Choosing and Representing a Genre

I want to make the my film have a realistic take on life, but not be afraid to add some imaginary elements. I am imagining it focusing on one specific character and their relationship with the rest of the world. Life comes with drama and comedy, so I would consider my film to be a so-called Dramedy. I would really like a balance between the humor and seriousness of the piece. I have a few examples of successful dramedy pieces, but they lean a bit too much on to one of the sides in the opening:

Opening Scene from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

This genre-bending movie could go as far as to say it is a Sci-Fi film, but it's foundations and tone fully push it to be considered a dramatic story with comedic elements. Most of this clip showcases the main character waking up to catch a train. The world is very dull. He wakes up in a dark room and enters a darker city. The conflict of the movie involves a confusing narrative involving what is real and what isn't. When dealing with this mind-erasing machine, there are intense moments, there are sad moments, and there are funny moments. In the opening, though, there is only solemnity. I would not want to use this in my film opening. If I am going to experiment with longer slots, there must be something more exciting happening in each picture. 

Opening Scene from Soul (2021)

This main character in this animated movie hops between real life and the "Great Before," with all types of quarrels and hilarity that come with it. In this opening, Joe Gardner is trying to conduct his student orchestra and failing miserably. The ways the students act are very over-the-top to showcase that they aren't focused. None of the hijinks are realistic, but they are meant to be funny and showcase how animated the world can be, even in the bland parts New York. I would not need to go this route. There does not need to be this excessive humor in my opening. I actually plan to use the event of a performance like the one seen here as inspiration for my story, but there would be significantly less humor. The focus would be the tortured teacher artist. I plan to explain more of this in a future blog plot about my plot I've been promising to share.

It will be very hard to set the right tone in order for my piece to be considered a dramedy, but there is so much room for change and mold the tone that I am not too worried. I believe that I will have enough resources, help, and time to where I could experiment with my vision.

(Sidenote: There is something to be said about how both of the film examples listed above don't have their opening film credits (excluding company names like Disney and Pixar) until much later in the movie. I will soon have to think about where in the two minutes I should place the title card of my film, as well as the crucial people who worked on it.)