Finally made a decision

After researching the characteristics of both types of films, viewing some openings, and discussing the pros and cons with my peers, I have decided..drum roll please… I’m doing a drama!!!!

Although I figured that making a faith-based film would be a lot easier based on the research I presented in previous postings, I want to challenge myself with creating an original drama openings. I also feel like I will have much more freedom when it comes to actually coming up with the idea for the movie, which is logically my next step.

I have two ideas thus far that may work for this piece, one has to do with a high school student who is struggling with what to do in the future in regards to college and career. It would follow the student on their typical daily routine, slowly revealing the anxiety and stress that he/she has to face, and have it go from there. I came up with this after taking my SAT and my tendency to always worry about the future. The student may have one of those stereotypical problems that will help them relate to the audience more. For example, an overbearing parent, or a sibling that sets an unrealistic goal for the protagonist to follow. Although this seems rather unoriginal, if I focus on the script and development of the character within the begining of my film, I hope to make the audience want to continue watching.

My other idea is more of a challenge, especially for me, a first time director.  It has to do with a dystopian society that has been fighting a world war for decades and has people drafted for the army and placed in training camps at the age of 11. This does sound like an action film as opposed to a drama, however, my focus will not be on the war, it will be on the emotional toll that one family goes through with having to send their child to war. My inspiration for this film came from a novel I am reading in my english class called The Things They Carried which had to do with the Vietnam war and the effects it had on the young soldiers. The majority of people alive have experienced some repercussion of war or have heard war stories, therefore this idea will be popular and easy to market to a mature audience and young adults.

It’s pretty funny how I had to make a decision between two genres all week, and now I have to decide between two ideas! I am once again going to do research on the demographics and potential marketability for each of my ideas, as well as seeking advice from my fellow peers. I am very excited for this project and what I can potentially create with my ideas.