Creating the Scrip

Hello!! It's Ale Duque coming to you live from Tampa, Florida at the Florida State Thespians festival. With 8,000 theatre students here, and countless events, workshops, and shows to watch I have been gathering an abundance if inspiration for my film. One of the events students can compete in is play writing, where students submit 30 pages of an original play to judges and they are then critiqued and asked questions about there choices.

 One submitted a play that dealt with the treatment of the homeless and had a very prominent message. A critique he received however was that although his play was wonderful, at times it seemed to be a bit "preachy." The judge told him "remember, stick to the character and not generalities," meaning when giving characters lengthy dialogue, or any dialogue, you must stay true to the personality you have created for them and make sure that it is their voice shining through and not just your own. Since I have a very clear message I want to portray in my film opening I think that telling the story of one main character and their experience would be the best way to go about that, for that reason I want my film opening to be one that introduces the character and essentially tells the beginning of their story. My idea right now is to do so through a voice over narrative from the protagonists point of view, but I really do have to keep in mind what the judge said, because as my chat eyed is speaking about themselves and sharing their perspective it has to be THEIR perspective.

It reminds me of George Orwells 1984, a critically acclaimed classic with a chilling plot and overall message, however there does come a point in "book 2" of the novel where the plot leaves the story and the point Orwell is trying to get across becomes very drawn out, didactic, and in your face. This is something I for sure want to avoid when I begin writing my script.

There is a lot more research I want to do about this to further develop advice and tips for writing this type of script, but seeing as my (very expensive) hotel does not have free wifi As expected, research is proving to be quite tedious and difficult, but I will deco filet follow up and this when I return home as well as actually beginning to embellish my blog and add multi media to my new posts, something that has also been proven difficult in using the mobile version of blogger. Life is a ride.

Being Independent

“Independent in my mind means free. Independent means you are free to say what you want. It does not necessarily say you will be able to do it very easily and anyone is going to give you any money to do it. It might mean it is very uncomfortable” -Tilda Swinton

While doing research on genres and movie types, i stumbled upon this quote by actress Tilda Swinton. I think this quote perfectly embodies what I want my film to be and where I want it to go. Although I want my film opening to be entertaining and successful of course, more than anything I want it to have a purpose and I want it to mean something to me. The Indie Spirit Awards, giving recognition to independent films, even state in their criteria for eligibility that a film may be considered independent if its “subject matter is original and provocative.” In theory my film is both, and I hope in the end result my film meets both these descriptions as well.

In making my film fall under the Independent category, I think this gives me great artistic freedom and liberty in doing what I want. The idea that independent films ARE often uncomfortable brings me comfort, comfort in knowing that although my idea may seem a little odd, there is still a brand and audience to market my product toward.

Another big characteristic of independent films is their budget. These films typically have a lower budget and therefore result in more raw and natural footage, although this is often also an artistic choice. Of course, my film opening will have no where near the budget that an independent film in the real film industry would have, for even the movie 12 Years a Slave with a $20 billion budget is considered independent. Although there was controversy surrounding this film and its eligibility of being independent because of its relatively higher budget. Overall however, based off of a study analyzing different independent films submitted to the Sundance film festival in 2014, it was found that the average budget for an indie film is $750,000. No matter of the budget however, the “look” a movie has is always up to the director. Independent films range from extremely raw, homemade-esque production, to quality and picturesque visuals. Take the movie Thirteen ($1 million budget), Perks of Being a Wallflower ($13 million budget) and Mean Creek ($500,000 budget). All different styles of cinematography, yet they are all considered to be independent feels and despite their differing camera choices, they do all have a real and genuine feel to them. Deciding what kind of quality I want my film to have will be a very important step in my creative process.

Not so coincidentally, all of the movies I used above as examples of indie films are also coming of age films. This is the genre that I will tackle in my film opening because I think it is one that is most relatable to me and my target audience. Coming of age films follow the lives of a young protagonist or protagonists as they emerge into adulthood and “undergo some sort of formative experience.” Whether it be establishing meaningful relationships, battling with drugs or one's sexuality, discovering oneself and maturing after a journey, coming of age films cover it all. The only problem with me choosing to tackle a coming of age film is that a big characteristic of these films is that they are reflective. They are usually told in the future looking back by the character who lived the experience or by a secondary source who witnessed it all. Take John Hughes The Breakfast Club club for example. Arguably one of the most iconic coming of age films of all times, and it is told by the different characters looking back on their experience that Saturday morning in school and explaining what the learned. Of course, I am coming of age but I have not yet come of age, so I can’t exactly reflect on my topic completely and honestly, but regardless I can do my best. I can also offer insightful perspective and commentary that would be relevant to my character at present moment and would create a genuine touch to my film. For this reason I am not worried about taking on this type of genre.

"The “Coming of Age” of Coming-of-Age Films." The Princeton Buffer. N.p., 12 June 2014. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.

Digital image. Www.pinterest.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2016.

"History, Nostalgia, and Adolescence in American Film." History, Nostalgia, and Adolescence in American Film. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.

"Is ’12 Years a Slave’ an Indie? Here Are the Spirit Awards Rules of Eligibility." Variety. N.p., 26 Nov. 2013. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.

A silhouette of a fan with a camera on his head and a single light, filming his own movie. Digital image. Eckerd College at Sundance Film Festival. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.

"Sundance Infographic Reveals Some Promising and Not So Promising Numbers in Independent Film." No Film School. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.

Vine, Richard. "What Is Indie Cinema?" The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 04 Nov. 2008. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.

Plan For the Week

In trying to schedule and manage myself I wanted to set a plan for myself for the week. I tried to post this on Saturday through the app however it seems it did not post. Anyway, my plan for the week is to do research on my film genre to establish what elements should be in my film. I also plan on finalizing the story and premise for my film; this means characters, setting, and style of opening. Once this is done I want to begin writing my script. For my opening, as of now, I'm picturing a character introduction with only one character and actor. Since this means there will most likely only be a voiceover and no dialogue I want to do research on films involving mainly just one actor and how the directors and creative team make the film work. Movies that I plan on looking at, just off the top of my head, are Gravity and 127 Hours. Busy week ahead especially because I will be going to a theatre festival this week so I'm not sure just how much time I will have to write my journals or work on my project, however once o get back I will still have a week of spring break so I will definitely be working hard on that. Also note to self: be more careful using the app!!!!