My group and I have worked tirelessly on our film Cutting Room Floor taking into account each small detail to make our most developed piece yet. The film is a sort of “coming of age” film that centers on an unnamed protagonist as he tries to find his place. The narrator controls the protagonist’s narrative up until he has enough and rebels against the narrator. Throughout the film the narrator tries to solve the problem by changing the story until it fits with what the protagonist wants.
The research we conducted prior to filming allowed us to challenge conventions and create a unique and distinct film. We drew from a number of sources but the main influence came from the film Stranger than Fiction in which the main character begins to hear the voice of a narrator that reveals that he is soon to die. We loved this idea of the dynamic between the main character and the disembodied voice of a narrator. This idea worked to challenge conventions by having the protagonist repeatedly break the fourth wall and interact with a character outside of the story.
Through our research we also developed the main idea of the switching genres throughout the film. As the narrator struggles to create the perfect story for the protagonist, they constantly switch the genre of each scene. We challenge conventions of the usual coming of age film through this alternative narrative and having each scene be drastically different from one to the next. We knew from the start that we wanted to create a film that stood out and had an unusual style that draws from postmodern ideas. We employed the use of parody to have each scene follow along with their respective genre in a very cliche way, which the protagonist calls out at the start of the film. In a way, we challenged conventions by sticking to them.
All of the elements come together to create a unique sense of branding for our film. When it comes to the film, the dynamic between the protagonist and narrator as well as the ever changing genre/story create a style that is unique to our film. The quick and drastic changes between genres and the dialogue make the film fast paced and fun with a more sentimental portion at the very end.
The branding is further developed through our postcard and social media page which aims to intrigue viewers with mysterious images and messages. The social media in particular tries to mislead the viewer and hint at the true story of the film. Each post is split to show some of the genres used in the film and confuse the viewer as to how each post shows seemingly drastically different stories. The postcard is simple, yet eye catching with the big yellow title right in your face. The imagery in the back hints at the story of the film with the main character standing straight as his head is split into several poking out from each side. Each of the colorful heads is made to represent some of the genres in the film, but does so in a subtle way as to not be too upfront with the story. All in all, the elements come together to make a film that is mysterious and exciting.
All of these decisions and elements were specifically chosen with the intention of creating a product that engages the audience. The film does its job at engaging the audience by keeping them constantly stimulated with the fast paced changing genres. Aside from this, we deliberately focus on the message of “becoming your own main character” as a way to engage our target audience of 14-26 year olds. While researching for our film we had started to look towards a popular trend on social media that revolves around the idea of being “the main character.” This trend romanticizes this idea of being the protagonist in a film and having a life filled with happiness and adventure. Our product adapts this trend into its story by having the protagonist struggle with becoming the perfect main character.
My product aims to represent the groups of people who feel they have no control over their life and the struggle of finding one's place in the world. This is represented in our film through the protagonist and his struggle with finding his place in his own film. The protagonist embodies this group of people who feel hopeless with the protagonist just wanting to take control of his story but the narrator preventing him from taking his life into his own hands. The narrator is just a voice with no physical form that is made to represent the broad idea of everything that seems to bring us down and stop us from being who we want to be.
Over the course of the film we see the protagonist grow more and more desperate up until the climax where they confront the narrator and explain their struggle with finding themself and their place in the story. This confrontation leads the narrator to give in and let the protagonist write his own script, finally being able to take control of his story. This last scene gets down to the core message of our film and encourages those who feel they have no control to fight back and take control of their lives. While the film is mostly fun and light hearted, the last scene is by far the most important in the way that it delivers the idea that the film has been leading up to. Hopefully our film does it’s job at encouraging the audience to be honest with themselves and push through their struggles to become the person they want to be.
Overall, I am beyond proud of the product we were able to put out and I truly believe that this film delivers on everything we were aiming to do. All the research and work was worth it in the end to create a film that stands out from the crowd. In the end, our project is a rollercoaster that concludes with a touching ending that is better than I could have ever dreamed of.
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