Transitioning to Final Portfolio Project

 The time has finally come!

From now on I will be focusing on my portfolio project for Cambridge, the two-minute film opening. I am a little nervous to start this process as it is the biggest (and most important) project I have had to create so far, and it feels a little overwhelming. However, I feel prepared to tackle it. All the activities and projects we have done in class so far,  have taught me about different genre conventions, camera shots and angles, representation patterns, mis-en-scene elements, sound elements, and editing techniques. As long as I apply all this knowledge to my portfolio project, the outcome is bound to be great. 

In the past two weeks we have learned about the different types of openings and the different approaches we can take. I learned that film openings can focus on different things like tone, character development, background, context, setting, conflict development, or even creating mystery. I am not sure exaclty what route I will take for my film opening, but the ones that I am considering the most are character or conflict conflict development.

One of the approaches I am considering taking is character development, as it can be a great way to start any genre of film since it introduces the main character and the personality traits that will be the most relevant to the plot. It can be explored through mise-en-scene elements that represent the characters' traits, their accent and register when they talk, and the interactions they have with others and the environment. I anticipate character development is going to be one of my favorite parts of this project as I enjoy creating characters and their unique personality traits and backgrounds. 

I am also considering conflict development because it dives right into the story and foreshadows the major plot event that the movie will be about. There are various routes I can take with this like character vs. society character vs. character or many others. 

I might decide to do a combination of these two but, it is going to depend on what genre and plot I end up going with. Nonetheless, I cannot wait for this project to slowly come together!