Process of Props

      I put together a short stop motion to display the process of putting together Lily's journal prop using DJI editing software. Enjoy!

Music & Audio

    Hey again, Cambridge! Today's focus for the blog is what on Earth I'm going to do when it comes to music and audio. The music in a movie is such an underestimated tool to create the mood desired for a scene, and most people don't realize how much consideration goes into it. I know I want the music in the background of my opening to be classical music to make clear the time period in which I want my opening to take place. The only thing I don't know is how to find the right piece.

    I'm aware of all the copyright-free music out there that I could easily use, but they're usually not very well made. I am also aware that if I want to use anything else, I have to obtain written approval to use a song. THAT would be even more difficult. My plan is to just find a song I want and then I'll figure out if I need permission (and how to get it).

    First thing I did was simply search for "classical music to use in my own film." I then came across this website where you can pay to use artist's songs and get the rights to use it immediately instead of having to wait for a written reply. 

www.musicbed.com

   

    I thought I just stumbled across the greatest thing ever. The solution to all my problems! Then, I checked the pricing.

    $349 for a single song? Yeah, I don't think that's really in my budget.

    However, I subsequently found out about the public domain. The public domain is music that is no longer protected by copyright. As in the owner or creator of the music has been dead for a very, very long time. You know what kind of musicians have been dead for a very, very long time? Ones who made classical music. Jackpot!

Songs I liked most as options:

• Debussy-Arabesque No. 1
• Sibelius-Andante Festivo
• Consolations, S. 172: No. 3, Lento placido

Preparing Props

    In my movie opening, I'll be filming with 4 key props: the journal, the feather pen, the noose, and the earring. I have to figure out how to arrange and make these props realistic and accurate by their wear and look.

Prop #1: Lily's Journal

    In the 19th century, journals were hardly seen wrapped in paper but instead in materials like leather or wool. This was because most people carried their journals with them to many places, and their covers had to be durable and long-lasting since they weren't just sitting pretty on a shelf for eternity. I would also like for Lily's journal to have a kind of strap to close it shut for her to be able to tuck her feather pen into. Since she actually needs to write in the journal and it can't just be a prop to look at on the outside, I'd have to actually purchase one. I don't have much of a budget, though, so the next best choice is to find something cheap and inaccurate but film from angles where it looks fitting for Lily. Also, the wool journals I've looked into have ranged $10-$30, while the leather ones ranged $20-$50, so there's clearly a better option here.

Prop #2: Her Quill Pen

    It would be way too complicated for me to obtain and learn how to write with an actual quill and its ink in time for the filming, but after a bit of research, I found that today's ballpoint pen idea was actually patented in 1888, which is in the time frame of my story and would allow me to use it. To break it down, the way quill pens work is that one would take a feather (usually goose), hollow out the middle with a long needle, and sharpen the end into a point to be able to store ink up there and write smoothly. At the time of its invention, this pen was revolutionary because the previous solutions either smudged too easily or took eons to dry. However, quill pens had the pitfall of not being exactly portable because of the ink they had to be dipped in. How to fix it? Keep the ink permanently in the pen. For its nostalgia and the feeling it adds to my scene, I'll use a quill that is simply a disguised ballpoint pen. These are very easy to obtain, and I shouldn't have a problem with the budget since they're popular and overall cheap.

Prop #3: Rose's Noose

    This is the easiest part of the props. While it has the most impact in the opening, the hangman's knot is a simple tie of rope hung around a tree that I could easily make. The above pictures display modern nooses, but in the 19th century, the knots were much simpler. Nowadays, when tying a noose, one must tie the rope around itself 13 times for the 13 colonies when used in protest and then perform an elaborate twist at the bottom. In the Regency Era, they didn't have knowledge of this yet, and a simple double knot would do even if they were protesting. When used in my film opening, I'm planning on making it very short and cutting off the middle to show that somebody was cut out of it. I have rope in my garage, so this prop is simple and free!

Prop #4: Rose's Earring

    The earring in the grass is a clue that it belonged to a woman, and it lying directly beneath the noose is a clue that it belonged to whoever hung themselves there. The earring shot isn't very complicated, and I don't need to purchase or research it since the scene is something of my own imagination. I'll be using one of mine or my mom's earrings and ensuring the sun shines on it at just the right angle so it sparkles and Lily notices it. I'm likely going to edit the shine to exaggerate it and make it more noticeable.

Final Note:

It's more than likely I already have rope in my garage and I definitely already own a fitting earring, so all I have to purchase is Lily's journal and pen. I'm going to the mall later today and will hopefully find these props. See you tomorrow, Cambridge!

Fabric Snap Closure Lined Journal Gray - Gartner Studios: Lay-Flat Ruled Notebook, 120 Pages, Flexible Cover, Teen & Adult. (2020). Target.com. https://www.target.com/p/fabric-snap-closure-lined-journal-gray-gartner-studios/-/A-54158639#lnk=sametab

Konig, D. T. (2020, January 16). The Deliberate Knot - Common Reader. Common Reader. https://commonreader.wustl.edu/c/the-deliberate-knot/

Leavey, T. C. (2020). 19th Century (1800s) paper and journals. Ushist.com. https://www.ushist.com/props/writing-equipment_paper-journals.shtml

Quill – Facts and History of Quill Pen. (2024). Historyofpencils.com. https://www.historyofpencils.com/writing-instruments-history/history-of-quill-pens/

Redirect Notice. (2025). Google.com. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FTraveler-Vintage-Handmade-Notebook-Himalayas%2Fdp%2FB01MTJ24JR&psig=AOvVaw36cnAAYg4BhU_sulRBvzvp&ust=1740417028357000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBQQjRxqFwoTCPDSruqk2osDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE

Wilson, A. (2023, March 16). The History of Pens. Executive Pens Direct. https://www.executivepensdirect.com/en-us/blogs/help-advice/the-history-of-pens

Set Possibilities

     I know I want it to be set in a park/field setting with lots of trees and tall grasses. These are options going from closest to furthest from me!

1. Peace Mound Park

This location is great because of the abundance of tall trees. I've previously been there, and, especially when the sun is bright, there's a beautiful shine of light through the treetops. The grass isn't overgrown enough to seem like a beautiful, unknown field, though. Also, I don't think the trees' branches are horizontal enough for someone to hang from them.

        2. Regional Park

This park is the absolute perfect for filming because there's plenty of overgrown grass, trees, and a perfect view of the beautiful sky. No notes! Most likely will be my final choice.

      3. Markham Park

When it comes to lighting and trees, it's the exact thing I envision. The way the light shines through the branches would have the perfect reflection when filming. The tall trees provide a dreamy magical forest vibe, which I LOVE.

The Busch Family

    After coming up with the title Falling Through the Rose Bush and deciding that the dead twin sister's name is going to be Rose, I thought it would be even more clever if the family's last name sounded like the word bush. That's when I started researching and came across Busch, which sounds identical to "bush" spoken aloud and reads pretty similarly. It originates in Yorkshire, Northern England, and was developed in England's Anglo-Saxon culture, so it's perfect for the English setting I was planning.

Lily Busch:

    Lily Busch is the main character in my story and the twin who goes through it all. A lobotomy is a procedure done to fix disorders of mood, not disorders of thought. For this reason, they're unsuccessful when attempting to get rid of schizophrenia but work for depression and insanity. After witnessing her sister's death, Lily had C-PTSD, or complex PTSD, which is classified as a disorder of mood, and was successful in being "cured" by the lobotomy. This was until she found everything out, but that's beside the point. Lily was always the more put-together of the twins on the outside and always had her hair done nicely, blush on her cheeks, and an ironed dress draped on her body. After being lobotomized, patients often lose a large part of their intellect and aren't capable of forming as intelligent thoughts as they could before. Because of this, Lily's hair was more messy, and her clothes were always a bit more wrinkled after the lobotomy. Overall, she behaves innocently and curiously, similar to a younger version of herself. 

Rose Busch:

    Rose was the more rebellious of the twins; while her personality was sweet and caring, she was never afraid to stand up for what she thought was right and go against what she believed was wrong. She was always extremely close with her sister and would rarely hide things from Lily. That's why when she found out what she did about her family and couldn't tell Lily for her own good, Rose had no choice but to end it all. She was more rough-looking, as in she would refuse to curl her hair and put pretty bows in it when courting season came around, which, by the way, was her least favorite time of the year. 

Ada and Edmund Busch:

    Ada Busch is the girls' mom, and she absolutely adores them. Though she didn't come from much, throughout her entire motherhood, she has appreciated them and spoiled them to bits since she never gave birth to a boy and has been shamed for it. Because of this, she has always wanted to raise women of class so that they can marry into an even higher class, and she is just obsessed with learning about anything and everything she can to teach her daughters. She is a very elegant woman, never missing a graceful entrance or canceling a social event for her family. She also spends most nights missing her husband, Edmund, because though they once had a beautiful love, he's been holding a grudge. Edmund Busch came from a very high-class family and went against her family's wishes to marry Ada because he loved her so much. He was never cold or distant until his wife was unable to provide a boy to carry the Busch name. That then became his life's mission to fix, which is where the messed up stuff they did comes in and the reason Rose commits suicide.

Sources:

Ahmed, A. (2016, September 12). 133 Mesmerizing Victorian Baby Names For Girls And Boys. MomJunction. https://www.momjunction.com/articles/victorian-baby-names-for-girls-boys_00408299/

HouseofNames.com. (2000). HouseOfNames. https://www.houseofnames.com/busch-family-crest/english

https://www.howstuffworks.com/about-author.htm. (2008, October 27). How Lobotomies Work. HowStuffWorks. https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/lobotomy2.htm

Mind. (2021, January). What is complex PTSD? Www.mind.org.uk; Mind. https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd-and-complex-ptsd/complex-ptsd/

Waterhouse, E. (2024, August 22). 181 Victorian Girl Names. Nameberry. https://nameberry.com/list/774/victorian-girl-names

Pictures:

Redirect Notice. (2025). Google.com. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Ffliphtml5.com%2Flearning-center%2Ffashion-mood-board-examples%2F&psig=AOvVaw3Xmj2ee2C90EX6CpaGLrAN&ust=1740277946693000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBQQjRxqFwoTCJi2odye1osDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAh

Redirect Notice. (2025b). Google.com. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Faesthetics.fandom.com%2Fwiki%2FVictorian&psig=AOvVaw2k3sTAOZWpW5ccYhyyH9A8&ust=1740277782313000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBQQjRxqFwoTCPj-oYue1osDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAh

Storyboard

Summary of Idea & Plot

     Following weeks of research, brainstorming, asking for and getting advice, I finally have an accomplishable and clear plan for my movie plot and opening scene. The only aspects I'm missing are the movie's name, and my actress or videographer, but I'm otherwise fully decided on what I want to do.

    The general plot of my movie is about a girl in the mid 19th century who witnessed her own twin sister's suicide and started going insane. Because she's of high class though, her family forced her to get lobotomized so that it didn't tarnish the family image. This all happens before the film starts, so the progression of the film itself is her narrative of slowly finding out what her family's been hiding from her but returning to her state of insanity as she finds more out because the lack of memory from the lobotomy makes her also forget how much her family loves her. For this reason, she believes they have the worse intentions in all their actions. The entire film is from her journal's perspective and her own narration of it. Because of this she qualifies as an unreliable narrator, which was exactly my goal.

This psychological period drama's opening scene will play out the following way:

    She is laying face up in a beautiful field, looking at the clouds and there is no other sound but the typical ones of a beautiful sunny day. The soft classical music then begins, and she starts speaking what she's writing down in her journal out loud. She's shown laying in the grass writing, and she speaks of her morning, her dull life, and her "naturally flawed" memory. The entire opening consists of her confusion and wanting to know more about the world. We're shown different cuts of her running in the field, flowers, her pen tangled in the grass, leaves, trees with rays of sun shining through, and overall warm, beautiful, light editing. Once her mom calls her to come back inside, she sighs and rolls her eyes but picks up her things and starts walking when she passes a tree. When's she's walking past said tree, the editing becomes darker and gloomier and the music shifts slightly in a negative light. She's looking around when she notices and stops to notice some rope tied around one of the branches and an earring on the grass directly below it reflecting the sunshine. She hears the laughs of two young girls playing near her. Then her mom calls for her again and she immediately starts running towards the house, but the camera stays on the tree and the title is displayed while she's running. The continuation of her moving off stage is going to limit the title from looking like the ending and more like the entrance.

    After laying out my plan, I have to decide on a title which I think would have to do with either falling (into madness) or hanging on to something (like noose on a tree branch). Something adorable sounding that will sound completely different after you've watched the movie. Maybe "Falling Through the Rose Bush" and the main character's name could be Lily and her twin was named Rose (both flower names), but that isn't revealed to the very end. Yeah, I think Falling Through the Rose Bush is a perfect title.

Assault (1970)

My Chosen Media Theory

 Narrative Codes -Roland Barthes

Hermeneutic or Enigma Code:

When a narrative withholds information to develop mystery or leave a plot point unexplained.

    This code covers movies in which viewers don't fully know the entire story or get it revealed at the end. It often appears in mysteries and thrillers to build suspension and keep the audience guessing as to what the full image actually is. I would describe it like a car's blind spot never allowing a driver to have complete awareness of what's around them. I would use this in my movie because it's shown through the perspective of my main character, and she doesn't piece the puzzle of her life together until the very end. Since the opening scene, though, it's clear that there's something the audience doesn't have a backstory to happening.

Symbolic Code:

Signs or symbols within a production that represent opposition or antithesis. An example would be the color palettes used in the Barbie movie. The overwhelming use of pink is directly juxtaposed with the darker color palette after the Kens take over.

    I plan on using something closely similar. My idea was that since the main character's mindwipe (however I decide to do that), she only a has pure, innocent, oblivious perspective and thoughts. Because of this, the beginning of the movie consists of bright and soft pastels and light colors. When she stumbles across the familiar tree and notices the noose, the lighting will get noticeably darker and then return when she walks away. Throughout the movie, as she finds more out and gains that awful knowledge, the lighting will turn the movie into a dark, gloomy, rainy world.

Barthes’ Five Codes. (n.d.). Changingminds.org. https://changingminds.org/disciplines/storytelling/articles/barthes_five_codes.htm

Group Meeting #1

    Hey Cambridge! Before the long weekend, we had a class where we were put into groups of four and offered/gave advice on each other's movie opening ideas. We went one by one and spoke about what we have so far, ideas we're interested in, and then the other three people gave their tips. I'll touch base on my classmate's ideas, but mainly what I came in with and walked out with.

Pedro:

    A man recovering from witnessing paranormal activities (maybe in the forest while hunting) but nobody believes him and he can't let go of it. The opening scene would either be the paranormal activity itself or a therapist appointment about it.

Oona:

    A young adult woman gymnast has a bad injury and has to recover before a big event or competition. Takes unapproved medicine that is detrimental to her brain but is at least healing her injury. The opening scene would most likely be the injury taking place because she works at a gym and has access to all the gymnastics equipment.

Tiziana:

    She doesn't have a very clear idea of what she wants to do for the film itself but has an idea for the opening. A young adult is shopping for groceries and then driving home and baking while listening to a radio station when it suddenly gets cut off to announce a murder in her town. The main character would look concerned, surprised, and urged for something but the purpose isn't known yet.

Sergio:

    A medical school student is diagnosed with a rare undocumented muscle disease and he's got to get into the gym while he's in school and at the same time trying to find a cure to his own disease. He's a very square and organized person while still slowly going into madness from how much he's taking on. The opening would be him in the gym and studying/finding a cure with a voiceover of what's going on in a journal style. His seems to be the most figured and planned out.

What I Walked In With

Notecard with my initial movie opening plan

    When I walked in, I didn't have the clearest idea of what story I wanted my movie opening to tell, but I had more of a clue about who I wanted my main character to be. I had an idea that she would either look like the perfect little princess but had a "teenage dirtbag" attitude OR she looked poor and rough but was the sweetest person and just wanted to make her way up in the world. If she ended up being the first option,  she would be inspired by the 2020 take on Jane Austen's Emma when it comes to costume and hair design. The music in the background would be completely the opposite though so the audience knows she's something other than what she seems. If she seemed like she was having a rough experience or on the less wealthy side, there would be beautiful classical music playing. This aspect would allude to the fact that she's doing something much different with her life than what she wishes to be. The mystery would be developed by showing small, quick details that make the viewers think "Huh, that doesn't really make sense from what we know of her. What else is going on?" Maybe it would be some kind of money stash or blood splatter on her things; I wasn't too sure. 

Advice Given To Me

    I told the group that I was also interested in pursuing a psychological drama plot with the trauma convention which I spoke about in one of my past blogs and this was the advice and/or ideas given to me.

• "Instead of the traumatic event happening at the beginning of the movie, it should happen before the start."
• "To give it a more psychological feeling, maybe the viewer doesn't know what happened until the very end."
• "What if the main character doesn't know until the very end either?"

    THAT idea totally hooked me, so I asked "Ooh! What if the traumatic event happens, but the main character gets drugged, or lobotomized, or something to forget the event because she's of high class and couldn't be seen going insane from it."

• "Yeah, like how in The Truman Show he slowly pieces together odd parts of his life until he figures out what's actually going on."
• "You should watch Shutter Island, it's on the topic of lobotomies."
• "Just how in the beginning of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Joel has impulsive actions and finds random things he has no recollection of."
• "I know you said you wanted minimal dialogue, but what about a voice-over? It would help with the whole unreliable narrator thing."
• "Do you know what you want the actual traumatic event to be?"

    To this, I replied that it could possibly be witnessing a loved one suicide or die in their arms. Something including a person close to them suddenly gone.

• "I feel like aimlessly wandering or running in a field would fit the cluelessness."

"Yeah! What somebody hung themselves and she's running in the field where it happened and stumbles across a strangely familiar tree, but doesn't really know why."

• "That sounds really good, there could even be different close-ups and eye matches to small things in the grass to show that she's very attentive and innocent since the memory wipe."

What I Walked Out With

    After these insanely helpful people gave me much-appreciated ideas, I have a way more precise image in my head for the opening. I want my movie to begin with a girl picking flowers, the chirping of birds, bright skies, and a beautiful field. Then, she pulls out a diary and begins writing as the voice-over begins of her talking about herself and how mundane her life is at home. She gets into talking about how she's never had anybody her age close to her and nobody tells her anything. At the same time, she's shown 'frolicking about' on the field, looking at tiny plants and bugs, and just rolling around aimlessly. At the same time, beautiful classical music is playing. That is until her mother calls her to come back inside and she starts walking back looking unamused by the command. As she's going back, she walks past a tree with half of a noose tied to it and the title is shown with a dark, gothic font. It pans around to her eyes showing a puzzled and concerned face, and when her mother calls her again, she books it.

Conclusion

    Overall, I have a perfect image of what I want my opening to look like and am extremely enthusiastic for the production to begin. See you tomorrow, Cambridge!

Going Back to the Regency Era

     A crucial aspect of any period piece is costume design. I need to analyze color and the costume itself within my main character's costume design. 

    Tracking fashion trends of 1795-1825, I'll review the history, styles, and trends.

History

    During the French Revolution, the textile market plummeted dramatically. To prevent it from further plunging, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte banned the import of foreign textiles, brought back older Valenciennes lace dresses, and mass-produced local textiles as much as possible. To maintain the market on the rise, Napoleon stated that women must not wear the same dress on more than one occasion when courting. He also had fireplaces blocked off at the popular Tuileries Garden so that ladies were forced to layer up on clothing when going out. Men weren't left out of the equation either since it became policy for male military officials to wear exclusively white satin breeches when at a formal event. These practices might've all seemed extreme, but Bonaparte was simply following past tactics of boosting France's economy through clothing and fashion. Additionally, Empress Josephine was a huge image in fashion in France at the time, and she aided in the influence of purchasing increasingly more fabrics. 

"[Empress] Josephine in full regalia gold" (Thomas 2009)

Styles

    In the late 18th century, nearing the early 1800s, the Empire Style became one of the more well-established looks. Women were adorned with full, flowy skirts and waistlines sitting directly under the chest. Necklines went from square to round to V-shaped with age and being hardly able to move their arms from their tight puffed short sleeves was considered the daintiest in a girl. Also, EVERYTHING was laced. Everything. Obviously, that directly stems from the production of the Valenciennes bobbin lace, but still! There were three mainly used fabrics that each played to the girl's social status and usage which were muslin, white lawn, or batiste. Muslin seemed to be the most affordable and easy to take care of while still having an array of embroidery designs and pristine quality, showing signs of wealth. White was the most expensive color to wear since it gets dirty more easily than every other color. Because of this, they were most often worn in the evening and pastels during the day.

       Square neckline        V-shaped neckline     Round neckline      

Trends

    During the English Regency Era and the French Regency Era, different trends in clothing came in and out of fashion portraying different social groups and displaying different levels of wealth. In 1815, French skirts started much higher than English ones, and English skirts were "wider, more A-line, padded, and decorated" (Thomas 2009). Waistline trends also fluctuated between 1815 and 1825, reaching their peak height in 1816 and lowering ever since. Anglomania, defined as excessive admiration of English customs, swept France when lowering the waist and adding fillers like horsehair to widen the shoulders and skirt, giving ladies a more hourglass-like silhouette. At this time, the waist was finally at its most natural point. The Spencer is a short, tight, long-sleeved accessory that gained popularity in 1817. There are a few different versions that all essentially work as a cute, layer-able jacket whether extremely short or reaching down to the waist. It seems as though even then, fashion trends were quick and the ladies of the past were influenced just as easily.

    Regency Spencer Styles                           Lowest vs Highest waistlines

Weston Thomas, P. (2009, February 24). Regency Fashion History 1800-1825 | Beautiful Pictures Empire Line Dresses. Fashion-Era. https://fashion-era.com/fashion-history/regency/regency-fashion

Interpreting the Schedule

    Obvious steps towards the final product:

1. Research
2. Planning
3. Production
4. Editing
5. Revision
6. CCR

    The way I'd break these steps down makes more time than usual for finding costumes and editing. This is because I need to research and find out how to accurately dress my character and edit the whimsical, clueless, innocent moment the m.c. is having.

Week one (2/9 - 2/15)

• Research
• Costume design
• Music
• Begin setting up
• Storyboard
• Find actress or somebody to film

Week two (2/16 - 2/22)

• End setting up
• Thrift/purchase costume
• Find park to film in
• Schedule filming
• Practice hair design
• Script
• Find music

City Parks | City of Weston, FL. (2024). Westonfl.org. https://www.westonfl.org/government/parks-and-recreation/city-parks

Week three (2/23 - 3/1)

• Production
• Filming
• Begin (and possibly end) foley
• Begin voice over if decided on
• Editing
• View next week plans

Week four (3/2 - 3/8) 

• Editing
• Line up shots to music cues
• Line up foley 
• Line up voice over if decided on
• Visual editing (adjust lighting)

Week five (3/9 - 3/15)

• Revision
• Double-triple-check timing, editing gaps, foley overlaps, and length
• Plan a mock analysis on my own opening
• Revise missing items

Week six (3/16 - 3/22)

• CCR
• Plan a smaller research chart on my own opening
• Write reflection
• Compare to examples to edit and improve

Week seven (3/23 - 3/29)

• Free time in case there are challenges or delays along the way

Looking for My Ideal Credit Sequence

     Though in my last blog I mentioned I'd wait to research stylistic and mise-en-scene choices regarding the period I want my opening to take place in, I now realize why waiting so long is a bad idea. Because of this, I will focus this post on the period drama aspect of my opening. My idea for my opening is to use the tragedy convention of psychological dramas, meaning that a tragic event took place before the movie commences and the film consists of the "aftermath" or breaking down of the main character's emotional state. I also liked the idea of an unreliable narrator, so perhaps the trauma can be the stem of their unreliability. Still, I want to keep the contrast aspect of perfect on the outside and odd on the inside. For this reason, I want the credits to develop a pristine, Regency Era type of setting and mood.

EMMA (1996)

    In the 1996 film EMMA, the opening credit sequence features the perfect extreme long shot to display the period they're portraying in the movie. The horse-driven carriage and the regal font for the title pair together flawlessly. The carriage moving somewhere as the title is being shown implies that there's more to come and doesn't make putting it at the end of the opening feel conclusional. Instead, it alludes to their next stop and adds a sense of continuation even though the opening itself is ending. The font difference between the original author's name and the title is subtle but makes such a difference. The smaller cursive font makes the all-caps bold title have an even bigger impact by comparison. I like how it develops a familiarity with the protagonist from the beginning.

Bridgerton (2020)

    Bridgerton is one of the most popular period dramas currently, so I couldn't NOT mention it. One thing I noticed while watching the credits is the placement of the names. Placement and speed are important factors when displaying credits because all the people who put hard work into films should be properly recognized for it; it would be pretty distasteful for them not to be. For this reason, it should be easy to spot names even when more things are going on in the background. This opening does an astounding job at this since they always focus the names around whatever is going on the screen. For example, when the vines are climbing up the tree, the name of an actor is right there next to them. Though the font in this opening doesn't seem to belong to the Regency Era as much as my last example, it illustrates the more modern approach this show has.

Little Women (1994)

    The beautiful graphics in the title sequence of the 1994 adaptation of Little Women are a perfect instance of the graceful design of women in the 1860s. The sharp lettering of the words contrasts heavily with the flowy swirls. I believe this has a deeper meaning than it might seem. The sharp versus the soft illustrates the range of women and how broad the range of women's persona in this specific film will be developed. I'm quite interested in illustrations and art like this that can be interpreted in many different ways and possibly something I'll want to include in my title.

Film Openings Genre Inspo

     Though I want to create a film opening that isn't only a psychological drama but also a period piece, I'm going to dedicate the mood board to doing research for the period elements and the film openings research for psychological dramas. The genre has so many different interpretations, and I wish to find and be inspired by movie openings focusing on unreliable narrators.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

    

    Just so happening to be my personal favorite movie, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a psychological drama having to do with two lovers who erased each other from their memories. The movie sort of moves backward, so the opening is them meeting again as complete strangers, and the rest of the movie is the story of what happened and how. In the opening, Joel is an unreliable narrator because he makes decisions without knowing why, and lots of aspects like his car being broken, pages ripped out of his journal, and impulsively going to an empty beach show that there are factors behind his actions that the viewers haven't been exposed to yet. In my movie opening, I want to incorporate random and unexpected decisions made by my main character that wouldn't sort of make sense with the way she seems to be. Initially, I thought I didn't want much dialogue in my opening because I wanted it to be guided by music, but I'm really attracted to the idea of a voiceover where my character doesn't really know what's going on either. The lack of knowledge might be caused by a sickness or a sort of drug that caused her to forget recent events. I also noticed the entire movie opening is shot with a handheld camera, making it almost seem like he is being documented in his world or the audience watching him in secret. I noticed this when he was running to the train impulsively. It was a high-angle shot from above the bridge while he ran below and then a shot from downstairs while he was running on the bridge. At every point, the camera seemed hidden. It reminds me of the way the movie Project X was filmed; one of the characters was filming the entire event as if he was making a documentary on the entire party. It gives a sort of subtle uneasiness, which I really liked. Apologies if I wrote too much; I don't know if you can tell how much I love this movie.

Pearl (2022)

    This opening is the perfect example of what I had in mind when describing the girl who's not who she seems to be. In this opening, Pearl is first portrayed as living on a perfect little farm, dressing in her beautiful dresses and living an ideal life until her mom tells her to feed the animals and pops her bubble. After that, she becomes this innocent picture again performing for her farm animals and pretending to be a star until a goose sneaks into the farm, and she kills it and feeds it to an alligator. One would never expect such a hopeful, beautiful, innocent-looking girl to be so deathly and aggressive. It is similar to the way the movie Emma. does contrast. In Emma., she seems to have a perfect, easy life, yet the editing and dialogue portray a gloomy, moody tone, like how the mise-en-scene in Pearl is bright and happy, the music is beautiful, and she looks adorable while she's slaughtering an animal with a pitchfork. I noticed a theme in the title of just their names, which is similar to the presentation I want for my character, so the title being her name could definitely be an option.

Requiem for a Dream (2000)

    Requiem for a Dream's opening is a really great example of what I was looking for when it comes to music. I had an idea of a perfectly normal scene with dramatic and mysterious music in the background to serve the purpose of hinting at something the audience isn't being told. I've never seen this movie, but if I were to watch this movie opening without music, I'd think it's something along the lines of two friends going somewhere to sell this TV. However, the low and dramatic music sets a foreboding tone, implying that there's more to what's being shown. Despite the kind old ladies wearing bright colors and the setting seeming like a hot summer day, the music provokes suspicion in the viewer. On some occasions, dialogue can simply not compare to the effect music has on a visual scene, which is why I'm looking to focus on the music instead of the words.

    

Investigating Genres

    Genre is the most-base level step towards planning a production. Whether Coming-of-Age or Science Fiction, extensive research and a countless number of decisions need to be made until the final product is achieved. I've chosen two genres that interest me in using in collaboration for my movie opening. The two are period dramas and psychological dramas. I want my movie opening to introduce a puzzling dramatic film from the early 19th century with a deeper meaning that everyone can relate to. Obviously, I'm not producing an entire movie to show this off, but a girl needs an imagination!

PERIOD DRAMAS

Les Misérables (2012)

    Period pieces are films that strongly hint or revolve around the time period they take place in. Usually staged in late 18th century to early 20th century, social standards or norms of the era are often the spine of these stories. The mise-en-scene in these openings are mostly for the purpose of developing setting and the time period. For instance, sound should be period classical, clothing should be appropriate to time period and financial level of character, lighting should not be electric due to the lack of electricity, and props should replace all electrical and/or digital items.

    What makes a period piece stand out is often its accuracy. Viewers want to feel like they're truly watching drama and struggles of people from past centuries because there's hardly real documented scandal from that era. It doesn't make a difference how entertaining and well-written the film is if it doesn't make the audience convinced of the time period. That said, extensive research regarding time period accuracy is key to a good period drama.

The Crown (2016) vs Queen Elizabeth (1952)

  The Crown (2016) vs Dance with Ghanian president (1961)

    The Crown has been well known for an extraordinary number of references and accurate frames compared to the real events depicted in the series.

PSYCHOLOGICAL DRAMAS

Parasite (2019)

    Psychological pieces are films that dig deep into societal or personal issues. There's six characteristics these could develop plot off of. Unreliable narrators are protagonists whose inner process the audience has a view into during the duration of the film, but their own disorder or miscommunication block anybody from knowing what's genuinely happening at every moment. Feeling watched can create a very confusing and eerie vibe in a film since neither the audience nor the protagonist know if that "gut feeling" is only paranoia or what's going to save their life. The tragedy plotline is when the main character experiences a tragic event, and the film consists of their subsequent emotional fallout. Moral dilemmas are when the character is faced with a decision that challenges all morals and ethics known to them previously. The spiral down the ladder of darker emotions that plague the human psyche that might be worsened by an aggravating circumstance is also another convention that would show the main character's descent into madness. Finally, the epiphany is when the audience and main character come to a puzzle piece realization that makes everything make sense in the end after taking them through a traumatizing and puzzling journey.

    I would be interested in using the tragedy or the spiral conventions in my opening.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

References

Lee, M., & Seccombe, C. (2022, August 27). Genre Breakdown: Psychological Fiction. Www.inthemargin.com.au. https://www.inthemargin.com.au/features/genre-breakdown-psychological-fiction

Molly. (2009, September 28). Mise en Scene in the opening of “Pride and Prejudice.” Molly’s Blog. https://mollyclifton.wordpress.com/2009/09/28/mise-en-scene-in-the-opening-of-pride-and-prejudice/

Taylor, E. (2025). See Stunning, Rare Photos of a Young Queen Elizabeth. Hearstapps.com. https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/the-crown-real-life-queen-elizabeth-2-1514412217.jpg

Truong, P., & Newbould, N. (2023, November 14). See Every Single New and Former “The Crown” Character vs. Their Real-Life Counterpart. Cosmopolitan. https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/tv/g14506480/the-crown-real-life-characters-photos/