Screenplay Update

     Huge progress has been made with our screenplay for our short film and everything now seems to be falling into place! The fake movie script that I shared in my last post has now been built upon and a good chunk of our screenplay is complete. The draft includes all the dialogue and descriptions of the setting.

    The draft starts off with the main character skating and acting care free as he gets ready for the day, until he decides that the story just doesn't fit him. The main character goes against what the narrator says and runs off to make some changes in his life. This exchange with the narrator would include some back and forth with the two characters as they narrator fights to have a compromise. While we haven't written it yet, the scene would then change as the narrator decides to change up the story to see if the protagonist will like it better. 

    The screenplay then jumps to the end as the protagonist and narrator become fed up with each other as they can't come to an agreement. The narrator decides to pull the main character out of the story and into a void like room where there is a man in a suit. The man would present the script to the main character, signaling that he now has complete control over his story and his life. We wanted to get the ending down as soon as we could because it is the most integral part of the story that would drive the message of our film home. Now all that is left to do is to fill in the gaps and we will be one step closer to our finished product.

Fake Movie Script

     After we completed our outline, my group partner Oliver decided to develop our fake movie idea more by creating a script that the narrator will make the main character follow up until the main character decides to take the story into his own hands. The fake movie embodies the ideas of a coming of age indie film with all the cliches. It's filled with cheesy lines and are sure to make the style easily recognizable. Then towards the end, the film will subvert the expectation of the audience and quickly change tones as the main character veers off the script and the fake movie comes to an end.

    The fake movie script will also play an even more prominent role in our production, as the main character will physically grab the script and make his changes to it in the short film. From this point on I imagine a slightly chaotic tone will come forward as the character acts spontaneous and goes on with making his own story. Now the next step in this process will likely be to make the real script for the entire short film as we make our way closer and closer to our final product.

Project Outline

     As promised, here is the outline for our revised story that we made while on our voice call. The outline contains some potential ideas and general thoughts of what to expect in the film. It may not be the prettiest outline, but it serves its purpose and displays all the notes we made during our discussion of the short film. The outline details a general idea of how the story will progress as well as a short description of the "fake movie" which will be the indie portion at the start of the film before the main character decides to change his own story.

Outline:

CHARACTERS

• Protagonist - Supposed to be perfect     

• Narrator (VO) - In control of the narrative

OUTLINE

• Shrek Opening

• Scene Description - Motion Graphics

• Protagonist goes off script/Main character does not say their (full) line

• Cuts to IRL scene/Script 

• Narrator: “What are you doing?”

• Protagonist: “I'm not a fan of this script”

• Narrator: “Wdym? You’re the main character!”

• Protagonist: “I’m going to make some changes”

• Narrator: “No, wait!”

• Title Card 

• Next scene with description on scene (First act of film)

• Main character messes up/refuses to act properly

• Next scene with description on scene (Second act of film)

• Main character messes up/refuses to act properly

• Next scene with description on scene (Third act of film)

• Narrator: “This is the last scene, the climax, you’ve gotta get this right!”

• Main character almost perfectly completes script and then starts breaking into

            laughter

• Protagonist: “This scene is so stupid!”

• Narrator: “You know what?”

• Narrator teleports them to empty white void, like the screenplay itself

• Final argument (Protagonist: “Why would I want to live by someone else’s

            rules… The only line I’m going to follow is his own”)

• Narrator hands him the script, pans up to reveal the narrator is now the

            protagonist, he controls the narrative  

 

FAKE MOVIE

• The fake movie is a coming of age story, parodying the same stories

            romanticized by teens

• The protagonist is written to be a perfect, flawless character

• Scene 1 - Skating in neighborhood, Library, getting out of school, at home

            getting ready for school, football field

• Scene 2 - Reminiscing childhood

• Scene 3 - Outside during sunset reflecting on his future

Group Discussion

     The brainstorming continues! My group was able to come together and discuss over voice chat to refine our idea and create a rough outline for our project. We spoke for around an hour as we made some changes to our original idea. Discussions like this a surely going to become a regular practice as we continue on with this project and hopefully some in person meeting later on as well.

    Firstly, we all agreed that we liked the main idea of striving to be your own "main character" and we kept this core theme. The biggest change we made was to change the story from a fight between two characters to a fight between one main character and the narrator who is telling the story. We agreed that this new dynamic would be much more interesting and easier when it comes to conveying our message. As we discussed this new story we created an outline at the same time that I'll make sure to put in a separate post.

    The basics remained mostly the same, with the genre being a drama. A big change comes with the twist of it starting off as an indie coming of age type film until the main character decides to go against the script and narrator to form a more chaotic drama as the two character bicker between themselves. The story takes inspiration from movies like Stranger Than Fiction and will take some stylistic inspiration from the director Edgar Wright. 

Peer Review

     In class we had a peer review in which everyone in my class was split from their groups and put with random people in order to discuss our progress with each other. It was a good opportunity to bounce ideas off one another and get some necessary outside opinions. Discussing these ideas with just the people in my group is good but getting a fresh set of eyes to look at our work gives us an unbiased opinion that we might not have gotten otherwise.

    Most of the people in the peer review were pretty early on in their process, so there wasn't much to show from any of us. Despite this, we presented everything we came up so far such as our mediums and the genres we were thinking of exploring. From what I gathered, they seemed to like our idea and encouraged me to continue exploring it to develop it more. The activity was also helpful by giving me an idea of where other people we at in their projects, which reassured me by making me feel good with the point we were currently at. With all this new encouragement, I get more and more excited each day to continue on with this project and see where it goes next.

Brainstorming

     Recently my group has been discussing different ideas for a potential short film but it has proven to be harder than we thought.  We have already decided previously that we wanted to do a short film that includes aspects of indie type films and post modernism. We struggled to find the right balance of both elements while also focusing on making a story that will be interesting through the length of the film. We had to make sure the idea was entertaining but still had a deeper underlying message that drives the themes of the film. After a good bit of thinking, one of my partners Ryan came up with a great idea that we think would be worth looking more into.

    The basis of this short film idea was the idea that people should strive to be "the main character" of their own lives. This theme would be the main underlying message throughout the film and be what the audience would walk away with. While the whole story isn't fully developed, the main idea would be that there are two characters who throughout the film would fight with each other to gain the main character status. 

    While it is a good start, the idea is sure to change drastically as we discuss more over the coming days and weeks. The core idea is a very interesting concept that I feel would make the film unique and stand out against others. Its a perfect opportunity to play around and experiment with alternative narratives and create a piece that is both entertaining, yet innovative.  

Inspiration

     To get a better idea of the possibilities when it comes to short films, I decided to research some short films and gather information and ideas. I mostly searched for films that are around my film's runtime range (5 minutes) so I could get a good idea of making a story that has impact in such a small amount of time. I made sure to pick many different types short films to get a good variety in my inspiration. Here are a couple examples of some short films that stood out to me:

Found Me

https://www.davidwfindlay.com/found-me

    Found me is a great example of telling a compelling story with very simple elements. The story revolves around a man who discovers the world of underground wrestling. The film is interesting in the way is structed that seems to be more like a music video than a short film. It is unconventional in the way that it pieces together small moments that work together to show the characters feelings and thoughts. The characters barely talk throughout the film yet the story is clear and emotional. I definitely want to emulate the colors and lighting that the director uses in this film because it gives those small and seemingly insignificant so much more impact and emotion.

Bear With Me

https://www.daphna-awadish.com/bear-with-me

    In this short film, the director explores the story of the romance between two immigrants who left their homes. This film is especially interesting since it is in an animated film. I wanted to explore more mediums and get a better idea of my options. Although its very unlikely that anything could get in the way, I do have the option to create an animated film that wouldn't require me to even leave my house. In the film they show that a touching and emotional story can be conveyed with very simple animations that could be possible for me even though I don't have much practice in the medium.

    

    These were just two examples of the many short films that I watched to get a good idea of what is possible for my project. From what I've gathered, lighting and colors and the most important elements that I want to make sure to get just right for my project. I have endless possibilities when it comes to the shots and camera movements and I know now that I can make a great story that is also very simple.