I'm Conflicted Again!

I know I said I would post my finalized idea for my piece but in between publishing my last posts and beginning to write this one, I came up with another idea!

First, I'll introduce my initial idea that I alluded to in my last post.

Faeth

Genre: Fantasy

Summary: Mason's home-life was never easy, stable, or comfortable. He never wanted to be home, where he would constantly be subjected to the yelling between his arguments or those directed to him, and his place of solace was deep in his backyard. Mason never really went deep into the backyard, heeding hr advice of his mother to always stay close to home, but after a rough day, he was fed up and delved deeper into the wood than he usually does. He cries near this majestically strong and tall tree, to the point that he rests his head on his backpack and takes an untimely nap. He wakes up from the soft noises of fluttering and giggling circling around him, only to awake in a panic that the sun had begun to set. Consumed by the anxiety of getting home, he rushes to collect his belongings and bumps into the source of the sounds, a fairy named Ria. Ria is in awe of Mason, but her curiosity stalls Mason's trek home. To calm him, Ria offers her knowledge of the forest to help Mason get home in exchange for information about humanity. The rest of the story follows their journey back to Mason's home, as they encounter magical obstacles and grow their friendship.

My thoughts: I initially revolved this idea around the possibility of doing fun fantastical makeup on either myself or another, and the possibility of filming in Markham Park, a massive nature park near my home. However, my doubts stem from my inability to create special effects (an integral part of making the world realistic and the fantasy genre) and having to film with others during the pandemic. While the trailers would only revolve around the two characters, and them being outside most of the time, I am constantly trying to limit my own exposure to others for the safety of myself, my friends, and my family.

Teddy

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Summary: A teenage Jane Doe has been kidnapped and put in an isolated bedroom she does not recognize. To console her, her kidnapper gifts her a visibly old and used stuffed bear she names Teddy. Stuck in isolation, she goes crazy and begins to revert to a childlike state as she plays with Teddy, acting as if it was real, similar to how children have imaginary friends. However, one day when she tries to escape, her captor catches her and punishes her by cutting her ankle ligaments. She wakes up from the pain of her injuries to find that Teddy was mutilated in a similar fashion to her, and she has a breakdown. Jane Doe begins to try to befriend her captor, thinking that it is futile to escape, speaking through the speaker and microphone set up in her room. During unsuspectedly informative conversation, it is revealed that the kidnapper's motivation revolves around the passing of his daughter, who he is futiliy trying to replace. Teddy used to be her stuffed animal, hence the signs of use, and has been a gift from him to each of his captors. To test her loyalty, the captor enters her room and asks if she would like to stay and get new room or escape without punishment. Jane Doe admits that she wants to leave, believing his promise, but is ultimately murdered as the captor feels betrayed by his "daughter". The film ends with the image of another girl in the same room, being gifted Teddy once again.

My thoughts: I think that this idea came to me through a culmination of my love for the film Room, the psychological thriller genre, and for the need of an idea that would allow me to work solely by myself. The only obstacle I could think of, however, with this idea, would be either making my room appear completely empty and cold as I had envisioned the set of my film, or finding a place to film it. 

In the end, I think I am going to settle on the film "Teddy" as it is something I can achieve more safely and without the anxiety of the pandemic. I also think that this would allow me to play with gore-y special effects makeup, something I would love to practice and incorporate into my mise-en-scene. My next step would be analyzing the conventions of the psychological thriller genre when it comes to trailers and understanding their social media marketing. While this was not a genre I initially considered, I am content with this decision. I hope I can do this idea justice and create what I have envisioned. 'Till next time!