FILM OPENING RESEARCH part I

CONVENTIONS OF A THRILLER

• creates suspense and excitement for the audience
• enigmatic
• violence is central
• hero and antagonist share characteristics
• possibly focuses on the injustices of society

ART HOUSE ...

is a film genre which encompasses films where the content and style – often artistic or experimental – adhere with as little compromise as possible to the filmmakers’ personal artistic vision. The narrative is often in the social realism style with a focus on the characters’ contemplation of their existence or immediate concerns.

source: https://wonderfulcinema.com/art-house-definition/

INFLUENCAL FILMS/ DIRECTORS

• IT FOLLOWS, DIR. DAVID ROBERT MITCHELL (2014)

Though our film idea differs in narrative and genre, this film provided inspiration concerning cinematography and sound. Many of the shots were long and created distance and tension between the audience and the action which we could find useful during the last scenes of our opening when the protagonist is introduced. In particular, bright artificial lighting was used throughout the film which directly links to the vision we have for the basement setting. There were recurring shots positioned so to be from the driver's seat displaying open roads, completely central to the frame, which is referenced in our opening tracking shot through the house. The sound used was reminiscent of the 1980's, in particular horror and teen film score's. This nostalgic and eery sound enabled the film to be atmospheric and original, as it contradicted the conventions of modern horror films.

• NICOLAS WINDING REFN

Our film opening is notably inspired by Refn (Drive, Only God Forgive’s, Neon Demon) and his use of neon lighting. By deploying very vivid and saturated colours Refn’s scenes are brought to life; moreover the atmosphere they indicate can be manipulated very easily. For the basement lighting, we concluded that red/pink lighting would be most appropiate (depicted in the colour palette). These warm and intense tones not only connate danger, contributing to the drama genre, but also love and passion which is undermined by the antagonist's exaggerated loneliness. 

• RUBIX, DIR. EWAN MCINTOSH (2016)

This short film, directed by an aspiring filmmaker/ university student and uploaded to youtube in the summer of 2016, explores the same themes that I hope to convey in our film opening: loneliness, human instability and fear. Much like the teaser trailer, shown above, through the development of our pitch we decided to feature a hostage victim, which would give the audience an insight into the narrative of our film. Rubix is not a conventional horror film, it tackles more the pyschological side of death; which has a more profound and thought-provoking impact. Similar to Rubix, the victim in our film will be male which contrasts the stereotypical female representation of the victim. Initially, members of our group wanted a female victim to increase the tension, however we decided against that because it conforms to Laura Mulvey's 'male gaze' theory and we wanted to create a film that avoids lazy cliches and poorly developed character arcs.