Synopsis for opening sequence

Synopsises are the general plot of movies which don't contain spoilers to the possible end to the movie like the twists, which are typically used in psychological thrillers.
An example of this is from the psychological thriller Se7en (1995):

David Foyer
Taking place in a nameless city, Se7en follows the story of two homicide detectives tracking down a sadistic serial killer who chooses his victims according to the seven deadly sins. Brad Pitt stars as Detective David Mills, a hopeful but naive rookie who finds himself partnered with veteran Detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman). Together they trace the killers every step, witnessing the aftermath of his horrific crimes one by one as the victims pile up in rapid succession, all the while moving closer to a gruesome fate neither of them could have predicted.

This gives a short introduction to the film so as to entice the possible viewer into watching it.

This is my draft synopsis for our coursework.
The sequence begins with a rowdy sixth form class room with a teacher slightly unable to control the class. The focus is of a group of students at the back of the room talking. Somehow they get on to the topic of their greatest fears. The camera would then track backwards from the conversation to a suspicious figure who with some form of gesture picks up on this, creating an enigma.

Next the protagonist blacks out for an unknown reason as this happens it fades to black and the titles begin to appear on screen.

The protagonist will then awake suddenly to find the room empty and trashed with tables upended and possibly fallen panels in the ceiling. The protagonist would leave the room, the camera would face down a hallway with nothing at the end. The protagonist would walk in front of the camera then passed, with the camera in focusing down the hallway to reveal the figure of the protagonists' worst fear which had previously not been there. The camera would wait around 5 seconds for the audience to see this and then it would fade to black.

Some themes that i have incorporated into this synopsis is the waking of a person to find empty world, from 28 days later, and the theme of a antagonist that can in a way move really fast or teleport with in a blink of an eye from the movie, The Tall Man. hopefully we can create this without it bordering into horror and can keep it thriller.

Synopsis

Evan is your average high-school student who got along with everyone and lived a pretty cheerful life. This all goes to hell in one day when he finds a USB on his home table with a note underneath saying plug me in. As he plugs in the USB a video of his family pops up on the screen each tied up and gagged. Frantic Evan scrambles for his phone to call the police, when a sudden knock on the door interrupts him in the process, as he places the phone down heads into a near by draw and pulls out a rolling pin. 

Rolling pin in hand Evan cautiously walks to the door, as he swings it open he is met by a man who hands him a note, uttering the phrase "If you want to see your family again i suggest you drop that weapon and read the note" before walking off Evan helpless to do anything.

 Forced to enter into a twisted form of a game, Evan is tasked with following a set of objectives within the note in order to get his family back.

Within the span of one week Evan has to complete 15 tasks each more difficult than the last in order to rescue his family and return back to his once peaceful lifestyle.

Influenced by the movie Taken I hoped to create a movie that showed how far a normal teenager would go in order to save their families and just how crazy the world around us could actually be. With the aspect of a kidnapped family from the Taken franchise I hope to create an action thriller however since we are only doing an opening sequence these aspects will be limited.

A Quick Breakdown and Outline of the Opening sequence

• Opens with a long shot of a bus as Evan steps off. Headphones in and wearing full school uniform
• As he crosses the road and walks towards his house he gets this weird feel causing him to stop in his tracks for a few seconds before shaking it off.
• Medium shot as grabs the door handle 
• A close up of his hand on the handle before opens the door
• Cut to the inside of the house, high angle shot of the door slowly opening to a dark house only light illuminating from the opening door.
• Close up of his face takes of his headphones music still playing
• Followed by a medium shot as he stands in the partially dark hallway calling out the dialogue "Mum....Dad"
• Medium shot as he reaches for the light switch sudden cut to close up of his hand pressing the light switch.
• Long shot of things scattered everywhere causing Evan to panic as he looks around him
• Kinetic Camera as he frantically runs through the corridor
• Montage as he opens multiple doors quickly looking inside of them before quickly shutting them
• Long shot of Evan across a table zooming in as he walks closer to the table (Vertigo Shot)
• High angle over the shoulder shot as he picks up a USB stick
• Close up of the USB within his hand zooming out and focusing on a note behind the hand on the table reading 'Plug Me In'
• He quickly pulls out a laptop from his bag and quickly places it on the table, long shot of the laptop and close up as he sticks the USB in.
• Medium shot of the laptop as he selects the USB and video begins to play
• Cut to the video on the laptop screen
• Once the video is over we see a cut to a close up of Evans face which shows only horror

This how I imagined the opening sequence would play out. With the amount of description used I hope that my group gets the same image I do in their heads.

My Synopsis

Rob Thompson is a normal school boy who lives a good, healthy life and has never suffered with any major issues throughout his young life. The life that he lives is almost ‘ideal’; he is smart, funny, wealthy, popular- generally has everything going for him.

However, when he gets into trouble with a strange, homeless-looking man after accidentally bumping into him, his life takes a turn for the worst. As the man tries to attack him whilst screaming gibberish, Rob picks up a metal pole off of the ground and hits him over the head with it, leaving him on the floor before fleeing. As Rob escapes, he is full of guilt as he wonders if the man may be dead or not but also relieved as he thinks that he won’t ever see this stranger again…….. But Rob thought WRONG! He then sees the same stranger wherever he goes; in school, on the bus, outside of his house, the cinema and even at the local church where he goes to pray for all the harassment to stop.

Rob spends the next few days trying to point him out to different people but never seems to be spotted by others. Does the man disappear when others look or is he simply not there? Did the stranger survive? Rob must overcome either the psychological or physical harassment from “The Stranger”.


Breakdown of the opening sequence:

• Starts with a montage of Rob waking up in the morning and getting ready for school alongside a casual peaceful score.
• As the montage ends, the score fades until we get to a shot of Rob putting in some headphones with just the sound of him moving.
• There is then a close up of his phone as he presses "play", where the score of the song he is listening to starts.
• There is then a shot of him leaving his house and walking down the road.
• We then see Rob turn down an alleyway where he accidentally bumps into a stranger. Here his headphones fall out and the score stops. We then hear Rob apologise.
• However, the stranger attacks him whilst screaming in gibberish- here there is fast editing of him hitting him and finally throws him to the floor. 
• Point of view shot from Rob's eyes of the man throwing punches then looking at a metal pole.
• Shot of  Rob reaching out for pole and hitting the stranger over the head with it.
• Then there is a shot of Rob sprinting down the road then coming to a stop, breathing heavily with a close up of his face as he cries.
• We then see an establishing shot of his school before seeing him walking in. This is followed by a shot of him walking into class and sitting at his desk by the window, looking terrified.
• We then see him look out of the window.
•  Point of view shot of the man standing outside.
• It cuts back to him calling to  friend to look outside.
• Shows both boys looking out of the window followed by a shot of outside with no man.
• Shot of Rob looking confused and trying to explain.
• Rob looks back out to see the man again  holding a board saying "See you soon".
• Close up of Rob's face, frightened with a tilt shot upwards to the school bell before it fades to black with the sound of a bell and the title "The Stranger" appears.

Synopsis Research

A synopsis is an overview of the whole plot of a film. The synopsis of a film is similar to a storyboard in a way that it explains what happens in a film but is presented in a different way by going into more detail. For my coursework I will have to make my own synopsis for the whole film of a thriller even though we are only shooting the opening sequence.

A good example of this is a synopsis of the psychological thriller “Se7en”:

Taking place in a nameless city, Se7en follows the story of two homicide detectives tracking down a sadistic serial killer who chooses his victims according to the seven deadly sins. Brad Pitt stars as Detective David Mills, a hopeful but naive rookie who finds himself partnered with veteran Detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman). Together they trace the killers every step, witnessing the aftermath of his horrific crimes one by one as the victims pile up in rapid succession, all the while moving closer to a gruesome fate neither of them could have predicted.

Another good example of a successful synopsis is the following taken from Science fiction thriller “Inception”:

Dom Cobb is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state, when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb's rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible-inception. Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse: their task is not to steal an idea but to plant one. If they succeed, it could be the perfect crime. But no amount of careful planning or expertise can prepare the team for the dangerous enemy that seems to predict their every move. An enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming.

An example of a good horror thriller film is “I am legend”:

Robert Neville is a scientist who was unable to stop the spread of the terrible virus that was incurable and man-made. Immune, Neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of New York City and perhaps the world. For three years, Neville has faithfully sent out daily radio messages, desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there. But he is not alone. Mutant victims of the plague -- The Infected -- lurk in the shadows... watching Neville's every move... waiting for him to make a fatal mistake. Perhaps mankind's last, best hope, Neville is driven by only one remaining mission: to find a way to reverse the effects of the virus using his own immune blood. But he knows he is outnumbered... and quickly running out of time.

Finally, a good example of a good synopsis of an action thriller is the one for “The dark knight rises”:

8 years after the events of The Dark Knight find Gotham at a time of peace. This is due to Batman taking the fall for Harvey Dent's murder. However, a new evil force named Bane has arrived in Gotham and aims to take over the city and expose the truth behind who Harvey Dent really was. Now that Wayne Manor has been completely rebuilt - Bruce Wayne has become almost reclusive, rarely leaving the estate. And with Bane taking over the city by force, it forces Batman to come out of retirement. But his allies are few and far apart. An elusive jewel thief by the name of Selina Kyle could be the key to stopping Bane - but whose side is she on?

For my synopsis, i will be basing it on a psychological thriller. I have chosen this sub genre because i find it the most interesting and believe from my audience research that others will too. I will be aiming for it to have an age rating of 12.

Synopsis

Jerome lives at home with his parents leading an average life, at an average school, with average friends. He studies Media, with his compatriot Robert. On an average day, he suddenly gets thrown into a an abandoned world from as far as he can tell. But he isn't alone. He must find out what has happened to everyone he knows before he becomes lost himself

 After being left in a class room after blacking out he wakes up to find everyone is gone but little does he know he is being followed by someone or something that isn't easy for him to see himself. He is trying to find clues as to what has happened, whilst being chased around an abandoned school.


Breakdown of the opening sequence:

• The sequence begins with a rowdy sixth form class room with a teacher slightly unable to control the class.
•  The focus is of a group of students at the back of the room talking. Somehow they get on to the topic of their greatest fears.
•  The camera would then track backwards from the conversation to a suspicious figure who with some form of gesture picks up on this, creating an enigma.
• Next the protagonist blacks out for an unknown reason as this happens it fades to black and the titles begin to appear on screen.
• The protagonist will then awake suddenly to find the room empty and trashed with tables upended and possibly fallen panels in the ceiling. 
• The protagonist would leave the room, the camera would face down a hallway with nothing at the end. The protagonist would walk in front of the camera then passed, with the camera in focusing down the hallway to reveal the figure of the protagonists' worst fear which had previously not been there.
•  The camera would wait around 5 seconds for the audience to see this then track the protagonist as he walks down stairs.
• Kinetic camera movement may be implemented here to help create tension and show that something may happen.
• On the lower level we see the same figure from the end of the corridor. the protagonist calls to it then follows to the end of the corridor to find no-one there. cross cutting between the protagonist in a close up and the corridor behind him sees the suspicious character appear again.
• The suspicious character will then run at the protagonist and grab him, he will whisper in his ear and fade to white.

Positives:

creates a lot of suspense and is easy to film. not many locations are needed which helps for practicality and maneuverability of the camera and equipment. not many costumes are needed for this apart from the proposed antagonist. I believe that this could be effective in creating suspense due to the fact the protagonist does not see antagonist until the very end of the sequence.

Negatives:

There is no specific costume that may be practical enough to fit the bill of the antagonist to make antagonist this suspenseful that we could possibly be able to get in time for shooting. moreover the amount of shots planned here would run over the 2 minute limit for the sequence which would make it impractical.

Synopsis research

A synopsis is a brief description of movie that outlines its plot in a brief summary. Like a storyboard, a synopsis explains the scenes of the movie but lack as much information compared to the other with only limited.

But why are they so important?
The movie synopsis is one of the best things for any type of moviegoer. Anyone who is not familiar with a movie will look toward the movie synopsis to figure out exactly what the movie is about. The movie synopsis will give you the basic plot details without giving you all of the different types of information that would ruin the movie for you.

Example of synopsises:
Hunger Games
Set in the future, 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen is living with her mother and little sister Prim in what's left of North America, in one of 12 districts all being run by the Capitol. Despite mastering the skill of hunting with a bow and arrow, Katniss still struggles to keep her family from going hungry.
Each year, the names of all residents between the ages of 12 and 18 are entered into a lottery and two names, one girl and one boy, are chosen at random from each district to compete in the televised Hunger Games. The 24 children must try to kill each other off and the last one standing is rewarded by the Capitol with a feast of food.
When Prim's name is selected, Katniss steps up to take her place in the deadly competition.
Based on the first novel of Suzanne Collins' bestselling "The Hunger Games" trilogy.
This gives a bit of information about both the film and its link to its orgins giving the reader a good insight on the movies plot and as a whole.

The Hobbit
Bilbo Baggins is swept into a quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever ... Gollum. Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum's "precious" ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities ... A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.
This gives a short insight into the movies plot without revealing full on out twists within the movie.

These give a quick summary of the movie without fully going into too much detail. These can also be used by reviewers as a source of information on what the film is about. Though we are only making a two minutes open segment our group still intends on making a synopsis as it helps tie that sequence to the rest of the play. This would also add to the realistic feel as if was actually from a full blown movie.