Choosing A Direction- Selecting A Story

 Hello again! The topic for today's post is monumental in the process of starting work on the project- choosing the story I want for my short film. While it's a little daunting to be deciding where I want to be taking the direction of this project so soon, I'm calm knowing that there are some guiding principles and ideas that I want to implement in my film, regardless of story or genre.

    The main point I want to incorporate into my film, no matter what, is a distinct focus on WRITING. When I decided to take the A level version of Media Studies, fresh off of finishing the AS Level exam, the most enticing aspect of the class, and what ultimately pushed me to take the course, was the promise of an emphasis on writing, whether it be screenwriting or blogging. While I suppose my wish has been granted in terms of blogging, I found myself very disappointed in how little writing I have done this year. The most writing I can remember was in my Brand Identity project from the very beginning of the year.  While projects like the podcast and documentary did offer some promise for writing, they turned out to be more focused around writing guidelines rather than an actual script. Essentially, I yearn to finally write some script or screenplay, and this seems like an ideal opportunity to take!

   For the rest of this post, I will share with you my three different ideas that I had for what the film could be about, why I'd like to do each one of them, any complications that may come out of attempting to produce it, and my final decision on the fate of the film.

Idea #1: Good Cop, Better Cop.

Genre: Comedy/ Buddy Cop Film

Story: This story would involve one interrogation of a dangerous suspect, and the ensuing comedy that results when two cops have a miscommunication on how to approach the interrogation process. This is more reminiscent of a short skit or comedy bit rather than the title of "short film", because the progression of the film would center around the two cops trying to outdo each other at being the "good cop" role, with the occasional remark from the confused suspect. In the five minute runtime, it will roughly be 1 minute of setup, 3 minutes of comedy and escalation between the duo, and 1 minute for some sort of comedic ending (which is still up in the air.)

What Do I Like About It?

There's A LOT I like about this idea. Firstly, I've always been a massive fan of interrogation scenes in movies I watch. They have infinite potential, being equally likely to be a tense, stressful torture scene, or a ridiculous display of ineptitude on the part of the interrogators. This would give me a lot of room to write stupid, goofy characters, and juxtapose their silliness with the ominous and threatening suspect. I'm a sucker for comedies and anything goofy, so this is a really tempting choice. Especially when I consider how much writing would go into this piece, and how clever it would have to be, writing dialogue that could be taken as genuinely kind but also easily misinterpreted to be malicious and threatening. The double entendres would truly be glorious.

From a practical perspective, this film is also remarkably easy to make. I'd only need three actors, only film in one location, and the formatting would be very simple to follow- shot, countershot, shot, countershot. Rinse and repeat. It'd also make my life so much easier when it comes to editing, which has historically been my weakness and most loathed part of the process. It would be fun to work in only one location, and learn about how to make that single room a visually interesting space, rather than having to move between settings all the time, like I did last year.

What Are The Downsides?

In terms of complications writing this film, there aren't that many. Perhaps my greatest issue would be writing each double entendre and keeping it interesting, since there's only so much miscommunication that can go on until it becomes unfunny, stale, or impossible logically. Writing three minutes of double entendres and miscommunication will certainly be a challenge, but its a challenge I welcome with open arms, since it would be great practice in comedic writing.

Another glaring issue would be keeping it visually interesting. By choosing to only include one set, I'm willingly placing myself in a scenario where I'm going to have to play a lot with the shot angles in order to keep such a bland, empty room interesting. I'm not the most visually inclined, so this would require a lot of setting up and planning in order to execute it well. Maybe I could play a little bit with the lighting to make up for the characters' bland surroundings? It would be an interesting challenge.

Idea #2: Going Down?

Genre: Psychological Thriller / Suspense (?)

Story: The film's premise is based off a conversation I once had with a friend regarding common clichés in film, namely, how almost every elevator in a film gets stuck. When theorizing on how to "fix" this trope, I wondered how a film based on an elevator continuously going down would play out. While its a fun subversion of such a common trope, making this into an entertaining narrative would be a challenge. 

What Do I Like About It?

Generally, its a really fun and interesting idea. Subverting such a common trope is really attractive to me, and I think its a genuinely cool idea. It would be fun writing out a silent protagonist if the person is trapped in the elevator alone, and conversely, it'd be fun to write two differing approaches to the scenario in two different character. 

What Are The Downsides?

This film would be absolutely riddled with flaws if I chose to make it. Firstly, it'd be near impossible to keep it visually interesting for 5 minutes. It's an elevator, and without any tangible threat, it would just feel uneasy, not tense or stressful. Additionally, I would need to find some incredible actors in order to pull off a silent protagonist. There also isn't a satisfying ending to this. Do the people die? Do they just get off without a scratch? The concept just isn't fleshed out enough to be a viable option for this project.

Idea #3: A Computer's Funeral.

Genre: Satire

Story: This would be a simple satire piece surrounding a family mourning their dead computer, and throwing a funeral for it. This would likely involve 1 minute of funeral setup, 3 minutes of different family members mourning and talking about their relationship with the computer, and the last minute would involve the immediate replacement of the computer with a smartphone or new computer. It would be a really fun film poking fun at modern society's overreliance on technology to the point its been integrated to an almost crucial member of the family.

What Do I Like About It?

It's a really charming and funny idea. This would also be another writing-heavy story that would involve lots of cleverness and metacommentary on society, which would be extremely fun to write for. It'd involve acting with several actors of varying ages, and the very idea of throwing  fake funeral sounds really fun for me. I've never attempted writing social commentary and satire before, and it'd be a fun challenge and potentially an introduction to a new favorite genre.

Practically, it would also be pretty easy to do- the setting would be in some field or park where I can throw a fake funeral, and propwise- it'd only involve some light digging and gravebuilding. It'd be a visual treat, with a lot more happening onscreen than my other ideas. I also just think it's an important observation to make out modern society.... and my instructor showed genuine interest and anticipation for the possibility of following this idea to completion.

What Are The Downsides?

This would be a challenge on nearly every front. I've never attended a funeral, so I'd have to look into funeral videos... which is certainly an experience. There would be much to do in terms of shooting the shots- as stated before, I'm not visually inclined, so I'd have to either work with a cinematographer on this project, or learn how to properly frame shots in record time.

A massive practical issue would be the fact that it would take place wholly outside- putting me and my production at the mercy of rain, wind, and worse- random people in the background. Natural lighting would be a force I'm constantly struggling against, and my filming sessions would need to be quick in order to match the time of day in each shot and not lose any natural light. Audio would also be really hard to work with, when in an outside environment, out of my control. Overall, there are a lot of problems and issues that could arise, and I'm unsure if I have the skillset to fully cover all bases. 

THE VERDICT:

    The story I'm choosing to go with is... ( drumroll please) … A Computer's Funeral!

    Ultimately, I feel like I HAVE to go with this one, not just because everyone I've asked says I should do it, but because its such a good idea and a "kooky" feel to it, as my instructor put it. Going Down? was a promising concept, but it ultimately falls apart in its execution, at least to my capability. Good Cop, Better Cop was really enticing to me, since I really wanted to work with double entendres and an escalating degree of miscommunication between the two policemen (miscommunication is my FAVORITE dramatic premise), and its simplicity in editing and set design was certainly a massive advantage it had against the other two stories.

    However, when I sat down and thought about it, I realized that even if producing GCBC was an assured decent product with minimal effort, it wouldn't feel very satisfying as my final project as a high schooler. In a move that I may live to regret, I opted to choose a real challenge in A Computer's Funeral, because my conscience would never leave me in peace if I abandoned this (admittedly) great concept.

    Therefore, even though it will almost certainly bring me great stress and many sleepless nights, and prove to be a challenge in writing, filming, audio recording, and organizing, it will be worth it if I produce a project I can truly be proud of, a film I can look back on with pride.

    This may have been a long-winded first step in my production process, but I'm happy knowing that my first step is based on solid ground. See you next time!