When planning to answer the critical creative response question of 'how I integrated technology' in production, its important to know what technologies we are using and which draw the most attention. Thus, I turned to my editor and cinematographer where they explained which types of technology we were dealing with.
Software:
Blackmagic camera app
Google Docs
Google Drive
iCloud storage
iMessages
Photos app
Hardware:
iPhone 15
Tripod
Microphone equipment
Laptop
After reviewing our technology tools, its now time to plan how I will implementing my findings. For a better understanding, I reviewed 'The Monocles' blog and analyzed their approach to answering CCR question 4.
CCR 4 response from 'The Monocle'
Throughout this video interview style approach, there were a few main aspects that stuck out to me when reviewing it.
Discssed more than just hardware, they discussed makeup, props, and costume. By including these details they got to dive deeper into the long lasting impact of these elements. I can relate this to my own response by discussing the light/auditorium technology and how it was integrated into production.
Discussed trial & errors. By stating what they initially did to integrate technology vs. actually happened gave a better understanding of the importance. I could relate our own trial/errors of using the Blackmagic app to explain the relevancy of technology.
After conducting title card research, its now time to take my knowledge and turn it into a rough draft. To review, title cards have two main parts, design and integration. Design refers to the the technique used to make the title and how its being conveyed. Integration refers to the relevancy to the scene and knowing when to present your title.
Context
Before I show my rough draft, I would like to discuss when this title card would be integrated. As I've previously explained, scene one ends with our character realizing that they're actually dreaming. With this being the climax of the scene, my research states this is the perfect opportunity to interrupt the scene switch and integrate the title card.
Rough draft of title card
Font type: The thinner font signifies the fragileness and anxiety of the character.
Font size: The large font size shows the impact this dream/aspiration will have on the film.
Clouds: Since our film in a dream, the clouds signify the 'beyond' and reinforces the dreamy atmosphere.
Black background: Because the scene will end with a fade to black, that means the background will also be black.
Once again, I understand that I'm not the editor, but since the film started off from my personal design, I believed that designing it before hand would give the editor a better understanding of my goal.
As pre-production ends, and production begins, a certain piece of our film is missing, our title card. A title card is a vital element of any film that says one simple thing, the name. Though this may seem like a one second frame, a title card can convey a films entire message. Though I am not the editor, it is still my job as director to take initiative and inform the editor of my ideal look for our films title card.
Before I do genre/film specific research, I would like to get familiar with basics of title cards in films. Thus I have turned to YouTube for a quick rundown.
How to Actually Do a Good Title Card - By Chavez
After watching the video above, I have learned that there are 2 main factors to consider when curating a title card, design and integration.
Design: Chavez discusses that picking a design is simple, just pick what feels right. He also says that you once you pick a unique font, use the width slider to make more impact. Additionally, its important to note that a common technique is to have all cast/crew details in this frame, this is most popular in music videos.
Integration: While design is crucial when creating a title card, its also important to note how you are integrating it. According to Chavez, have a title interrupt a scene OR being included at a scenes climax is a perfect way to get your viewers attention. Another part of integration to note is to balance design with the composition.
After researching the basics of title cards, I would like to see how these techniques may vary when applied to our specific dream opening and drama genre.
Dream opening title card
Mulholland Drive (2001)
As shown in the extract above, the film starts with a sort of surreal dance scene, this combined with a blurred pov shot of someone falling on a pillow suggests a very dreamy atmosphere. This scene is crucial because it introduces the title which drives the emotional context. Additionally, the font along with the shaky camera signifies the phycological state.
La La Land (2016)
Though this drama may have a different aesthetic, it serves the same purpose. The emotional climax of La La Land's opening scene is pure drama. As the scene moves, bright colors and dance ensembles are used to separate fantasy from reality. Additionally, the bright and bold font reinforces the films fantastical feel.
As director, another one of my responsibilities was to complete the call sheet, a document that states what we need one filming days. Since we've already discussed who will need to be there, its time to discuss where and what time we will be filming.
To recap, we planned for scene one to be set in an auditorium or stadium due to our goal of having the character look like she really is achieving her dream. Trying to film this scene in someone's living room would immediately break this effect. Thus we turned to what was available to us, our own CSHS auditorium. The auditorium seats around 783 people and has wide aisles that make filming accessible
Coral Springs High School Auditorium
As I discussed in my casting post, our school recently finished their production of 'You're A Good Man Charlie Brown'. Thus, we knew people who worked on the light crew of the set. We ended up asking them if they were available to film during study halls (1:30 pm) which they said yes!
As a reminder, our film as two scenes, one in the auditorium, and one in a bedroom. We wanted scene two to take place in someone's room due to our goal of them realizing they're right back to reality, at home. Thus, we needed a filming location that was not only big enough to film but had access to a CD/music player. So I offered my room, due to its easy accessibility and my extensive CD collection.
My bedroom
As you can see above, my room not only has filming space but also an ample amount of posters. We plan to have a poster with a picture of the award the character will be receiving. So, this poster will blend in easily with my chaotic room.
As pre-production ends and production begins, its important to get these details figured out to have a successful filming day.
As we are coming closer to production, it was time to narrow down who would be playing our one and only role in the film. As I discussed in my research, there are 3 tips directors should take into account when casting a film; pick an actor that represents you, cast someone who stands out, and remain open-minded. Now lets review my casting process and how I narrowed down my decision.
Before we discuss, WHO I picked, let me explain HOW I got there. Since we started the casting process towards the end of pre-production, we needed to make quick decision and work with what we had. Thus, we turned to our own CSHS thespian program who recently put on a production of 'Your A Good Man, Charlie Brown'. After some consideration, Miley (the cinematographer) and I (the director), proposed two different candidates to the group; Lily Villalobos and Samuel Douglas.
Above you can find their headshots from the play. The next step was to decide... Sam.. or Lily..?
Sam: Miley originally proposed Sam due to his vast amount of acting experience, however neither of us knew his personally, so it was a little difficult to reach out to him to discuss dates and the script. After reaching out, he let us know that he had a very busy schedule and would rarely be able to film. Nevertheless, he still seemed extremely intrigued and wanted to play the part.
Lily: On the other hand, I proposed Lily due to my personal friendship/experience with her. Even though Lily played a smaller role than Sam in Charlie Brown, I still believed she had a great impact on the play. Additionally, Lily is more available to film due to her less hectic schedule. Overall, Lily said she was very interested in the part because of her new acting journey.
Why gender wasn't a deciding factor:
Another thing I would like to note is gender. Obviously, as you can see, Sam and Lily are opposite genders and to most, this might seem like a deciding factor, however, to us, there was no difference. Referring back to my song research post, we were aiming for an indie vibe meaning that we were only trying to reach younger audiences, not a specific gender.
Overall, we have decided to move forward with Lily as our character. Once again, my research states that directors should trust their gut and go with what they feel is right, and I feel Lily. Here bubbly personality along with her talent accurately conveys the message our film is trying to give.
After conducting research about my groups music options, its now time to put them to the test and see thoughts from others. But before we do this, lets recap what genre we thought fit out film the best. Referring back to my music genre research, there are 3 main types of genres, used in film soundtracks, orchetra/classical, indie/alt, and Anthemic pop. Each genre has a differnt meaning and tone which is conveyed to the auidence. After reviewing each genre, we decided that the Indie/Alternative was the best fit due to its representation of indentity exploration and its tie to younger narratives (intened audience). However, this was the simple part, there are thousands of indie songs to pick from. Thus, we decided that the best way to narrow it down was to pick 3 indie/alt songs and get audience opions (Gen X v. Gen Z).
The 3 songs we picked were;
'Dream' by Al Green
'Dream A little Dream Of Me' by The Mamas & The Papas
'Dream On' by Aerosmith
Questions
1. What emotions does this song make you feel, and why?
This very open-ended question reveals generational emotional interpretation, meaning that I can see if their age affects whats mood they interpret (ex. hope, anxiety nostalgia)
2. If this song played during a movie scene, what do you imagine would be happening?
This question test what other films/cinema they might associate this tune with. If Gen Z imagines self-dicovery or ambition, this will support our music discission. 3. What theme do you think this song represents?
This question reveals if the listener felt certain a certain message from the music (ex. growth, loss, doubt)
Results found below
As you can see, both individuals felt very differently toward each set of songs. However there was a common trend on one specific tune, 'Dream A Little Dream of Me' by The Mamas & The Papas. Both Gen X and Gen Z believed that this song carried nostalgia and anticipation, a trend in our own story. Additionally, Gen Z thought that 'Dream A Little Dream Of Me' made her feel "uneasy" and carried the act of yearning for something. Thus, we have decided to go with The Mamas & The Papas as our background music.
Another reason why we went this direction was because we wanted the song to relate to the characters anxiety towards this aspiration. We also knew that in order to match the rhythm of the film, the song would have to build up in a similar way the film does. For instance, the opening gets more and more chaotic as more things start to go wrong, ultimately leading to them waking up. Thus, we picked a song that conveys a similar build up.
After researching and viewing examples of what drama is, lets review our initial story and see what changes need to be made.
As we discussed in my drama research post, a drama is a story that largely revolves around a character facing a central conflict and emotion. However, as I've discovered, there are many different approaches to conveying this conflict/emotion. Sequentially, it seems that we've shifted to a more light-hearted approach, let me explain.
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Lets take Little Miss Sunshine for example, a drama film about an odd family that travels across the nation to support their daughter's pageant dreams. No matter how dysfunctional this family may be, the film maintains a humors and lighthearted tone while also opening up about the ups and downs of their reality. Our own plot follows a similar 'light-hearted', but dramatic, tone of realism by having someone chase their unrealistic dream. Nonetheless, our message is similar to the extract: 'it's the attempt that matters'
Implementing drama tropes
Once again, my thorough research gave light to what an audience expects from a drama film, character-centered story, emotional conflict, and realistic actions. Let review what elements are already displayed in our story and see which are lacking.
1. Character-centered story: Most films require a "main character" but dramas must prioritize internal experience rather than external displays of chaos.
Lady Bird (2017) compilation
As shown in the compilation of 'mother-daughter' conflicts from Lady Bird, one could see Christine's ambition to leave her hometown and gain identity. Her strained relationship with her mother shapes her personality and choices in the story, reinforcing the emotional character-centered story. This ultimately relates to our own dramatic plot of ones internal conflict of ambition and self-perception.
2. Emotional conflict: In dramas, the main tension in the story is usually internal, but conveyed through tone like doubt, identity, fear, and desire.
La La Land (2016)
As a whole, la la land is about aspiring artists who fall in love while chasing their passions. This alone exemplifies emotional conflict but the specific extract above expresses the conflict of desire with fear. Yes she wants to succeed but she's confirming her doubts at the same time. All while this is going on, drama is thriving in this contradiction. This extract connects to our plot because our character is facing a similar contradiction of feelings. They desire success but underneath they fear failure (empty seats, mic glitches, interruptions)
3. Realistic Actions: A good rule of thumb for a all dramas is to include actions and consequences that are believable. No matter the strange circumstances (dreams), the characters real-world behavior must feel plausible.
Whiplash (2014)
As shown in the extract above, Andrew aspires to be a great drummer or "one of the greats" as he would say. However, he faces constant criticism from his teacher ultimately leading him to push himself to far. His actions are realistic/believable because he ties his identity to achievement. As he get harsh criticism, his ambition and strive for greatness is heightened in realistic ways. When it comes down to our characters own actions, I would say they're nothing short of realistic. People all over the world strive for success and mentally rehearse big achievements (and tie their worth to them). In our film, it will be clear that their self-worth is tied to their success due to their attitude change once they wake up.
Narratives
Moving forward with narratives, a three part act that structures the state of a film. As I discussed in my research, these structures are equilibrium, disruption, and rising tension.
1. Equilibrium: Typically a 'stable' starting point of a story. This state doesn't have to be happy, it should just be stable. An example of a film with a stable starting point is Lady Bird, a film we discussed above. The film establishes equilibrium by showing Christine living her normal high school life, nothing drastic has changed yet. The act of establishing equilibrium is somewhat related to our story due to our inclusion of the characters normal, basic life once they wake up (ordinary life with internal longing). This is considered to be a classic example of drama equilibrium.
2. Disruption: As we discussed earlier, the inclusion of a disruption in dramas is most commonly internal rather than external chaos. Relating back to La La Land, when Mia receives the opportunity to audition, she is accepting disruption and forces herself to confront her former feeling of fear. In my group and I's film, the disruption is the dream itself because of the exposed insecurity (empty seats, foreign sounds, & other disruptions!!!)
3. Rising Tension: The inclusion of tension typically goes hand in hand with disruption. For instance, in Whiplash, Andrew continues to practice harder despite his teachers consistent push. As this pressure builds, Andrews emotional strain increases. In my story, tension is built from many factors including foreign noises, stress, mic glitch, and intense music.
After conducting research, we accurately categorized our story into different drama aspects and understood what type of film we're creating! It's now finally time to write the genre statement.
From the beginning, I knew I wanted music to play a large role in my film due to it's significance in my own life. So, when I conducted my initial dream sequence research, my wishes were reinforced when finding out that songs/melody's are crucial in connecting with the audience. So, for my research today, I will be looking into the fundamentals of soundtracks in films.
Music genre/style
While any soundtrack carry's significance, different genres are used to carry different meaning, emotional expectations, and psychological impact. Let's review these different styles and their specific impact
Orchestral/Classical: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov discusses that including a classical score communicates multiple things to the audience, importance, timelessness, and emotional weight. This genre often feels extremely "cinematic" because we often associate strings and orchestras with former significance. Including these scores make a scene feel "larger than life" and encourages the audience to take a moment seriously (rarely comedic).
Die Hard (1988)
As heard in the extract above the song 'Ode to Joy' by Beethoven is used as background music when Hans Grubers heist is succeeding. The use of this music elevates the villain and tells the audience that he is controlled and calculated.
2. India/Alternative: Independently, indie/alt music is known to represent genres operating "outside mainstream production", according to Hangout.fm. When it's used in film, this message is still conveyed. Scenes with these genres are meant to make moments feel intimate rather than an orchestra's 'larger than life' approach. India/alt music often works to help with 'identity exploration' and links younger narratives.
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
This scene from The Royal Tenenbaums is a clear demonstration of the purpose of using Indie styles over orchestra to convey a message. As you can hear, this song is much more low and quiet tone which delivers a personal connection with the viewer. For those who aren't familiar with the film, the man, Richie, is emotionally overwhelmed, but you probably could have guessed this due to his emotional display. By adding an indie track that is uncomfortable and realistic, his emotional is not only seen, its heard.
3. Anthemic pop: Pop music often communicates a specific feeling to the audience, energy. This energy can be conveyed with confidence, aspiration, or with success, but including Anthemic pop music is meant to feel motivational. This genre typically works with upbeat montages, irony, and endings of films.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
As shown in the extract above, 'Guardians of the Galaxy' uses The Jackson 5's 'I Want You Back' in the ending of the film. The upbeat and rhythmic energy of the song tells the viewer that they've 'made it'. Rather than elevating the end victor with strong orchestras, the upbeat track reinforces the films playful tone.
Overall, I have concluded that music can be interpreted in many different ways depending on your intended audience. There are 3 main music genres used in soundtracks, and they all interpret different things:
As director, it's my job to fill out the genre statement which defines what aspects of genre one is incorporating in their film. Also, a key aspect of these statements is to explain what you researched and if it was properly represented in ones plot. That's where this blog comes in.
For those of you that may be confused on why I'm doing research after we developed our plot, your not crazy. Because of how fast our creative process started flowing, I unintentionally skipped over the crucial process researching drama elements into our opening. When writing our script, we followed our opening type (dream) rather than genre type (drama). Thus, my goal today is to identify specific drama necessities and see what changes we need to make to our film.
What is a drama?
Backstage.com discusses that a drama is story that largely revolves around compelling charters facing a central conflict, and are filled with emotional, often cathartic narrative moments. Drama performances are often relatable to the audience and offer emotional performances. Instead of prioritizing action, comedy, or fiction, drama focuses on internal struggles, relationships, personal growth, and conflicts.
Extract from Forrest Gump (1994)
One of the most popular drama films is Forest Gump, the story of a boy who became involved in major events despite facing mental blocks. Just one example of common drama elements being used in this film, are shown in the extract above. As you can see, Forest faces the central conflict of bullying but builds an emotional narrative when he defies odds and transforms pain into liberation.
Tropes & Expectations
After further drama research its come to my attention that there are MANY drama tropes, if you don't believed me check out tvtropes.org's 'drama tropes' article. However, there are 3 drama expectations that are consistant throughout many sources:
Character-Centered Story: The expectation here is that the story revolves around a person's emotional jourmey. This means that viewers should expect to a characters personal growth (or failure) and what struggles they faced on the way. A simpilar way to explain this is by saying that the the person ins the plot.
Emotional conflict over physical conflict: Dramatic genres aren't about defating a villian physically, its about emotional betrayal, loss, love, or regret.
Realistic consequences/actions: Drama's have many different plot point's but a consistant rule is that they are very realistic. For instance, actions have weight, choices have fallout, and pain ins't magically erased... A drama is real life!
Narratives
Dramatic narratives are structured fr
Equilibrium (normal life): As I previously stated, dramas are extremley realistic, thus, the narrative is shown through a chaarcters everyday world (ex: work, school)
Disruption (emotional problem): While the narrative is expected to be "normal", its also expected that the charcter will face internal challenges. It's important to note these challenges are not expected to be extreme, a disruption can simply be rejection.
Rising Tension: In dramas, the narrative shown is built from many differnt factors. The factors include relationship strain, pressure, and self doubt.
To reinterate, the purpose of pre-production is to fix any bumps in the road. Hopefully as a group, we can review our plot and see what changes (or lack of) need to be made to get back on track.
In my previous posts, I have discussed important elements I've incorporated into my groups film like casting and scripts. However, I seemed to skip over the process of documenting my group constructing the plot of our dream. It's important that I record this process so I can properly implement it while filming and ensure we have accurately integrated dream elements.
Dream Setting
As I discussed in my research, the setting of ones dream sets the tone for what's to come in & outside the dream state. Thus, it's important to keep the setting vague enough to be "dream-like" but specific enough so it's relevant. Furthermore, my group and I decided on an auditorium. This was derived from our idea of the dream being an achievement our character idealizes and knows its just out of their reach. In this auditorium, our character will be giving an acceptance speech, reinforcing what their biggest ambition is. With this being said, I would like to observe a similar sequence in another film.
The King of Comedy (1982)
As you can see in the example, this scene is not set in a dream state, however, it relays a similar message I want to deliver in my groups film, aspirations. The extract shows a man receiving "empty" validation and wishes for greatness, while still keeping it to himself. As I've previously stated, our character will be entirely alone in the dream also reinforcing these personal wishes.
Audio techniques
As we now know, having a unique audio can further a connection between the storyline, and the audience, especially when repeated throughout the film. Additionally, since the beginning, it has been a goal of mine to incorporate music into my groups opening, this being the perfect opportunity. With this being said, we have decided to include music in the film and have it be the cause of the dream sequence, let me explain. We plan to have non-diegetic (background) music playing while the characters acceptance speech is given, slowly building as the dream goes on. By doing this, the character is not only conveying their fear, but the audio is also increasing with it. Furthermore, once the character reaches their peak in their dream and have woken up, this music will transfer to to diegetic sound, coming from a CD player. This idea is derived from my personal CD collection, and the impact music has had on my own life. By incorperating these techniques, I am not only furthering the plot, but I am advancing a connection with the audience.
The Great Gatsby (2013)
Once again, this scene is not exactly in a dream state, however, it does reinforce the importance of music in films. For those unfamiliar with the film, the extract shows Jay Gatsby finally getting to spend time with the love of his life, Daisy Buchanan. By adding the song 'Young and Beautiful' by Lana Del Ray, the film reinforces the dream-like aesthetic and tone the director wanted to convey. Additionally, this song is used for a second time later in the film, building significance to the audience.
No cliches here!
While our plot was on the right track, we still needed to make sure that we had original material, and weren't falling victim to cliches. As we discussed, dream cliches are formed when filmmakers trick the audience into a "fake out" and make a faulty reality seem hyper-realistic. Thus, its crucial to add elements that allow the audience to know the sequence is a dream allowing them play along and understand the storyline. We have incorporated these illusive elements in a few different ways:
Alone: As I previously stated, the dream will be set in an auditorium, however, the auditorium will be empty. Yes.. total crickets. By making this one change, the audience is not only aware of the dream state, but they can also get a glimpse into the characters mindset and fears.
Foreign noises: Since this auditorium will be barren, it would make no sense to have a dog bark, right? Exactly! By including sounds that are foreign to this setting, a sense of a dream sequence is reinforced.
Their speech: Now that we've established that they will be giving a big "thank you" speech, it's vital to include elements that hint towards what the reality actually is. For example, we plan to have the character say ironic comments like "this feels like a dream" and "I never would have believed this" to emphasize the improbable actions of this scenario.
Now that my crews screenplay and plot are both developed, it's time to do one of the directors hardest jobs, finding the cast. The big question here, is who's going to be the star of the show (in my case, the only star) and convey the message you are trying to send? Let's begin by conducting research to find out.
Similar to writing a script, there isn't an exact science to finding your cast, its more about what feels right to you. However, Backstage.com's "How to Cast a Film (and Why Casting Matters)' article, has 3 tips for directors to remember.
Actors represent you: A big philosophy a director should carry is that "you aren't visible to the audience, but your choices are". If one were to pick an actor that gives an unclear tone/performance, that's how the director is perceived.
Who stands out?: According to Backstage's article, a common question directors should ask themselves, is if an actor is memorable without trying. More often than not, directors will find themselves with dozens of clones trying to fit the part, however, it's suggested that you should ask the one that doesn't feel like their acting. In other words, they should still understand the films intended mood, but sometimes you're left rethinking the purpose of the scene because of them.
Remain open-minded: The final directing tip is to not lock your idea of the character too early on. As I stated above, certain actors can alter your perception of the character's intended tone. This can be done through delivering lines a different way, or not matching an imagined physical description. Whatever it may be, these are the actors that lead to better performances.
To take my research one step further, I am going to overserve different casts from similar films, in hopes to see how interpretation differs
A Star is Born (1954)
A Star is Born (2018)
In the snapshots above, I included the original 'A Star is Born' from 1954 and 'A Star is Born' from 2018. For those who aren't familiar with the film, the movie is about a male musician who discovers and falls in love with a rising female singer. In the original casting, Judy Garland was was widely known for her struggling mental health and addition. Thus, the director allowed this to shape her characters fragile feeling and raw emotion. However, the 2018 remake of 'A Star is Born' stars Lady Gaga, a global pop star. The inclusion of Gaga evoked a sense of confidence in her character, keeping her self-aware and grounded. The transformation from Hollywood's exploitation of Judy, into a modern exploration of fame is why casting is vital to film.
After my thorough screenplay research, it was then time to build the script with my team. I'll spare you the lengthy details, but I'll have you know that I'm pretty impressed. However, typical screenplay preparation requires a plot for a feature length film.... we have two minutes. Thus, the inclusion of an entire beat sheet outline is a tad bit unnecessary.
Nonetheless, one screenplay aspect we do need, is a logline. Relating back to my research, loglines typically follow a formula Thus, my crew's logline will state: "Each time she hears a certain song, she's transported into a fantasy where she wins it all... However this dream actually lies as a thumbtacked poster on her wall, revealing her burning ambition to succeed." This logline discusses only what's going to happen in the opening (allowing relevance) and follows the proper formula used by other filmmakers.
Moving forward with the actually script. As I stated above, my group greatly advanced our plot, allowing us to write down our characters' script. This is where I come into play. I'm going to take the rough draft from class and incorporate my new techniques.
Script Rough Draft
As shown above, I have wrote the screenplay for the film who has no name (yet)... And I believe it was very successful. Its likely we'll make changes to it before production but I think this was a great first screenplay if I do say so myself.
After the roller coaster that was developing my groups dream sequence, we landed on a solid plot that was agreed upon. Thus, as director, the next step is to devlope a script, that's were this blog post comes into play. As you've come to realize by now, if I am knew to a topic, I tend master it and inform my team the next day, this is no exception. When starting my preliminary research, who better than to turn to nofilmschool.com to give me the scoop.
One of the most important elements of a screen play is having a one sentence summary of a film or television program in the beginning of your screenplay used to generate interest, better known, as a logline. Loglines gives producers/executives a reason for reading ones screenplay.
Logline Formula: Inciting Incident + Character + Objective + Stakes/conflict
Example: The Silence of the Lambs (1991): "In order to catch a killer who skins his victims, a young FBI cadet must seek help from an incarcerated and manipulative killer."
Another vital part of a feature film screen play, is creating what is known as a "beat sheet". This sheet is a list of emotional moments in a screenplay that helps a writer outline their story. Nofilmschool discusses that writing can be extremly difficult, but when ones has a spark of an idea, "nothing feels better than beating it out".
Outline of a beat sheet provided by Nofilmschool.com
Now the difficult part, writing the script. No matter how much research I conduct, there's no true "step-by-step" process I can take to write an original script. However, there are certain questions one could ask themselves when writing to ensure greatness. These questions may include:
What does the protagonists want?
What's at stake?
What obstacles will they face?
*Subtext (saying it without saying it): In the real world, people rarely says exactly what they mean or what they think, and it goes the same with screenplay. That's where imagery comes into play.
Writing Screenplay
After some final screenplay research, its now time to find an ideal cite that will host my groups foundation portfolio screenplay. Ultimately I landed on 'WriterDuet", a premier screenwriting software that is know for their cloud-based collaboration.
How to write screenplay on WriterDuet.com
Setting line: A sentence in all caps at the top of that settings script
Action line: Under the setting, lies what action/movement, the character is doing
Character line: Below the action line, on left side of the screenplay has the name of the character that's speaking in all caps
Dialogue line: Under the character line, is the actual script/dialogue
Parenthesis line: Beneath the dialogue, states how the script should be said
As I discussed in my previous planning post, my group and I have began developing our opening scene, which revolves around a dream sequence. However, none of us have prior knowledge/experience with this category of opening. That's where this post comes in handy! By the end my research today, I hope to be a master in dream openings so I can properly bring these elements to the plot. Let's begin with an overview of dream sequences in general.
Dream setting
Dreams123.com, states that a dreams setting is a story element that set the scene for the story to come. It speaks to areas and times of life that provide a starting point for understanding what the dream will be about. The article also discusses that another way of understanding dream settings is saying that they visually portray ones psychological landscape. This means that they peer into ones mind and gives an interpretation that includes thought, feelings, emotions, and impressions. In better words, dream setting are a "snapshot" of ones inner world, and it doesn't always make sense rationally.
Snapshot of Le Grand Amour (1969)
The "fake out"
In relation to dream sequences, the term "fake out" refers to a common narrative device where dramatic, intense, or shocking scenes are shown, only for the character/audience to wake up, revealing it was not real. The inclusion of these faulty realities are commonly introduced to explore ones fear or anxieties. Authorphilpartington.wordpress.com, discusses that you should include these "fake outs" in a dream sequence if it developed the characters further. Meaning, that the audience will be intrigued by the events
Snapshot from A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)
Audio techniques
When dream sequences incorporate specific audio elements, such as distinctive music or melody's, a strong importance is built to that specific rhythm. Many filmmakers incorporate a specific tune in a dream in a non-diegetic fashion, making it seem like its background noise that's just meant to be there.
Spellbound (1945)
*Key take away: Everything in a dream is symbolic of something
Stray away from cliches!!!
After reviewing dream sequence aspects and examples, it clear that they can become extremely repetitive and cliche
After an extensive (and painful) reddit deep dive on every film geeks takes on dream sequences, I have now learned some outstanding cliche's and how to avoid them. Starting with the inclusion of surrealism. As discussed by many redditers, having a dream that seems 100% realistic is cliche. This is considered cliche because a straightforward "but it was a dream" follows right after. Thus, it's encouraged to include obvious elements of fantasy/illusion in the dream so the audience understands and plays along. However, it's also common to NOT explicitly address this dream as fake. (could be shown by actions waking up, but they're not saying "that was a good dream!") Another aspect that is common with in dream openings is when filmmakers never revisit it. In order for the dream to have true meaning and impact, it must matter even after the character wakes up.
Overall, I took it upon myself to conduct this extensive dream research so my group could have a clear understanding of what elements we must include in our own opening. Without the inclusion of these aspects, our film will be a vague representation of what a great dream opening scene could be.
After doing extensive genre and opening scene research, it's time to collaborate with my group and take a look at everyone's ideas. As director, I took initiative during this conversation. I first asked for each members ideal genres (what they did research on). My conclusions can be found in the diagram below.
Genre mind map
As shown in the diagram above, we all had different ideas which worried me. However, I reminded myself that the purpose of preliminary research is to get background knowledge, and to be open for discussion. With this being said, we continued to discuss genre. This conversation included critical questions from me like, "do you guys want action sequences?" and "what elements of thriller did you like the most?". My main purpose for these questions was to really narrow down the wants of each member. Subsequently, the conversation got to a point where I had a general idea of my groups wishes for our film opening. We even started developing our plot! Before I get ahead of my self, I can confidently say we landed on an inspirational drama as our genre.
After some extensive brainstorming, my group and I even thought of some beginnings to a plot, a plot opening with a dream sequence. This initial thought came from myself, after remembering a key aspect of biopics; memories. The inclusion of a flashback in a film is widely recognized because of the audience engagement, however, I believed that if this memory was dream, rather than a simple flashback, the impact could be much more significant. And my group agreed. Before we could begin to discuss what this dream would entail, we all knew we had a duty to conduct research in order to include appropriate dream elements.
Moving on with more opening scene research in hopes to get a better understanding of film openings. And who better to pair Tarantino with than the well known, Martin Scorsese. Screenrant.com states that Scorsese uses elements of raw intensity, moral questions, and soundtracks (that makes every scene feel like a music video you can't stop watching) to complete the Scorsese style. Lets take a look.
Raging Bull (1980) (Raw Intensity)
One of the most used aspects of Scorsese's openings are his use of pure intensity. He typically integrates this by using "visual punches" which emerges the audience into the protagonists world. This aspect is used in the example above by showing a slow-motion graphic of a man shadowboxing. This act is shown as brutal from the heavy breathing, sweat, and isolation. These "raw" aspects bring violence to life and establishes the movies tone. Maybe not perfect for a Media Studies opening, but definitely a remarkable one.
Taxi Driver (1976) (Moral questions)
Another approach used in Scorsese's openings are his use of proposing moral questions.
This is done by opening with a characters "inner demons" and their selfish pursuits. In Taxi Driver, the main character is introduced as lonely, and a "dirty New Yorker" as stated in Fandomwire.com. By immediately posing the frames of his worldview (a corrupt city), a moral questions of whether violent can be justified is proposed giving the audience a feeling of discomfort.
Goodfellas (1990) (Soundtrack)
Our last Scorsese opening element is the use of a certain song to define what's to come in the film ahead. These tunes can be of any genre, by they must instantly establish mood, define characters, and drive the pacing of the scene. As you can see in the extract above, the use of "Rags to Riches" by Tony Bennett instantly glamorizes the gangster life's. Having music mixed with a voiceover (as shown above) drives the opening even further and gives it that iconic Scorsese style.
A film's opening scene sets the tone and expectations for what is to come. If you're in a situation like me where you only creating the opening, its vital that you truly make a statement and grab your viewers attention so they are left wanting more. In order to truly understand what a memorable film opening look like, lets take a look at a fellow directors film openings, and who better could we pick than the infamous Quentin Tarantino. According to MikesMoviesReview.weebly, Tarantino "directs with passion for his art, and stylizes his films almost to no end" and this is no different in his opening scenes. NofilmSchool.com discusses that his scenes are tonal shifts, building long anticipation, and being dialogue-driven.
Pulp Fiction (1994) (Tonal shifts)
One of the most iconic openings in film history is from Pulp Fiction, Tarantino's use of tone shift in this movie is used to convey thrill. Tonal shifts are deliberate changes in a films mood, emotional atmosphere, or stylistic approach, altering how the audience perceives events or specific characters. The extract above displays this by showing a somewhat tranquil conversation, this is, up until the ending. The abrupt shift from a conversation to an armed robbery is tonal shifts at it finest
Inglorious Basterds (2009) (building long anticipation)
Moving forward with another well known Tarantino technique, the act of building long... excruciating.. antici...pation! NoFilmSchools.com states that his openings often leave us with intriguing questions. This is done through slow-burn dialogue, prolonged scenes, and intimate conversations that typically have high stakes. This is exemplified in the extract above by a 20 minute conversation about Nazi's hinting Jews. When such a pivotal scene occurs, a sense of tension arises that keeps viewers "glued to their seats, eager to the story to unfold".
Reservoir Dogs (1992) (Dialogue driven)
Our last Tarantino technique is the simple, yet effective use of extensive dialogue. Many filmmakers use this technique to immerse the audience into the scene which not only introduces the characters, but also delivers an engaging exposition. Reservoir Dogs does this by having heated arguments that reveal backstories and relationships. This focuses on characters rather than action which hook the audience.
After reviewing each aspect of Quentin Tarantino's openings from different aspects, I have a firmer grasp on what it tasks to make a "great Tarantino opener". Disclaimer: Despite learning these new techniques, I understand I shouldn't limit my skills based on the style of others, this is simply to get the train tracks moving.
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