Portfolio Project Post #1

          For my Cambridge Portfolio Project, I have to make a one to two-minute film opening. Taking what I learned from my last project I think I'm going to work individually. This project is a big portion of my grade which makes me not want to take any chances with a group. I can't trust a randomly assigned group to make a project reflecting my vision, so I'll work harder myself to create my own project. 

Genre

          I've mainly been thinking about which genre I want to make my film opening. My top options right now are comedy, thriller, and science fiction. I find these three genres to be my favorite to film and watch other than action, but that's not so easy to film on a budget of $0. Sci-fi would be another struggle budget-wise although I'm confident in my ability to use editing and filming techniques to create a convincing enough story. I still don't want any setbacks so I'll stick to comedy or thriller. 

Comedy

          My first option would definitely be comedy, so I looked at film openings like Grown-Ups, Deadpool, and American Pie for ideas. I realized there are many sub-genres and each film's comedy is completely different. Grown-Ups set up its movie by taking a comical look at the past, Deadpool's set up took place in the present and focused on the main character's childish, yet violent personality and American Pie started by foreshadowing the embarrassing life the main character will encounter throughout the movie and its sequels. This will remind me to keep my mind open to different approaches to comedy moving forward.

Thriller

          My other option would be to make a thriller opening. I've worked on many thriller themed projects before so I can use techniques I've learned from those experiences. Some openings I looked at for ideas were A Quiet Place, Jaws, and IT. A Quiet Place focused on sound to showcase a death that pushes the main characters forward and presents the main antagonist. Jaws used dim lighting to showcase a death that presents the main antagonist. Lastly, IT used dramatic shadows and rain to showcase a death that pushes the main character forward and presents the main antagonist. So I noticed a clear pattern and can see that thrillers have an easy guideline to follow which might make it hard to be unique. I believe comedy will be best to showcase my creativity and ideas, so that will likely be my choice.