Filming pt. 2

 Action... again

After our quick snack break, we got right back into filming and this is where I thanked myself for starting with the dialogue scenes because the last few scenes were so much easier and less time-consuming which was perfect as we were all hot and tired from being outside for so long. It also helped that most scenes we had left were from the inside of the car so we had AC, yay!

First, we recorded the middle scenes right before "scratching" the car. We made sure to get various shots of the same scene so I could choose the best one when I edit it later. We spent quite some time doing this scene because I wanted it to look as realistic as possible (without actually scratching any of the cars, of course). 

Then we recorded the beginning scenes where Jade drives to school and parks in her spot. Those were honestly pretty easy as there was no dialogue and since Isabella was concentrated on driving she did not overthink her acting too much. 

And that was it! Once I edit and revise I will schedule another filming day if needed, but I got so much footage that I think I will not need it (fingers crossed).

Here is some raw footage that we took (and yes, it is sped up so that it is not painfully long to watch, I promise my voice is not that squeaky and we were not driving fast in a parking lot). 

Also, a little not-so-fun fact, I had to go to the carwash by myself for the first time to get all the drawings off. I was so nervous because the only time I had done it before I was with my dad (whose job is to fix cars...) yelling at me to do it right. Long story short, I was so nervous and concentrated on getting the tire in the right spot that I forgot to roll my window up... It also started raining the second I got out of the carwash. On top of everything this what my car looked like the next morning, I have no idea how that happened, but it is safe to say I will not be taking my car to the carwash again any time soon. That's it, I hope you laughed at this, I did not. 

Until next time!

Filming pt. 1

 Action!

After I got everything ready, we started filming. I directed every shot and reviewed the angles before recording each scene. First, we recorded all the scenes that had dialogue in them as I thought they were going to be the hardest ones, and I was right. We had such a hard time not laughing and trying to stay serious for a few seconds after our lines to create a buffer. 

We recorded the scenes from inside Jade's car right before the scratch and her reaction to the scratch, which were a little frustrating to do as Isabella kept laughing whenever she looked at me, so I moved behind Zain who was recording and directed from there so she would not laugh and thankfully, that worked. 

Then we did Maia's line before she got out of the car which also took a few tries because I was acting and directing at the same time and I could not take myself seriously until after a few tries, but eventually we got the shot. We recorded all the lines at the end of the opening which also took a little while since we kept messing up and I wanted to get various versions of the same line so that I could choose which ones fit the best.

I think one of the hardest parts was to make the lines sound like I had envisioned them and to not get frustrated when things did not work on the first try. The good thing is that my friends kept a smile on my face and we kept trying until the scenes came out the way I wanted them to. Overall it was a successful filming session and I did have a lot of fun. 

Here is proof we had fun hahaha

At this point, we thought of calling it a day and resuming the next day, but I decided to continue since we only had the easy scenes left and I did not want to risk the parking spots being taken the next day or any inconsistency with having different cars parked in the proximity of ours. So we took a quick snack break and finished after. I will blog about part two of filming in the following days because I do not have time right now oops, TO BE CONTINUED...

But before I go, here is a very unflattering picture of Zain and I that Isabella took because why not?

Preparing to film

Almost there!

It is finally happening—I started recording! This post will focus on all the preparations we made before we started recording. The day before, we coordinated all the outfits and props we would need for the filming day. 

My friends and I got to leave school at 12:30 on Friday, so we went straight to the library and started preparing everything. We chose two parking spots that were next to each other, where we liked the scenery behind them, and in a spot where not many cars were driving by. We then painted my car with chalk markers to showcase Maia's artsy personality.

Then we changed into our outfits and did our makeup. The eyeshadow for Maia was the hardest part as none of us are experts at doing makeup, so we had to trust the process. Thankfully, I think we did a decent job as the result looked good. Next, my friend Zain has a camera and mics that she let me use for this project, so we set everything up and tried it out to double check everything was working the way I wanted it. 

I then practiced parking my car next to Isabella's without actually scratching it and we started to work out which angles would look best to make it seem like I scratched it. Lastly, we took a water break and practiced our lines and decided to change a few of them that felt awkward to something that felt more natural for each of us. 

Here are some clips I took of my friends and I decorating the car and doing the makeup and some pictures we took before filming:

Preparation for filming 

 

Mise-en-scene (costumes and makeup)

 Appearance matters

I am continuing to plan for the production of my film opening, the next mise-en-scene element I want to consider is costuming and makeup as it is something that represents the character's personalities. 

For Jade, I was thinking of a cute sweater, sweatpants, and comfy shoes, maybe UGGs. She would not think too much about her outfit but she still has some class and I want to channel that through her costume. I want her to have her hair up in a messy bun and have minimal makeup on as she likes to look put together without going all out. 

                        

 

As for Maia, I want her to wear overalls, a T-shirt, converse shoes, a lot of bracelets, and a bandana in her hair. I want her outfit to fit the vibe of the character and I think this is something she would wear. For her makeup, I wanted to do a simple base but add eyeshadow and maybe eyeliner to show she enjoys doing her makeup as a form of self-expression.

               

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I know costuming and makeup is a big part of mise-en-scene so I wanted to plan it ahead of time. I will do my best to stick to this planning and start recording soon. I will be posting about the production process as soon as I get started!

Mise-en-scene (set and props)

It Is All in The Details!

I am preparing to start filming soon! I think one of the most important things to consider is the filming location. The actual scene takes place on the town streets and the school parking lot, so I first considered filming in my high school's student parking lot, but then I realized I could not go out there during school hours and if I were to record after school there would be too many cars driving out or if I wait until later, not many cars at all, so I scratched that idea. 

I told my friends about my project and asked for their help and one of them suggested we record in the library parking lot that is right in front of our school. I thought it was a perfect idea since the building is school-like and the parking lot is usually pretty full and if we go at the right time there will not be too much movement.

All my friends were eager to help me with this project, in fact, my friend Isabella asked me if she could play the main character, Jade. I agreed because I trust her and because I feel like she fits the vibes of the character well. As for the love interest Maia, I decided to play her myself since I have a very specific vision for her and feel like I need to capture her essence perfectly. Since I will not be recording the film myself, my other friends offered to help, but I will be the one directing the whole process and telling them what to do. 

This is her in the first picture, I am the one in the second and the third is a picture of both of us. 

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As for the props, we will be using our cars and this is actually gonna work out perfectly because Isabella just got a new car that perfectly matches Jade's vibes. As for my car, I am planning on asking my friend Sara (who loves drawing) to use chalk markers and draw on the windows of my car so we can make it more colorful and fitting for Maia's personality. We will also be emptying our cars and just putting in the things we think each character would have in their car. 

For Jade, we will put a dark-colored backpack in the passenger seat with notebooks and notes. I also want her to have some kind of drink in her cup holder and a gym bag in the back of her car. I want her headphones to also be somewhere visible in her car. I think the most important thing for Jade is for everything to look organized and clean. 

On the other hand, for Maia, I am planning on putting clothes, paint supplies, and even toys in the back seat. I want it to represent her messy but full life, I also want to make sure everything looks colorful when it comes to her. 

I am extremely excited to start filming, I want to see how everything comes together and bring my vision to life. 

Production Planning 2

Script 

I created a script to help myself direct the opening. I used a formatting template and found directions to make it like an actual script, it all feels so official now. Here is a screen shot of the website where I found the template, I thought it was really useful to have various examples to look at.

Screenplay scripts are used as part of the planning process for films and TV shows as they are used to put someone's idea or vision into words so other people can understand it and bring the production to life. Scripts describe the setting, the key mise-en-scene elements, the character's attitudes, and the dialogue between characters. It is like a set of instructions for the director to interpret. 

I think scripts are really useful and key to a successful production so here is a link to my script!

Sources:

https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/screenplay-example-download/

Production Planning

 Storyboard

I created a storyboard to plan out the scenes and shots I want to do for my opening. I will use this as a guide and starting point for the production process of the film opening. It is rough draft and it helped me organize my thoughts and ideas.

Here is a copy of my storyboard:

I know it is not perfect and that my drawing skills are not amazing, but creating this helped me map how I want to organize the scenes and which scenes are crucial for the plot to be understood. I will make my script next, basing it on this storyboard. I am excited to start recording, which will happen soon. I know I might still change or replace a few things, but I still want to plan correctly and set myself up for the best outcome possible. 

Plot Summary

Not My Intention  

I finally developed the full plot for my film opening so here is a short summary of the plot and what I plan to produce for the opening. 

Summary;

Jade meets Maia on the first day of her senior year when Maia parks next to her, scratching her car. Jade is annoyed at her and does not look forward to parking next to her the entire year. As she walks into the school and receives her class schedule, she realizes she was placed in an art class, which is something she never planned to take and rushes to her counselor. They explain to her that she is missing an art credit to be able to graduate, so even though she is not happy about it she has to take the class. 

When she walks into class, she realizes Maia is there, not as a student but as an assistant. Maia offers to help her pass the art class if she does not make her pay for the car repairs and Jade initially refuses. As the week progresses she realizes she sucks at art and will probably fail the class if she does not accept Maia's help.

They end up helping each other and as they spend time together and get to know each other they end up falling in love. None of them wants to accept it at first, but they slowly start letting their feelings come through. Everything seems to be going well until Jade's friends ask her why she is always hanging out with "that weird girl Maia," she responds that she is only doing so to pass the art class, which is a lie, but when Maia overhears this conversation her feelings are hurt. Then, they into an argument, and Maia refuses to keep helping her. 

They stop helping each other and hanging out and Jade stresses out about her final project. In desperation she asks Maia to help her, who is offended by her audacity. Jade realizes how much she misses her and creates an art piece inspired by Maia. Once she presents it to the class, she apologizes to Maia while dedicating her art piece to her. Maia decides to forgive her and they get together as an official couple. 

Opening:

For the 2-minute opening, I was thinking of starting on the inside of Jade's car and showing her getting ready to get down and go to class. I would like to show the inside of the car and have a few objects that represent her personality to show them. I would also like to include the credits during this sequence of close-ups. During this whole beginning part, I plan to include music in the background and pretend it is what Jade is listening to in her car, whenever Maia gets there and scratches the car the music will stop and the title "Not My Intention" will appear on screen. The last part of the opening is going to be the two of them getting out of the car and starting to argue. 

I am so excited to produce my opening, especially now that I have a clear idea of what I want it to be. I might still change a thing or two but for now, I feel really happy with my idea! 

Incorporating Media Theory

 Binary Opposition Theory 

I decided to research the binary opposition theory because the two main characters in my story are opposites that attract. 

Many concepts cannot be fully understood without considering the opposite idea. For example, the concept of loudness cannot be fully understood until one knows quietness, and this goes for any other set of opposites like hero vs. villain, kind vs. selfish, or light vs. darkness. One cannot exist without the other. Claude  Lévi-Strauss believed that the structure of the world was based on binary opposition and that is how we as humans make sense of our existence. 

The film world often presents opposite concepts by exploring the gray area between them. Contrast and comparison tend to attract audiences and engage them. The most common ways the film industry uses binary opposition are:

• Hero vs. Villian
• Relaxed vs. Tense
• Strong vs. Weak
• Humanity vs. Technology
• Black vs. White
• Masculinity vs. Femininity

However, there is a prominent issue with stereotypes used to create opposition. For example, saying men and women are opposites because men are brave and strong while women are scared and helpless. Another stereotype would be that wealthy people do not associate with poor people or that someone brave is immediately superior to someone scared. The idea that one is always better than the other is not always ideal as binary opposition is not about establishing which one is best, instead, it is about better understanding concepts through the contrast between them.   

Examples: 

The entire movie series of The Hunger Games explores the contrast between the Capitol and the 13 Districts and how their social status separates them from one another. The newest movie,  The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, explores the gray area between them with the character of Lucy Gray Baird, as she is neither district nor capital. She lives in the districts but stands out with her colorful clothing and defiant and loud personality. 

The Harry Potter movie franchise explores opposition by having magical characters and also mortals who are not part of the magical world. In the first movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, they explore the gray area between the two by including characters who are "muggle-born" or "halfbloods," meaning that they do not completely belong to either group. 

Another example is Titanic as it explores the concept of two characters of different social statuses falling in love. Their relationship is not allowed as social classes were not supposed to mix and wealthy people valued their status and money above everything. The love story in this movie still alludes to the binary opposition theory, even if it does not abide by the typical stereotypes of the time. 

One more example is the movie Ratatouille, where the contrast between humans and rats is an interesting concept, as rats are usually seen as disgusting rodents. The friendship between Linguini and Remy shows that just because they are opposites does not mean they cannot get along. It also goes against the typical stereotypes of rats as in this movie Remy is a chef. 

Takeaways:

I plan to include the binary opposition theory in my film opening as the contrast between my two characters is a key aspect of the story. The idea that opposites attract works because people can complement each other when they have different personality traits that offer what the other one is missing. My characters will have a lot to learn from each other as they will share their different ideas and lifestyles and slowly realize they can enjoy going out of their comfort zone and being a little more like the other.

Sources:

https://media-studies.com/binary-opposition/

https://beverlyboy.com/filmmaking/how-is-binary-opposition-in-film-used/

Representation Research

 Queer Representation 

Queer representation in film is key so that everyone can feel represented. There have been many issues with LGBTQ+ representation in media because of the overused stereotypical tropes and inaccurately representing queerness. This has led to misconceptions about the community and increased homophobia as being queer is often portrayed as being out of the norm and wrong. It creates a stigma around homosexual and transexual people and it alienates them. This can lead to queer people feeling like they do not belong and have negative impacts on young people who are still trying to figure out their identity and sexuality. In addition, it has been proven that the LGBTQ+ community is perceived more positively by individuals who have seen accurate queer representation in the media. Although in the last few years, queer representation has greatly increased and improved in the film world and in media in general it is not nearly enough as many misconceptions and homophobic stereotypes are still present. 

Typical Tropes:

Several overused and homophobic stories are used to represent queer characters in film, this type of representation is discriminatory as it portrays stories that most queer people do not resonate with. The three most common ones are the male idealization of lesbian couples, the use of camps to explore queerness, and the portrayal of gay people with HIV/AIDS. These homophobic stereotypes put gay people in a box and it makes them feel like there is something wrong with them as the media shows that they "are not normal." These ideas can have a very negative impact on queer individuals and that is why queer representation needs to be respectful, relatable, and genuine. 

I hate the idea of a character being known as "the gay one," why does their sexuality have to be their entire personality, I think there are many other characteristics people should be remembered by, as their sexuality does not define them as a person. I want to avoid this in my production and I want my characters to be remembered for their personalities instead of their sexuality. 

Do It Right:

For queer representation to be considered good the character must be identifiably queer, they must be significant to the plot and they must have a personality that goes beyond their sexuality. I want to make sure my characters are a good representation of the queer community as this is something really important to me. 

Here are some productions I think do a good job at representing queer characters: Moonlight, The Half of It, The Owl House, She Ra, and Sex Education. 

Sources: 

https://rhetorikos.blog.fordham.edu/?p=1903

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/gay-representation-on-screen-film-glaad-study-1235590485/

Group Meeting Reflection

 Helping Each Other!

Today in class we have group meetings to hear other ideas and offer feedback. It was a beneficial activity as we helped each other work through the issues we each had and the constructive criticisms and new ideas served as inspiration on how to improve our projects. Here is a picture of us during our meeting:

First, Isa told us about her coming-of-age film idea and how she started by developing a character before she thought about the plot. She shared her research with us and said she could not decide between doing a voice-over in her opening or focusing on character development and setting instead. We suggested she focus on character development as character is one of the main aspects of her production. In addition, she said she did not like the idea of having the credits on a black screen and would rather incorporate them in objects as the opening progresses. We agreed with her idea since she wanted the audience to be engaged from the very first second instead of ignoring the credits. 

https://ilovesunsetsandyoga.blogspot.com/ 

Then, Layla told us she is also thinking of producing a coming-of-age story. She does not have the entire plot set out but she told us about her main character and how she is very insecure because of social media and how she wants to center the story around that. We gave her suggestions on how to start the opening and she said she wanted to do something like scrolling on social media and comparing herself to other girls on the internet. I suggested she incorporate the credits of the film in the social media post and she thought it was a clever idea. 

https://lsherm22.blogspot.com/

Danielle told us she wants to create a thriller and how she wants to start her opening with an agent investigating and examining the evidence in a crime scene. She wanted to incorporate flashbacks to the actual crime whenever the agent touched the objects and we gave her suggestions to create the transitions between the present and the past. We suggested she use filters and lightning to differentiate the timelines as well. She was worried her idea was going too hard to create but we encouraged her and helped her come up with ways to achieve the scene she had in mind. 

https://danilovesblogs13.blogspot.com/

Andre shared his idea to create an action thriller about a group of gamblers who are trying to settle their debts. He wanted to start with all of them sitting around a poker table and he wanted to zoom in and stop in each one of them to edit text to say their name and explain their personalities. We all agreed it was a fun idea but told him he needed to schedule enough time to edit if he wanted to turn out the way he was picturing it. He also mentioned that he wants music to be playing in the background and how he plans to incorporate the credits within the mise-en-scene elements. 

https://potatoarg.blogspot.com/ 

Next, Diego told us about his idea for a horror story about a guy being trapped in an infinite forest with a monster. He did not have a clear idea of the plot and asked for our help to connect his opening with the rest of the film. We suggested he did a flashback to the past to explain how the guy got there and show that there is more than just the opening to the film. We also encouraged him to develop the full plot before he established the opening scene.

https://ruzlog.blogspot.com/

Lastly, they all helped me improve my ideas. I told them how I was thinking of having my two characters meet in a situation that made them annoyed at each other, but they told me it would not be clear that they would eventually fall in love if there was no hint of attraction, which I will make sure to include in my opening. They liked the idea of arguing over a parking spot or getting into a small car accident to initiate an argument and said that the contrasts between my characters would allow for an interesting. I thought the group meeting was really helpful as I got honest feedback about my ideas and they helped me come up with ways of solving issues and improving my overall project. 

Character Development

Characters Start Coming to Life

I decided to create a queer romantic comedy because I wish that was something I could've watched growing up. Representation is so important and I feel like many queer stories inaccurately represent the LGBTQ+ community. As someone who discovered such a big part of myself in my teenage years, I wish I had watched more stories where lesbians are just people who fall in love, the same way hetero couples do instead of a freak show created to please the male gaze. I am tired of cliche characters and stories filled with homophobic stereotypes. I will strive to make my story relatable and focus on the actual love story instead of making a big deal about it being queer. 

Jade

The main character in the film is a girl named Jade, whose main goal is to succeed academically and go to college to major in biochemical chemistry. She is a hard worker and keeps her life together, she is organized, responsible, mature, and resilient. She loves challenges and likes her healthy lifestyle. She is not overly social and prefers to focus on herself and managing her busy schedule. She is going through the beginning of her senior year in high school, stressed about college applications but ready to enter her adult life. She lives alone with her father since her mom left when she was a baby, her dad tried to be there for her as she grew up, but because of his demanding job and work trips, he was somewhat absent. She has always wanted to make him proud and show him she can succeed as much as he does. 

Here I am attaching a mood board I made to represent her, her personality, her hobbies and her vibe. 

Maia

Maia is Jade's love interest whom she will meet in the opening of the film. She is funny, extroverted, carefree, enthusiastic, and charismatic. She loves music, painting, cooking, and spending time outdoors. She does not worry too much about the future and she prefers to enjoy the present. She is the oldest daughter in a loving family with 4 kids. She has helped take care of and raise her little brothers and sisters and therefore is very protective of the people she loves. She is adventurous and silly and does not care what other people think about her. She is a junior in high school who has no set plans for her future but to have fun. I also made a mood board to encapture her essence as well:

I am excited to continue to develop a story for these two characters! I had a lot of fun creating their personalities and making the mood boards, I love the creative freedom this project offers. I might still tweak one thing or two about the characters as I finish developing their story but I am pretty happy with what I have going on so far. 

Analyzing Credit Sequences

All credits to ME!

A major element in movie openings is the credit sequence where all the people that worked to put the film together are acknowledge. This includes but is not limited to the writer, producer, director, cinematographer, editor and major actors. 

I am not sure if I should incorporate the credits in small writing on mise-en-scene objects or if I should include a credit sequence where the writing is the most important thing on the screen. I am going to conduct research to make my decision and get inspiration on how to include the credits in my production. I decided to take a look at a few credit sequences from existing romantic comedy productions in order to do my research. 

Spanglish 

The opening scene of this movie is longer than 2 minutes and the credits are scattered throughout the opening. They are not the main focus of each scene as context is being given by the protagonist's daughter's college essay. While she begins explaining why her mother was the most influential person in her life the credits appear in the lower half of the screen with a delicate font, similar to this one:  

The font matches the initial vibe of the film and it is not distracting from the scenes taking place. I like this way of showing the credits because for my portfolio project, I only have 2 minutes and I don't want the credit scene to take time away from my opening, therefore I think incorporating them while the scenes are happening is a good idea. 

Just Go With It

This opening scene does not include as many credits as I would like to include as it only shows the production studios. The opening focuses more on the context that is being explained than the credits. As I was watching I was expecting more credits to show up on the screen but they did not, it is a simple detail I would not have noticed before taking this class but now I felt like it was missing.  Nonetheless, the few credits and the title were in a font similar to this one:

I definetly plan to include more credits than just the producer since I think it my opening would be incomplete without them. I will have to find a font that matches the aesthetic of my opening, so I will keep that in mind during the planning and production process. 

The Proposal

In contrast to the previous opening, this one includes numerous credits. These appear on all different parts of the screen and they fade out as the next one is fading in. This was a little overwhelming as there were also scenes going on but I liked that the font was easy to read and if I was not watching it intentionally focusing on the credits I would not have been overly distracted by them. 

For my opening, I think I will be showing the credits at the same time as the scenes and I will try to make them noticeable without distracting the viewer from the scenes happening at the same time as I feel this is the most appropriate approach for my chosen genre. 

Schedule

Time Management 

This is definetly the biggest project I have had to work on so far and there is so much going into it that it feels a little overwhelming, therefore I thought making a schedule would help me organize myself and ensure I stay on track. 

To Do List

• Research
• Plot Development 
• Opening Planning 
• Filming
• Editing
• Revising
• Critical Creative Reflection 

Schedule

Week 1 (2/3-2/9)

• Research Film Openings and Credit Sequences
• Plot Development
• Research Target Audience
• Character Development and Representation

Week 2 (2/10-2/16)

• Storyboard
• Script 
• Casting Actors
• Set place, date and time for filming
• Possibly film over the weekend

Week 3 (2/17-2/23) 

Note: Dance competition over the weekend

• Filming scenes
• Sound (foley and edited) 
• Editing clips 

Week 4 (2/24-3/2) 

Note: Dance cometition over the weekend

• Revising clips
• Choosing best version 
• Research for Critical Creative Reflection

Week 5 (3/3-3/9)

• Critical Creative Reflection

Week 6 (3/10-3/16)  

Note: School musical daily rehearsals & night shows. Dance competition over the weekend

• Buffer week 

Week 7 (3/17-3/25)

• Buffer week 

I will try my best to stick to this schedule and start filming as early as possible since the second to last week I will be very busy and I probably won't have time to work on the project as much as the other weeks. I left that week and the week after that as buffer weeks in case I need more time for the critical creative reflection or the revision of the film opening. Maybe 2 buffer weeks seem like too much but I would rather finish ahead of time than be on a time crunch, especially in those two weeks that I know will be stressful for me. I am confident I can do this if I stay organized and stick to this schedule. 

Analyzing Film Openings

Getting Inspiration!

I have decided on a genre for my film opening: romantic comedy! I decided to take this route because I think I will have fun with it, plus it still allows me to incorporate the elements of teen drama that I wanted to include the most. I am excited to create a playful story that represents teenagers from my perspective. 

I have some ideas for the plot of my story but I thought taking a look at several film openings in this genre could help me solidify my choices and inspire me in the creation of my opening:

10 Things I Hate About You

The film opens with the credits sequence with a cartoony font that gives off a juvenile feel, the song playing also alludes to teenagers in the late 90s, when the movie takes place. It then shows the title and the scenery of the calm and residential town where the movie is going to place. The main character Kat is introduced by showing how different she is from girls her age. Lastly, the film opening shows her high school and how she walks in with a negative attitude.

This film's opening focuses mostly on character development and establishing the setting determining that these two are key aspects of the plot. In this case, music is utilized to show context and most importantly to show that Kat is not a conventional girl like her peers. The contrast between the four girls in the bright blue convertible singing together to One Week by the Barenaked Ladies in their pretty outfits and full faces of makeup with Kat in her red Dodge Dart listening to the rock song Bad Reputation by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts all by herself, judging the other girls shows that her personality being different from the stereotypical one is a key element to the plot. 

I like the way the music is used to showcase Kat's personality and how it works together with the credit's font to create a juvenile vibe. I would like to incorporate music in my film opening as I feel it is very effective at setting the tone and can also aid in developing key aspects of the plot. I would also like to focus my film opening on character development as it fits the genre and is important for the plot. 

Anyone But You

The film starts with the main character Bea speed-walking through the streets of Boston, trying to find a bathroom. She walks into a coffee shop where they tell her the bathroom is only for paying customers and the line to pay is extremely long. Then, the guy who is about to order notices what is happening and pretends she is his wife and buys her something to drink and bread to make grilled cheese sandwiches so that she can have the key to the restroom. She thanks him and they hit it off with conversation. 

This film's opening focuses on character development by showcasing the first interaction between the two main characters. It is shown how immediately they are drawn to each other and their personalities also show through the situation, with Bea being fiery with the coffee shop worker and Ben being charismatic and quick thinking by helping Bea without even knowing her. Their reactions to each other indicate their attraction and instant chemistry which opens the door to their upcoming complicated love story. 

I like the idea of the characters meeting in the opening scene because it sets the tone for their romantic relationship to start developing. Once again, I would like to focus on character development in my opening and now I would like to incorporate the first encounter with the love interest in the opening too. I think I am leaning more towards two characters who do not immediately like each other or meet in a situation that causes them to get annoyed at each other instead of them immediately hitting it off like in this opening, but I will be taking inspiration from this premise. 

500 Days of Summer

This movie's opening is a little different than the other two since there is a narrator's voice explaining who the characters are and their beliefs about love. The very first scene is the two main characters sitting on a bench visibly in love with each other, there is even a shot of the woman's hand with a ring. Then the narrator offers context by talking about the two character's childhoods and says that Tom has always wanted to find true love like the one in the movies while Summer did not believe in love because of her parents' divorce.

This opening focuses on character development as well as giving context and background information. Showing the contrasting personalities of both characters opens the question of how do they end up together, especially since they have opposing views about love. The narrator creates mystery with its last line before the credits seuqence being "but, this is not a love story." 

I am not the biggest fan of the narrator for the opening because even though it is well done in this film I think it is very hard to get it right without making it corny, what I am choosing to take away from this opening is the importance of focusing on character development and introducing both love interests in the opening instead of only focusing on one.