Project Reflection

The first two minutes of a movie are the most essential part of any production. These are the moments that hook the audience in, the moments that identify the film as a whole. Film openings must create a tone, establish the genre, and reveal the conflict that drives the piece. Being tasked to create a likewise meaningful and high quality film opening was a journey start to finish, one with many road bumps and heartaches. As my group and I reach the home stretch of the portfolio project’s completion, I would like to take a moment to reflect back on what has led us here in the first place.

Research

To begin with, there was research. Lots of research. The genre we specifically started our research with was drama, which would give us a broad range of options and ideas to choose from since we had no clue what kind of story we wanted to make yet. After reading the various conventions and sub-genres of dramas, I heavily aligned myself in making the opening something in the vein of a tragedy. My thought process was that by making a heavily flawed character, their personality can be used to create tone and possibly hint at future conflict. I also took a look at the film openings from these well renowned films: Good Will Hunting (1997, dir. Gus Van Sant), Schindler's List (1993, dir. Steven Spielberg), and Taxi Driver (1976, dir. Martin Scorsese). Each opening presented new ways to tackle the project, with most influence deriving from Good Will Hunting’s approach to storytelling and Taxi Driver’s use of opening credits as an introduction to the plot.

Developing an Opening (Showtime)

The title card for what would have been Showtime.

After taking a look at dramas and sharing the information I found with the rest of my group, we all agreed on a tragic approach to the opening. In order to create a flawed character, I decided to research the fundamentals in character design and narrative structure. This combined with frequent spitball discussions with my group led to the creation of the character of Keith Floyd, a once famous actor who went off the deep end. These were the beginnings of the opening known as Showtime. Showtime was the original fully fleshed idea for the project and was based on Keith Floyd attempting to make a comeback into the spotlight. His attempt would fail as his bad habits of drug and alcohol addiction, and as well as the isolation and lack of true connection he experiences, will get to him.  This idea was heavily layered in our personal criticism of celebrity culture and how dangerous it can be to those who get too wrapped up into the lifestyle. It also was an honest one, as it is a genuine problem in real life that has actually led to the unfortunate deaths of many who rise into fame. All of these elements made this opening a strong, complex concept. An opening that would have been perfect in meeting all of the previously mentioned standards to be expected in the project. With a script written, a storyboard finished, and only a few minor bumps here and there, everything was slating to turn out great...

Change of Plans

Then COVID-19 happened. The toll it had on the rest of the world is far greater compared to how it affected us, but as a result we could not get to create Showtime. To try and avoid the danger of the virus, we thought about meeting up at a county park to film a horror production in the woods. At this point it was too late. The park closed before I was even able to write a script or do proper research on horror films, and there were stricter guidelines on social distancing. By being unable to meetup and having to stay at home under quarantine, we were unable to create an opening to the scale we had planned, and the only cast and crew we had access to was ourselves.  Almost all hope was lost on being able to create a great film opening.

The Workaround (The Runaway)

The title card for The Runaway.

My partner Edward suggested to embrace making it simple: an opening about a teenager running away from home in the same vein as a cheesy teen movie one would find from the 80’s. With the obstacles surrounding us, making a complex and extremely multilayered opening is going to be nearly impossible to pull off. The thought process was that if we at least stuck to something simple and actually able to be done, we could do a lot to make it interesting by using what we have. In this case, what we had was our neighborhoods and homes. Edward took the role of lead actor and filmed himself packing up a backpack and sprinting outside. My other partner Nick did some voice acting and shouted a monologue I wrote of an angry father upset with his son, which would go to explain that the teenager’s life at home is abysmal and that he was a rebel. I got additional footage of nature at a trail in my neighborhood to use for an opening credits sequence and detail the beauty of the outdoors. These gorgeous shots make the situation make sense as to why the teenager would want to run away out of the troubled home in comparison. Once I got these various sources of media, I combined it to create an upbeat, fun final product. Due to the limited resources we shot the opening with, editing became the most crucial element in the formation of our opening. Editing took a lot of time because of this. I had to perfect each frame as much as I could, create meaning through the cuts that I made, and had to make the pacing of the opening flow nicely.  We have decided to call this opening The Runaway.

Conclusion

As I reflect back on the entirety of the portfolio project, it is apparent that what I remember the most from it is less of the technical details, but instead the experiences I had learning more about film production, the time spent with my group working hard, and using creativity to overcome the barriers in our path. The filmmaking process is one filled with rewrites and workarounds all across the board. This is seen as we had to change plots, genre, and even tone multiple times until we figured out the best approach. It is also a process where you have to pay attention to what tools you have at your disposal and be able to adapt in order to create a great opening. While tiring as it has been, I have found it ultimately rewarding to type this now being finished with the opening and realizing how much we were able to accomplish, even if some aspects never made it to fruition. I wish there was more we could do to improve the quality, more we could do to make it into something more fantastic. In the end, I am proud of what we have made regardless of the situation and hope others will enjoy it as well.

Making a film opening requires a lot of effort and thoughtful consideration into all of the elements, whether it might be shot composition, sound, mise-en-scène, or editing, to create a cohesive piece. Openings must invoke tone, develop the narrative, establish genre, and hook in an audience. A film opening that can accomplish and apply all of the above is what makes one to be great.