Ryan quickly finished a rough script going over the main idea for the film opening, which will no doubt be extremely helpful in our filming process. We plan on filming and editing it sometime next week to give us a good amount of time to make sure everything is perfect. With the story finished, we are one step closer to completing the opening.
The story centers around themes of nature and finding oneself, although much of this wont be explored for too long in the opening, the main character Jordan will go on a journey that is filled with hardship and conflict that will help Jordan find himself. The opening starts with Jordan in his rooms preparing to sneak out from his house with his dad yelling at him in the background. Although the father is hard on his son he only wants to see him succeed, but Jordan doesn't see it that way and only focuses on getting as far away from his father as he can. Jordan's journey of coming to understand his father and himself will be explored in the film, and slightly hinted at in the opening. When Jordan finally gets out of his house he hesitates before running off as upbeat music plays in the background. He finds himself in nature and marks the beginning of his journey throughout the rest of the film.
After discussion with my group members, we have decided to use my concept for our final version of the opening. We discussed many different versions and settled one story and Ryan, one of my group members, began writing a script for the opening. The story and overall mood of the film will take inspiration from popular and classic teen movies.
Examples:
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986):
A lot of the mood I'm going for in this opening comes from the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off, in which the main character Ferris Bueller convinces his parents he's sick and needs to say home from school, leading to a grand adventure through Chicago as he evades his high school principal. Ferris embodies the rebellious teen character, and I want to portray this same type of rebellion in my main character as he flees from his house. I also take inspiration from the fast-paced music that plays right as Ferris succeeds in convincing his parents and his journey begins, which can play a similar role in my own film opening.
Thirteen (2003):
Although it is a stark contrast from the previous example, Thirteen shows some inspirations for elements that I could include in my film opening. The upbeat rock music is almost synonymous with teen movies and rebellion, similar to the music Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and can be utilized in my opening when the character is running away from his home. The overall mood is entirely different in this piece, with it being much darker and could be implemented in my opening if we decided to maybe take a darker route. Running away is no easy task for a young teenager, so a darker tone could suit the situation well. One other route is we can combine these examples and start the opening upbeat, until it slowly morphs into a dark film as the character realizes the trouble they are in.
It looks like I may have to change my film opening story again because my story revolved heavily around filming in Markham Park, but the park has decided to close to prevent any large gatherings of people. There aren't many other alternative filming locations as all parks are closing in my county along with Markham Park due to the coronavirus situation. Since there isn't any other place in my city or nearby that has a deep forest or similar scenery, i'd rather come up with a new story rather than make it harder for me.
from Markham Park website
One of the other concepts I had come up with when we were brainstorming a new idea, was a film opening about a teenager who runs away from home into the wilderness to live on his own. Originally it would've ended up in the forest at Markham Park but the concept can be reworked into any other setting. The main story would remain the same and would be a fun and upbeat teen movie taking inspiration from classic teen films. I'll have to discuss and refine the concept with my group members so we can decide on the final story.
With the decision of Markham Park as the filming location, we now have shifted our focus on developing a story around this location. As I mentioned in the last post, the park gives us plenty of opportunities for different genres and themes that we can represent. After discussion, it seems we have decided to go with the dark and mysterious horror route and create a story that peaks the interest of viewers through its chilling themes. The deep and dark forests provide an infinite amount of possibilities for stories.
One possible story for the opening could revolve around a character walking through the woods, maybe on a jog, the next thing he knows, a screams echoes through the trees. Eerie music builds as the main character goes towards the source of the scream, a dark trail into the woods. Panic builds as he hesitates to enter the woods, but he knows that someone could be in danger, so he finally decides to go in. The music swells as he enters and suddenly the title appears and the opening ends. This could be a basic outline for a much more detailed and complex opening that could include hints at the conflict or maybe even something supernatural, but at this point we are still discussing ideas and making progress.
Over the past couple days, my group and I have been brainstorming different themes and stories that we could use for a film opening. Almost all of our ideas have sprung from one location: Markham Park. The past couple of weeks we have been hanging out more and more at Markham Park and have always found that at night it can give a very eerie feeling. My group and I have always thought that this park would be a great place to film something in, even to film something outside of school. The deep trails that go through the forest give a dark and eerie feeling that could do well for a horror type movie. On the other hand. the quiet forests with sunbeams poking through the trees give a calm and tranquil feeling that could be the setting for a drama or romance film. The park has so many opportunities for filming locations and is also a safe place for filming during this pandemic, since we likely wouldn't come into contact with anybody else.
After some discussion with my group, we have decided to start over with our project. Our original idea could've been great, but was a little ambitious for us and especially now with everything going on with the virus. We will be deciding a new story and new filming locations so that we can make a project that is easier for all of us to achieve and safer. I still want to create a quality project that uses good technique and sets up an interesting story, while being more realistic with current circumstances. We also have to factor in that we need to have minimal contact with others to follow social distancing advice from scientists and officials. Overall this decision for our project will save us money, time, and stress for the long run.
It seems like the coronavirus has blown up into a worldwide issue, which may complicate some parts of our project. As of now there is some confusion about the continuation of the project, but it seems like our process will continue on mostly uninterrupted. My blog posts should continue as normal, since it can easily be done at home during this pandemic. It looks like I will probably order my costume online rather than risking it and going to a store.
On the other hand, filming might become an issue, as we will have to meet up in person. No public spaces are really being considered for the filming locations, so we will probably film in someones house to minimize contact with others. Over the past couple days, my group and I have been discussing when to film and so far we have not come to a decision. As of right now, filming is not a huge priority as we can get it done in as little as one day and the editing shouldn't take too much time. Even though we can finish on time, we still need to produce a quality opening and we need to sure that everything goes fine.
