Music can truly transform a scene. Although I've already "decided" on a song for my opening, I'm starting to like my choice less and less as time goes on. I want my song to equate a theme song in that it propels my character's transformation forward. However, CSC's "Little Business" seems more appropriate for a training montage than my opening. Over these past couple of days I've been trying to piece together a skeleton of what I envision for my opening with test footage. Alongside "Little Business" though, the footage came across as laughable. Even though I wish to incorporate comedic elements in my opening, I don't want to spoon feed jokes to the viewer. I would rather imply the film's humor by highlighting the ridiculousness of its protagonist, similar to dark comedies.
test footage
That being said, I am actively searching for a better match for my film opening! Free Music Archive is really a handy-dandy site, and my favorite song so far is "1000 Tears" by Dengue Fever. Furthermore, as I'm in the process of revising my opening's monologue, this video full of one-liners from films like Dirty Harry (1971), Independence Day (1996), and Die Hard (1988), has definitely sparked quite a bit of inspiration for me, and I thought it important to document that!
As I mentioned in my last post, a lot of progress has been made this week! Actually blocking everything out and realizing what I'm working with has definitely changed my perspective on my idea. I've decided I want the opening to function more like a song, looping and cutting back to the mirror monologue as a sort of chorus. I think this will reinforce the idea of the monologue being a routine, as routines are repetitive. I've also cut additional scenes, like the mail room call-to-action scene, which will allow me to focus more on introducing the character and her desires, instead of trying to squeeze in an introduction to conflict. I want to begin with a mid shot of Kiara staring straight into the camera, saying "Hey, you!" as it crash zooms into a close up of her face. I want to incorporate a theme of dramatic camera movement throughout the beginning of the opening, filming it like the character would imagine she looks in the moment. I also want the monologue to feel very confrontational, so I believe adding a crash zoom will help in that aspect. I want to interrupt the continuation of the monologue after "Hey, you!" with a fast paced montage of Kiara putting her "Power Mix" CD into its player. The montage will be sound oriented, reminiscent of something along the lines of this fan made Leon: The Professional (1994 dir. Luc Besson) sound montage.
I then wish to cut back to Kiara where she left off, muttering and starting to talk about how she's the "baddest mama jama in here," while a funky song starts up in the background. I plan on bouncing between close ups, mid shots, and extreme close ups during the monologue, but never breaking the angle. I want the audience to believe she's breaking the fourth wall up until I reveal she isn't. The monologue will be separated into short bits by shots of Kiara messing around in her room, doing karate moves and things of the sort, but will build at the end when she starts saying things like "You think I'm playing? Does this look like playing?" whipping out a serving fork as a weapon. I decided against the butter knife mentioned in a previous post because anything knife-related seems too intimidating to me. I don't want my character to be intimidating as much as ridiculous towards the end. I want to complete the opening by revealing that she was standing in front of a mirror throughout the monologue, and follow that by having her turn off the player (completing her ritual) and whispering "Showtime" to herself. Until next time! CS
A lot of progress has been made over the last couple of days and I edited it all into a video!
On Wednesday I invited Kiara over and she helped me set up the set, as well as location scout, which was all too kind of her! Set design is something I haven't focussed on too much in past projects, as I usually end up filming in locations I don't have any control over, like school or the outdoors. However, in my opening set design is necessary to create meaning and reinforce my character's quirks.
I decided to keep most of my art prints up, as to avoid empty space on the walls, and to also put up a variety of film posters, for reasons mentioned in previous posts. I mainly focussed on filling up my room so that when I'm filming all shots will be interesting and rich.
Moreover, Kiara and I went location scouting for some cool mail-rooms and settled on the neighborhood over's outdoor mail area. There was an open locker, which was perfect for us, but I've since cut the mail scene (as of today). I decided that it would be better to end the opening with her stopping the player on her own, as if completing her routine. Cutting the mail scene also cleared up all of my time concerns.
Thursday we worked on Kiara's character, and I showed her some examples of what I was going for. We also figured out blocking and costume design! Overall, having a second opinion was extremely helpful to the whole process.
Since I first came up with my idea, finding a song fit for my opening has been a major concern of mine. Because the song will play throughout the majority of the film, I want to ensure it isn't overpowering. At the same time, I want it to be bold, resembling a theme song in that it helps get my protagonist into her "character."
I fell in love Curtis Mayfield's "The Underground" (demo version), presented above. I liked the idea of it being from the same artist that did Super Fly's (1972 dir. by Gordon Parks, Jr.) soundtrack, a film my character would've loved, and thought her choosing to put it on would make sense because of its funky tune and relation to the film. However, I knew figuring out copyright-things, or even waiting for a representative to get back to me could take more time than I have to give. After leaving a ton of voicemails to Warner Bros. offices across the nation, I sort of lost hope. Filming next Sunday, I would like to know the song I plan on using ahead of time and not knowing when the Warner Bros. people would get back to me, I moved on to Free Music Archive. There, I found a bunch of groovy tunes and even decided on one, CSC Funk Band's "Little Business." The song starts off strong, which I like, but has no lyrics and could easily blend into the background, not overpowering the scene or monologue. The band is also licensed under an "Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License," which allows me, or any content creator, to use their song(s) as long as credit is given and it's indicated if the song was altered. Until next time! CS
I've already mentioned that a major goal I have is to bring a sense of life to my film opening. Films like Boogie Nights (1997), City of God (2002), and Almost Famous (2000) have influenced me, in that aspect, as they are undeniably vibrant pieces. But so far, I haven't delved too deep into films or scenes that inspire me content wise. The mirror monologue in my opening has definitely been influenced by Taxi Driver's (1976) famous "You talkin' to me?" scene, displayed below. Because my character is film obsessed, I want to allude to her having seen Taxi Driver, among Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003), Jackie Brown (1997), etc. and to simply be mimicking a blend of all these characters.
In order to create my opening I need quite a few things organized:
(1) Location: As I mentioned in my last post, I'm going to film the beginning of my opening in my room. Filming in my room, as opposed to a friend or family member's, will give me free range to manipulate the set as much as I'd like, and shoot reshoots, etc. without feeling like I'm taking a favor too far. If I have enough time to include the getting-the-mail sequence in my opening, I plan on using my neighboring neighborhood's outdoor mail area! It's all around beige, and I think it'll work well when trying to communicate the lameness of her world in comparison to that of those she aspires to be. (2) Actress: Because my opening relies heavily on a monologue, it's important that I get an actress who understands what I'm going for and can deliver lines. My amazing, talented friend, Kiara, has already agreed to acting for me! She's a member of the school's musical theatre program, thus, experienced, and I've worked with her many times before. In addition, she lives a short walk away from me so it'll be no problem finding time to film.
(3) CD player: My other wonderful friend, Kimi, is lending me her old CD player. It has writing and scribbles all over it, which is perfect for the homemade feeling I'm going for!
Kiara (taken by yours truly)
(4) Action movie paraphernalia: Since Blockbuster isn't really a thing anymore, I'm going to take some old DVD's and replace their cover photos with covers like Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003 dir. by Quentin Tarantino) or Battle Royale's (2000 dir. by Kinji Fukasaku). Furthermore, I want to get a spray container that can pass for pepper spray and label it as so. I'll probably end up using a travel-sized hair spray bottle and attach a key chain to its end. Labeling the bottle "pepper spray" will also add to the makeshift-ness of everything my character does when trying to be like her idols. (5) General set design: I plan on putting some action movie posters up around my room and taking down most of my art-things, as to not contradict any of my character's traits. In addition, I want to have a variety of colors present in my room. Thus, when my character leaves to do her chores, the monochromatic-ness of the mail area will clearly juxtapose the opening's previous setting, translating the contrast between her real and contrived world. (6) Equipment: I plan on filming on my camcorder. Since my camcorder's footage gets grainy in low light, I'm going to film in the morning, using sunlight and a couple of lamps to light the scene! (7) Costume: I want to have Kiara dressed in something that is clearly a costume. I have many outfits in mind, but I for sure want her in large hoop earrings with her hair down. That's all I can think of for now! I must thank my lovely friends who never fail to warm my heart with their willingness to help. Until next time! CS
For a while now I’ve been messing around with the idea of having a character obsessed with action movies (along the Tarantino wavelength) and their protagonists by default. Originally, I wanted to focus in on two best friends that decided to set out on a mission of their own. I wanted this mission of theirs to surround the mundane, reinforcing the idea that they could never be who they longed to be because life is not a film. Unfortunately, I ran into several obstacles when it came to time, actors, etc. Something clicked, though, while watching this previously linked side-by-side comparison of Boogie Nights (1997 dir. by Paul Thomas Anderson) and Scorsese works, and I modified my idea a bit!
I still really like and want to work with a character obsessed with action heros, but I'm going to set the opening in my room and focus in on one protagonist instead. Rooms are intimate spaces and, in many ways, portraits of their owners. Thus, I want my room littered with action paraphernalia to reflect the mindset of my opening's protagonist.
A very long photo of my room. (Stuff on my floor- oopsies!)
Using my room as the setting, opposed to a friend's room, will also give me full access to manipulate the set and film reshoots without feeling like I'm stretching a favor. Moreover, instead of having my character decide to go out on a mission, I'd like to have her misinterpret an incident as a call to action.
Type of CD player I'm going for.
I want the opening to essentially be a girl (Kiara) playing dress up in her room, putting on this blend-of-every-action-hero ever persona in front of the mirror. To start her ritual, she plays a funky song. I’ll get into exact shots, angles, etc. in the storyboards, but I want to open with a shot of a CD player on her desk, the sound of her picking up a CD offscreen in the background. I like the emptiness of the shot, and also that a CD player’s outdated enough to make it seem like she stole it from Mom’s “junk section” of the garage.
Kiara slides into frame on a spinny chair, CD in hand. She puts the CD in the player, pressing play, and officially commencing the film. I then want to cut to her standing up and turning into the camera, saying “Hey you. Yeah, you!” This will be the first time the audience sees her and they’ll assume she’s breaking the fourth wall, but following what I mentioned in my “Notes from City of God” post about the camera acting as a person, I want to whip pan to what’s in front of her, revealing that she’s talking to herself in the mirror. I want to allude to this monologue being a part of her daily routine by cutting to shots of items around her room that indicate her obsession with action culture, such as the Kill Bill Vol. 1 and2 DVD’s stacked on top of each other, or a pepper spray keychain lying around her desk. I also want to create a sense of comedy in how seriously she takes herself.
Cutting back, she'll continue her monologue and eventually go on to say "You think I'm playing? Does this look like playing?" pulling out a butter knife. I think a butter knife is fitting because it makes it abundantly clear that she isn’t a serious threat, and also implies that it was the only “weapon” she could find, adding to the comedic aspect of the opening. A few moments after she pulls out the knife, her mother calls her from the other room, asking her to pick up the mail. Kiara runs to turn off the player and shoves the knife in her desk drawer.
If I reach the two minute mark there, I'll end there, but if not I'd like to include her picking up the mail. I want to present the beginning of that in a long shot, emphasizing the lameness of the situation. Moreover, I want to conclude it with her stumbling across a letter she misinterprets as a call to action. I don't know exactly what the letter should say, but I'll decide that later.
In the video, Anderson explains that he wanted to start the film loudly and immediately. Because the amount of main characters in Boogie Nights is so large, and community/ family is one of its major themes, commencing the story in a busy nightclub while acquainting the audience with the film's leading characters is very effective. However, I think it would be more reasonable for me to model my opening after something closer to the opening scene of Pulp Fiction (1994 dir. Quentin Tarantino), by building anticipation throughout the segment and then interrupting its peak with a freeze frame/ title card- just because having a large cast isn't feasible with my resources and I'd still like to create something bold and stylistic. When describing the opening Anderson goes on to say,
"[It's] just like dialogue, and people are screaming, and it's not important to hear every single word, you know, because it's really about vibe and no one's really saying anything of any real importance."
That line in particular has really resonated with me as I've discovered that I'm someone who places prime importance on vibe/ tone/ feeling in film. Harmony Korine spoke of a similar philosophy in this wonderful, two part interview about Spring Breakers. In the commentary, Anderson continues talking about the dialogue in the scene, referring to it as "chat talk." "Chat talk" occurs when people are close enough to talk in code or with the near absence of nouns. Because I plan on making a story that centers in on two characters that are already close, I could most definitely employ that method of dialogue in my opening. "Chat talk", to me, falls under the same sentiment I mentioned in my last post about starting scenes in the middle of the action, adding to the idea that there is or has been constant motion happening offscreen. Anderson then discusses his shot influences, namedropping Scorsese, Truffaut, and Jonathon Demme. I found this really cool side-by-side comparison of Boogie Nights and Scorsese works that could definitely inspire some shot ideas for my opening! Naturally, the commentary excluded a lot of my favorite parts of Boogie Nights, as it only covered the film's opening. One technique I'd love to make use of that the film often did is establishing scenes through a series of close ups to communicate necessary information about location, time, or characters. This technique, to me, follows closely after the "show don't tell" mentality, and is a lot less blatant than the standard ELS. I like the idea of starting my opening with a series of photograph-like close ups on objects in the setting that could translate some of my characters' traits. Moreover, I really like the way Boogie Nights uses music to guide scenes. I've also discovered in my research that The French New Wavehad a major influence on Boogie Nights, so I will definitely look deeper into that. Obviously, it's impossible to ignore the film's beautiful 70s aesthetic. As I mentioned in my first post, that is something I'd love to experiment with!
Part of executing the liveliness mentioned in my previous entry concerning Boogie Nights(1997), Almost Famous(2000), and City of God (2002)is studying those works and deciding whether or not to adopt their techniques. I found a lovely video essay on Youtube by Lewis Bond onCity of God’senergy that I think will end up being pretty useful.
Bond ordered his essay by how characters, editing, structure, immersion, and environment attributed to City of God's vibrancy. I don't believe his commentary on characters will help me too much, just because I'm not planning on presenting more than three characters in my opening, or treating all characters with equal importance as I want to create a film with clearly distinct leading roles. However, I will take note of what Bond said about limiting the amount of scenes with only one character as the focus.
Regarding editing and structure, Bond explained how City of God never started in the beginning of a scene, but rather jumped from the end of one to the middle of another, maintaining pacing and excitement. I definitely think utilizing this technique would be beneficial to my project when establishing tone!
Furthermore, a major component of City of God's style is its camera movement. The camera is meant to mimic audience actions, double taking when something shocking happens, or even looking completely upside down. By doing so, the directors place the viewers in the scene, which I definitely think is fitting when trying to make a film feel alive, and would love to try out!
Film has always been dear to my heart. It is the marriage of photography, writing, music, and so on, the perfect blend of everything I love consuming and creating. In the following weeks I will be posting regularly on this platform, recording my own experience while making a two minute movie opening for my AICE Media Studies class. It is difficult to know exactly where and how to begin this project, but I think an introduction works!
My name is Cassandra Secada, I am 16 years old, and a junior in high school. Although I am very nervous about this assignment, I am also very excited. I am facing this challenge with open arms and welcoming all that is to come!
Almost Famous (2000 dir. by Cameron Crowe)
Some films that are really special to me and I believe will be chief inspirations for my opening are Boogie Nights (1997 dir. by Paul Thomas Anderson), Almost Famous (2000 dir. by Cameron Crowe), and City of God(2002 dir. by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund). While at first glance these films have little in common, they are all knit together by a common vibrance. They are rich with life. They have a pulse about them, and that is something I wish to emulate with my project. I would also really love to experiment with some 70s aesthetics, and art direction in general!
