STATEMENT OF INTENTIONS
WHAT WILL I BE DOING?
I was assigned in my media studies class to make an opening scene for a film. My initial idea was, to begin with, the main character waking up in a suit drenched in blood on the floor at the end of a corridor tied up in a wooden chair as the lights flicker on only lighting him up and the rest of the corridor being dark with a paper on his lap saying he's experiment #10856 and that his aim is to reach the maze while a robotic-like voice is telling him what to do. Dazed and confused he releases himself from the shackles and quickly stands up panting looking around not really knowing where he is. Around him is a single flower pot placed upon a squat table, several doors which do not open, and the piercing lens of a security camera, watching his every move. He looks down at the corridor to see the number on the floor and starts running down the corridor while trying to unlock different doors even though their all locked. He runs up the stairs or the elevator with contrapuntal music (depending on what our location building has) and when he reaches the next floor he realizes it's an identical corridor and that he is initially stuck in a loop. He starts going insane while running down the corridor into the same set of stairs/elevator while having flashbacks of what happened before he got there (could be a fight in a bar or him being kidnapped at night by mysterious men). The third time he enters this loop he goes so paranoic he smashes a vase on the floor and keeps running. During all of this, he has constant voices in his head hinting that he's schizophrenic. When he arrives again the vase is intact in the same place it was before he smashed it. His descent into madness is exemplified by him going up more and more floors, but to no avail in his escape. Eventually, he comes to a floor with a dark, pitiless end to it instead of an elevator. He enters it, finds a briefcase, opens it to just cut to his face in shock and the lights turn off and it then cuts to the beginning of the maze, where a group of people is shown to be in the exact same position he was.
CODES AND CONVENTIONS
I will be adding some elements of flashbacks, voice-overs suggesting the voices in his head, I will also use high angle shots to show how powerless the victim is, close-ups to express emotion, and we will try to film several shots that convey claustrophobia (as our film is already being recorded mostly in a corridor, so we are using the small confines to our advantage). The lighting will be dim warm available hotel lighting. Lighting will illustrate how it changes according to the performance and plot. For example, key lighting will be present at the beginning of the opening, cast on top of the protagonist being tied up in a chair, however, once he stands up and starts walking around, the lighting will transform into source lighting, signifying that his voyage outside the only environment he knows is dangerous. There will also be lowkey lighting at times with the colors of blacks, greys, and whites (the shadows and colors of the everlasting corridors) representing the duality within the “experiment”. White usually signifies peace and tranquility (the corridor seems that way) whereas the shadows and darkness that eventually consume the corridor act as the true colors to the nature of the corridors. These two colors will immediately contrast with the red blood on his shirt and the small patches of blood outside the only open door which symbolizes danger to the audience. The corridors will hopefully have a juxtaposing ambiance (in that it is incredibly neat and man-made, despite its abnormal function highlighting how sick someone had had to be to create this neverending building).
WHY I CHOSE THIS GENRE
I chose the physiological thriller and mystery genre for our opening scene in our film since, unlike other genres, this particular genre allows for far more creative endeavors and is arguably more practical when it comes to filming. The physiological aspect of our genre will also allow us to pursue multilayer concepts when it comes to creating enigma codes and trials the characters will be forced to endure. The horror and mystery aspects broaden our ability to create and modify the fundamentals of cinematography. To add to this genre we decided to have no dialogue delivered by the character (other than short gasps, whimpering, and grunting) inkling the voiceovers of the voices in his head. Our aim is to show the journey of our main character spiraling into madness which will require both the body language of the actor being cast. The body language will vary greatly throughout the opening, with a range of different emotions all ending in pure madness and despair.
INSPIRATIONS
