NEW PLANNING

NEW PLAN:

As you know I have restarted my coursework. I have decided to create a new idea. Firstly I went back to the short films I have previously reviewed on this page, for inspiration. 

ELEMENTS OF THE SHORT FILMS I WILL ADAPT:

• OVER: I like how the narrative is slowly unveiled to the viewer so they have to piece it together. The theme of mystery and investigation has always really interested me. As seen in Over, the use of a surprise ending is extremely effective in having a long term impact on the viewer which is what I aim to achieve.

• THE ARRIVAL: I love the use of voiceover in this short to portray the characters inner emotion. This whole short film is narrated by voiceovers and this is how the narrative is propelled. I don't want to create a film entirely based off of voiceovers like Arrival, but I want to play around with the addition of voiceovers to add integral parts to my plot.

OTHER INSPIRATION:

• One TV series which has always entertained me is CSI: New York. I watched one particular episode about a 'compass killer' who left a compass at the scene of every murder he commits. I am thinking of adapting this idea into having a killer who has a distinctive calling card. I was playing around with the idea of a rose or some sort o object which could be misinterpreted as a gift.

• I love the overall aesthetic look of the film American Beauty directed by Sam Mendes (1999). I read in an interview that he tried to include an element of the colour red in all scenes to pull his entire film together. He uses incredible visuals to portray emotions and the sensuality of the scenes going on. It creates a aesthetic for the film which is carried throughout and therefore you can see Sam Mendes' stamp on it. I want to be able to show a distinct aesthetic style in my film.

• The entire film noir period of film is also an influence for me. I love the use of character types, especially the stereotypical role of the femme fatale. The femme fatale character was developed in the post ww2 era in the 1940's and was based off of the pessimism and suspicious the war had caused in society. It was also said to be based off the male fear of female liberation and power. Despite disagreeing with the nature of the character, I appreciate how many iconic films were made during this era. I love the aesthetics such as the intricate plots, dark atmospheres and dramatic rising of tension to climax. I want to use some of these elements but put a modern twist on them. Such as having my female character appear weak at the start but by the end, she is the strong female lead.