Approaching the Film Approach

Developing Character

    Although I wanted to go for developing tone or background in my film, the best film approach that would fit for this type of film is establishing character. There will be one character developed in the opening as much as possible (let's call them Person A), while subtly also introducing the main character of the film (Person B). We don't have to focus on Subject B as much, since her character will be more developed throughout the story. Who I want to focus on the most in the scene is Person A, the girl who ends her life in the opening scene; not only showing that she's sad, but leaving hints and details that show why she did it or why she might have done it. Focusing mostly on Person A in the opening also leaves the audience more in shock when she dies right away. Developing character in the opening is also a common approach when it comes to coming-of-age films, since they usually just focus on one person and how they grow.

    One of the most important parts of developing character is mise-en-scene. Without using words or other people, you can clearly get a feeling of the character. Not only with costume design and makeup, but with surroundings like their room. This helps establish an overall introduction of the character. Other elements are dialogue and interactions, how they speak and how they interact with other people. 

Developing Person A

    Since Person A won't be in the film for over two minutes, I want the audience to understand her and her emotions before she leaves. A coming-of-age film that works great with introducing their character's feelings is The Fallout. Through just one scene, without showing much reason, the main character Vada is shown feeling unmotivated and down before anything ever really happens. With how casual her family acts around her it's also implied that she's been sad and disorganized for a while.

    Through her oversized wardrobe, messy hair, and actions while getting ready in the morning, it is obvious that her character feels empty, or put up with her life. It shows that this feeling most likely will change, whether that is through an event or a person. In this case, Person A taking pills in the opening will change the life of everyone around her. This type of mise-en-scene that the movie was going for is what I want to apply in my opening. 

    Another film that introduces character well by incorporating mis-en-scene, dialogue, and interactions with others is Everything Everywhere All At Once. Through just one scene (or two, if you count the beginning), you can already understand and feel everything that the character, Evelyn, is going through. The mise-en-scene is applied in the living room, already creating stress through the overwhelming amount of papers on her desk. It is also implied through the cameras in the background and dialogue that her and her husband own a laundromat, and it is getting in the way of their lives and relationship. The stress is emphasized through the conversations between her and her husband, with arguments and a quick pace.

    What I also noticed about these two film openings is that they both have a lack of music. I think this would be to keep the audience in the moment and display the true feelings of the character without any distractions. Using these elements of both stress and emptiness, I can create a scene that develops "Person A" as girl who is clearly going through a problem and is heavily affected by it. Creating a stressful environment along with messy clothing design and hair can show that without using dialogue. Once her friends come to her house, that is when dialogue and interactions will be shown, showing that she is isolated from the rest and speaks quieter and more serious compared to the rest of her friends. Although the environment seems messy, for this part of the introduction I want to keep the audio to a minimum, emphasizing her empty thoughts. I will examine how to introduce Person B next time.