Storyboard

 This is the storyboard that we have created with some of the frames that we hope to capture. These sketches are a good base point for figuring out what to shoot, how to shoot it, and in what order.

Audio Elements

 The film opening will be incorporating different audio elements into it to help add to the feel of the opening and it will aid in connecting the audience to the film.

There are many sub-genres that follow under the umbrella that is audio. From dialogue to music, there are many different ways to use audio in a film opening.

Our film opening will be including a decent amount of dialogue. This dialogue will be useful to the audience as it will be critical for the plot and progressing in the story. We will record this dialogue as we film so that we won't have to worry about lip syncing any of it as that can be quite difficult to pull off and make it look good.

Music will also have an impact on the film opening. In the last scene of the opening when J.D is at the gym, he is going to put his headphones on and once he does that, the audience will be able to hear the music that J.D is hearing like we are the ones with the headphones on. Once this occurs, the outside audio will cut off and the only sound will be the music from the headphones. This sound still is considered diegetic as J.D can still hear the music.

The type of songs that we were looking at were songs that were "hype" songs and the type of songs that would pump someone up. We haven't decided on the final song that we will be playing as it is a big part of the opening as it is the last few seconds of it, but we only need a minuscule snippet of the song to use. One of the songs that we have our eye on currently is Pitstop by LUKA. This song is not copyrighted so it is available to use.

Link to song

This song does include vulgar language at some parts but if we do end up using this song for that scene there won't be any content in the music that is not school appropriate.

Development of Costumes

 The costumes that characters in films wear is a huge part in the development of who their character is and the traits that go along with the way they dress. Some may think that the outfits the characters are wearing are random and unimportant, but in reality the costumes that characters are sporting can say a lot more about a character than dialogue or actions can. 

One example of how costumes represent a character well is Dwight Shrute from the hit television show The Office. Dwight Shrute is one of the employees at the office and he is very serious about his job and can be quite strict at times. This professionalism can be matched to his attire. Dwight makes sure to look his best as much as possible during work hours and outside the workplace.

As you can see by the suit and tie, this picture depicts Dwight to a tee as even though he is seen in the audience's eyes as a character to laugh at due to his actions and words, in the show his intentions are very serious and straightforward.

Our costumes for the opening have been selected with several factors involved in the decision such as representation of character, setting the scene will be in, and how the audience will perceive it.

One of our costumes that we have planned out for the beginning scene where J.D is playing basketball has checked off all of the factors listed above and would be a great way to incorporate the importance of costumes into the film opening.

The heat jersey was chosen due to its representation aspects of J.D's big dream of going to the NBA as well as fitting in with the scene of him playing basketball. The shorts were chosen as they were athletic shorts that would be the kind of shorts that you would find at a basketball court.The shoes that we picked aren't necessarily basketball sneakers, but this is for a reason. The more casual shoes that we picked out better represents J.D as it shows how even though he is trying very hard, he isn't even wearing the proper foot attire.

Overall the whole costume put together is perfect as it is very similar to an ourfit that you would see at a basketball court, it represents the hard work and desperation J.D has to make it as a basketball player, and the audience's first impressions of J.D will be them seeing him working really hard and grinding during practice.

Use of Props in Opening

During the production of our film opening a significant part that we will need to integrate into the story will be our props. Props in any movie or production are a way to further develop the plot by integrating items into the story to make the story seem more in-depth and accurate.

One great example of props in movies is Wonder Woman's lasso of truth. This lasso was her weapon and is one of the things that she is known for and recognizable by.

As you can see this lasso is a key role player in enhancing her character. Without this prop, the audience would be missing out on a huge part of her character. This also applies to all of the superheros with props as weapons as without them, it would be extremely difficult for the superheros to show their powers.

Similarly to Wonder Woman and her lasso, the props we are going to utilize are also being used with the intention of developing the story but more importantly, J.D and his character.

One of the props we were going to use was a picture of J.D with his brother. This picture would come into play when we are shooting the scene where he is feeling down and his mother is consoling him.

This is the picture we are planning to use. We wanted to place this in a picture frame to make it more natural to be holding so it visually is more pleasing on screen. There is a picture frame in my house that I plan to put this picture in.

In order to get the desired look we need to edit the photograph by adjusting the color gradients to give the image more of a nostalgic, older feel. 

This prop will be crucial in the development of this film opening and without it the story and plot wouldn't be as intricate.

Character Development

 The main character in this film opening is J.D. He is extremely passionate about basketball as shown in the film opening. His determination to the game comes from the desire to be just like his older brother. JD constantly goes to workouts and the gym to try and become a better player like his brother is.

During the course of the movie J.D will slowly start to lose passion for the game of basketball and go on his own path doing what he truly wants to do. He will realize that being a basketball player was his brother's life and he is his own person. 

We decided to not show this in the opening to leave a sufficient amount of content for the actual movie. This will not allow for any spoilers to be in the opening and keep the audience guessing on how the movie will turn out and the how the plot will unfold. 

Development of J.D

In the opening we will develop his character in the beginning of the film when he is still determined to progress in his basketball career. We can do this by utilizing what he does in the opening and what he says.

Actions:

During the opening J.D is working very hard to be the best player he can be. This can be shown when the audience sees him in the gym working out to get bigger for basketball or when he was practicing with other kids. His commitment to trying to get better at basketball is shown from the first seconds of the opening to the final seconds.

Dialogue:

J.D's dialogue during the opening is a key contributor to developing him as a character and adding layers and dimensions to J.D. His talk with his mom lets the audience see J.D when he is in more of a vulnerable state so they can further understand his feelings and the actions that occur due to these feelings. Some talks, like the one with his coach however, are more focused towards his progression in basketball and the team. 

All of this character development through the use of different aspects of acting all converges together to further enhance the plot of the story and make the movie in itself more refined and polished.

Script

INT. HIGH SCHOOL GYM - EVENING

(OPENING CREDITS ROLL OVER GYM FOOTAGE)

FADE IN AS SFX: faint bouncing basketball, shoes screeching, heavy breathing

JD stands at the top of the key, dribbling, focused.

Opponent crouched low, watching his hips.

JD [VO]

This moment. It's the kind you dream about. A single shot. Win or lose. Everything slows down. Every breath, every step, calculated. It's do or die.

He shifts left then right, testing his defender.

JD [VO]

You tell yourself it's just another shot. But that's a lie.

Explodes into a quick crossover. Dribbles between the legs.

Defender bites. JD steps back, separates.

SFX: Heartbeat thumps

SLOW MOTION: He rises. Shoots. Perfect form, release, arc.

LONG SHOT SLOW MOTION: Ball completely misses the hoop.

Silence, then:

PLAYER 1

Yo, was that a lob?

PLAYER 2

Nah, that was a prayer.

COACH MARCUS

Davis, you tryna take out a bird?

JD just stands there.

LONG SHOT REVEALS THIS WAS JUST A 2 ON 2 PRACTICE

CUT TO:

INT. COACH'S OFFICE - LATER

Coach Marcus leans back, arms crossed.

2.

JD slouches.

COACH MARCUS

Let me guess. You thought that was going in.

JD

I knew it was going in Coach.

COACH MARCUS

Confidence is good. But delusion?

That's another story.

JD

I just... I gotta get better. Jason was -

COACH MARCUS

Jason ain't you. You ain't him.

COACH MARCUS (CONT'D) But hey, keep throwing bricks like that, and maybe we can build a new gym.

JD forces a laugh but it stings.

CUT TO:

INT. JD'S BASKETBALL THEMED BEDROOM - NIGHT

SFX: DIEGETIC SOUND OF CRICKETS CHIRPING, WINDOW OPEN

JD stares at a framed photo on his nightstand - him and his older brother (Jason Davis, college basketball star)

SFX: KNOCK ON DOOR, CREAKS OPEN

MOM (O.S.)

You'll be late for school again if you don't sleep.

JD doesn't answer.

MOM (CONT'D)

You don't have to be Jason, baby.

JD finally looks at her. Nods.

JD

Yeah, I know.

He turns away and looks at the ceiling again.

3.

Mom watches him for a moment, then turns off the light in his room.

CLOSE UP: JD's face in the dark.

His eyes don't close.

TITLE: AIRBALL (NO COPYRIGHT RAP PLAYS)

INT. HIGH SCHOOL WEIGHTLIFTING GYM - MORNING

Music revealed to be diegetic from his headphones/speaker.

JD alone, training.

CLOSE UP: Sweat drips

CLOSE UP: Legs shaking during squats

SFX: Diegetic music pauses.

JD sits on the bench between sets, resting, scrolling through Jason's old highlight reels.

He exhales, locks the phone, and stands back up.

SFX: Diegetic music resumes. Back to work.

CLOSE UP: Struggling with bench press

WIDE SHOT: Reveals empty bar

THE END

Media Theory

 Todorov's Narrative Theory of Equilibrium

Todorov's media theory tells us that there is distinctive parts of every narrative. He believes there are many different parts, but three of the main parts is equilibrium, disequilibrium, and new equilibrium.

• Equilibrium: Audience is introduced to the characters at the beginning of the story.
• Disequilibrium: Includes the initial disruption, something that disrupts the protagonist's life, as well as other actions before the climax. Once this occurs, the protagonist will work to resolve this issue.
• New Equilibrium: Protagonist resolved the disruption.

Application

This media theory will be a critical part of the structure of our film opening. This structure will result in easier production as there is a stable base to jump off of for creativity and execution of our ideas.

Equilibrium: The first scene will depict the introduction of the main character and part of his life. This introduction of the character and his hobby allows for the future scenes to be developed and creates meaning. 

Disequilibrium: The next scene will show the main character going through a rough time and the audience will be exposed to this to let them know the reasoning for the main character's actions.

New Equilibrium: The last scene will be the start of the new equilibrium as the video is going to be just the opening of a film so the problem can't be resolved in the opening, but the main character gets on the right track to resolving the issue as he takes steps to progress.

This is our current plan on how to integrate this media theory into our film opening. This scene by scene framework allows us to further explore our options with using creativity to enhance the quality and overall feel of the piece.