Story line

1.)    In a town called Crestwood, there was a teenager named Frank. One day, he's walking home, minding his own business, and suddenly, he stumbles upon a dark alley. Frank sees this creepy shapeshifter changing transformations.

 2.)    Frank watches in shock, and the shapeshifter notices him. Frank runs home, eager to tell his parents. But his parents do not believe him because he has always been a playful prankster.

 3.)    The shapeshifter starts invading Frank's dreams, pretending to be his family and friends, while threating him. Desperate for answers, Frank goes to an old bookstore with a reputation for supernatural wisdom. He digs around and finds an old book named "death to the devil's sons"  in the book frank finds a ritual that supposedly exposes the shapeshifter's true form.

4.)     With the book in hand, Frank heads back to the creepy alley where he saw the shapeshifter. Frank starts performing the ritual, and the shapeshifter appears. The shapeshifter attacks, and Frank's doing his best to dodge its attacks in the dark. As the ritual is about to end, the shapeshifter freaks out and disappears into thin air. 

5.)    Frank runs home, ready to share the big news with his parents, only to find out the shapeshifter did a memory wipe on them. No one in Crestwood remembers Frank anymore.

Story line research

 Making a storyline to base our opening in is more complicated than I thought. My teammate and I don't want to go off another movie and change it up a bit, so we decided to do some research on how to create a horror story line. 

While researching I came across this website called "MasterClass". This website included many great tips to help me create an original  story line such as avoiding cliches and using my own fears in the story. In addition, "MasterClass" also gave me information on how to make a scary plot line, this is by adding proper pacing and unexpected twists. In my opening I would like to show off the monster at the beginning of the opening to catch the audience's attention due to the unexpectancy.

I kept researching because I felt like I needed more to create my story line. Reedsyblog helped me add that extra padding to my story by going in deeper on how I wanted my story to plan out. I had an idea in mind but I wanted my story to be different from the other horror stories, I wanted my audience to experience the feeling of unsafety no matter where Frank "main character" was at. This is why I thought a shapeshifter would be the best monster/villain to have in my story. A shapeshifter is a mythical creature that can transform into any living organism, my idea was that the shapeshifter would camouflage in Franks life as a teacher, friend, or his own family. This had a great result because it gave me a free range on when and where the shapeshifter would attack.  

 

Story plan

 In my opening, there will be a shape shifter that wants to kill Frank "teen" because he saw him transform from a human to a dog, Frank will need to avoid the creature and find out a way to defeat him. Frank will try and get help but no one believes him, resulting in a helpless situation for the teen.

    I had a shapeshifter as my villain/monster because it gives me free range of what can be considered a threat to Frank. The audience will need to be on their on guard because anything from a house cat to a teacher could be the monster.

    I haven't completed a solid story line for the opening yet, however I will continue my research on horror film elements to create a horror opening that will shock the audience. Watching horror movie openings such as "Get Out" and "Midssomar" give me inspiration to create a safe space for Frank when in reality its not. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Vnghdsjmd0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzfpyUB60YY

Horror Characters

 I continued my research by investigating the type of characters horror movies introduce. The main types of characters horror movies introduce are the protagonist, his companions and the monster/villain. I found Dabble, this article talked about the importance of a character's backstory and the impact they have on the audience. 

Even thought it will be complicated including backstory in the introduction of the film, I will try working around it by adding quick flashes of the characters memories. Another element I want to add to the film that will cause me some problems with the time are strengths and weaknesses of the characters. I haven't really thought of a way I could work around this problem yet, but I will promptly. 

In my film the protagonist will come from an abusive household, where he is the eldest out of 3 siblings. His younger siblings are depending on him to survive, adding more tension to the opening. I decided that the monster shouldn't have a backstory included in the opening, this is because it makes him more mysterious and creepy. 

Elements 2/15

 I decided my genre being horror because I am simply more interested in using different types of lighting to create a sense of creepiness' and I had a better idea on what my steps were going to be in the film. Today I started my research and it was surprisingly difficult to find a horror movie that could influence my film. I ended up running into FAR OUT  that showed me successful movie introductions that could help my project seem more professional. 

Some elements I took from FAR OUT are the important use of lighting, sound, and character emotion. I will implement these elements into my film to portray a terrifying monster that will be able to shapeshift in the hunt of teenagers.

In my opening the shapeshifter will be able to transform into people and animals, the characters won't know where the monster is therefore creating unexpected attacks.  I will use the feeling of security on the audience to catch them off guard with the monster transforming into loved one's. 

Transition Blog Post

 Hello, my name is Antonio Navas and I attend Cypress Bay Highschool, and today I will be starting the portfolio project. For this project I will use my past experiences with other projects to make an introduction to a new film. Editing, composition, and sound are a few of the skills I have developed during the course of the year that will help me over come the portfolio project. 

As I decide the genres for my project, two options have captured my interest, horror and action. Factors such as lighting, camera angles, and shots play a vital role in creating the eerie and terrifying atmosphere characterized in horror films. Using these elements, I will craft a story centered around a group of teenagers striving to survive a monster capable of camouflaging itself within their daily lives, including teachers, friends, and parents. The teenagers will start a journey, researching old manuscripts to uncover the key to defeating the ancient creature.

In the other hand, I am considering an action film. Action films thrive on constant movement, including intense fights and chase scenes. This genre seems fitting due to the resources available to me, such as cars and diverse settings for filming. However, a potential challenge is maintaining a high level of excitement throughout the film without boring the audience. This project would revolve around two brothers fighting for the leadership position in their family's cartel like business, going in missions and encountering struggles along the way.

Representation Blog Post

Attack On Titan is a world known anime created by Hajime Isayama that explores profoundly the racism and war that happens in the real world. The story telling and symbolism in Attack on Titan is like no other anime out there, Attack on Titan represents a never ending war of pain and suffering due to racism and the different cultures people around the world belong to.

    Attack on Titan's ability to merge real world problems such as racism and giant monster like creatures makes it stand out from the other animes. Eldia is an island in "AOT" that it is told that it belongs to the devils by the Marleyans, this is due to the eldians being at war with them in the past, but the Eldians are not aware that there is other human life. In Eldia, there is a kingdom with walls surrounding it because of the monsters that eat humans outside the walls. The Eldians face systemic oppression, just like real-world minorities. This theme is amplified through the use of insults such as "Eldian devils," emphasizing the dehumanization experienced by the oppressed group.

    At the end of Attack of Titan we are made aware of Eren's real motive to destroy every other race in the world, and that was to reach peace. The conflict between Eldians and Marleyans becomes a metaphor for the destructive nature of armed conflicts in our own world. Russia and Ukraine are an example for the representation Attack on Titan portrayed in the show, illustrating the tragic cycle of hatred and revenge that results in a never-ending cycle of violence.

    Attack on Titan represents the racism and war that happens in the real world. Eldians and Marleyans are different races and fight each other because of religion and past wars.
Through its exploration of discrimination, war, and the morals of conflict, the series challenges viewers to reflect on the social structures and power dynamics that cause to real world tragedies.