Character Background

One of the best parts of creating a story and turning it into a film is the character building. It's always been my favorite part due to the fact that I enjoy connecting with the characters I watch on TV. If you fail to give an explanation or an insight into why the character is the way they are, the audience will have no inkling to connect or even really care about the character. They will also be missing the reason as to why characters do what they do or don't do. 

The Breakfast Club (1985)

Each character in this film has a different background which leads them to act in the way that they do. If they were all the same or had no information on who they are, the audience would find the film very boring. 

John Bender:

- the bad boy

- rule breaker

- abusive father 

- outsider 

Allison Reynolds:

- the weirdo 

- quiet 

- outcast 

- oddball

Claire Standish:

- the good girl

- popular 

- follower

Brian Johnson:

- the nerd

- quiet 

- awkward

- nice

Andrew Clark:

- the jock 

-  popular kid

-  good boy

- strict father

Each of these characters plays an important role in the film in order to define a contrast in each of them. The different personalities provide different perspectives on any situation. In my film opening, I want to establish a main character who carries a lot of grief and heartache for different things. They have a hard time expressing how they feel, and when you first look at them, you can tell that they are different from the rest. 

Character development is especially important in scenarios where not a lot of context is given, and the audience must make their own assumptions and interpretations. All I'm trying to say is that one of the key elements in a film are the characters and how they are perceived.

Scheduling

 

Schedule!

Hello all, for the best and most efficient way to complete this project in a timely manner ive decided to create a schedule for myself. I'm the type of person who needs to write things down, or the task just won't get done. Creating a realistic schedule and updating it as I see fit will help keep me in order and out of the issue of overstressing. 

This may change depending on other things that may come up, like other class work, outside of school activities, and things of that nature. I obviously won't know if my plane will play out exactly how I intend it to, but if it changes, I will definitely update you guys. 

Coming of Age film credits

 Credit Scenes

Important Qualites Needed for a Successful Credit Scene 

• an established tone 
• sound/music 
• presentatio of the names
• foreshadowing of film 

Call Me By Your Name (2017)

This film follows the summer in Italy about a young teenage boy and an older man. The opening credits are unique in this film. It immediately begins with picutes of old statues behind a yellow, cursive font. Many films use the ordinary and typical fonts but with this one its as if someone hand wrote everything, thats how uniques the fornt looks comapred to other films. The music is predominately made from the playing of a piano and it shows how the director took a more artistical approach. The credits leave a lot to the imagination and establish a tone of serenity. Immediately after the credits end we see that the same font is used to represent when the film takes places. 

Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

The film is about a teenage boy who become friends with 2 highschool seniors that help him navigate love and friendship. Once his friends begin to prepare for college he must now face his past. The films perspective is usually a stream of conciousness by the protagoist, Charlie, and he is writing to a "friend" that isn't ever named. The opening credits are a big part in the foreshadowing of this film. It takes place in a highway tunnel where later on the kids will drive through when experiencing freedom. It has a typewritten font where the words and names are all lowercase. The music is talking about a guy falling in love and anything unhappy is made happy when he is thinking about his love. The choices made were never unintentional and every detail plays a part in the film later on. 

Bones and All (2022)

Maren is a cannibal. Lee is a cannibal. They are both "eaters". The film is graphic and gut wrenching watch yet when you look past all of that its a raw story about love and belonging. The entire film opening are paintings that are encased in the highschool. The opening also shows a hint of forshadowing of where Maren and Lee will be later on in the film.  Its short and one of the actors, director or anyone that worked on the film are actually in the opening. It is certainly a different and interesting choice made by the director. I will most likely not follow that same approach but it is certainly one to admire. 

Coming of Age Film Openings

 

Investigating Coming of Age Film Openings

Uptown Girls

It begins with the narration from a young girl telling a fairytale like story about a princess. The point of view begins to spin from a carnival to the inside of an apartment. The lighting is warm and the room is messy as if it were a childs. The phone begins to ring and goes to the voicemail of a woman talking about a birthday and how the birthday girl needs to wake up. The woman in the bed wakes up and get ready in a hurry while music begins to play and then "Uptown Girls" is displayed while the camera zooms out. The irony of a young girl tellng a story while and older woman sleeps makes an interesting parrallel of whats to come. The tracking shot of the apartment following a pig to the lamps lit throughout the room to a sleeping woman was done so well its as if you there. The element of the roles being reversed is so interesting and could be a fun element to incorpoate into my film opening. As well as the shot of the world spinning dissolving into the womans apartment. It was done so seamlessly that if done properly could only enhance my opening. 

Freedom Writers

You hear it before you see it. The sound of different news stations talking about all the violence and hate happening in Los Angeles. Then you see it. The sight of fires, shootings, protests, and gangs rallied together. Then the narration of a girl named Eva begins to tell us hew view of the world. The clear divide of who did or didn't have the power. A common theme in coming of age films is the family dynamics and the protagonist being relatively young and having to overcome a hard obstacle. The obstacle here is the divide of races.

 

All the Bright Places

It opens with a boy runing with gloomy weather and a neutral face. Music can be heard yet it begins to fade out once we see a girl standing on a ledge. She looks focused yet we can tell there is a battle going on un her head. She doesn't notice the boy at first and he begins to approach her. An extreme long shot of the same girl looking so small compared to the height of the 

bridge. He speaks her name catching her off gaurd and she begins to panic. He gets up with her as if to get on the same level. you can tell they arent "friends" but possibly aquaintences. He goofs off and she gets nervous becaus eof the risk of him falling. He speaks her name once more and reaches his hand out. She looks shocked and cautiously thinks about what to do next. Then the title "All The Bright Places" is shown in a yellow color and an almost handwritten font. Their relationship is undefined to us because although they may know eachothers names, the energy they give is uncertain and kind of uncomfortable. The audience is also left in the dark about why she is possibly contemplating jumping off the ledge. She spoke maybe 7 words yet her silence spoke volumes about what she was possibly feeling. The two shot towards the end when his hand is out for her to grab is touching because it forshadows what he could be feeling and thinking as well. It also helps us see hem as equals on even ground. The director was able to tell us all of that with them barely saying a few words but the shots and angle in wich they were taken in explains enough to leave us wanting more. 

Transitioning into the Cambridge Portfolio Project!!

Transitioning into the Cambridge Portfolio Project!!

Hello people of Cambridge!! It's time to start transitioning into this project at full speed! I am very nervous to start this project, yet I feel confident that I have all the tools I need to have a successful film opening. For my following blog posts, I will be documenting my process of the film opening, such as my schedule, script, and any and all ideas that come about, will be documented and posted here.

Drama

The dramatic films have always had my attention and always left me with a sense of wanting to watch more. The depth of films like these, with the color palette being different for every film, just astonishes me. 

   

The film Forrest Gump(1994) is probably one of my favorite films of all time. The way Tom Hanks was able to portray a deep character so well and how each setting fit so perfectly will always amaze me. 

 

Every long shot used throughout the film was so necessary to the plot and development of the character. Each shot of the setting and of Forest gave an emphasized feel of a narrator and built on th ehistoric element sin the film. That simple choice of the long shot changed the film in its entirety. The use of the bench when Forrest is narrating is also a very important piece in the film. The outfits that each character wears also play an important part in order to signify the date and what the characters were going through. This can be considered a historical drama due to the fact that we are following the life from the beginning to the present day. 

The attention to detail is where I like to think I shine, since every piece must be thought out and executed to the best of my ability. Each choice should and will have a reason, whether that be to develop the character or establish the scene. I plan to incorporate the attention to detail in my piece in order to have the best outcome possible. 

Coming of Age

Coming-of-age films have been a very easy genre for me to relate to since many protagonists are my age or close to it and face problems similar to mine. That important element is what audiences are drawn to. People just want to be seen and understood and represented in a way that touches their hearts. 

The film Uptown Girls(2003) is a film that relates to kids with neglectful parents who just want to be seen for who they truly are. The many two shots used in this film represent the relationship between the characters so well, although there is a large age gap. 

The character development and relationship represented by the simple two-shot is such a strong choice that it worked very well. Their clothing choices and the different saturationg the different scenes to emphasize whatever is happening at that moment truly is what the audeinces are yearning for. 

The editing process for films such as this may be a challenge due to my basic level of editing, but it is one that I may be willing to work on for my benefit and the benefit of the overall film opening. The saturation of certain colors in certain scenes, and the lighting must be on point in order for the effect to get across.

Portfolio Project Genre #2

 Coming of Age

The second genre I was in between was coming of age. The connection I have with films like this is very deep emotionaly and I feel them very intensely in my heart. Due to the fact that I am still young and growing and just moving through life, films in this genre are more relatable and that may lead to my film opening being more of an easy process.

What is Coming of Age?

This film genre focuses on a usually young protagonist that has to face a dilema or overcome a challange. Popular films like Perks of Being a Wallflower(2012), Thirteen(2003), and The Breakfast Club(1985) have been some of my favorite films over the years and were done so well. Coming of age films are usually currated for teenagers and adults since it can be an outlet for them to see other characters growing through their life experiences. 

   

Conventions and Techniques

Setting: Suburban areas, teenage bedrooms, malls/shopping centers, cars, schools, etc.

Characters: the outcast, the rebel, a dumb blonde, the druggie, a controlling parent, etc.

Props: magazines, phones, music records, posters, etc.

Sound: voiceovers, music, school bell, phone ringing, etc. 

Certain technique examples are:

-voiceovers/narrations

-close ups

-montages

These are recognized most in coming of age films and are the most notable to the audience. This genre is used so the audience can undeerstand the characters on a deeper level and give room for relatability. 

Portfolio Project Genre #1

 

Drama! 

In class, we have started our research and introduction to our portfolio project. The freedom given to us allows a lot of flexibility and a wide range of imaginative ideas. Ive been struggling to decide whether to do drama, suspense, and coming of age. Although very different genres ive decided to focus my research on drama and suspense. I feel as though they will showcase my ideas the best and allow for my vision to be put in motion. 

What is Drama?

The drama genre in film is when human experiences are heightened and portrayed more dramatically. Popular drama films are Little Women (2019), Beautiful Boy (2018), and Boys Don't Cry (1999). What these films have in common is that they are all realistic events that have been dramatized. 

  

  

Audience

The range for the audience is relatively broad but geared more towards adults, and focuses on people who want an emotional draw and deep characters that sometimes may be relatable. They do sometimes carry heavy and mature topics not suitable for younger audiences, yet the teenage group may find some films enjoyable. 

Conventions with Content + Techniques

Common conventions in drama films are their realistic settings, close and tight shots, conflict, and character development. They also have a tendency to include climaxes and anti-climaxes in order to keep their audience invested and allow for the suspense of what will happen next. 

An idea I was thinking about including in my film opening is going against the common conventions while still keeping the drama genre. The film Titanic (1997) is a prime example. The audience already knows what will happen to the ship, yet they add a genre of romance to it between Rose and Jack. Although their love story isn't probable, the added layer of romance enhanced the drama genre. 

    

In dramatic films, popular techniques are:

- voice-overs

- dramatic music

- darker lighting or natural lighting 

- close-up shots/ tight close-up shots

- climax/ anti-climax

- stream of consciousness of inner dialogue within characters

Institutional Conventions

These are tactics that are accepted by a wide range of audiences who can easily identify the genre of a film. They are the bones of what every genre of film should have that audiences can interpret. Some examples are:

Scene/setting: a realistic daily life place like offices, homes, playgrounds, schools, etc.

Character relationships: family dynamics, intimate relationships, social struggles, etc.

Themes: mental illness, traumatic events, politics, class struggles