Yesterday in class, our teacher put us in groups of six to discuss our film opening and any problems we’ve encountered so far. And let me just say, this was the most helpful discussion I’ve ever had. Walking into this, I was a bit doubtful about my idea and didn’t want to share, thinking I wouldn’t have much to say, but after the first person shared her opening, I was excited to talk about mine. The immediate reaction from my group was surprised. I told the story in a way that left the shocking part to the end and I can tell in that moment everyone was truly interested. This inspired me to tackle my opening in this same way, meaning at the end of the opening, it'd be revealed to the audience that the character is the last man on Earth.
After explaining my idea, I received a couple questions that I was glad to hear because some of the things I hadn’t considered before. Ana, a girl in my group, asked where I would film. I told her about the open park location and she said it would work really well with my film, but i’d have to make sure that I use a far shot in order to clearly convey that the man is alone. Then another member in my group, Dean, suggested using as the spot Wynwood instead. At first, I declined this idea because it wasn’t that same nature feeling I had originally wanted. But after he showed me a clip of the film “28 Days Later” I realized that using an empty town may be easier to show the sense of isolation the character feels.
28 Days Later (2002)
Then I began telling them about some issues I had run into. For example, I still haven’t found an actor and I’m about ready to start filming. That’s when Sofia suggested that I go to the theater kids. She said they are always looking for an opportunity to act and they’d be up to it if I shared my idea with them. So, that solved one of my biggest concerns. There was also the problem of fitting the whole story into the two minutes i'm given, but Ana made me realize that I don’t have to tell the whole story in order to capture the audience’s attention. I can just include the most important part and still end the opening with suspense.
Knowing this, I could already envision my film opening. It would begin with an long shot, captured from an up angle. That way the audience would be looking down on the character laying on the ground. In order to create this shot, Dean, one of my classmates is going to show me how to use his drone to film that first part with it. He also offered to let me use any of his camera gear if I needed it, which was kind of him. This made me realize that all the resources I've needed have been right in front of me, I just had to ask around because there are many people willing to help.
Not only would I incorporate specific shots in this first part of the opening, but I'd also use sound to start off with an eerie feeling. This year, we've worked on different projects in which we edit sounds together and use foley to create sounds. So, using this knowledge, I will find or create sound effects that are important to the opening. However, it's also vital to remember that there shouldn't be much noise because there aren't any humans to make this noise. Therefore, I will focus more on the absence of sound, and when I do choose to include sound effects, they have to be geared towards the moment in which they're playing.
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