Stories

For my senior thesis project, I am going to produce a complete film, from development through production, over the course of the year. Lately I've been struggling with subject matter. I've been reading Syd Field's book Screenplay, which has been largely helpful with understanding the story-creation process, but it does not write my story for me.

I do not want my project to be easily identified as a college student's film. As such, I need to identify and avoid the conventions that many student filmmakers (most likely inadvertently) follow. When someone watches the final product, I don't want them to see it as one of many student films. I want to have my voice present, but not project that voice as that of a college student.

Films that inspire me include Amores Perros, 21 Grams, Trainspotting, La Haine and City of God. I am interested in exploring hyperlink cinema, but I feel like using that framework might come off as a gimmick, not to mention the character and story development required for its successful implementation would be next to impossible in 10-15 minutes.

I recently read the script from the Simpsons Treehouse of Horror VI. I thought that in reading a set of three complete stories that runs with commercials in 30 minutes, I could be better able to understand what I can do in a short amount of time. Amazingly, each segment adheres to the three-act structure (though sometimes truncated) as outlined by Field. The three-act structure does not need to be thrown by the wayside just because the time frame is a mere fraction of that of a feature screenplay.

I feel like my direction is beginning to develop.