Drama and SciFi genres

 Now that we have started our portfolio project, my team has decided to go with a more Sci-Fi/Drama approach paired with a more 2000s film vibe. This may be difficult considering a lot of Sci-Fi movies from the 2000s go with a more horror/thriller approach than a drama approach but there are still a few gems out there.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

I recently watched this movie in January during our break and it left me completely shaken. This movie is a great example of a drama film with sci-fi elements. Films such as these are often discuss emotionally deep topics in creative ways. In Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the bulk of the movie is spent within the main character's (Joel) mind, but explore deeply emotional moments within Joel's relationship with his ex-girlfriend. The film employs the use of creative cinematography and color grading to signal a

and scenes occurring in the real world. Scenes within his mind also alter in lighting as they are erased, starting evenly lit and transitioning to harsher central light coming from the camera.and scenes occurring in the real world. Scenes within his mind also alter in lighting as they are erased, Starting evenly lit and transitioning to harsher central light coming from the camera. 

Arrival (2016)

Arrival is a film i recently watched in my AICE English Language A level class. My teacher made a point of analyzing its relation to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. The film centers around 12 alien ships that have landed on Earth, and the main charcter's (a llinguist) work to decipher and eventually understand their written language. Sci-fi films such as Arrival use cooler and grayer tones with sleek technological aesthetics. They also use VFX to portray crucial parts of the story without overshadowing the story as a whole.

The films cleverness is in its use of the genre to explore an extremely complex concept. The film uses strategic flash-forwards that only begin to be understood once the main twist of the movie is revealed. Once the main character fully understands the alien language, she gains the ability to percieve time in the same way they do: non linearly.

How this will be incorporated into my opening

Drawing from both of these films, I hope to incorporate the highly stylized method of color grading and shot composition often used in drama films, while using VFX to highlight the main concepts of the story. I plan to make my opening character driven in a way that will be both emotionally and intellectually engaging for audiences.