Rough Draft of Storyboard

Because we decided to draw the storyboard digitally, we created a rough sketch of the frames which we then can alter depending on any changes.

Idea Change

After receiving feedback from our overall idea for the film opening, we decided to change the idea slightly in terms of narrative to create a more understandable story line as well as a better enigma.
The location and shots will still be the same as well as the similar narrative as the man is still kidnapped, but we now have to cast one other person. The colour palette will also be slightly changed as well as the sound palette as we will not use the music we included

2ND IDEA

The same tracking shot from the initial idea is being used, but now from the outside to establish clearly that it is a shop that the location is in.
The camera tracks through the shop, with closeups of various objects which could link to the protagonist or narrative in some way.
Over the tracking movements, the non-dietetic sound of voicemail recordings are being played, from the protagonists wife, daughter, boss, doctor etc. giving insight to the audience what kind of a person he is.
Like before, the camera shows the body using closeups shots and wide shots, he gets ups staggering and is in a dazed state.
He looks down and sees he has a drip in his hand, he pulls it out. This shows he has been drugged, the reason why he is acting like this.
Suddenly he stumbles to the ground, on his hands and knees, and a woman comes down the stairs, who is the shop owner and begins to look around for something, she very briefly acknowledges the man's existence but doesn't react to it, creating a strange reaction and enigma to the audience.
Seeing the woman, the man tries to crawl over to her and tries to make noise, which comes out as very slurred speech, which isn't understandable.
She ignores him and goes back up the stairs with what she was looking for, and leaves him in darkness.

Sound/Colour Palette and 9 Shots

9 SHOTS

1) Tracking movement through the building and into the basement
2) Long shot of the basement, showing a man lying on the ground in the middle of the frame
3) High angle/Ariel shot of him waking and getting up, staggering
4) Mid shot of mirror, showing him standing up and gaining balance
5) Mid shot of the man from behind, walking into the main area and starting to look around/explore
6) Close up of half of his torso and hand trailing over objects
7) Mid-close up of man's face and shoulders from the side or 3/4 behind, showing a scared/confused expression
8) High angle of man stopping at the base of stairs, looking up
9) Slightly low angle and mid shot of another man, at top of the stairs, showing his dominant role compared to the vulnerability of the protagonist.



COLOUR PALETTE 

This colour palette shows the most prominent colours to be shown in our film opening. The black and white will be used for the title and credit scenes, inspired by the block colour screens shown in Stanley Kubrick's 'A Clockwork Orange'. The brown will be accompanied with many other warm shades, and this is the main colour scheme in the building we are filming in. The pink and red will be used as lighting in the basement.

SOUND PALETTE

• A voicemail message recording will be used over the tracking shots through the building at the beginning of the opening, the variation of messages from different types of people will give indication into the narrative and what the protagonist is like.
• 1930's jazz music  may be used when the protagonist is exploring the room he is in, he could turn a radio/ put a cassette in a tape player. This music will juxtapose with the confusing and frightening atmosphere he is in. Contrapuntal sound is fairly common in horror films, and this will create a sense of perhaps fear and confusion.
• White noise or a sound similar  might be combined with the jazz music to highlight the disorientation that the protagonist is experiencing.

Film Idea Research

IT FOLLOWS, DIR DAVID ROBERT MITCHELL (2014)

Despite having the narrative of a horror film, 'It Follows' includes a range of shots, movements and lighting that are not conventional to most horror films. The overall feel to the film is almost retro, with the neon red lighting in some scenes and simple tracking movements accompanied by little or no sound. This provides inspiration for our film opening, especially as the tracking shots were positioned so what was in the frame was symmetrical, linking to our idea of the camera tracking through the house to the basement. 

I feel we could follow what this film has done by subverting the common conventions of horror with the stereotypical low key lighting and close ups. Instead 'It Follows' includes a range of lighting, of which some scenes are with neon red or pink lighting, which is very rarely seen in films of this genre. Despite the narrative and genre being different to what our film opening idea is, the cinematography, lighting and sound are useful for us to take inspiration from.

In terms of lighting, another film with a similar style is 'drive' (2011). The common use of the neon lighting would also be useful for our film opening.
Similarly to the opening of 'It Follows', we wanted little or no dialogue, and the sound of radio static and the stations being tuned as the camera tracks through the house.

CONVENTIONS OF A FILM OPENING

 as well as establishing the protagonist, genre, and narrative. This can be done through spoken dialogue, narration, mise en scene etc.

• The primary purpose of a film opening is to capture the audience's attention to encourage them to continue watching.
• It can last up to 5 minutes
• Enigmas tend to be created, also to draw the audience in and to leave them with the curiosity of what actually happens in the film.
• They establish the film's genre, narrative and protagonists. This can be done by using actors which are commonly featured in a certain genre (for example, Jennifer Aniston is associated with rom coms, so when seen in a film opening, it would be assumed that the film is a romantic comedy if the other conventions fit with that genre.), or themes that appear, which can also hint to the narrative of the film. Sound is very important to film openings and the music 
• Starts showing key credits in a certain order such as:

- Studio name
- Production company
- Producer's name
- Star actors/actresses 
- Film Title
- Other featured actors/actresses
- Music composer
- Production crew
- Story by
- Writers
- Director

Importance of Opening Shots

The opening shots to a film are incredibly important, establishing the film's initial ideas and perhaps narrative. 

John Hughes' 'The Breakfast Club' (1985) opens with a long shot of a high school, evident with the lettering 'SHERMER HIGH SCHOOL' positioned at the front of the building and the narration of the exact location of it: Shermer, Illnois, 60062. This shot immediately establishes the premise that this film is set in a high school, or involves a teenage environment, yet the building is derelict and empty, with a bleak colour pallet to portray this. The plain look to this shot juxtaposes with the association that a high school would be crowded with teenagers and teachers, but the narration tells us the date of 'Saturday, March 24th', indicating that this is the image of the school when students are not studying.But this does not give the reason why this school is being shown on a weekend, creating an enigma of what would happen there on this particular Saturday, yet it can be assumed that something important or memorable with occur there that day, which will be remembered after the weekend back on Monday. This opening shot is transitioned when the black credit screen in front of it smashes into fragments like glass, as if something had been thrown at it, supporting the stereotype that teenagers are of a rebellious nature, and suggests that students are being kept in school on the Saturday for this certain type of behaviour. The narrator's voice is a teenage male, indicating that he perhaps is one of the students at this high school, and one of the characters or protagonist in this film.
Non diegetic sound is playing in the shot, and the music is consistent throughout, which is playing the song 'Don't You (Forget About Me)' by Simple Minds. The music is upbeat and catchy, again linking to the stereotype that teenagers are interested in pop music as well as reflecting the young and exciting lives they lead in this particular period of their life, contrasting to the bleak and almost dismal look of the school, suggesting that this school will obstruct the student/s break from school.

In the film 'Little Miss Sunshine' (2006), the opening shot is an extreme close up of a young girl's transfixed eyes on a screen. She is wearing large, thick rimmed glasses, in which the reflection of a woman on Television can be seen, connoting that this is what she wants herself to be, and how she wants to be perceived as. Her eyes resemble those of innocence and wonder, symbolising her aspiration to be like this woman, which can link to the narrative and themes of this film of ambitions and trying to pursue them, this girl being one of those people. There is diegetic and non-diegetic sound, the sound coming from the television tells the audience that is a pageant or competition of some kind, as a winner is mentioned, and judging by the age and gender of the child, it is assumed that it is probably a prize won by one's beauty.This could imply problems later in the narrative, as stereotypically speaking, this girl is not the type of child to be entered into beauty pageants appearance wise. Her huge glasses give her a look which is fairly dorky, and because through her eyes she appears innocent, childlike and almost angelic, it means what she see's is her dream, it isn't who she naturally is. The non-diegetic sound is calming background music, giving a soft and gentle atmosphere to the shot, especially as the focus is a young child.This again connotes childness and the almost naive nature of the girl and along with her attentive gaze, it shows that the only thing she simply wants in her life at that moment is on the screen.

In Danny Boyle's 'Slumdog Millionaire' (2008), the initial shot the audience sees is a slow panning movement from an extreme close up of the protagonist's shoulder to his face. The extreme close up and the distant and worried expression on his face shows the intensity in the situation he is in. This shot is also over the shoulder of another man, who is blowing smoke into the man's face. Although the body is not in focus and the camera is concentrated on the man's face, it is clear that he is a victim to the person in front of him due to his dazed and serious expression. By blowing smoke into his face, this generally signifies an act of interrogation and threat, intimidating the protagonist and asserting his dominance and authority to him. Judging by the out of focus positioning of the other man, the protagonist The tense atmosphere is heightened when it is realised that he is in peril.

Low-key lighting is used with a golden/yellow tone, relating to money and riches which could give a clue about the narrative and perhaps the situation he is in. The warm colours could also suggest the climate they are in, which would be one with a lot of heat since the lighting emphasises the sweat on his face. It can be assumed that because of the heat and the warm rich tones of yellow and gold, that the film is set in India, as well as because Dev Patel is Indian so plays roles in films set in the country. The only sound heard is diegetic, and is the sound of the smoke being blown in the protagonist's face. The absence of any other sound creates a tense and awkward atmosphere as the sound being heard is the single thing that can be concentrated on.

Initial Idea 2