Similar Products to Runaway Boy
Here are some products which I feel are the same genre which have an opening which I find interesting and intriguing. I would like to produce an opening like any of these or a mixture of all three.
Trust:
Storyline:
A suburban family is torn apart when fourteen-year-old Annie (Liana Liberato) meets her first boyfriend online. After months of communicating via online chat and phone, Annie discovers her friend (Chris Henry Coffey) is not who he originally claimed to be. Shocked into disbelief, her parents (Clive Owen and Catherine Keener) are shattered by their daughter's actions and struggle to support her as she comes to terms with what has happened to her once innocent life.
Opening:
The opening of the film “Trust” begins with a black screen when some white text appears saying, “Volleygirl13 has joined the chat.” The scene then immediately changes to a close up of a teenage girl with headphones in, wearing what appears to be a tracksuit, where the young girl is partaking in sport. Judging from this, it is clear to see that the film revolves around volleyball, the film is questioning the big current affair of social networking sites. The sequence then cuts to a close up shot of the young girl cutting up some fruit. This implies that this girl is in training for maybe a volleyball game, or a tournament, or even some tryouts. After this some more text appears, again from volleygirl13, this time saying, “Hey guys I’m back!” This time the text is pink, to back up the innocence and purity of a young volleyball fan. In the background while this is happening, the young girl is making some sort of smoothie, further implying that the girl is in training. Some more text appears after this, however this time; it is from “chRLeeCA” saying: “Hey u! When do tryouts start?” this here finally proves that the young girl is training for volleyball tryouts. Volleygirl13 then replies saying: “Couple hours… AHHHH!” however we still do not know if volleygirl13 is the young girl in the background making a smoothie. Some more people then join into the conversation, with “sallyspiker” adding: “Kick ass! Don’t forget to stretch!” All of this conversation implies that the Internet is a harmless place with a good community where nothing bad happens. chRLeeCA then adds to the conversation again saying: “show coach ur best shape of anyone on team!” After this, the conversation is interrupted by BigMike saying: “Come over to my place, I’ll help you stretch ...” This indicates one of the main concerns for people everywhere regarding social networking sites and the internet in general. This could possibly introduce the topic and conventions for this film. A few seconds after this and two white lines reading: Volleygirl13 has PERMANENTLY BLOCKED messages from BigMike. This however shows the audience that the internet can be a safe place in spite of those who abuse it, if those who use are responsible. The conversation ends with chRLeeCA wishing Volleygirl13 “Good luck! :)” This shot in the background shows the girl who was making a smoothie drink going for a run. The sequence then fades to back and the titles come fade into the blackness, the music slowly fades out.
The Fighter
Storyline:
The Fighter, is a drama about boxer "Irish" Micky Ward's unlikely road to the world light welterweight title. His Rocky-like rise was shepherded by half-brother Dicky, a boxer-turned-trainer on the verge of being KO'd by drugs and crime.
Opening
The fighter starts with a black screen, immediately the audience can hear some kind of scraping noise but are not introduced to what object is making the noise. As the scraping persists a title fades into the shot reading “Based on a true story.” The title fades away and the audience is left with blackness again for around 2 seconds. Then the images fades onto the screen. The first shot is of a run down, poor american high street. The camera tilts down to the floor where the audience are introduced to the object making the scraping noise. The object is a rake being pushed along a broken, pot hole filled road. The camera then stays still and we see a man walk into the shot as from behind the camera. This is man pushing the rake.The man is well built and sweaty. We then see fists coming into and out of the shot as if throwing fake punches at the man pushing the rake. The style of which the punches are thrown simulate that of a boxer. This therefore introduces the topic of the film. Judging from what has already been introduced, it is imaginable that the film is about an up and coming boxer from the slums of America, using the ideology of the american dream to get there. As the punches continue to be thrown the sweaty man pushing the rake becomes aggravated and looks round to the camera, saying to the man throwing the punches “come on” “Dickie, I said come on, you gotta help me finish this”, however the punches continue to be throw into and out of the shot. Getting annoyed, the man throws the rake to the rake and says “COME ON!” taking on a boxing style stance. The camera moves round sticking to the 180 degree rule, to reveal the other man who was previously throwing the punches. The sweaty man who was pushing the rake throws an upper cut, but does the other man. However he does not hit him on purpose, this reveals to the audience that these people are friends and are just mucking around. The other man who has just been “hit” with an uppercut throws a right handed swing and the sweaty male falls to ground. The camera again moves round to reveal camera and camera crew filming this as well. The man who “knocked down the sweaty male known as Dickie then says “They’re making a movie about me and my comeback and my brother. The Fighters are BACK!” he says lifting up his brothers hand in a winning style. Music starts and the camera moves back down a road at an incredibly fast speed and the title “The Fighter” fades onto the moving the camera shot. The camera goes so far down the road that the people who the audience were only 2 seconds ago listening to, are now dots.
Dear John
Storyline
While John is on leave in his hometown, he finds Savannah, a college student visiting the town. Although love was unexpected, it doesn't mean they didn't find it. With the knowledge of John having to leave for the army, their love still lives, until his re-signs on due to the 9/11 attack. Troubles invade and their love put on hold. One cannot bear it anymore; can the other?
Opening
The opening starts straight away of soldier lying on the ground with his eyes closed, with another soldier crouching over him trying to move him and wake him. Just as the soldier moves him to a seated position a monologue starts. The monologue goes: "There's something I want to tell you. After I got shot... you want to know the very first thing that entered my mind? Before I blacked out? Coins. I'm 8 years old again, on a tour of the US Mint. I'm listening to a guy explain how coins are made: how they're punched out of sheet metal, how they're rimmed and beveled, how they are stamped and cleaned. And how each and every batch of coins are personally examined... just in case any of them slip through with the slightest imperfections. That's what popped into my head. I am a coin in the United States Army. I was minted in the year 1980. I've been punched from sheet metal. I've been stamped and cleaned, and my ridges have been rimmed and beveled. And now I have two small holes in me; I'm no longer in perfect condition. So there's something else I want to tell you - right before everything went black, you want to know the very last thing that entered my mind? You." At the start of the monologue it the soldier who is shot being moved into a seated position. Then once the person says “I’m eight years old again” the shot cuts to an eight year old boy looking at coins falling. Then as he explains how coins are made, the shot mimic this. One he explains how “i am just a coin in the united states army” the shot cuts to his point of view as he is seated looking at someone saying something to him which he can;t make out. The shot then cuts to a close up of his eyes, and as he describes the comparisons between him and a coin, the shots alternate between a close up of his eyes to the coins being made. The shot then cranes down looking vertically at him lying on the ground covered in blood. As it zooms in the shots fades out of focus and fades to black, just as he ends the monologue.
These are a few products which are of the same genre as the film I would like to produce. I would like to aim for something that is a mixture of all three. Where the opening starts by having landscape shots of different areas and objects to start the film, like Trust. With a lot of speech throughout the opening like in Dear John, and an ending to the opening like in The Fighter, where it goes out quickly and the title fades into the shot.
