caris' imagination
-imagined to be 19 years old and in college at UNC
-does not acknowledge the fact that he is only a figment of Caris' imagination
-extremely supportive of Caris/her best friend and boyfriend

Supporting character- Meredith Layne
-mother of Caris Layne
-42 years old
-born and raised in New York City, NY
-published author (attempts to take Cars' story and turn it into her next bestseller)
-mother of Caris and two other children, Tristen and Brooke

Supporting character- Duke Layne
-father of Caris Layne
-45 years old
-born and raised in Dallas, TX
-moved to Charlotte due to job opportunity
-defense attorney
-not around much due to work
-father of Caris, Tristen, and Brooke

*characters subject to edit as my crazy brain ponders these ideas*

Decision Day!

I'VE MADE MY DECISION!

     Due to my extremely sunburnt skin, I was lying awake at two in the morning pondering my thoughts. The main thought I chose to ponder was the plot of my film. I concluded that I will be focusing on the plot centered around a schizophrenic girl who hallucinates a boyfriend. The film opener will consist of the girl speaking to this boyfriend and will then jump to a shot from an onlooker's perspective showing the audience that this boyfriend isn't actually there. I think that if my film was to continue, the plot would progress to try and get across to the girl that she is schizophrenic and that her boyfriend doesn't actually exist. It is quite the stretch from my original plot of a love story, however, there will still be some love story aspects between the girl and her imaginary boyfriend. I am very comfortable with the idea of this because I feel that I will be able to execute the film opener to the best of my ability. I personally find films centered around mental illnesses o be fascinating because it is amazing what the mind is capable of conjuring up. I have a paranoid schizophrenic uncle, so the topic is somewhat personal to me. I am deciding on locations to shoot, and I am considering using my best friend and her boyfriend to play my main characters. Originally, I always envisioned myself when I was imagining my film, however I would not be able to execute the best shots nor would I be able to capture my vision in the best way possible if I am not the one behind the camera. I am planning on shooting all of the scenes for the opener over spring break, which takes place in less than a week. I feel that spring break will give me sufficient time to go deep within the filming and editing process to produce my best possible work. 

Trying to Talk About a Love Story with Two Boys...

     In desperate need of help... from my two boy group mates. One of my dilemmas for my plot is how o establish it without eliminating the male demographic. One of their suggestions was to incorporate some aspect of non-realism such as magic. I think this would be a great idea if I could find a way to film it without it becoming cheesy. I could possibly do my intro of home-made clips of the couple, and then jump to her at his grave. I would throw in a twist with her possibly being the cause of his death, whether supernatural or out of anger. Or, maybe I could do a plot where her boyfriend is imaginary. The plot could almost turn out to be that she is schizophrenic. However, this would be something the audience should find out at the end of the movie, but I would want to demonstrate it in the opening two minutes. I would attempt to do this by showing her see him and then cut to a third person's perspective where the audience sees that he isn't actually there. I would show this at the end of the two minutes in order to retain the suspense. Before I decide to do this story, I want to try and come up with a plot-twisting ending. This plot twisting ending could maybe be she is trapped in a parallel world where everyone else is schizophrenic and cannot see him, yet she is normal. Haha I don't really know how I would want to twist this plot, however I am enjoying the idea of having my main character be schizophrenic and the boyfriend not actually existing. So many decisions and possibilities! This project is a mind-twisting issue for someone as indecisive as myself. Cross your fingers I can finalize my thoughts!

How to Compete With the Best

     Deep into my research, I decided to look at what gives a film opener its memorable qualities. A good film opener will grab your attention in the first frame. It has you gripping at the edge of your seat for more. The opener also needs to reveal some important information to the audience, such as the genre, setting, possible story lines, and also demonstrate quality technique within the editing and art direction. I enjoy the idea of having a film opener that looks as if it is vintage and then translates over into the present, however I need to pursue more thoughts on this idea in order to uncover the best way I could execute it.

Saul Bass, a graphic artist in the film industry said, "making a main-title was like making a poster, you're condensing the event into this one concept, this one metaphor-a backstory that needs to be told or a character that needs to be introduced." 

     While reading The Film Titling Industry, I learned that the opening sequences of a film and its title were ultimately pioneered in the fifties and sixties by Saul Bass, who's most famous achievement was the Psycho storyboard for the infamous shower scene, and then revitalized in the nineties by Kyle Cooper and Imaginary Forces. Credit sequences first began with silent films featuring iconic actors such as Charlie Chaplin. "As the movie industry evolved, so did the titles." 

"My initial thoughts about what a title can do was to set mood and the prime underlying core of the film's story, to express the story in some metaphorical way. I saw the title as a way of conditioning the audience, so that when the film actually began, viewers would already have an emotional resonance with it."-Saul Bass

     Bass acknowledged the importance of a film's first few moments to capture the audience. Kyle Cooper says, "A main-title in its best form is like a prologue to a movie. Ideally, it sets you up for the emotional content of the film and gets you excited about it." This article mentions how Kyle Cooper and Imaginary Forces may take eight months to create the opening title scene that is over within the blink of an eye. That's a little terrifying considering I don't have eight months... However, I know I am not being held up to the same standards as award-winner Kyle Cooper, although I will hopefully reach his technique one day. 

Matarazzo, R. (n.d.). The Film Titling Industry. Retrieved March 11, 2015, from http://myweb.cwpost.liu.edu/paievoli/finals/505Sp_03/Prj2/MataP2.htm

     

The Back Story Behind the Love Story

     The research has begun! The first information I uncovered were two different parts or types of love stories. There is the central love story which focuses on the two main characters and their struggle of falling in love and trying to stay in love. With this type of love story, the writer can feature as many different subplots as they choose. Another part of the romance genre is the emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending. With this type of romance, the characters struggle and fight for their love and are rewarded with unconditional love and emotional justice in the end. There are also sub-genres within the romance genre. There are romantic comedies and romantic dramas. I am undecided whether or not I want my plot to be dramatic or comedic. I think that I want to have drama within my plot, yet I do not want the film to be solemn and boring, so I would also use comedy to make the plot more appealing. 
     The audience of romance films  are those generally that can relate to the plot or aspire to have the life featured within the plot. My target audience will be that consisting mainly of all women, beginning at the adolescent years and moving up to the elderly. I would want to advertise the film as a date night movie in order to include some male demographics, whether they are choosing to see the film or they are being forced to see it on date night. 
     In order to prevent my film from being overdone, I want to not only focus on the love story, but also a sub-story, whether it be a coming-of age aspect or a tragic, saddening aspect. I will also incorporate a wide variety of shots and editing to entice the audience and prevent the film from becoming boring. I will include the potential use of cliff hangers, relatable characters, realistic story lines, and a big-dramatic ending. 

Changes to be Made

     Unfortunately, through all of my excitement while I was at Universal Studios, the goal to film shots for my love story escaped my hair-brained mind. However, I am still sticking with the love story concept for my film since I still relate to it the most. I am now back to square one since I need to come up with other ideas and shots for my story. Should it be a tragic or twisted love story? I don't know where I want to take it. I want to make sure my story does not get lost amongst the multitude of overdone romance films. I want to be creative, yet I do not want to overstretch my creativity to the point that it will be difficult to execute the crazy images in my mind. I want the story to be relatable. So many love stories feature a Prince Charming-like character that in reality, does not occur often. I want people to see this film and think, "I could have this love in my life." Although I do love a good fairytale ending, they are becoming extremely rare. I am aiming to produce a fairytale ending with a realistic touch. Since they are becoming few and far between, I want to instill hope throughout my audience, inspiring those hopeless romantics, like myself, to never give up. Those who know me well will not be surprised by my choice of a romance genre film opening. I am planning to begin my romance genre research right after this posting! Wish me luck!

Bouncing Ideas Off of Other Brains

     Speaking in groups has eased my mind immensely. After vocalizing some thoughts to my peers, they expressed to me how my idea of doing a sort of love story would be perfect for me due to the fact that it is extremely me. I was day dreaming earlier in the day and was inspired when I thought of my upcoming trip to Universal with my best guy friend. I realized that I could take really interesting shots featuring myself and my friend at Universal that could appear and be aimed to seem homemade. I decided I could use different things such as a selfie-stick and a fish eye lens attached to my phone to get a variety of different shots and angles, and also taking it to a different level than just basic IPhone videos. Since romance and love story movies are my favorite kind, I have decided that this will probably be the best route to take since it is what I can understand and produce probably with the best possible result. Thanks Jaime and Melanie!!!

Time to Write Things Down!

     I unfortunately fall into the category of people that never write anything down. So, I have decided to change that! At the risk of potentially forgetting an idea that would be magnificent, I am going to catalogue them here as a mental, yet physical, note. Time to think of potential plots...

-following the struggle of a teenage girl with an eating disorder and her journey to recovery (potentially would be used as an awareness film)

-love story with a twist? generic, yet could be different depending on the different routes I choose to take
     possible twists: online relationship? (could lead to meeting, discovers it's a catfish, must learn to overcome the physical difference?) tragic love story? loved one could pass tragically in the film opener, plot centers around life after for the other partner) 

-plot centered around multiple characters lives? film could be realistic with realistic lives and stories, potentially could all be friends or family members, or could all somehow intertwine

-world traveller and film focuses on their adventures, meet interesting people and decide to make a difference in the world

Currently growing brain dead due to over thinking. I am going to attempt to be inspired by music. That research will be very enjoyable. Hopefully something will inspire me!!!

What to film about...

     You never really realize how many topics this vast world contains until you try to sit down and select a specific one. Do I want to film about one person or a collective group of people with individual stories that somehow mesh together? Should the film center around a horror genre? Should it be a love story with some sort of creative twist? There are so many decisions to be made with so many different options. In the beginning, I wanted to film something with a plot focused on something I can relate to: in my case that was the topic of an eating disorder. However, after deeper thought, I do not feel that I can produce something that would do such a strong and heavy topic justice. The idea still bounces around in my mind just because who else better to tell the story or a character facing an eating disorder other than someone suffering from one themselves? I am personally a strong romantic, and I have seen hundreds and hundreds of romantic movies, only causing my lovestruck teenage-ness to grow. I have considered doing a film with this genre, however I feel it is easily overdone and would get lost amongst all the other typical love stories. Many of my nerves were eased when I was informed by my beyond amazing instructor, Mrs. Stoklosa, that the quality of my filming (camera clarity, etc) would not be graded, only the quality of the images and story line behind them would be. My excitement for this project grows daily. I have decided to do some more research on independent and home-made films in the hope that something will inspire me...

And the Journey Begins...

     Today began my exciting road to my final project. Although very intimidating, I am filled with nothing but anticipation to fast forward and view my final result. But unfortunately, time travel is yet to be invented, so I guess I'll just have to sit back and enjoy the ride. When it came down to how to plan for my film introduction, I decided the best way to go would be research, research, and more research. I am undecided on audience, purpose, storyline, and basically every other aspect of my project. I am eager to delve into the world of media and all the aspects that I will need to make decisions on in order to produce my best possible work. I began my research today by watching a few clips from Anatomy of a Scene. Here I was able to hear straight from the directors some explanations behind the magical scenes produced on the screen. I was inspired and also retained a few interesting pieces of advice from multiple directors coming from movies of multiple genres. Oh boy, genre! Another aspect yet to be decided! This road to success will be a bumpy one I am sure, but keep up with me on this journey and we will reach an amazing destination together!