The following post is written by Maroosh (please don't try to sue me for using it, you gave me permission, no backsies), and is slightly edited.
So, on February 11th, 2022, Sir Zia asked us to participate in a short activity called “The Six Minutes Challenge” in order to get our minds working on generating film opening ideas. This was our first group activity, and we were all very excited about it.
The six minute exercise meant, that we would be given random items to work with and within six minutes we would be required to think of a film opening. Our teacher selected the items, wrote them on slips, and then shuffled them. We then had to pick up a single slip from each of the four groups; genre, object, character-type, and location. After our six minutes were over, we were to present our idea to the entire class and get their feedback. This exercise helped us identify our weak points, which was extremely beneficial in ensuring that our final film opening would have the least amount of mistakes possible.
Each of us chose one slip, and the items we received were: Horror (genre), Train Station (location), Bomb (object), and Churail (a ghost/witch as our character-type).
The Slips
We were then given 6 minutes to create a plot for the film’s opening as well as to decide and elaborate on the micro and macro elements that would be used. Our group was the first to present our idea. We then drew a storyboard on the whiteboard (making full use of Myiesha’s artistic skills) and then began narrating our concept after Tashfa took down the points. Maroosh and I presented the concept to the entire class.
Discussion time
Myti and her worth flexing drawing skills
Our plan was to start with a blank screen and the non-diegetic sound of a bomb ticking, with the shots changing in sync with each tick (sound of the bomb). After a few shots of the train station to familiarise the audience with the setting, we would show a girl (churail) come out of the train, her clothes ripped and covered in blood and ash (foreshadowing the bomb blast). The camera would then follow her as she exited the train and walked through the train station, which was empty and extremely dark at the time. After a few back and forth shots of the girl walking and shots of the train station, there is a jumpscare to her face, and this is when the audience will hear the blast and the screen will go blank, and this will be the end of our film opening. We will use low-key lighting, and the time displayed will be night.
Our teacher was not entirely pleased with our idea, but he was not too harsh with his criticism because it was our first time coming up with a film opening idea in just six minutes. My team and I were not satisfied either, but we gave this idea a shot as our first preliminary task (with minor changes) because we wanted to get some experience shooting something in the horror genre so that we knew whether or not we wanted to have our final project in the horror genre.
A glimpse of us presenting our task to the class
This is us failing miserably in our attempt to please Sir with what we thought was “the best idea ever.” (I hate Maroosh for using this picture)
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