Step 1

              First and foremost...I wish I could tell you how I'd like to start, and all my grand ideas for 

          the beginning of this journey. Quite frankly, though, I have no idea where to begin.

             This is a journey that I am sharing to the world about how a story is going to grow, and how   

          I'm going to grow with it. The final product you will all see by April will be a two-minute film 

          opening for something completely and utterly created out of the lunacy of my own 

          mind...which is terrifying. The interesting thing is that you get to take this journey with me.

So here's Step 1. Part One: Style

I want to begin by fully establishing my style. I’m faced with the decision of either formalism or realism, but I won’t choose. Through verisimilitude (an integral component in realist films) I can focus on the conventions of a formalist film while still maintaining believably and plausibility. Overall I believe that reliability is what makes a film poignant and resonant with in an audience, after all this is the entire purpose of catering to a target audience. I truly believe that I can find a median between the two.

            The reason I feel so fervent about this is because I share the belief of most formalists that film is an art form. Conventionally, a formalist film focuses on the beauty and power of the image, and the image is stylized based on the director. I want to focus on technical elements (mise-en-scene, editing, effective shots and angles), and verge away from the everyday simplicity of realism, while still depicting a believable plot. This form of production leaves the director to display what her mind and show situations through a different lens.

Simply, formalism focuses on how something is shown as opposed to what is being shown (as in realism).  The most effective way I can think of to combine these two styles is by maintaining a perfectly plausible plot that in its content offers depth and the opportunity for the audience to come to its own conclusion; but I will attempt to manipulate the conclusion they come to through vast utilization of specific technical elements (and I will make these elements abundant).

Verisimilitude is the quality of seeming real. Even though I will be producing a fiction piece, the one decision I have set in stone is that my creation will dance on the line between realism and formalism.

If I were to categorize this intention of this film, it would be verisimilar formalism.

Step 1. Part 2: Genre

Based on my style, from a fairly agreeable list of genres most popular, I've narrowed them down by preference. My film will most likely either fall under action, drama, fantasy, sci-fi, or thriller. This seems like a broad spectrum, however, there are overlapping conventions within these genres that appear to be the most appealing to me as a director and a creator. 

Some of the genres above appear to be coupled, such as fantasy and sci-fi, but the most notable distinction between them is the possibility of the plot elements. More specifically, within the fantasy genre there is no possibility of this actually happening, whereas within science fiction there is plausibility in the plot and the elements it is based on (usually justified by scientific or medical background). This is the distinction between the two…and as I wrote this as my own solid though, I have ruled out fantasy because I know I want the film to revolve around the aspect of verisimilitude.

            Among the last three (drama, action, and thriller), the distinction seems fairly clear, but I’m going to delve into them anyway. The most prominent distinction between these genres is the tone that they conventionally depict. A thriller obviously wants to evoke suspense or discomfort in an audience, a drama is meant to convey and arrangement of all emotions in their most raw form, and action movies focus almost exclusively on plot elements and fighting. Since the action genre doesn’t leave much room for depth in production, what I want to do is incorporate the engaging conventions of action into the genre that I eventually decide on.  Whatever my creation ends up being, it will be a beautiful hybrid.

Corrado, C. (2013, April 30). Formalism and Realism. Retrieved March 10, 2016, from https://chloemariecorrado.wordpress.com/formalism-and-realism/

Most Popular by Genre. (n.d.). Retrieved March 10, 2016, from http://www.imdb.com/genre/

Realism. (n.d.). Retrieved March 10, 2016, from http://www.filmreference.com/encyclopedia/Independent-Film-Road-Movies/Realism.html