The sequence that I made was suspense thriller, displaying the overall strength of the human mind and body when faced against the odds, to live and grow. It's a subliminal message to people urging them to fight for what they believe in and stand for something rather then conforming, the main character is an embodiment of this and will make him relate-able to the audience and admirable. I had to use all of the micro elements to create the right atmosphere and narrative message, so the lighting, costume, props, etc. had to be perfectly fitting to the narrative and effect the narrative drive, so it didn't ruin the message of the narrative.
For myself to create the right amount of suspense and isolationism was to use sound to my biggest advantage, by using the acoustic song L490 by 'Thirty seconds to Mars' it connotes isolation with no use of lyrics and only on instrument, being the acoustic guitar a soft sounding and very eerie instrument if used with the right scene, such as the one I use. It invited the audience into the mind of my main character and added a sense of sympathy as they feel for him as most people feel more compelled with their feelings when a slow and soft song is played during a scene so they'll feel empathy for 'John' and curiosity towards how he got there and why. The serious tone of the music makes the audience realize that this scene and most likely the rest of the film will be based upon serious tones and themes.
The audience know that the opening is very serious with the lighting of the scene achieved by filming on location, the natural light and the natural feel of the opening gives the distinct 'British' feel that I was going for with the opening with the genuine feel, rather than a studio shot film, which is why I think British audiences prefer and relate more with location shot films, The effect a location shot scene can have is much better than anything that can be shot in a studio (for the style of film I made) for instance if the scene I filmed at the beach wouldn't have the natural feeling of a beach, it'd be a computer generated 'paradise' but i think a location shot can tell more about and film and it's pureness.
For costume I just really needed to pick some neutral colors and go from there really, without any designs that stand out or distract from the seriousness. Black jeans, Nike shoes and a Black and Red jumper, just look like a typical teen making him relate-able to the older teen audience so that'll create interest in the biggest cinema goers and the word of mouth will help to freely advertise.
My film is influenced by British film production company Warp X with such films as 28 Days Later, Hush, Dead Mans Shoes and many more, these films have had me on the edge of my seat wondering what's going to happen yet and most American films fail to do this which is why i much prefer British produced films and I appreciate the genuine feeling that British films culminate and that they produce such great films on a miniscule budget so it's not trying to win people over by 'having the best cast' or 'best effects' it's just making a film for the pleasure of the audience and it is done almost perfectly with most films made by Warp X productions.
With a limited cast it helps focus on the character's development during the narrative and helps the audience focus strongly on the characters as individuals rather than a group of people, so they can relate and get into the psyche of the characters. It help the characters be understood and admired or feared by the audience, or enforce catharsis (with my film as pity is something the audience will feel for 'John' and fear for the 'infected' but they haven't been introduced into the opening) towards 'John' with his situation being quite grave and worrying to imagine yourself being put into.
For an improvement to my film I'd have recorded more sounds and had a few more shots taken of the scenes as I feel a crispness could've added to the effect and I'd have preferred the weather to have been quite dull but I couldn't get that without luck playing a part, but overall it's just very small things that I'd have improved with my opening scene. I'd have also added a bit more to the scene or added a freeze frame at the end but I didn't see it fit at the editing phase.
The use of a teenage character makes him a relatively unknown person which adds to the realism, it shows that this can happen to anyone. It embodies the human struggle within one character and shows how people should face adversity and not run away and give up because they can be victorious, so it will provide a strong positive message to the viewers so they will feel empowered to stand for themselves and fight off anything that's a threat, this will also make people feel good about themselves, which is a trait of 'cheesy 80's martial arts film' by making the audience see that 'anything is possible' this technique is a very successful technique, it gives the audience a feeling of nostalgia and will overall improve their feelings about things in general.
To conclude, all of the elements of mise en scene are integral to making the narrative and look of the opening look correct and make sure that the audience relate with the narrative drive and have the right emotions evoked by the film and it's narrative. My opening I feel did it quite successfully to embody the ideas of positivity and fighting for the truth and using the human curiosity to our advantage and creating a powerful suspense thriller.
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