PLANNING: FINAL IDEA - MRS. QUINLAN

What is a final idea? Why is it important?

Final idea is the concept that you consider to use for definite without many corrections. Often the final ideas have to be well thought through; considering the possible advantages and disadvantages as well as the issues that would have to be tackled. Additionally it has to be something that everyone in a group agrees on because there has be teamwork and compromises for the group to work. Final ideas are important because they are something that you should stick to a follow in order to stay organized and be sure of your intended outcome.

After a discussion we have finally created a unique and original final idea that we intend to create for our thriller opening.

Final Idea:

Title: Who is that Woman?

Sub-Genre:  Psychological thriller

Narrative/ Plot:  

The opening begins with pieces of paper ripped on the floor. Once in a while these will create the typography for the opening credits. The eerie music will accompany extreme close ups of beheaded women in newspapers which has been cut out or scribbled on which will help to introduce the mood as well as the theme of hatred. Moreover there will be short and quick cross cuts to someone putting on a hand bag, lipstick and tights as well as other clothes. Simultaneously the camera will dispose a mystery character putting on clothing on a mannequin; as if trying to put up a new outfit together. This will be accompanied by cross cuts of fashion newspapers of famous and expensive magazines such as Glamour or Elle with models. The anonymous character starts to take the outfit from the mannequin and puts it on themselves. The final shot will reveal the male who wears this costume and walks out the room. (Fade to black)

Narrative Structure:       

·         Aristotle: the different themes should evoke meaning and response from the audience, whether emotional or physical. For example the theme of mystery will intrigue the audience who will be curious to know who the mysterious character is. 

·         Barthes: the idea of cultural references will be explored by the idea of a male putting on females clothing and being interested in becoming the other sex. Also the theory of semiology will be explored by the use of denotations such as magazines or lipstick and their different connotations.

Characters:

·         Unknown character: the main character is the antagonist however his identity is only revealed at the end. The way that the shots will be framed and the contribution of lighting and cinematography will show that this character is evil.

Mise En Scene:

Costume, Hair and Make-Up:

·         Antagonist: male antagonist in female clothing such as tights and blouses or dresses. This will subvert the conventional image on an antagonist but will be interesting to explore and develop in order to create an effect on the viewer. The Make-up should be heavy so it will be easy smudged in order to reinforce the idea of evil nature.

Lighting and Colour:

·         Throughout, lighting will be mostly low key with highlights of top lighting and under lighting. The low key will allow the audience to feel the thrilling atmosphere. This will be used throughout so when we use different lighting angles it will become much clearer and have a bigger impact on the audience. The top light will allow to highlight the important iconography or typography which is relevant to the narrative. We also intend to use this when displaying the mannequin and the fashion magazines, not only reinforcing their significance but creating a specific representation for the audience as top lighting often glamourizes the object or makes them seem vulnerable and pure. Moreover the under lighting will help to create the chilling atmosphere as well as create a representation of the antagonist and reinforce his evil intensions. We want to use this angle when antagonist is fully introduced in order to make him look evil and dark. This will be suitable as it will make the audience feel threatened and scared of him, which is conventional response to an antagonist.

Setting:

·         The unknown setting will help to make the audience feel insecure because they are completely vulnerable and exposed to their surroundings as everything is hidden and mysterious. Because of the use of lighting it will look like they are surrounded by darkness.

Iconography:

·         The newspaper cut outs which will also play as typography

·         The Mannequin

·         The magazine pages

·         Lipstick which will be used to write the title of the film

Facial Expression and Body Language:

·         The antagonist will have an aggravated facial expression to show his anger and frustration towards the magazine models. In addition he will also feel hatred towards these covers. His body language should look feminine in order to suggest that he is imitating the female models, however because this doesn’t work he becomes stiff and has rigid movements.

Film Influences:

·         Seven- this is because there are many cut outs and highlighting just like the character from the Seven opening did. Also we plan to use lighting in a similar way to the opening of Seven where there were many light bulb flashes and yellow highlights to create fear amongst the audience. Additionally, the cinematography techniques of extreme close ups and close ups are used to create suspense for the audience.

• Silence of the Lambs- this is because the antagonist in the film had brutal  tendencies towards the female gender and tried to become one by murdering his victims and taking their skin. Simultaneously he has an obsession with mannequins and make-up, similarly to our character.

 

 

Advantages of the Idea:

·         Its original

·         Influenced by a classical thriller

·         It is chaotic and will make the audience question the material

·         Doesn’t give away too much of a narrative which is what an opening should do

Possible Problems and how to overcome them:

·         The possible issue that will occur is to find a dark enough location that will allow the lighting to work effectively. This could be tackled if we film during an evening or night.

• It might be difficult to get hold of an actor that will be fine with wearing a dress. This could be tackled by compromising with different costumes or finding someone professional enough to play this role
• It can be difficult to get a mannequin, this could be tackled by either creating a simple one or slightly adjusting our narrative.

Why is it a Conventional Opening?

This idea is conventional to the thriller opening because it evokes the right audience responses. These include fear from the anonymous as well as obsessed antagonist. Moreover the use of themes such as mystery, obsession and hatred are often explored in thrillers which will also cause the audience to feel tense as well as enhance the narrative. Lastly this opening doesn’t give a lot of information about the film but has just enough to intrigue the viewer and continue to watch. Additionally, the cinematography techniques such as close ups and extreme close ups are conventional in the thriller openings because they allow to keep the element of surprise without revealing too much but giving enough to impact the viewers mind and make them curious as they become eager to find out more.

Possible Themes:

·         Mystery

·         Morality

·         Obsession

·         Hatred

·         Revenge

Audience Response:

·         At the beginning the audience is likely to feel confused as they are kept in tension because of the lack of knowledge about characters and narrative.

·         During the cross cuts of beheaded models in newspapers the audience will feel disgust and fear as well as curiosity because they are unsure of what is going on.

·         As the Audience are exposed to the shots of putting on lipstick, tights and hand bag they can become more relaxed as if thinking that this is all a mistake and someone is just getting ready to go on a night out.

·         When the audience are finally introduced to the antagonist they are probably shocked to see that it is a male and will feel uneasy. They can also feel confused and question what is he up to and why does he feel so strongly about these models and fashion. 

·         At the end they will find themselves terrified and insecure because the sequence leaves them with no answers to their questions.

Conclusion:

Overall creating a final idea from the initial plans was highly beneficial because we were able to compare our individual outcomes and try to combine them together to make something original and unique. This final idea is more than likely to still be adjusted and amended during the actual production because you can never plan everything ahead, however having a solid idea that is intended to be followed is significant so there is always something to go back to when we get stuck or confused. I think that this final idea is conventional and will work well because of its originality as well as the thorough evaluation of the possible obstacles that will need to be tackled which was important as you have to be realistic about creating a product and knowing what could limit you.