Rationalizing the Opening

Before I created a fully fledged storyboard, I wanted to break down how I will attack the two-minute time frame of my opening.  I think that I only have time for two concrete scenes and perhaps a small scene bridging them together.

I was thinking that there could be a scene with the boy in the back seat with his parents driving him to school. This would allow the excerpt to showcase some of the interactions between the main character and his parents, establishing that communication and conversation are essential for the story, being the solution to the majority of the problems that come the boy's way.

When the boy gets out of the car, I can use the iconic shot of the boy's feet stepping out of the car, then follow the boy navigating throughout his school.  These shots would consist of mainly analyzing the boy's attitude about school and the people (or potentially lack of people) around him.  Then the character would enter a classroom and be greeted by his teacher.

I'm still unsure what gender the teacher will be, but they will likely be happy to see the boy come into class.  I can explore whether I want this teacher-student relationship to have some pre-establishment already or if this friendship is brand new.  I think the student would be coming to the teacher for advice, but the conversation would shift to the main character's powers.

For the boy to open up to the teacher about his powers in the opening,

there definitely has to be a pre-existing relationship between the characters

if there isn't, then it's odd that the student just showed the teacher that he 

randomly has powers.

Perhaps there is an event that occurred prior to the time that the film occurs where the boy discovers his powers, and he is excited to share this new discovery with his close confidant! 

Maybe I could take this a step further and have the boy start out being secretive with his parents and visibly bothered by something; when the boy goes in to speak to the teacher, he is very expressive and talkative and willing to share everything about the new power he discovered he had.

The main point that I need to establish in this excerpt is the importance of opening up and speaking from the heart; having an honest conversation and being truthful about one's feelings will lead to a positive solution.

I really like how this brainstorming session went; I'm glad I have a rough idea of how my two minutes will be structured and am excited to flesh out more of my characters in my next posting :).

                                      - Jake

TODAY'S HERO: SHAZAM (another alias is: CAPTAIN MARVEL) (Billy Batson)

Back Story: 

Fifteen-year-old Billy Batson was granted by a wizard the ability to use his power whenever he requested it.  Whenever Billy says "Shazam" (the name of the Wizard), Billy transforms into a superhero with superhuman abilities.

Powers:

Shazam has the ability of super speed, strength, flight, stamina, wisdom, magic/spell resistance,  and the manipulation of electricity.

Other: 

- SHAZAM is an acronym for the "six immortal elders": Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, Mercury

- Billy is actually a foster kid whose closest companion is his foster brother, Freddy Freeman

- Shazam has another alias: Captain Marvel (not as commonly used in modern day because of Marvel's character of the same name)

Comic Book Origin: 

- First appeared in Whiz Comics #2 (1940)

Movie History: 

- First appeared in 1941's Adventures of Captain Marvel starring Tom Tyler as Shazam and Frank Coghlan Jr. as Billy Batson

- Shazam will return to the big screen in 2019 in the film Shazam! starring Zachary Levi as Captain Marvel and Asher Angel as Billy Batson

A Lightbulb Went Off!

In my psychology class, random spurts of ideas were called insight.  This means (in psych terminology) that an idea comes to a person in an all-at-once phenomenon.

I mention this because I just had a burst of insight.  I think I want to call my film Superhuman.

I just checked IMDb and there are some projects that are called Superhuman, but I think that the title fits my project extremely well.

I think my film will be a bit more unique that the reality TV show Superhuman.

Before I dive any deeper into hypothesizing details of my film, here is why I feel Superhuman makes sense for my title. Obviously, the film centralizes around a character with superhuman abilities; instead of saying "Superhero", I figured that to humanize my character, it would make sense to literally classify him as "human" instead of a hero, so he is not placed on a pedestal for his abilities.  I want to make evident throughout the piece that someone doesn't need to be extremely talented or extraordinary to make a difference. They just have to be respectful, resourceful, kind, and down-to-earth.  The title of the film will help audiences draw the connection between the character being a good human being instead of a being with supernatural abilities.

Perhaps to piggyback on the concept of the character not being validated for his heroism but for his humbleness and humanitarianism, I can make the title a handwritten logo.  This will further the idea that my character isn't to be idolized; he is just a normal person (with an extremely unique talent).  He is simply honest and compassionate and wants the world to be a happy place.

On the top image I was playing with the handwritten fonts and favored the circled text because They were easier to see as well as easier for the audience to understand the "Super" and "Human" titles.  At the bottom of the first page I also experimented with other iconic superhero logos, which I carried over to the bottom page.  I like these designs, however I don't know if I am subject to copyright by making a parody of these logos.

The two logos I like for Superhuman are these ones:

Although these are both rough drafts, I think that these logos would be effective for my film.

1. "Super" Logo:

This logo is a parody of the iconic logo for the "man of steel", Superman. The diamond would be colored differently than the letters to make the title pop to the reader.  If the Superman red, yellow and blue were used,  it would spark the interest of the superhero fans and make them interested in the film.  I like how east it is to see the words, and the iconic Superman colors would make them POP.

     2. Portrait Logo

The outline of the hair is something I have been fascinated by in the past and think that it would humanize my logo and my character.  I created this logo by taking a picture from my front facing camera and then tracing the outline of my hair and eyebrows.  I would write "Superhuman" underneath the eyebrows so that they are not congesting the image. 

I'm not sure which one I like the most, but that why these are both rough drafts! I'm going to scan these sketches to my computer and edit them in photoshop so that I can have a title panel for my film!

I'm so happy to buckle down with Superhuman. In my next posting I'm going to talk about one of my favorite TV shows and how I plan to incorporate some of the character's traits from that show into my own story.

                                      - Jake

TODAY'S HERO: SUPERMAN (Clark Kent (Kal-El))

Back Story: 
Born on the planet Krypton, Kal-El had to flee the planet when it blew up in a nuclear catastrophe. His escape pod landed in America where he learned how to use his superhuman abilities to help the world and eventually, the universe.

Powers:
Superman has the power of flight, x-ray vision, heat vision, super strength, superhuman hearing, bullet immunity, and can absorb energy from the Sun of the Solar System.

Other: 
- He is the leader of the organization known as The Justice League
- Weaknesses are the element Krypton as well as magic
- He has a dog named Krypto who can fly as well

Comic Book Origin: 
- First appeared in Action Comics No. 1 in 1938
- Started his second series in 1939 in Superman

Movie History: 
- First appeared in 1948 Superman, played by Kirk Alyn
          - sequel was titled Atom Man vs. Superman
- First feature film; Superman and the Mole Men, George Reeves as Superman
- 1978, Christopher Reeve starred in Superman (most successful Superman film to date)
         Created 4 sequels
         - Superman II (1980)
         - Superman III (1983)
         - Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)
         - Superman Returns (2006)
- Henry Cavill starred in the 2013 remake Man of Steel (2013)
         - He reappeared in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
         - Also appeared in Justice League (2017)

Thinking of Openings

Alright, I think I know what I'm seeing for my opening.

I'm envisioning a heavy character piece where I establish a new hero.  I want this character to be a young male, preferable aged at 13-16.  I see the story not necessarily focusing on the amazing powers and action sequences the character, but their interactions with others and how they have to act "normal" although they have spectacular skills and abilities. 

I plan on studying openings to movies that introduce a superhero, such as Black Panther, Toby Magure's Spiderman, Deadpool, and perhaps even The Fantastic Four. (I would assume superhero/action films highlight the history of the character and how they get their powers, but I will look at these sources for clarity).  

          However, because I want the story to centralize on the character's interactions (most likely in a school setting) I can watch openings from The Edge of Seventeen, Middle School (The Worst Years of my Life) and Diary of a Wimpy Kid to see how a school can be introduced into the story.  

I feel like the "in school" movies are always cliche though.  Maybe the story can focus on the character's summer break and how they try to keep their friendships throughout their break.


I'm going to watch some of these clips and come back with evaluations.



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So far I've seen, Black Panther, Guardians of the Galaxy, Hercules, and Hellboy.

      Every single one of them had an origin story, whether if it was about a place or the main character. The Black Panther's opening followed the story of Wakanda using graphics.  Wakanda is a fictional city where the Black Panther is from; it sets up the McGuffin in the movie, which is the mystical metal called vibranium.  This material is essential to the story and is what the villain is after the rest of the film.  The opening sequence of Black Panther also features a time jump from 1992 to the present day.  This helped make the main character, whose story began at a young age, be older during the film.

     This is also true of Hellboy.  The movie follows a team of soldiers infiltrating a Nazi base. The men discover an experiment where the Nazis are attempting to open a portal to another dimension.  There is a large action scene, full of long shots and mid-shots of the fighting.  After the dust settles, the scientist finds a small red creature that had escaped through the portal.  He named this monster Hellboy.  This scene featured a plethora of the conventions seen in the other films.  There is a big action sequence and additionally shows the origin of the main character.

    However, there was one film that was different than the rest.  Guardians of the Galaxy followed Peter Quill's story of his mother and then a scene of him listening to music on his walkman.  This was the only film that opened with a scene following the main character where he did not fight.  This scene represents the movie, however, because it is more comedic than action-packed.   By showing "Star-Lord" walking throughout the terrain singing a song helps drive the comedic, laid-back vibe expressed by the film.




Now for the school dramas.

The Edge of Seventeen began with one of the most cliche shots I've ever seen.  Introducing Hailee Steinfeld's character, Nadine, it began with a close up on a car pulling in front of the school with her shoes coming out of the car.  The camera tilts up to see the character running into school.  The rest of the opening has long shots and close-ups of Nadine running to a classroom in the school. The long shots show that Nadine is running in a school hallway in front of other students and close-ups show the feelings of Nadine as she frantically goes to meet her teacher.

Surprise surprise, Sierra Burgess is a Loser began with the same close-up of the main character's feet.  Perhaps this common convention is meant to represent the audience stepping into this new character's story.  This movie did have an element that I did thoroughly enjoy though which was the character coming downstairs from her room to talk and interact with her parents.  I would want to use this interaction, or at least a similar scene to show that the interactions and conversations the main character has in this story will drive the character through the conflict of the story.


While talking to my friend about these openings, maybe I can borrow story elements from The Incredibles 2, The Edge of Seventeen, and Sierra Burgess is a Loser for my film.  In Sierra Burgess and Seventeen, the lead characters both have interactions with a certain teacher throughout the film.  Maybe my character can have a teacher like this to talk to and serve as a role model to the main character.  However, I think it would be dynamic to use a twist from The Incredibles 2 where the ally turns out to be the villain of the story.  This would create a moral struggle for my hero, who would have to choose humanity for his friendship.  I would hope that my character decides to talk out the grudges the evil teacher has instead of using his superpowers and hurt his mentor.

For my opening, I could potentially use a school or office setting and show interactions with the characters friends or parents, then his interactions with his teacher.  This could also be the moment where my main character could confess to someone that he has superpowers! Then there would be a cut to the title of the film.


I really like this idea and I hope that the more research that I do will help make this story a reality.


                    - Jake





TODAY'S HERO OF THE WEEK: BLACK PANTHER (T'Challa)



Back Story: 
The Black Panther is a mantel passed down by each king of Wakanda, the fictional city in Africa that is home to the strongest mineral in the universe, vibranium.  By drinking the byproduct of a special heart-shaped herb, this hero gains his powers.

Powers:
He has enhanced speed, strength, knowledge, agility, stamina, durability, and senses.

Other: 
- He is the king of his country, Wakanda
- First mainstream African superhero in mainstream comics
- Has a sister named Shuri who is one of the most intelligent minds on Earth

Comic Book Origin: 
- First appeared in Fantastic Four #52 and 53
- Joined the Avengers in the appropriately named The Avengers #52

Movie History: 
- The Black Panther is currently portrayed by Chadwick Boseman in Marvel's MCU
          - First appeared in Captain America: Civil War
          - Also appeared in self titled Black Panther (2018), and in Avengers: Infinity War (2018)