Is This a Horror Film Now?

No, I did not completely change my concept. I did, however, watch Midsommar, the A24 horror/drama film that came out last year.

Midsommar (2019)

Originally I saw it just for fun with my mom and sister, but from the beginning, I was extremely intrigued and inspired by the technique used in the first fifteen minutes of the film. Since my film is not similar to Midsommar in any way, I am not relying on the full opening scene for guidance. One part did stick out to me though, which I do think I can learn from.

This scene was where Dani, the main character, was on the phone with her best friend and she replies to her sister's ominous email.

What I appreciated most of these screenshots is the lighting and composition of the shots, especially because they could be applied to my film out of context. I love how the low-key lighting added to the suspense while also not feeling out of place, and that the light sources, even though there were many, did not overpower the feel. This aspect especially. I know will be featured in my opening.

Another aspect that really stood out to me was how the scene moved swiftly, and did not seem boring, even though the main character was fairly stationary. A concern from my first storyboard that I had was that it was not dynamic enough to be interesting for the full two minutes. Switching between close-ups of her hands, to close-ups of the screen, to close-ups of her face made the scene feel active, yet still calm and suspenseful.

As I finalize my storyboard, I want to incorporate more movement into the shots and test out the order of the shots and incorporate similar close-ups. Even though my film is not a horror or thriller one, I do still want to incorporate the suspenseful aspects seen in both genres, as well as in the dystopian genre.