(post 4) What I want to do and why

 What I want to do and why

So far, I know that I want to do something thought provoking that leaves the audience creating their own theories on what happened and watching it again in order to catch little details that they missed the first time. My favourite type of film or television is always one where I'm left unable to stop thinking about it and I want to do something that has meaning to me.

My initial idea is a story about a boy who realises he can shift realities and escape his dismal real life. At first the new reality seems perfect but in actual fact there is an unknown killer trying to get him. It becomes clear at the end that the killer is also the boy. I built this idea around the fact that I wanted to create a metaphor for the struggles of mental health and real life. The twist of the film is that the audience is unsure whether the events actually happened or if it was all in the boy's own head as he was trying to escape real life. The killer is a metaphor for his depression trying to defeat him. 

I want to do this as the themes and subject overall is something very important to me and I think this is an interesting way to show it whilst still creating an exciting fantasy/thriller film that showcases my skills. I also want to do this as I would love to film outside as much as possible. I am always finding new and beautiful places around the county that I think would make amazing filming locations and this would also mean that the 'new reality' effect could be pretty easily created without having to spend a-lot of money on sets or use a green screen. I love the idea that there is a place inside your head you can escape to, however there are risks that come with spending too long in this perfect place.

Micro elements:

The mise-en-scene is the elements of the film that you can see on screen. This is something that will be highly important and I will focus heavily on in this film. I love the idea of hidden details that the audience only catch after watching it multiple times and will put a lot of thought into everything that is visually on screen. Here are my initial ideas for Mise-en-scene:

Character expression and movement: The main character will be a young boy between the ages of 15 and 18. This will build on the fact that he is struggling and feels out of control of his own life. Whilst in the real world he will have rigid and awkward movements and move slowly with an emotionless expression, in the new reality he will loosen up and begin to look happy and carefree as well as running as if he has not been able to move properly for a long time. When he realises he is being hunted down he will resort back to rigid movements as though he is paralysed with fear. Another character is the faceless person trying to kill the boy. The idea is for this person to appear to be the same person as the boy so their movements will be somewhat the same but with more intent. I am also hoping to create an animated creature and use my knowledge of cgi to implement this into the film.

Props: so far I have decided that I want the boy's room to play an integral part of the story. He could have a wall covered in drawings of fantasy creatures or paintings of landscapes to bring attention to the fact that the place he is going is his dream reality.

Costume: I would like the costume to be simple and naturalistic because the world the boy actually lives in is meant to reflect real life.

Lighting: For the lighting I would like it to be as dull and grey as possible in the real world and bright and vivid in the alternate reality. I don't want It to look as though it's completely unrealistic and I will use natural light as much as possible however I will also edit some of the scenes to increase the saturation and brightness.

Cinematography and Editing: I want to use as many interesting shots as possible in this film to give it the unique and artistic feel that I'm aiming towards In order to do this I am going to use a drone to capture some beautiful and adventurous shots. I want it to flow as well as possible.

Sound: Throughout the film I am going to compose one continuous piece of classical music- focusing on piano and violin- that will be subtle but really exemplify the fantasy and thriller elements. There will not be very much diegetic sound and I am still unsure whether the main character will speak at all.

Narrative techniques:

Todorov's narrative theory of equilibrium:

Equilibrium: The boy arrives home from school- it is clear that he lives a regular and dull life.

Disruption: The boy closes his eyes and wakes up alone in a field 

Realisation: As he explores more he discovers that he has control of this world as he has shifted realities to the place of his dreams.

Attempts to repair: Rather than tradition attempts to repair the situation and get back to his original equilibrium he loves his new world and wants to stay, however it turns out he is not alone, someone begins to hunt him.

New equilibrium: It is revealed that the killer is also the boy. He chases him and catches him, it reality the boy is now dead.