08

I Talked to Some Friends:

Group Collaboration 01

03_01_19

Because this project is one done in school, not a passion project brought to life entirely by myself, I have access to a few resources guiding me along the way. One of those resources is a classroom full of other students embarking on the same journey as me. We have been given the opportunity to meet up with other students and discuss our ideas, our progress, our obstacles. This will be happening moderately frequently, and I will document the discussions at each one.


Thanks for reading.

-f.s

Not done yet obviously, just wanted to submit a fourth before time, but I want to go back and flesh this out properly. I dont expect full credit on this entry. The weekend was real hectic. This upcoming week will be a return to normalcy, with regular blog postings and attending class. Thank you for sticking with me.

07

The Beauty of Realism:

My Attempt at “Pseudo-Fiction”

03_01_19

Readers of the blog will have now been informed of two masterful examples of pseudo-fiction, one in text and the other in film. Now, the more pressing matter at hand is how I will implement this strategy into my own story-telling, as well as the goal I will be attempting to accomplish. Because of the limited budget and production capabilities, a story centered around real-life circumstances is the most feasible. This certainly fits in well with my idea of pseudo-fiction, ensuring that the fictional world in which my story will exist must be very similar to that of the viewer. I want to form a connection with the viewer, one founded not on the premise of entertainment, rather the idea of relatability. I want the protagonist to tap into a part of every viewer watching, embodying a very real piece of humanity. Given that I only have two minutes to engage an audience, I figure there are three very simple things I am looking to accomplish: establish the setting, establish the plot, and give the viewer a reason to keep watching.

The first two seem fairly simple, but the last item on my list tends to be the most difficult. A reason to keep watching can come from many different sources: an interesting plot line, a jarring cliff-hanger, a mystery ready to be uncovered. In my case, the viewers will keep watching because of the protagonist. I want to create a real main character, one the audience can identify with and root for. One with human emotions and thoughts. One with authentic triumphs and obstacles. Watching Marvel movies can be fun, but after a little while, seeing another superhero on the screen gets tiring. My main character will just be a dude. But, in a good way.

An example that I recall of a hook based on the main character is in the film “Silver Linings Playbook.” The film opens with Bradley Cooper’s character leaving a psychiatric ward and returning back to his life. The film builds the narrative world around Cooper, and his resurgence. Later, he is pictured “A Farewell to Arms,” by Ernest Hemingway. He quickly flips through the book, and upon finishing it, he chucks it out of the window. Cooper is upset with the ending, and to cope, he wakes up his parents, lambasting Hemingway and the novel. He describes how the world is tough enough, and all he wanted was to watch the main characters be happy, and Hemingway had to mess that up.

As an audience member, I remember enjoying the comedy of the situation, but understanding the desperate yearning for a source of positivity. I understood his frustration, especially in the situation he’d been put in, and because of that, his character became more personable,

I’m not exactly sure how I want to go about it, but I want to make a connection. I want the viewers to watch my film and see a piece of themselves within it. So, to bring an end to this epic trilogy on pseudo-fiction, I have an overall goal.

I want to create a real character, one with real struggles, and I want my piece to be focused around them, and their character arch.

Thanks for reading.

-f.s

06

The Beauty of Realism:

My Infatuation with “Pseudo-Fiction”

03_01_19

When we last left off, I had decided the very first certainty of my film: I want to implement pseudo-realism. If that term is confusing, go read my last entry. Then quickly come back. I’ll still be here. Promise.

Now that we’re on the same page, I figured I would explain my fondness and understanding of the style a bit further. I’ve always loved this style of story-telling, but I never fully comprehended it until last year. In my junior year of high school, I was told (forced) to read a book titled “The Things They Carried,” by Tim O’Brien. I love to read, but I absolutely hate to read for school. It takes the curiosity and wonder out of enjoying a book; turning the page becomes a task on the agenda rather than an intrinsic desire. Needless to say, I didn’t read the book. I didn’t read the book at first, that is. One day in class we discussed the first few chapters, what we were meant to have read so far. I listened as my teacher spoke to the class and became enthralled in the conversation. Each quote that was read aloud was insightful and beautiful. Every time one of my classmates raised their hand to offer a piece of insight, something that they gathered from their readings, I became increasingly jealous that they had read and I hadn’t. By the time we discussed the next few chapters in class, I was done with the book, re-reading it before each discussion.

Tim O’Brien’s writing is masterful. Each story within the novel carries so much emotion, readers are convinced of the harrowing war stories that Tim O’Brien is recounting. His experience fighting in the Vietnam war is shared with the readers in piercing honesty. Or is it?

Tim O’Brien is the main character of his own novel, but the O’Brien in text and the O’Brien on the cover are two different people. The O’Brien within each story is a fictional character, living through the same circumstances that the author O’Brien did. That’s not to say that the stories were false, but they weren’t exactly true. O’Brien touches on his beautiful distinction between story truth and happening truth in this interview, as well as within a chapter of the novel. The essence of the stories are true, but not every happening is. This dichotomy epitomizes the idea of a pseudo-fiction story.

Only one more entry will be centered around this simple story-telling concept, I promise. My next article will detail more of my individual usage of it within my film, and what I hope to accomplish.

Thanks for reading.

-f.s

05

The Beauty of Realism:
My Admiration for “Pseudo-Fiction”
03_01_19

Just so we’re on the same page, the definition of “pseudo-fiction” that I have just made up is not generally accepted. It’s just a term that I made up to describe a style of fiction that I enjoy. There may already be a name for it that I am unaware of, and pseudo-fiction may already be a term for something else. Just within the confines of this blog, just between you and me, this is our adopted definition for pseudo-fiction: a story that isn’t necessarily true, but it definitely is not false. Allow me to explain.

Generally, we identify a fictional work as one that is imagined. It is a story, a tale of events that have not actually transpired. We have not and possibly will never be able to experience the events of most fictional stories. That’s not to say that imaginative fiction isn’t wonderful and enjoyable; almost all of my favorite books are entirely fictional, but when I read them, I exit my world and enter theirs. The truth and false of my world are no longer relevant when reading a fictional novel. As long as it’s written well, a fictional novel will immerse you to the point of believing the truth of the words, no matter how outrageous the story they are telling.

Pseudo-fiction tells a story that exists within the same world as the reader. A story that hasn’t necessarily transpired, but there’s every possibility that it could. You cannot deem it as simply an imagined story, for the weight and emotion behind every event is real, even if the events aren’t. Readers attach themselves to characters more than fiction would normally entail. Characters live a life that is real, overcoming real problems and experiencing real development. A story about “normal” life can end up being mundane, but when given direction and purpose, it captures an audience that seeks authenticity.

A recent and successful example of pseudo-fiction in film is Bo Burnham’s “Eighth Grade.” Burnham has made his name as a stand-up comedian, but his first attempt at writing and directing a movie was incredibly well-received and critically acclaimed. The story is painfully real, following an eighth-grade student through every awkward and cringey moment of her last year in junior-high. As expected, the audience loved how honest the film was. It isn’t often that movie-goers enjoy a story free from typical Hollywood tropes, so Burnham’s writing and Elsie Fisher’s performance really struck a chord with viewers. After nearly 250 critic reviews, it maintains a 99% on Rotten Tomatoes.

I’ve written an entry in my blog about it, so naturally, I want to attempt pseudo-fiction in my own film. We’ll talk more about it next entry.

Thanks for reading.

-f.s

04

Genre Research

Research_02

02_28_19

Genre:

Drama

Content Analysis:

Production Analysis:

Marketing Analysis:

Example 1:


Example 2:


Other Examples:




Thanks for reading.

f.s

*Temporary Post to be expanded upon later*


*Behind on 03 and 04*

03

Choices are hard:

Let's start somewhere

2_27_19

As a general rule of thumb, before you start doing something, you should probably figure out what it is that you want to do. To begin by “doing” is to do aimlessly; a building is nothing without its blueprints. “Give me 3 hours to cut down a tree, I will spend the first two sharpening my knife.” Now it's time for me to sharpen my knife.

Thus far, the only thing I hold certain is that I’ll be making a film opening. Everything else is up in the air, and I suppose the genre is a good place to start.

I want to make a film that I can wholeheartedly get behind, one that I know I would enjoy. In terms of genre, I tend to enjoy a more serious film; maybe a thriller, maybe a poignant drama. In terms of efficiency, I may just want to stick to comedy, which I would consider to be a strong suit of mine. 

Thanks for reading.

f.s

*Temporary Post to be expanded upon later*


*Behind on 03 and 04*

02

Genre Research

Research_01
11_14_18

1. Genre:

Thriller

2. Content Analysis:

Thrillers are films that generally create tension and suspense throughout the plot, often using action or mystery to progress the story. The combination of excitement, anticipation, and apprehension is what makes suspense such a powerful storytelling tool. Viewers are drawn to the edge of their seats, but simultaneously feel a sort of tender fear towards the end result. Thrillers often always seem to have a sense that something is amuck; a constant negative foreshadowing.

As I touched on earlier, thrillers are very diverse in their style of progression. Some thrillers are very action-heavy, while others use mystery and curiosity to entrance their viewers. Some thrillers even incorporate horror characteristics in order to capitalize on the tension created within the film, while continuing to keep the tone suspenseful.

Conflict often arises when the protagonist is placed in a very uncomfortable or dangerous situation, from which relief is difficult or unlikely. Characters attempt to outsmart or strong-arm one another as this conflict progresses. Criminal actions and psychological tampering are common within thrillers, as a form of the aforementioned battle between characters. Time is also a big theme in most thrillers. Time is always ticking down, and the further it winds, the more urgency our characters feel.

Most thrillers conclude with a satisfying resolution to the main conflict throughout the narrative: the kidnapped child is recovered, the prisoner gets away, the criminal is caught, etc. However, more so than in other genres, happy endings are not always a fitting end.

3. Production Analysis:

Thrillers often thrive off of the discomfort of the viewer. In alignment with the creation of tension throughout the film, the viewer should also be shot in a manner to distinguish any sense of comfort or homeliness. Dutch angles and disorientating angles are often used to portray the cast or the environment, and upward angles often put the antagonist in a place of power. The protagonist is often shown using close-ups or extreme close-ups to display their anxiety or other emotions. Viewers are meant to feel like they’re in the protagonist’s position of peril, and camera shots do a good job in accomplishing this.

From a sound perspective, thrillers are often very similar to horror movies. They capitalize on silence and magnified diegetic sounds, such as crows cawing or doors creaking in order to create suspense, relying on the inner turmoil of the viewer. Music of a slow tempo is common to set the scene within thrillers, and eerie stings are also very common.

Within the mise-en-scene aspects of the film, costumes and props are generally made to be dark and dreary. Characters are dressed darkly, with low lighting and a mostly dark palette. Most thrillers take place in isolated and creepy settings, inducing even more suspense and tension.

4. Marketing Analysis:

When marketing thriller films, the focus is often placed on the mystery and anticipation within the story. Posters don’t reveal very many details about the plot, and trailers often only show the source of conflict, but not many details of how it came about, and any bits about the resolution or falling action.

Thrillers thrive off of being interesting, but more intriguing. Viewers are meant to come in to film with a sense of anxiety as to how the movie will carry out its plot, and the film itself only compounds upon this initial angst.

5. Example 1:

Get Out

Get Out was a wildly successful thriller, directed by Jordan Peele, and released in 2017. The film bordered the line between thriller and horror, with some expressions of gore, and periods of tension occasionally culminating in genuinely scary scenes or a jump-scare. The film created tension by constantly insinuating that the main character, played by Daniel Kaluuya, was in very big danger. As an African-American man visiting his girlfriend’s very traditional and white family, it is normal to expect a tad of discomfort. However, the people there seem to take an obsession toward him, and more specifically, his physical attributes and abilities. He is psychologically and physically tormented before eventually escaping.

6. Example 2:

Gone Girl

Gone Girl was a mystery thriller based off of the book by Gillian Flynn, directed by David Fincher, and released in 2014. It focused more on the mystery and psychological aspects of thrillers, rather than action or horror. The story is told through 2 different characters’ perspectives, neither of which is very likable. They attempt to outwit and understand each other in a brilliant game of cat and mouse, as each of them face their own bumps in the road. The suspense of the story arrives as the truth begins to unravel and we further understand our characters and their conflict more and more.

7. Other Examples:

• The Dark Knight: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468569/?ref_=adv_li_tt
• Inception:     https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/?ref_=adv_li_tt

• The Silence of The Lambs: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102926/?ref_=adv_li_tt

• Psycho:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054215/?ref_=adv_li_tt

• Die Hard:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095016/?ref_=adv_li_tt

Thanks for reading.

f.s