Film Ideas

In our film class this semester, we have broken up into four teams to create short films. It should prove to be quite an exciting project that I am really looking forward to get the ball rolling on. Each team was assigned a certain genre and several components that must be included in the film. Every movie must include a mime or clown, a guitar, a cheese grater, and a skull. It must also include the lines "Why is this happening to me today of all days?" and "It would be better for us not to talk about that." There are four people to a team, as well as four specific jobs that must be done. There is the director, the camera operator, the editor, and the sound operator. The job in my group that I chose was the sound operator. The genre our group was assigned was action. We were all really excited to get this genre and were all bursting with ideas for elaborate chase scenes and intricate fight sequences.

One idea we had entailed using the huge stair cases in the new College of Business building for a scene in which the "bad guy" is being chased by the protagonist. We envision a wide shot from outside with the two tiny figures racing up either side of the stair case, then a cut to a shot of a fight sequence at the top of the stairs with a lot of quick cuts and fast camera motion. We could play with different interesting angles are on the stairs as well as from the top looking down. I think this could easily serve as the lead up to a very climactic fight scene for the film.

Another idea we bounced around was a chase scene through campus. I think another fight scene around the fountain could be really visually interesting especially with the added effect of the motion of the water and the circular structure of the perimeter of the fountain. One almost humorous idea that someone had was to have a "scooby doo-like" moment and have the antagonist disguised as a construction worker, waiting on the hero to run by then jumping out and chasing him. It could add not only an element of suspense, but also a humorous, light-hearted moment.

We have yet to come up with a definite plot, or even theme really, however we did decide that we thought we wanted a female action hero, maybe an undercover cop or secret agent type character. We thought that a female protagonist would be a refreshing change in a very traditionally male-dominated genre of film. As for the bad guy or many of the other details of the film, we have yet to come to a collective decision, however our team has a lot of energy and enthusiasm for this project, and I know that once we come up with an idea we will run full force with it. I am very excited to be working with my team and know the finished product will turn out well.