Breakdown

Opening of a door with the sign “backstage”	Long steady shot passing through backstage scene	Lights, mirrors, makeup sets, brushes, hair dryers, hair spray laid out	Stylists standing and models sitting
Close up of models eyes/face	Upbeat music playing	Sounds of hair dryers, people talking and laughing	Continuous long shot to stylists prepping models in clothes
Stylists adding quick finishing touches to models	Models begin gathering and forming a line	Close up of feet/shoes shuffling into a straight line	Stylists counting and pointing
Loud murmurs and confused facial expressions	T minus two minutes is yelled across the room	"where's Vivian?" someone finally says	Sounds intensify. Cries for Vivian, upbeat music, scattering feet, running stylists
One of the stylists go get something from a closet door	The music quiets down and she exists the main chaotic scene	As stylists open doors, Vivian is found laying dead on the floor	Blood stained floors and clothes
quick close up onto dead body	cutaway to a black screen	title of movie enlarges	VIVI

BTS

https://vimeo.com/143619334

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jeq15Jw88M

http://www.fastcodesign.com/3042470/check-out-how-one-of-birdmans-ridiculously-long-shots-was-made

Mise en scene

Actors, lighting, props and costumes are all important elements to consider in my opening shots. 
Since I plan on recreating a backstage scene at a fashion show, a lot of the costuming on the actors must be chosen wisely in order to clearly reflect their characters and positions. 
Therefore, for the make-up artists, hairstylists, and others working around, they will wear simple all-black attire. Black shoes, black pants, a black collared shirt or black t-shirt, with hair tied back in a pony tail for the females, and perhaps name-tags, too. 
The models on the other hand, will be decked out in much more intricate clothing pieces and make-up. I haven't fully decided if I want the colors to be bright and vivid with patterns, or go for darker fall and winter tones with fur and heavy jackets. I will just have to see what I can bring out of my closet and what my actors can contribute since this will be a close to no budget film opening.
 
This image (aside from it being black and white) is a good representation of the type of style of make-up and close up camera shots I am aiming for. 

I also would like to incorporate low-key lighting into my film because it is often found within the genres of horror and suspense. It has both bright and dark areas in the frame creating high contrast. This lighting would be good to use on the close-ups of faces adding final touches of hair/makeup minutes before the show is about to begin or faces that having panicking glares when they realize Vivian is gone. 
Either or, the incorporation of low-key light is good for a dramatic feel.



Works Cited:

 "Elements of Cinema." Elements of Cinema. Gabe Moura, 1 July 2014. Web. Mar. 2016. <http://www.elementsofcinema.com/directing/mise-en-scene-in-films/>.

 

Sammi. "How To Make Eyes Sparkle for Under $1." How To Make Eyes Sparkle for Under $1. 6 Jan. 2015. Web. Mar. 2016. <http://www.thebeautygirl.com/celebrity/how-make-eyes-sparkle-under-1-24404>.

 Ward, Caleb. "How Low-Key Lighting Can Instantly Make Your Film Dramatic." The Beat A Blog by PremiumBeat. 07 July 2015. Web. Mar. 2016. <http://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/how-low-key-lighting-can-instantly-make-your-film-dramatic/>. 

Inspo

I came across the TV show Orphan Black, directed by John Fawcett and especially loved the opening scene.
The part after the woman throws herself infront of the moving subway, dying instantly, fascinated me because of the layering of both diegetic and nondiegetic sounds within the chaos. All of these sounds, whether from the subway's tires screeching or people yelling or the background music, all came together in order to create tension.
This is something I intend on using within my film to get the anxious and suspenseful tone across to my audience.

Reflection

After working in groups and having the opportunity to discuss and share ideas with others, I have been able to come up with an opening scene within my original genre of suspense and mystery.
At first, I presented three possible story lines to my group. Afterwards, they all voted for and approved the following one as their favorite:
- Setting: backstage at a fashion show
- Make-up artists, hair and fashion stylists prepping models with exotic make up and clothing
- Up beat music
- Flashy lights
- T minus 2 minutes before the runway show is about to begin
- Models begin lining up in order, however, one of them is missing
- Everyone begins stressing out looking and calling out for her "Where's Vivian?!"
- Suddenly, someone opens a closet door and there she is lying dead on the floor
- Title of film enlarges on screen "VIVI"

Now that I have officially settled on an idea, I am excited to see it grow into an opening scene!

Today is the beginning of a long, but exciting process in creating and directing a short film opening by myself. 
I will be updating this blog weekly, guiding viewers step by step as to where I get my information and inspiration in order to produce something entirely new. 
So far, I have been interested in the film genres of suspense and mystery. 
I hope to leave my audience with feelings of anticipation, excitement and surprise after viewing the opening scene.