When the Portfolio project was mentioned at the beginning of the course I was enthused to create something with my own story; I still am. Although I have experience with camera techniques and writing stories to create a narrative for my TV class, I rarely get the creative freedom to write my own story; like a cinematic opening. Needless to say, I’m thrilled to create something that lets viewers into my mind.
In a previous post, I shared a case study I did on the thriller genre which talks about the importance of suspense and the capability of a piece being scary but not a horror. Because I have prior knowledge of this genre this is an excellent possibility for this opening; it also allows me to incorporate abstract or horrific elements that don’t turn into horror. Another genre in the running is the science/supernatural fiction; I haven’t done a case study on them yet but I have plenty of resources and time to explore. This can allow the techniques learned in class to create a specific tone that complements a story of adventure and/or mystery. The only exception is the backup idea with a typical teenage coming of age genre; I’m not particularly fond of this idea but I’ll consider it an option.
As soon as the assignment was brought up ideas spring into my head; loud, ambitious, and each on the aforementioned genres. An idea that has recently come about is an opening scene that begins with a bloody battered protagonist fleeing to a tree from an unknown assailant. The protagonist would be on the verge of death-passing out the audience would see an interaction between seemingly the main character and another version of the main character but as the dialogue would continue we’d learn that one of the people talking is another entity with less than innocent intentions. This would probably be a hybrid genre: supernatural-thriller. This idea is inspired by a Japanese animated series where the protagonist, Itadori Yuuji, has a similar confrontation. With a limited budget and equipment, this idea isn’t too costly of course with the quality and quantity of the (fake) blood which would be something to keep in mind when choosing a final idea. The next idea I had would be something with a creepier aesthetic and would have the protagonist mourning over a death they witnessed with an imaginary friend. The opening scene would establish the protagonist’s dependency on this imaginary friend as they attempt to handle the grieving process. This idea can be developed more and the only problem is the location for this type of interaction; the imaginary friend would be a stuffed animal which I have plenty of. Another idea would be a more coming of age opening scene where a teenage protagonist begins to understand themselves, how the world sees them, and how they decide to create their self-image. This idea once again shouldn’t be too costly with a lighter tone and can take an alternative version of themselves speaking their inner feelings; the con to this idea would be to invite another character and in a pandemic finding actors will be tough.
I plan to dedicate the weekend to conducting actual research on the types of genres I’m interested in as well as the ones I’m not-mostly to gain a wider perspective and offer up the possibility to be inspired to make something else. My research will probably be watching the openings of highly-acclaimed movies of that genre specifically so that I can analyze the techniques that are possible on a budget of $0.
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