BOO! A big scary haunted doll and my script

 It's been an arduous day, one where I made 2 separate short films, so here's my script because I have no effort to write something else. I hope you enjoy it.

Still from one of the Short Film's 

I directed today

Script 

Capitalism breeds the idea for my film open

     I have fallen victim to the venomous fangs of American consumerism :(

 While watching Super Bowl 59, one of the commercials that often pass me by caught my attention. The ad featured Harrison Ford advertising Jeep with a rustic old vibe encouraging viewers to live their lives (a luxury only afforded to those with jeeps, of course) to the fullest and freeest. The first line Ford speaks specifically caught my attention. He delivers quite a profound statement "The longest thing we'll ever do is live our lives". The line stuck with me after the game, and despite my best efforts, I could not get this stupid commercial out of my head. The ad goes on to highlight great American feats. The liberation of France from Nazi rule, chasing Nazis through the forests of Western Europe and down the Rhine. It highlights the triumph of returning from service, hugging your loved ones close as you finally reach safe hands. Ford gives advice to the viewer, pleading not to be boastful or prideful, as pride is a bad driver.  And while, yes, Ford reasons that freedom can only be attained behind the wheel of a Jeep, on a much broader basis he encourages the audience to write their own stories. 

Watch at your own risk of 

being propagandized 

    Now you may ask "Why are you discussing this commercial ad nauseam"? Well, dear reader, I, unfortunately, developed my story because I was inspired by this Super Bowl Ad. 

The day after the Super Bowl, I was still pondering this commercial. I was really bored in my AP US History class and may have been developing a fever, so I felt there was no better time than right then to start writing my open. 

The first words I put on paper were “I’ve started to realize lately that.. the longest thing I’ll do in life… is live. And the shortest thing I’ll do...Is die”

I'd imagine you can see the influence.

I developed my story from there. Along with my group, we set the character as sort of a trailblazing figure in the Old West. She hides the fact that she's a woman from the world to be taken more seriously as a cowboy.

     The story follows as the once fierce outlaw faces her most dire crisis yet: her own morality.

The cowboy we follow is notorious for her efficient work, but one job changes her. She kills a father, only to come in direct contact with his son. With her deadly work staring her right in the face, she must choose to end his life, and her problems, but continue her bloody trail. Or she can make amends, and face punishment, but be secure in her morals.

A stylistic Western is never easy, and one where there's this much contemplation about the nature of human morality won't make it any easier

God I love ethical consequences

It's an ambitious plot, but surely one that is doable by the right people, and I feel like I have just that around me.

So thank you, Harrison Ford, Jeep, The Super Bowl, Capitalism, The American Military Industrial Complex, and my incredibly fried brain for taking this commercial as inspiration. The world is worse for it.  Good night. 

Help! I have a 103 degree fever while writing about my 1st group meeting!! And No, I will not give the celsius temperature for you English lads, figure it out

 I've just had a group meeting with some of my classmates to check their progress, and I'm here to report back on where they're at. I've linked each of their blogs for you to look at.

Lucia- Lucia is making a horror film opening with a partner. She was confident of her choices and had most of her story about a missing person named Amber solidified. She was definitely one of the more active members of our group and asked meaningful questions to the rest of us that helped us develop our productions. I helped her develop auditory motiff with a specific horror sound. She wanted to have a foggy, mysterious vibe and plans to film early in the morning.

The type of vibe she hopes for

Elke- Elke is making a coming-of-age open. She is debating on a 2000's 2000s-era vibe or a more modern take. She wants to have shots during school, so I advised her that if she were to shoot in school, she would see people on their phones and would therefore be better off making her production modern. Elke was also struggling with how to make dialogue not sound so cringy like teen movies often are. She reasoned that having a group of her friends with her when she was writing would inspire her dialogue, and the table loved that idea.

Sarah- Sarah is doing an ambitious apocalypse opening. She wants to begin her film with a news broadcast telling of a zombie outbreak, followed by a character running away from zombies. I advised her to have most of the broadcast be the news broadcast, creating more suspense for the audience. A big issue for her was trying to find space for credits, and the table advised her in a few different ways. We suggested maybe during the news broadcast on screen, in empty spaces while a character watches the news, or maybe while a character is running from zombies. She noted our ideas and will try some out to see what works best.

Gigi- Gigi is creating a horror/mystery open with a doctor as the star. She has the most thought out open of all of us with a developed character and a good central idea. She wants the doctor to keep sickly patients alive for monetary gain. She got the idea from Gypsy Rose. Gigi is going to feature a jar of marbles as a representation of the doctor's insanity, an idea we all loved. Her biggest issue is finind a willing actor as she as an older man in mind. She is currently asking her friends if their dads can act.

Andrew- Andrew had the least thought out project at our table. He's doing a dystopian future where the government does weird experiments on people. He mentioned the idea came to him the day prior, but that's about it. He wasn't really in tune with the rest of our group, and didn't answer the questions we posoed. There's only so much we could do to help, but I hope his project turns out well because the idea seems cool.

The group loved my Western idea and it definitely helped me develop some story ideas that I tool back to my group. They mentioned some coloring, costuming, and interesting genres of music I could include. This was an overall helpful experience and I look forward to meeting with others again. 

Credits

 Here are some famous credit sequences that I might take after for my film opening.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

This credit sequence is loud and energetic. The screen flashes with bright colors and big, dramatic text while music plays. It's freeze-frames and animated silhouettes, give it a unique feel. The fast-paced visuals match the rough and unpredictable world of the film. It's a a great example  of a stylized sequence.

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

This opening is all about silence and slow-building tension. Instead of music, we hear only natural sounds—a creaky windmill, footsteps, the buzzing of a fly. It feels slow, but that’s what makes it so gripping. The long pauses and quiet moments make the audience feel the suspense, showing how dangerous and unpredictable the West can be. 

True Grit (2010)

This credit sequence is simple, yet beautiful. It starts with wide shots of the Western landscape while peaceful music plays. The text is clean and classic, matching the serious, emotional tone of the film. Unlike more action-packed openings, this one takes its time, setting up a story that feels old-fashioned and powerful. It is unique amongst other Westerns in that it is slower and has more emotional beats as opposed to a more action-packed sequence.

Scripts out West

 As I started to write my open, I wanted to look at a few examples of famous Western movie scripts to inspire my choices in writing. Luckily, this great website let me access scripts from history's greatest Westerns. Here are a few examples that I loved, and how they opened their films.

Dances with Wolves (1990)

What I find most intriguing about this opening is the use of diegetic sound before anything is seen on screen. I'm a big fan of this style of storytelling, as it keeps the audience engaged from the get-go, and enthralls them in the scene before anything is seen. The dialogue is informal, highlighting the unprofessional and wild nature of those out west. The opening introduces the characters amid a crisis, allowing the viewer to immediately be launched into the movie's action. 

Tombstone (1993) 

In this opening, the use of narration gives context behind what is shown on screen. Through a series of old photographs, showing the film setting, the opening establishes the story's theme of self-described "opulence". It is a simplistic opening and can be a good model for a low-budget (0 bucks) film like I am creating.

These 2 examples highlight the type of stylistic, creative scriptwriting I intend to have for my opening. They're great examples for me to follow, and a scene like the 2 I described are easily replicable for a student filmmaker like myself 

HI ENGLAND, HERE'S MY SCHEDULE

 

SCHEDULE:

-PLANNING UNTIL FRIDAY

COSTUMES, EQUIPMENT, SCRIPT FINALIZED BY WEDNESDAY

SATURDAY, FEB 8TH

LOCATION SCOUTING, STARTING ON STORY

SUNDAY, FEB 9TH

START ON COSTUMES, DEVELOP THEMES AND GENERAL VIBE AND OR AURA

MONDAY, FEB 10TH

SCRIPT WRITING/ SHOT LIST

TUESDAY, FEB 11TH

SCRIPT WRITING/SHOT LIST

WEDNESDAY, FEB 12TH

SCRIPT WRITING/ SHOT LIST

THURSDAY, FEB 13TH

FINAL EDITS FOR SCRIPT AND SHOT LIST-FINALIZE ALL PRE-PROD PLANNING

FRIDAY, FEB 14TH

LOCATION RUN THROUGH

SATURDAY, FEB 15TH

REVISE

SUNDAY, FEB 16TH

FILM WITH REVISIONS IN MIND, BULK OF FILMING DONE

MONDAY, FEB 17TH

ANY ADDITIONAL FILMING DONE

TUESDAY, FEB 18TH- SUNDAY, FEB 26TH

EDITING 

YOU'RE WELCOME ENGLAND, G'DAY BRUV

A closer look into openings

     Hello Again! As part of my ongoing production, I'm here to lay out my research on 3 different film openings from a genre. My group is at a sort of crossroads, choosing between Western, Sci-fi, or a Western/Sci-fi combo. My research will reflect that as I do my best to combine both genres.

Nope

Jordan Peele's widely acclaimed 2022 film "Nope" is a sci-fi thriller with Western elements. Peele begins his film with a bible quote.

"I will cast abominable filth upon you, make you vile, and make you a spectacle. —Nahum 3:6"

The quote reflects the movie's overall message of an alien creature being used as a spectacle, lashing out and retaliating. Peele then shows viewers a scene from a 90's sitcom, one that stars the movie's 'human' antagonist. The opening serves to give us background knowledge of the trauma the character feels, as well as creating the unsettling vibe felt constantly throughout the film. The scene shows Gordy the chimp going manic after hitting a breaking point in his torturous entertainment 'career'. This mirrors the actions of the alien later on in the story, lashing out after the antagonists attempt to control it.

Gordy the Monkey in "Nope" (2022)

For a deeper look, consider reading this article! 

2001: A Space Odyssey

Perhaps the titular "sci-fi" film, Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film features one of, if not the most iconic opening scene in cinema history. Although no dialogue is spoken for more than 10 minutes, a clear message is received. Featuring a group of early human-like apes, the scene finds them at the precipice of a great discovery. A monolith, a representation of the future, appears in front of the apes, causing distress and in-fighting. As the monkeys growl about, one picks up a bone, realizing he can use it as a weapon. The moment is celebrated as the first step in human evolution, the ability to control technology, as an important step in the creation of tech that the movie posits could one day control us.  The primitive weapon is tossed in the air at the end of the scene, transitioning into a spaceship, a reminder of how far our species has come. 

Kubrick relies on the spectacle of the scene, the audience mesmerized by our ancestors first figuring out what we know so well. I hope to portray the same kind of spectacle if my group were to choose sci-fi, as the grandeur of an opening is what truly makes it special. 

An ape discovers weaponry in Stanley Kubrick's

1968 film "2001: A Space Odyssey"

For more info on the ingenuity of the opening, click here!

Interstellar

A modern classic, touted for its heartfelt core message and awe-inspiring space scenes, Christopher Nolan's 2014 masterpiece 'Interstellar" has perhaps some of its best moments first. Featuring interviews from who we later find out to be Cooper's daughter, Murph, the scene portrays Cooper waking from a nightmare of a past crash. Murph comes to check on him, all while her older self explains the plight of their lives at the moment. The scene gives a bit of context as to the state of the world at the time, as well as building a character around Cooper. 

     I love Nolan's attention to realism, postering the interviews as real accounts of a past tragedy akin to the Dust Bowl in the 1920's. He modeled the interviews after a real Ken Burns documentary on the Dust Bowl. It's Nolan's commitment to realism that sells the opening and makes it so enticing as an audience. 

A frame from the opening of Christopher Nolan's film "Interstellar" (2014) t

hat foreshadows the climax of the film

For a closer look at how Interstellar's open mirrors its end, read this!