Opening to a Film Idea

8/1/13

In the lesson this week, we were given a task to begin planning on an exciting opening for a film then subsequently film it. To achieve the best effect, we were then told to plan the whole film out, to help the opening that we will shoot become as relatable to the overall plot as possible. We also began work on storyboards, to help ourselves know what the actual opening will contain in terms of camera angles, setting and performance. Our made-up film was named ‘Curiosity’, a horror mystery that mostly takes place in a school (to make the shooting easier). Our initial thoughts for the opening of the film are to create tension by adding as little music as possible and to direct most of our attention to the visual aspects. Our idea to make the school look as though it is shut would build the tension as we film a caretaker cleaning in the atrium. We called our caretaker ‘Bob’, which is intentional to create a bit of humour due to the name being very common in other films. Shots outside the school are the first in the sequence, with no non-diegetic sound to be heard, apart from natural sound and also long shot will be used to capture the building. Further shots include a closer shot of the school with a dark and gloomy lighting effect to provoke tension. The shots cross-cut through he atrium and classrooms until the shot finally switches to Bob in a corridor cleaning the floor, accompanied by a close-up shot of the mop, then a slow pan up his body to reveal his face. The camera then follows Bob into the atrium to clean that area. The position the camera is in gives the spectators a view of the upper-floor balcony above the atrium stairs (these are all in the same room, so the balcony can be seen), which adds tension to the scene as the spectators are unaware of what will happen. A few seconds after Bob is shown cleaning, the camera focuses on the balcony as a black figure slowly floats along the balcony, stops, looks at Bob, then floats to the other end. The spectators would become uneasy as Bob catches a glimpse of the figure, which makes him go up the stairs to see who it is. This creates massive tension as we don’t know what the figure actually was. Bob shouts ‘Hello’ and gets no reply. He carries on up the stairs. The scene ends as the camera follows him from behind until he reaches a door, enters it (we don’t see whats through the door), then a loud scream is heard as the camera fades to black and the beginning scene ends.

            The basic plot for the film is that after the beginning scene, Bob is found dead in a classroom closet, but blood is found on the classroom tables. We eventually realise that the night Bob was killed, a group of teenagers were doing detention in the classroom and they have disappeared. The teachers hastily send the rest of the students home after the discovery. But a group of five ‘curious’ students talk about the disappearance and want to try and become heroes of the town by investigating it. So they wait behind some bushes until the school is closed again. The students enter the school through a side door that hasn’t been locked. They enter the school and begin their investigation.

During the middle section of the film, one student disappears into the dark corridors of the school, which frightens the others into leaving, only to find that the door they entered through is now locked. Frightened, the students reluctantly search the school for the other missing students. With many various shots of the black figure in the corner of a classroom or at the end of a long corridor, the tension is built as very limited amounts of music is heard.

            The end section of the film is when the students finally begin to find the missing pupils, only to be informed by one of them that ‘you will never leave’. The missing student who disappeared earlier suddenly and unexpectedly returns to tell the others that ‘it’s heaven here’ as the black figure appears and chases the remaining students. This lasts for around half an hour until the camera suddenly fades to black and the morning has come. Survivors of the night before finally get to leave the school as the new caretaker enters the building. It is then realised that the students aren’t actually visible to the caretaker and that they are now trapped in a permanent purgatory that traps the victims of the ghost and are doomed to roam the endless corridors.

            My expectations for the film are to include isolating camera shots that create claustrophobia for the spectators. Also, little sound is needed because of the deathly silence of the corridors would build a lot of tension for the spectators until the scenes finally end with horrific jump-scares.

            I would include props mainly such as a mop and bucket, torches and fake blood, to define the genre of the film and the mystery aspect (torches). Costumes such as a cleaners outfit, school uniform and casual wear would relate to the juxtaposition between a normal day and the events that happen in the plot.