To do this task I was in a pair with Godgift and we came up with an idea for a film called 'Under the Influence'. The concept was created whilst disscussing different genres and decided upon a quite original genre of romantic-horror. This opening plays on a representation of an average, routinely meeting with her boyfriend and then walking home together. This is then juxtaposed with his subtle obsessive tendencies, for example, squeezing her hand tightly and of course the representation of him stalking her in shot 7 and 8. However during the rest of the film these tendencies become amplified and he becomes fixated on her as her fear towards him develops and he eventually kills her to satisfy his possessive nature.
We tried to include quite a lot of information about the scenario and roles of the characters during the film opening. The two main characters of the film were introduce in the opening shot where he is running to catch up with her. The relationship between the two characters is then made clear when you see them holding hands and walking home and can therefore see the romantic side of the genre. Following this, you are given hints to his dangerous nature through subtle connotations of obsession, for example, him watching her in shot 8 through the window. We also represented the main actor and production companies through the credits.
The film idea is about a man that is too in love and becomes obsessed. There is a clear link between this concept and Shot 9 where the title of the film 'Under the Influence' is shown. The link is through the meaning of 'Under the Influence' which is what you are described as being when you have consumed a drug. In this case, she is his drug and he is hooked, therefore justifying his obsessive actions.
We have created this opening to be partially clear, partially subtle, but still have part of the information completely withheld. What I mean by this is that we wanted the audience to understand that they were in a relationship and that he was walking her home, but on top of this we wanted the audience to pick up on his subtly odd nature. However, we also wanted to set up enigmas (where information is withheld and it is ambiguous) about the extent of his danger and what he was planning to do, which would be explored and answered during the film. This means that we are able to give the audience something to think about and draw them in to unanswered questions without risking them being totally confused, not understanding any of the beginning, and possibly turning it off.
The first two things we included which was essential to an opening was the introduction of a plot and a character. We did both, we introduced the main couple but also introduced his obsessive nature. This is because there are key connotations and representations in both categories, that are important to covey in order for the genre or at least help the theme to be understood. It is also essential to include credits in your opening sequence, this is a legal requirement, but also a good way to connote your genre. We tried to connote our genre through the font we used, a slightly creepy typewriter font (normal, but with a sense of peculiarity), however you can also connote your genre through the names of actors, directors or production companies. For example, if it is directed by Stephen King it is likely to be a horror film, or if it is produced by 'Marvel' it is likely to be a superhero film.
I think that overall our project was quite effective as a film opening. This is because I think we used a range of framing and showed the characters from various perspectives. I also feel that we were able to represent the relationship quite well. However, I think that the darker side of his personality was not as clear as we would have liked and is not fully understood. I also think that we should have experimented with more different angles to help to connote his obsessive nature.
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