14/12/12 Brainstorming Ideas/Portals

   After pitching my idea to Ms Wong, she approved the "sci-fi" element and the time travelling plot device but commented that the ending was very "angsty". I responded to this feedback by looking at several films related to time travelling, especially Korean films produced in the late 1990s (such as Il Mare). This gave me inspiration and several ideas to end my film instead of the cliché murder/death anti-climax. However, I still had difficulty in creating an ending which smartly unravels the time-travel paradox while making logical sense at the same time. Therefore, I decided to think of other ideas to explore the vast potential of Twilight Zone inspired chase scenes.

•    A man is at work and suddenly discovers a secret camera behind the fan. A repairman rushes in and replaces the fan with a new identical one, claiming it had been misplaced. However, the man remains unconvinced and decides to chase after the repairman after he finds more secret camera scattered all over the room. After a long chase with many obstacles (seemingly aiding the repairman in escaping), the man interrogates the repairman and accuses of him of intruding upon his privacy. The repairman refuses to reply at first, but ultimately concedes that the man is the main character of a popular TV show that is broadcast 24/7.

•   The protagonist lives an ordinary life until he hears a voice inside his head narrating events in his life as they happen. He gets extremely paranoid and scared. That night he hears the same voice on television, during an interview with a famous author. He discovers that he is a character in his new book, but is shocked to hear the author say that he will die a tragic death. The protagonist chases the author in an attempt to alter the story's ending- and his own destiny.

 

Reflection 12/12/12 Chase Scene Ideas

    We spent today's class watching Twilight Zone-inspired portal chase sequences, and thinking of potential ideas for our own films. After watching several of the previous years' work, I realized the importance of innovative transitions (key in introducing the different locations/portals in a visually appealing fashion), smooth continuity and flow (enhances the narrative while dictating the pace of the film , and diverse locations (fresh surroundings would make the overall film more interesting to watch while establishing a certain mood/atmosphere).

   After pondering on various possibilities, I decided to choose the synopsis below as my final idea. Inspired by Twilight Zone and the film Looper, it has a certain "inexplicable" sci-fi feeling to it while comprising of a chase scene with portals.

   Time Traveler

   One day on the streets the protagonist cross paths with someone who looks vaguely familiar but distant at the same time. He decides to follow the person closely and in a room of mirrors he realizes the person is himself, but many years older. The protagonist tries to talk to his future self, but after a long chase throughout Hong Kong, his future self stops in front of his girlfriend's house with a gun in hand.

   Filled with horror, the protagonist accidentally trips over a step and hits his head on the pavement. However, seeing that the future self now bears a scar on the forehead, the protagonist chases him down upon reaching his girlfriend's room. They fight in a duel and although the protagonist retrieves the gun, his older self takes the girlfriend as hostage. Heaving a final despondent sigh, the protagonist points the gun at himself and shoots.

Twilight Zone Review: The Monsters are Due on Maple Street

   
   "The Monsters are due on Maple Street" revolves around the paranoia that arises from the neighbourhood of Maple Street when an innocent boy associates the power shortage with the arrival of human-looking monsters. Loving neighbours turn onto each other, accusing their eccentricities (such as insomnia) as proof of them being aliens. Chaos ensues when Steve, the most sensible and liberal character, is unable to stop the aggressive Charlie from mistakenly shooting a neighbour. In the end, two aliens who are looking at the pandemonium reflect on the weaknesses of human nature; and how suspicion and paranoia can easily be manipulated into self-destruction.
   Themes of mob mentality and human nature are explored in this episode, but more importantly Serling satirizes a specific historic and social event in the 1950s: McCarthyism. It was a period in America when there was "heightened fears of communist influence on American society" and thus thousands of Americans were accused as being Communists without formal evidence. This is reflected in the plot and the dialogue between the aliens, and I think that Serling has addressed this issue very effectively through a seemingly innocuous sci-fi story, exemplifying and criticizing the absurdity of McCarthyism.

Reflection 10/12/12 Learning about Twilight Zone

   In today's class Ms Wong gave a comprehensive presentation which introduced us to the popular American TV Series "The Twilight Zone", created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self contained fantasy, science fiction, suspense or horror; typically concludes with a macabre/unexpected twist. The show's impact was introducing many Americans to serious science fiction and abstract ideas through television.

   Frequently employing science fiction as a vehicle for social comment, Twilight Zone dealt with important issues through seemingly innocuous methods. For example, "The Shelter" or "Monsters are Due on Maple Street" offered specific commentary on current events, while "The Masks" or "The Howling man" operated around a central allegory or parable that reflected the characters' moral or philosophical choices. As a result, the show was infamously censored by networks and sponsors for what was considered to be "potentially inflammatory" material.

   I also learned about the archetypal characteristics and themes of science fiction.

Characteristics: special effects, advanced technological gadgets

Themes: dangerous and sinister side of knowledge (e.g nuclear energy); vital issues about humankind; loss of individuality/identity; prophetic nature