Laying Foundations

After discussion, my group and I have finally made progress on a more specific story and we have decided to create a character study and tragedy. Character studies are stories in which the conflict is not focused on physical troubles, but character development through emotions, thoughts, and how they react to outside conflict. The drama genre works especially well when it focuses on characters and their emotions to drive a story. Examples include Nightcrawler and Taxi Driver which focus almost exclusively on the main character and the conflicts they face. I believe a character study type film opening could open doors for a suspenseful and intense tone and the use of interesting editing techniques. To better learn how to make a successful character study I researched some films that deal with this type of focus.

American Psycho: This film delves into the life of a wealthy businessman, Patrick Bateman, and his secret psychopathic alter ego. This film provides a great example for a character study as it shows a thrilling character study that keeps the attention of the audience well through its story of the main character. Bateman slowly begins to go crazier as the story continues and ends him in serious problems, a factor I would like to include/allude to in the film opening. Character studies like this film make sure to convey the complex inner emotions and thoughts of the character to give audiences an insight to the character and gives the film a very interesting aspect. 

Joker: Similar to American Psycho, Joker follows the downward spiral of the main character, Arthur Fleck, into his insane alter ego. This film gives the greatest insight to Arthur's character whenever he interacts with other characters, showing his true nature and inner desires. This technique can be used in my film opening as a source of conflict for our main character, as they interact with another person and a conflict between them arises and allows the main character to open up and show their personality. Joker does an excellent job at communicating the inner workings of the characters through facial expressions and music, factors I especially want to focus on. If I were able to pull off these techniques, it would enhance the film opening to another level.

Sources:

“American Psycho.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 14 Apr. 2000, www.imdb.com/title/tt0144084/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0.

“Joker.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 1 Oct. 2019, www.imdb.com/title/tt7286456/?ref_=ttls_li_tt.