Characters + Props

Characters:

Different types of characters in film

What is a character?  In fiction, a character (sometimes known as a fictional character) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, television series, film, or video game). They also can be divided into protagonist and antagonist.

A protagonist is the main character of a story. The protagonist is at the center of the story, makes the key decisions, and experiences the consequences of those decisions. The protagonist is the primary agent propelling the story forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles.

An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the chief foe of the protagonists.

The characters in my film

Character 1: Somal

My first character would be Somal, who is the only one who’s face would be shown. She is the perfect actor for the role as the character I wanted would be jolly and bubbly, and would not be looking in any distress. The hair and make-up also presents that she is in a normal get up and is relaxed.

Character 2:

I have not introduced any other character in my film opening, but the audience can see another person making food for Somal, and I want it to be mystery for the audience as to who they really are.

Props:

A prop, formally known as (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or screen by actors during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct from the actors, scenery, costumes, and electrical equipment.

The props used in my film

The main props for my film are the food: bread, jam, spread. Also, fake blood and knife were the main props I used for the film opening sequence.

The next posts are some of the last steps needed for the film opening.

Theme and Genre

To choose what genre and theme my film opening should be, I learned the main difference between a genre and a theme

Webster’s Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language defines genre as “a category of artistic, musical, or literary composition characterized by a particular style, form, or content.” Genre consists of four elements or parts: character, story, plot and setting.

The Basic Film Genres

  • Action.
  • Comedy.
  • Drama.
  • Fantasy.
  • Horror.
  • Mystery.
  • Romance.
  • Thriller.

A theme is the film’s central, unifying concept. A theme evokes a universal human experience and can be stated in one word or short phrase (for example, “love,” “death,” or “coming of age”). Webster’s Encyclopedic Unbridged Dictionary of the English Language defines theme as “a subject of discourse, discussion, meditation, or composition; topic” In other words, a theme is the idea, premise, or purpose of a movie. It is the whole reason why movies are made. The theme is the heart of the movie.

How To Find A Theme by D4Darious

After researching about the theme and the genre, the next step is decide What theme and genre my film opening is going to have:

Genre and Theme of my Film Opening

Murder-Mystery: Mystery films mainly focus on solving a crime or a puzzle. The mystery generally revolves around a murder which must then be solved by policemen, private detectives, or amateur sleuths. … The central character usually explores the unsolved crime, unmasks the perpetrator, and puts an end to the effects of the villainy.

My main mode and theme would be murder mystery.

Drama: In film and television, drama is a category of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone.

Since I would not be doing the whole film, this genre would not be touched upon as the ones mentioned earlier.

The next posts will be about Pre-Production of my Film Opening.

Inspiration

The main reason for choosing these as my inspiration is because they generally are what I want in my film opening sequence to be like. I liked the aesthetic of some’s, the camera work of some’s, or the story of someone’s.

Knives Out (2019)

The first and the foremost is Knives Out, which resembles the most to my film opening sequence and what I want my film opening to be like. The editing and the suspense is what made me inspired and the way the story is told and how it unfolds is what intrigued me the most. The camera work also plays an important part in story telling, so I want to incorporate similar camera work. The story also hooks the audience till the end because it does not tells us who the killer is, but gives us clues which makes the audience a part of the film by making them guess the story. The suspense part is also why it is one of my inspiration.

Knives Out has a power-packed flock of performers and the beautifully-cast protagonist, ensuring that this whodunit elevates from being a murder mystery to a thrill.” – Sonia Lulla
Mid-Day

Us (2019)

Us is one of the movies which genuinely left me thinking about it days after watching because of how they changed the whole plot in the last minutes of the movie, which makes the whole movie just turn around, and because of that, the audience now has to re-think and re-watch the whole movie again in order to get what really happened. It is not only a horror movie like what it seems, no, this is mind-twisting, something which makes you think which is exactly why it is one of my inspiration. Also, the colour pallette and the scheme used in the movie is what I first considered what my film opening would be like, and the idea stuck into my mind till now.

Jordan Peele knows how to draw a good story, no question. But when he colors it in, it’s always dripping red.” – Plugged In Staff
Plugged In

Orphan (2009)

This movie starts almost normally, with a happy and stable family and as we move towards the end, the movie becomes horrifying and disturbing without any sudden jump. The plot thickens as the story goes on, and the incidents which lead to the climax gives the audience subtle hints and foreshadows the end, it makes you angry at yourself for not grasping the problem before. The genre thriller, suspense and horror, being my favourite, made me watch the movie, but what inspired me to make something similar was because how the movie was on my mind days after watching it. It affected the audience’s mindset, and I also wanted to make something similar, something which made the audience remember my work.

Other than the horrifying and sad ending, the aesthetic and dark tones used for the movie enhanced the mood and also inspired me to go with a dark theme, which is why this movie made it to my top 3 inspiration. The aesthetic and editing were the main reason why I chose this.