Story line!

The biggest struggle for me so far has been to write a plot. First, I wasn't sure about which genre I wanted to pick, and once I knew the genre, I could not up come with a proper plot line for this. But, my admiration for thrillers in general, has inspired me and I now have a solid plot (not the script, not yet. I'm taking baby steps!).

Plot

With my film opening, I wanted to introduce the protagonist's psychological disorder in a suspenseful way. I really liked the way Fight Club (1999 dir. by David Fincher) acquainted the audience with the main characters, Tyler Durden and the Narrator. The entire movie was very dark and tense, keeping the audience on edge for the entirety of the film. At the end of the film, when (spoiler alert!) the Narrator realizes that he has a dissociative personality, the alter (Durden) disappears. In this way, the Narrator starts to recall all the time he spent with Durden, but it was actually just him all by himself and talking to himself.

While my film opening plot is different from the concept portrayed in Fight Club, there are some similarities.

I want the video to start with an establishing shot of the setting (my house) and walk through the house and up to the protagonist's (let's call them A because I still haven't decided on a name or even a gender) bedroom where he/she is asleep. I will end the opening/title sequence at an extreme close up of A, opening his/her eyes. Following this will be the title of the film.

A will be in his/her backyard, working on a computer, when another person (X) walks into the backyard and starts talking to A. A looks visibly uncomfortable and not really interested but X ignores A's discomfort. Soon, another person (Y) walks in and joins A and X. All three of them are having a conversation and A looks more uneasy by the second. After a while of talking, X says something that makes Y snap. Soon, both of them start arguing violently about the matter. This makes A very upset, and he/she tries to get them both to settle down. The argument gets louder and more heated, with everyone yelling at each other. X and Y are yelling profanities at each other while A, anxious, is begging them to stop. B, a friend or sibling or loved one of A's, rushes into the backyard hearing the shouting and asks A if everything is alright. The scene cuts from the trio to B as he/she comes into the scene. When the scene cuts back to the original frame, A is the only person there. X and Y aren't in the frame; A is all by himself/herself. This would be the indication that they are A's alters and that A has dissociative identity disorder. The last scene of the video will show an aerial shot of the backyard and A standing there alone.

This will be portrayed in a variety of camera shots, angles, movements and composition and editing techniques, like mentioned in the storyboard.

Storyboard

This is subject to change.

 

Unfinished Tasks

- Create character sketches of A, X, and Y (finalize genders, names, behaviors, etc.)

- Find relatively good actors who will be committed to this project!

- Create a script 

- Talk to an expert (I was planning on my old AP Psychology teacher, Dr. Sugarman, about the disorder to get more of an idea about the disorder. I'll keep you guys updated!)

- Make a shooting schedule

I have a good feeling about this video! Let's hope it all works out. 😊