Portfolio Project: Editing #2

In this establishing shot of our film opening, we begin with the camera pointing at the ground, slowly moving it upwards and stopping at the house for a few seconds. Then we move it upwards again and finish the shot by pointing the camera at the sky, there we will edit the title onto the blank space surrounded by the trees. 

After cutting the video, and shaping it to show only the house, and then the sky, I added the title on top of the video to appear when the camera points to the clear space in the sky. I had to remove the background of the title, and then add it on the V2 track so it would appear on top of the video, and not after it.  This is the first thing the audience will see, and it slightly hints to the tones the film might have. 

I then removed the background of our production logo, and added it on track V2 on top of another clip to have it appear on the record player in the last shot of the introduction. Opening to the film as classical music slowly begins to play. 

CCR: Question #1

Director: "How does your product use conventions ?" Wow what a great question.

Director: Well first of all genre conventions are key to making a good film. They are the “unspoken rules” in the film world and can include character types, plots, settings, and storylines that define an entire genre, and tell audiences what they should expect from their film. As The Seventh Lie is a thriller, my partner and I kind of took from the conventions we have seen used in that genre like vibrant atmospheres, the MacGuffin, the Inciting Crime, a protagonist with a special gift, a ticking clock, the protagonist pursuing an investigation, high stakes, elements of suspense, an unyielding antagonist, the final victim, and justice… or injustice. We even like to see crossovers between different conventions and recurring elements that align with the genre as a whole.

Off-screen: Well are you going to answer the question, or not?

Director: Right, right, sorry! I get a little excited when talking about genre conventions. Anyways, beginning the process of creating this film, my partner and I had to take a deep dive into the world of thriller.

Off-screen: Which was clearly not difficult for you.

Director: Correct, I love thrillers. And while analyzing different films and media, we kept noticing familiar themes that really amplified the aspects of thriller films that everyone loves, including me. So we wanted to include some in our film opening, such as elements of suspense, with clues hinting at an escalating danger, and a speech praising the villain. I don't know if you've seen it, but right off the bat it is clear to the audience that Janus is a source of danger to the family, with the tension only intensifying as the mom brushes away Verena's fears and praises Janus as if he were "the perfect son." This kind of instills a sense of urgency and anticipation in the audience, as they want the parents to see through his facade and not only understand the danger that is living alongside them, but also that their true son isn't with them anymore, something that they have to accept.

Director: How does it challenge conventions and represent social groups?

Off-screen: Good question.

Director: Definitely! I love how people are truly interested. Basically, to put it shortly my partner and I chose not to challenge those conventions as we felt they were key to the message we wanted to send. That things are not always what they seem. For example, with the meaning of the name, Janus, two-faced, there are two worlds in one house. The parents are deep in their grief, denying what is right before them, and Verena is in constant fear and confusion, only wanting to find the truth. We wanted to stay true to the thriller genre and not venture out of what we have seen and enjoyed before. That's basically the reason.

Director: But to answer the question about social groups, we initially spoke about different thriller films that really delve into strong societal issues, creating storylines that represent more that what is at first glance. We have seen many prominent issues reflected in films like injustice, class disparity, gender roles, and mental health. When discussing with my partner, we really wanted to send a clear message that is relevant to today's society and that could be easily digested by a wide range of audiences. As our film opening represents the seven stages of grief, primarily focusing on denial, we explored different themes of mental health, and how grief is viewed in society. These are issues that society faces everyday, and is a communal experiences with strong societal implications. I oftentimes see how this experience is silenced, as shown with the parents in our film trying to act as if everything is perfect. These themes of "performance culture" are strong in our world's attempt at perfection, but are often the roots of more damage.

Research:

Genre conventions are the “unspoken rules” in the film world. These rules can include character types, plots, settings, and storylines that define an entire genre, and tell audiences what they should expect from their film. In the thriller genre, oftentimes you can see crossovers between different conventions and recurring elements that align with the genre. Some conventions that are key to thrillers include: vibrant atmospheres, the MacGuffin, the Inciting Crime, a protagonist with a special gift, a ticking clock, the protagonist pursuing an investigation, high stakes, elements of suspense, an unyielding antagonist, the final victim, and justice… or injustice.

Beginning the process of creating our film opening, my partner and I had to take a deep dive into the world of thrillers. Analyzing different films and media, we kept noticing familiar themes that amplified the aspects of thriller films that everyone loves. Certain conventions that were used in our opening were elements of suspense, with clues hinting at an escalating danger, and a speech praising the villain. It is clear to the audience that Janus is a source of danger to the family, with the tension only intensifying as the mom brushes away Verena’s fears and praises Janus as if he were “the perfect son.” This instills a sense of urgency and anticipation in the audience, as they want the parents to see through his facade and understand the danger that is living alongside them. We chose not to challenge these conventions as we felt they were key to the message we wanted to send, that things are not always what they seem. Similar to the meaning of the Janus, Two-faced, there are two worlds in one house. The parents, deep in their grief and viewing a stranger as “their perfect son,” and Verena, a young girl on a search for the truth. Both my partner and I thought about genre conventions that we like to see in different thriller films and decided we wanted to stay true to the genre and not venture out of what we have seen and enjoyed.

Thriller films often delve into strong societal issues, creating storylines that represent more than what is at first glance. More prominent issues that are seen in these films are racism and injustice, class disparity, gender roles, political and corporate corruption, and mental health. When discussing potential themes and issues in our story, my partner and I wanted to send a message that is relevant to today's society and that could be easily digested by a wide range of audiences. Our film opening represents the seven stages of grief, primarily focusing on the denial stage. Grief and loss are prominent issues that humans face in society, and are a communal experience with strong societal implications. Oftentimes, this experience is attempted to be silenced, as shown in our film opening with the parents trying to act as if everything is perfect, despite the obvious imperfections. These themes of “performance culture” are strong in society’s attempt at perfection and are often the roots of more damage.

Sources:

Chase, J. (2023). Genre conventions: How to satisfy suspense readers by meeting expectations. Retrieved from https://thewritepractice.com/genre-conventions/

(N.d.-a). Retrieved from https://nofilmschool.com/thriller-genre-definition

Breaux, K. (2025). Grief is a social issue: When the world silences our pain. Retrieved from https://www.redbird.love/blog/grief-is-a-social-issue-when-the-world-silences-our-pain

Portfolio Project: Editing

The editing process is one of the most important steps in creating a film. It is where the transformation from raw clips and uncut footage to a cohesive and structured film happens. The editing stage shapes the mood, tone, and message, acting as the final check of the script. It ensures that the film is smooth, and can be interpreted as intended. 

Since we have finished the filming stage of our opening, my partner and I have begun gathering all of our clips and placing them where they need to be. We have not edited or cut them, but are just organizing everything in order so we can understand how the scenes work and look together. Then we will begin to cut them and add music/foley over certain scenes.

My partner and I decided to use Adobe Premiere Pro, as it is the best software for editing long-form videos. It will allow us to work quickly, while also helping us to edit efficiently with its versatility. Since we are not expert editors, this software will make the editing process slightly easier as everything we need is all together in one place. There are different steps to the editing, including cuts, music, foley, voiceovers, and overall moving clips around to ensure the end result is perfect. This software will allow us to do all of those things, creating a film opening that is professional and visually appealing. 

Portfolio Project: Filming

 As we are working through the production process, my partner and I have almost completed the filming portion of our opening, The Seventh Lie. We had our actors come over around 6PM to have the perfecting setting for a family dinner, as it would take place at night.

To prepare, we cooked mac and cheese, bought an apple pie, and put together candles, flowers, table cloths, plates, and other props in the background to resemble a 'perfect' family dinner. Putting these props together, and organizing them on the table took us longer than expected. We meticulously placed each prop, making sure that it not only looked aesthetic, visually, but also that it would look good on screen and not take too much space, ensuring that the main focus was the actors.

We then turned on the mini mics and tested them to make sure they were working and that the dialogue would sound good in the recordings. After that, we began practicing with our script on how the opening was going to look like and sound like, deciding what pieces of dialogue we needed to do voiceovers for,  and certain parts that would need to be edited out. This helped us see visually how everything would look like, ensuring that our actors knew what they had to do. In addition to this, we explained to them the context of the film, and how their reactions/emotions and face movements should be in certain scenes. We wanted to make sure that the emotions and moods of the film were being perfectly conveyed visually.

One issue we came across was the dialogue aspect. As we would be doing voiceovers for the mother and the father, it was difficult for the actors to know when their cue was to say their piece of dialogue. To fix this, my partner and I had our script up, reading the voiceover dialogue in our head, and snapping when it was time for their lines, ensuring that the timing would fit and make sense. 

Another issue we faced was the lighting. The real light of the dining room was too bright, so we had to use a small orange light that was sitting on the cabinet next to the table, and a few warm lights in the background of the film. We wanted to have dim, low key lighting, making the scene feel like a typical dinner, while also dark and sinister

Using a large tripod, we moved the camera around filming the same scene from different angles, including filming extra scenes that we could potentially add in when needed. Retaking several scenes, the filming process took us a few hours as we wanted to ensure that each shot was exactly as we were envisioning it.

 

Group Meeting #2

 Today in class we had our second group meeting with completely different groups. We discussed our projects, where we were in the entire process, our ideas for the CCR's and any obstacles we were facing in the making of our projects. It was a great opportunity to give inspiration and advice for each other's projects and proved to be very useful. 

I was put into a group with Juan, Jake, Camille, Augustina, Samuel, and Trisha. Juan began by discussing his film idea in the thriller genre. The opening, inspired by the film "The Purge," begins with two friends who turn on the TV to a news broadcast warning everyone to stay indoors for their safety. As they are taking in this terrifying news, they hear distance sounds by the door as someone is trying to break into the home. Some difficulties Juan faced was with the script and the set. Juan described the set being difficult as it took a while to create due to the intricate props needed to make it fit the themes of the film. He described another obstacle he faced, which was one that most in the group related to. When beginning to film, Juan felt that the script was slightly awkward or came off wrong. So he decided to rewrite some parts that he didn't see fitting the themes and moods of the thriller opening. 

Next, Samuel told us about his mystery genre film opening in which a  doctor creates a medicine that goes wrong and the protagonists have only 48 hours left to live. With such an intricate and chaotic plot, Samuel shared how it took a while to make the set. There were many props that went into the making of the set including scattered medicine, organisms under the microscope, and red food coloring to show something dangerous that had occurred. The main obstacle Samuel faced was the scheduling with the actors. As his opening including 3 parents of those filming, it was difficult to coordinate the das that they could film. Parents have jobs and other priorities, so Samuel had to split the scenes so that each parent would film on the days they were available. 

Augustina then shared her coming-of-age story about a kid with a deep passion for art. The opening begins with a flashback from when he was younger, showing how deep his love for art truly was. The opening then transitions to present day when the boy is too involved and stressed in his studies and has no time to focus on his art. Augustina explained how the opening is about his lost passion caused by society's beliefs. Some obstacles she faced was the lighting, as she didn't know how to make the flashbacks more clear. Trisha gave her some tips saying she could make the lighting brighter when it was a flashback, and lower in present-day scenes. 

Camille then explained her opening which was unique to all of the other ones. Her entire fantasy film opening is being animated with her drawings. Though the plot is intricate and detailed, she explained it to be set in a village that is destroyed and burning down. It depicts a man crawling out of the wreckage to find a dragon flying away. Camille is animating it completely by hand on her iPad, and is editing it shot by shot. 

Next, Jake explained his horror/thriller opening set in the woods. It is about a girl who is hiking in the dark woods and finds herself without service after hours of walking. She comes across a park ranger who warns her that it isn't safe alone in the woods as there is a killer on the loose. She then sees a figure under the lamppost, back lit, with only his silhouette visible. Jake explained how the opening is filmed at Tree Tops Park with an actual park ranger helping them film. Similar to others, they had issues with scheduling, but are currently working it out to ensure that their actors are able to film. Another issue they faced was with the music. They weren't sure where to put it in the film, or how loud, so Trisha gave them so advice by saying that they could put it in similar to typical horror movies. It slowly intensifies when the danger is near, setting nerves and anticipation in the audience. 

Finally, Trisha explained her psychological thriller film opening. With its intricate plot, she described how the villain wasn't a person, but technology itself. It begins with a girl FaceTiming her friend, texting, and scrolling through social media. She then gets invited to a party. When she is walking out, she forgets something and tries to walking back inside but has trouble opening the front door. It turns out, the technology is breaking the door itself, and on purpose. Suddenly, the technology all over her house begins to turn on at the same time making odd noises and disorienting her. Her only obstacle is that she doesn't know how to pair the music with different technological sounds. She will try to overlay them, or add the music softer in some parts and louder when the intensity is heightened. 

Overall, the group meeting helped me to see how other people where working on their projects and some advice that could help me on my own project. 

Portfolio Project: Titles and Fonts

 Titles and fonts are very important in filmmaking as they immediately establish the tone, genre, and emotional feel of a film without giving too much away. The are the primary visual element in a film, which tells the audience immediately what to expect from it and what genre it might be. This helps to create anticipation and enhances the narrative. 

In our film opening, my partner and I wanted the title and the fonts to fit not only the thriller genre but also our narrative. For the title, we though of The Seventh Lie, to symbolize the lie that the family is living in with accepting a stranger, while also alluding to the seven stages of green, the first being denial. This is critical as the family lives under the fog of their grief, completely denying the death of the original Janus, and accepting a stranger as a replacement without thinking about it. 

For the font of the title we wanted it to be dark, and fit the artistic style of most thriller movies which is rough and rugged. At the same time we wanted it to appear perfect and meticulous to symbolize the battle that the family is facing between living in ignorant bliss or facing the truth. So, we chose the font "Special Elite" in the color dark blue found on the graphic design platform, Canva. 

For the font of the credits we wanted to keep the font the same as the title to keep a theme and a strict structure throughout the movie, also fitting the symbolic nature of the title and the font. The credits will appear paired with a sequence of photographs of the family, overlayed with classical music to appear joyful. Then the music will quickly shift to intense and scary music with uncanny and unsettling pictures of Janus. Throughout, the font will stay the same, but the color may change to fit the dark colors of the photographs, potentially allowing them to further stand out along with the music. 

Portfolio Project: Props

 Props are the most essential part of our film opening, The Seventh Lie. They not only add to the visual aesthetic of the opening, but they also enhance the theme and throw clues to the audience watching. One of the two locations where we are filming the opening is the dining room. This area is where most of the opening occurs and is meant to appear normal and perfect to contrast with the thriller theme and the plot. 

When creating the props, my partner and I wanted to have very average props that could be found in the dining room of a family home. This is supposed to build the anticipation and fear in the audience with the contrast of the seemingly perfect setting, and the danger that lies underneath. So, to decorate the dining table we put together a white table cloth to symbolize innocence and perfection, alongside painted bowls, plates, glasses, and a large vase with flowers. This immediately establishes the 'normalness' of the home which will later be forgotten with the introduction of Janus and the dangers that follow. 

In addition to the dining room, another significant prop is the record player. This is what introduces the mother as a background character, and begins the uncanny music that is played through the first scene and the credit sequence. It is also where the production logo will appear as we will edit it onto the back of the record player. The classical music that is played on this prop will create an unsettling mood, especially paired with the sudden bursts of intense music during the credits. 

Portfolio Project: Location Scouting

 Locations are critical in filmmaking to establish the films mood, often acting as a character to drive the narrative. The setting and location grounds storylines, by affecting the lighting, atmosphere, tone, and enhancing the visual aspect. 

When figuring out where we were going to film our opening, my partner and I faced some obstacles. Since the opening takes place in only two sets, the dining room, and the hallway, the location had to be strong enough to affect the storyline visually. We wanted to find an average family home that would look realistic, but also visually appealing enough to fit the aesthetic of a home for a film. 

At first, we began to research potential rental homes that could be rented for a day, allowing us to film everything possible. We searched for homes through the website, Giggster, and found a few homes that would fit our plot. 

Ultimately, we realized that renting a location would be too expensive and difficult with filming time. So, we began thinking of where else we could film, and settled with doing it in my home's dining room. 

To make my dining room fit the thriller theme we had to rely on the props. Taking framed family pictures with our actors, decorating the dining room with table clothes, plates, candles, fake food, and other decor, will help a simple dining room to transform and fit the "perfect" exterior of the family. We wanted it to look as if the family subconsciously felt that something was wrong and was overcompensating with the meticulous and over-perfect decor. 

Portfolio Project: Production Company Logo

A production company logo is actually more important than people might think. In filmmaking, the production logo is the first visual that audiences see, building brand recognition, quality, and identity in the film industry. It creates a sense of professionalism and trust with viewers and may establish the film's creative style. 

When creating our production company logo, my partner and I wanted to make something slightly dark, fitting the mood and tone of our film opening, while also making it flashy enough where it can stand out to potential audiences. Our creation process underwent several changes, with three different variations of our logo. With the name, Static Studios, we wanted to incorporate a visual element to represent static, so we designed this:

Looking over it a few days after we designed it, my partner and I felt that it may be too plain for our artistic style and decided to create two more logos with flashier designs that would stand out on screen. We wanted to ensure that it would be eye-catching and easy to spot in a crowded shot. So, we designed these two logos:

While working on these designs on the design website, Canva, we began playing with different animations that could add a unique artistic style and engagement for the actual name. Looking through different ones we immediately changed the path we were taking and decided that the two new variations may be too crowded, or not the style that we were going for paired with the animation of the words. So, we decided to rewind and go back to our original logo, pairing it with an engaging animation, finalizing our creation with this: 

Portfolio Project: Costumes

Costumes play a very important role in filmmaking as they diversify the screen, defining characters, setting, time-periods, and overall style of a film. Costumes can define a characters identity, social status, and personality, allowing audiences to have a better understanding of the storyline and mood of the film. 

In our filming opening, my partner and I decided to use costumes as symbolism for our characters. For Janus, our antagonist, we plan on dressing him in dark clothing, using predominantly black and red color palates to symbolize his sinister intent and constant web of lies. The audience will immediately understand that he is a threat to the other characters and should be feared. Dark colors like black and red are often used in filmmaking for antagonists, and overall villains. This is seen in iconic characters such as Cruella deville, Freddy Krueger, and Harley Quinn. 

For our protagonist, Verena, we want to use a mix of blue accents in her costume, with accessories such as bows or jewelry. Blue often symbolizes the truth which is symbolic to Verena as a character, as the film outlines her search for the truth. This can be seen in characters like Alice from Alice in Wonderland who is known for her curiosity, Cinderella, who is known for her kindness and sincerity, and Elsa from Frozen who is seen to be a good and truthful queen to her kingdom.  

Overall, our costume choices, specifically in relation to its color, will aid my partner and I in developing our characters surrounding the themes and plot of the film. We hope it will also help the audiences to see through the characters, instead of just focusing on their actions. This will make the overall mood and tone of the film more meaningful and engaging. 

Portfolio Project: Audio

Audio is a key component in filmmaking, as it enhances the plot, produces profound emotions, and creates a world that audiences can engage with. Audio such as music often impacts viewers emotionally, creating tension, suspense, or deep emotions. In a film, the audio often goes further in the storytelling than any visuals. In my film opening, The Seventh Lie, the audio is an indication of danger for the audience to feel afraid of what might happen next.

After the establishing shot of the home, we will show a close up shot of the mothers hand playing a classical song on her record player. She will slowly place the vinyl on the base, then place the needle carefully as soft music begins to play. Creating an uncanny mood, during the credit scene my partner and I will create a sequence of framed family photos paired with the classical music the mother had begun to play. Through sudden shifts in mood, we will quickly place unsettling photos of Janus, paired with intense and heightening music, opposing the previous lighthearted tone of the classical music. This will instill fear in the audience, and make them aware of the danger that Janus poses onto the family.

In addition to the music, intended to add depth to the thriller genre, we will also include diagetic sounds such as chirping birds, footsteps, and conversations at the dinner table, to add a sense of realism to the opening. We want the story to feel realistic, as if something as scary as this could happen to anyone. These sounds will be created using foley, such as recording our feet walking across a wooden floor, and conversations will be recorded using mini microphones attached to the characters costumes so the quality of the dialogue sound will be perfect.

Portfolio Project: Set, Lighting, and Props

For my film opening, The Seventh Lie, the scenes take place in two different sets. One being in a dining room of a family home, and the other being the upstairs hallway. Using such an average setting, we are adding a sense of realism to such a unique story. It is unimaginable for a family to accept a stranger under the veil of their grief, so the setting acts as another factor in the thriller aspect, as it instills discomfort and fear in the audience.

The lighting throughout the scenes will be more low key as the opening occurs during nighttime at dinner. But we will be including light that spotlights onto the family, specifically Janus and Verena as they are the protagonists of the story. In addition to not showing the faces of the parents, we are further spotlighting Janus and Verena with the lighting, showing Janus as the antagonist and Verena as the truthseeker.

The props will be average decor and furniture found in an everyday home, but we will add a few distinct props throughout the opening. During the credits scene we will have a sequence of shots of different framed family pictures, filmed over joyous classical music. And throughout the sequence we will add quick shots of unsettling pictures of Janus with dark music playing over it. These photos will be the first indication of danger. In addition, in the scene where the audience will see Janus painting a fake birthmark on his face, he will pass by another family portrait with the original son, staring at it menacingly. Janus's reaction will further add to the dark and menacing mood, giving the audience a look into the threat that his character is to the family.

Portfolio Project: Character Development

Character development in filmmaking transforms a simple plot into a meaningful and engaging story, whether positive or negative. It unfolds the themes and intentions behind films for audiences to perceive, and even adds to the key aspects of its respective genre. In my thriller opening, The Seventh Lie, the character development of the protagonist, Verena, and the antagonist, Janus, is extremely important to the plot as a whole.

Towards the beginning of the opening, Janus seems like a normal young man, until suddenly he transforms into a dark and uncanny character. While the development is short and quick-paced, it is extremely important to unfolding the secrets under the storyline. Janus is the representation of two-faced, similar to the meaning of his name which was chosen intentionally. He portrays himself as Janus, a son and a brother, acting in complete innocence as he is questioned by Verena. While deep down, he is a complete stranger to the family and the audience as no one knows who he truly is outside of his mask. This is the true thrilling factor of the opening: the unknown.

Verena is a complete opposite character to Janus, and her parents. While Janus lives in a web of lives, taking the identity of a family's dead son, and the parents who choose to live in the lie, blinded by their grief, Verena represents the search for truth. Similar to Janus, my partner and I chose her name intentionally as it means "truth". After accepting the loss of brother and transitioning through her grief, Verena is no longer blinded to the truth as her parents are, and actually sees through this stranger living under the same roof as her. She understands that something is wrong and notices the inconsistencies in her "brother". While she begins as a character, still grieving her brother alongside her parents, she slowly transitions from the stage of denial to anger/acceptance, as she understands that her brother is gone but still feels anger, pouring it all onto the fake Janus and her search for the truth.

Portfolio Project: Project Summary

The Seventh Lie is a film that explores the 7 stages of grief. Specifically how a strange “guest” is a literal replacement for a lost loved one. The film focuses on a family dealing with the death of their son and the lies people live in to survive profouns loss. The thriller element comes from the unsettling realization that the family wants the stranger to be there, as their grief is acting as a blinder, while the sister, Verena, who is accepting her grief and the loss of her brother is shamed for questioning him and trying to uncover the truth behind this strange guest. The film centers on the theme of “living a lie,” showing how denial can be more comforting during a loss than the truth. Another theme that is focused on in the film is its representation of the seven stages of grief, beginning in the opening with "denial". 

Through the visual aspect, the film uses symbolism and an intense editing style to reflect the lie in which the main family is living in. The opening credits show warm, happy family photos paired with bright classical music, sharply contrasting with dark and unsettling photos of the strange guest. The character of Janus is symbolic, following the meaning of the name, two-faced. One being the original brother, and the other his replacement. The repeated dinner scenes, which switch between the original brother and the guest, slowly grow in its intensity becoming faster and stress-inducing. The replacement Janus becomes darker and threatening as a character, especially through close-ups and moments where he tries to recreate details from family photos, such as drawing a birthmark on his face. Through the decision to hide the parents’ faces and focusing mainly on Verena and the fake Janus, the film emphasizes how deep the parents are in their grief and denial, while Verena slowly begins to accept her loss and see the truth. 

Portfolio Project: Media Theory

Stuart Hall’s Reception Theory explains how audiences perceive and understand media in different ways. While creators encode meanings and themes into a film, audiences can decode those meanings based on their own experiences, opinions, and emotions. Stuart Hall describes the audience's three types of perception, dominant which is agreeing with the film's message, negotiated which is where the audience accepts the meaning, but changes it to fit their personal lives, and oppositional where the audience understands the message, but ultimately chooses to reject it and interpret the message in a different way. This theory can be useful for films that have a profound message and symbolism behind it, as it allows audiences to interpret what they are watching in different ways.

This theory can be applied to my film opening, The Seventh Lie, as it has symbolism behind it that can be interpreted in different ways. Some viewers may see the replacement brother as a symbol of the family’s grief and denial, accepting the idea that the parents aren't seeing the stranger in their home under the veil of blinding grief. While other viewers may see it differently and interpret the guest as something unsettling and to be afraid of, especially through the dark editing style and repeated dinner scenes that blur what can be understood as reality. By not giving clear answers, the film encourages the audience to choose how they see the film, which reflects Stuart Hall’s Reception Theory.

Portfolio Project: Film Opening Script

Scripts are essential in filmmaking and are the foundation of every movie. They are the blueprint that tell the cast and crew what the storyline, dialogue, and action is supposed to look like. They ensure that the production of the film runs smoothly and adds specific instructions for shots, scenes, lighting, etc. They also help the entire crew to understand the vision and intention behind a film, ensuring that the final product fits what was intended in its creation.

When creating the script for our film opening, my partner and I made sure that we included all details that will help us when we are filming. This included character actions and feelings, angles/shots, filming techniques, transitions, etc.

Below is the finished script for our thriller film opening: The Seventh Lie

EXT. HOUSE - NIGHT - ESTABLISHING SHOT

The sun is setting on the front porch of the house, as the moon settles in the sky. The neighborhood is quiet, with crickets and other natural sounds coming to life.

INT. HOUSE - HALLWAY - NIGHT

Close-up of mom walking towards the record player, as she turns it on and begins playing classical music. Cut to Verena walking down a dark upstairs hallway, faint sounds of classical music heard from downstairs, and notices a soft glow from inside the bathroom. She steps closer and looks through the crack of the slightly open door, and watches as ‘Janus’ stands before the mirror, drawing a birthmark on his cheek. Confused, she steps back and walks down the hallway for dinner. The camera unfocuses from her frame and zooms in for a close-up on a family picture hanging on the wall, focusing on the original brother. The credit scene begins.

CREDIT SCENE

A sequence of quick shots of different picture frames around the house with family photos including the real Janus. Abrupt switches of family photos to uncanny photos of the replacement Janus. Classical music plays in the back. Switching back and forth from dinner with original Janus to replacement Janus, slowly getting quicker, until it stops abruptly on a wide shot of the dinner with replacement Janus. The title appears on screen simultaneously (The Seventh Lie).

INT. HOUSE - NIGHT - DINING ROOM

Credit scene cuts to wide shot at end of table, showing "Janus” at opposite end, staring forward.

Slowly zoom down the table into Janus’s face, as the mom serves food before him. As the camera zooms in on Janus, chatter begins.

Mom (O.S.)

I made your favorite, Mac and Cheese!

Janus looks slightly disgusted by the food on his plate and doesn’t say anything.

Mom (O.S)

How was school today?

Verena

I mean, it was the same as always for me…

Verena looks over at Janus, waiting for him to speak.

Mom (O.S)

Janus… did something happen at school today?

Janus

No… I don’t know why she’s acting like that.

Verena

Why are you lying, Janus?

Mom (O.S)

Oh sweetie, Janus would never lie, eat your dinner!

Mom (O.S)

Oh Honey, I finally found time to plant my hydrangeas in the garden today!

Dad (O.S)

That’s wonderful! I’ll take time to admire them on my way to work tomorrow.

Zoom in on Verena’s unsettled and worried face, as she looks around the dinner table, finally settling her eyes on Janus. The classical music abruptly stops as the scene cuts to an over-the-shoulder shot of Verena staring straight at Janus.

INT. HOUSE. NIGHT. UPSTAIRS IN VERENA'S ROOM

Long shot of Verena laying on her bed, through the door frame. On the phone with a friend, she is concerned.

Verena

I don’t know what’s wrong with Janus recently. He seems like he’s somebody else…

Portfolio Project: Group Meeting #1 Reflection

Today the class was divided into groups so that everyone could share what they were working on for their portfolio project. I was able to receive feedback and possible ideas that I could incorporate, as well as other ideas that inspired me for my own project. My group consisted of Andreina, Andres, Sebastien, Julia, Juan, Camila, and Taryn. 

When talking about my own project, Andreina recommended that I watch the movie Orphan, as it was similar to my idea for the opening and could possibly give me inspiration. She then explained her thriller film opening in which a girl is at home and she suddenly begins to receive an odd amount of notifications from her ring camera while on the phone with her friend. The town has been experiencing paranormal activity, and now she too is feeling it. She knows that wants to incorporate creepy and frightening music/ambience to make the opening feel more threatening, but she is unsure of the "why" aspect to her story. She is thinking about having the girl messing with unusual things in her attic or something of the sort, to give reason as to why she is being haunted. 

Andres began by giving me some advice for my own opening, adding, how I could show the audience that the guest isn't truly the son by having him put down a picture of the original family as if he were replacing the original son. He then explained his opening, a treasure hunt/adventure type story inspired by The Riddler, in which a card is left behind with a series of riddles. He found some conflict with the setting, as he wanted to film a heist scene in a museum where the protagonist is stealing an expensive necklace or artifact. The group spoke about how filming in a museum may be difficult, so Andreina suggest that he could instead film in a nice house, switching the museum heist to a home robbery. 

Next, Sebas spoke about his Weapons inspired thriller opening, and wanting to incorporate a woman controlling people after they open a mysterious bag in a parking lot that puts them in trance. Andreina suggested that they set the camera in the bag, pointing upwards, and use a smoke machine to add to the spooky feel. 

Julia spoke about her drama opening, and the group worked together to help her come up with ideas where she could use grief as a central theme. She would like to incorporate flashbacks, and maybe a funeral scene using fake headstones in an outdoor setting. Then, Juan discussed with the group about his thriller/action opening with a John Wick-style protagonist who is dealing with past mistakes, hinted at through flashbacks and makeup design with fake blood. Andres suggested that in one scene, another character could be calling out the protagonist's name in a taunting manner, hinting to his involvement in shady things. 

Next, Camila introduced some of the ideas surrounding her thriller opening about a protagonist who is hallucinating her dead sister in her room. Andreina and I gave suggestions as to how she may appear with regards to her costume and makeup. We said that although dead, she could appear lifelike, wearing white and glowing as if she were just the same as when the protagonist last saw her. 

And finally, Taryn explained to the group about her sci-fi, post-apocalyptic opening in which two sisters find themselves completely isolated in a new world. The group discussed about how she could make it clear that civilization has been completely obliterated, without the use of creatures or other villains. Ultimately, we decided that it was up to the editing, as she could add things that may not exist in real-life, to make the opening seem more unimaginable. 

Ultimately, the group meeting was very useful as I was not only able to receive feedback and gain advice on my own idea, but I was also able to find inspiration in what my group members were doing, seeing ways I could in
corporate some ideas discussed into my thriller.