We decided to focus our film opening on a combination of genres. Genres films are commonly stylised and recognisable, using many genre conventions including directorial style, soundtrack, cinematography and the content of the film. Combining genres has recently become popular in film and television, with many examples subverting the conventions expected by audiences to create original and refreshing material. We decided to focus on the genres of horror and Western. While both are dissimilar in content, they share many features.
Western: Westerns are based on the American Old West and became popular in the late 19th century. Western films originally focused on life for settlers in that time period and almost always featured a cowboy or gunfighter protagonist. They would typically be brave and a good person who would rescue others from the enemy, though later evolved to be a more complex and darker character.
Horror: First appearing in the 1930s, the genre of horror films are those that attempt to scare the audience. They typically include a form of evil that will evoke the viewer's fear, for example supernatural forces or serial killers. Subgenres have developed, including slasher movies (those that include a psychotic stalking murderer) and splatter movies (those focussing on graphic violence).
The combination of these genres for our film opening could be funny as they are so different. However, they are similar in some areas: both generally make use of techniques that give the films a stylised nature. While both may originally be based on aspects of truth (actual cowboys in the Old West/people's fear and rare true horror stories), there is rarely an attempt to make them appear realistic. They are both based on exaggerated reality for the audience's entertainment. Both also make use of stereotypical character. The Westerns first used a typical heroic male character, then commonly developing into a 'mysterious stranger'. Horrors have developed many conventions that have become so common that they have been referenced and subverted in films such as 'Scream'. They often feature token characters, representing their whole gender or ethnic group.
Our initial idea was to combine the two highly recognisable genres, which we then developed using the 3 act structure:
Act 1:
1. A wide shot of the Little Guy running through an abandoned landscape, with evidence of an infectious outbreak in the background mise-en-scene. He is frightened and panicked, so runs into a lamppost by accident. A bird's eye view shot of him lying on the ground, unconscious. The feet of two zombies appear in a low angle shot from the ground, and it becomes clear that this is in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. They enter into a Western style showdown over him, through the use of close up shots of eyes and hands and tension building Western music. The music cuts out and a wide shot shows them both moving very slowly towards him in competition. A medium shot of one of them shows it falling, to reveal the Cowboy stabbing it. This changes to a low angle shot to emphasise his height. He takes off his shades and makes a cool zombie related quip (which we may or may not actually be able to think of), with the sun shining behind him.
2. The Little Guy follows the Cowboy to his hideout where they agree to team up.
Act 2:
3. The Little Guy treats his wounds with surgical spirit, which unbeknownst to them attracts zombies, causing a raid.
4. They both escape and run to the hospital to gather provisions, including surgical spirit.
Act 3:
5. While searching for the surgical spirit, the come across a room full of zombies consuming it and realise they feed off it.
6. They try to hide in a cupboard, finding a large supply of surgical spirit and form a plan.
7. They leave a massive trail of surgical spirit into the centre of the hospital. The Cowboy lights his last cigarette and throws it into the chemicals, blowing the zombies up as they both run for cover.
8. The Cowboy gives the Little Guy his hat as a sign of respect but is suddenly attacked by a zombie on fire. The Little Guy escapes and recues another survivor, restarting the cycle.
Characters:
The Little Guy:
- Works at the Games Workshop and enjoys strategy games, meaning that he is skilled at manoeuvring around the zombies when they attack
- Was hiding in the Games Workshop with his friends until the zombies broke through their barricade and he escaped
- Has stereotypically nerdy traits: into Warhammer, intelligent, weak - subverted when he helps to kill the zombies
The Cowboy:
- Archetypal hero - very brave and strong but not as intelligent or as rational as the Little Guy.
- Reflects the protagonist of classic Westerns - from the deep South, mysterious stranger, courageous, rescues others, rides a horse
- Carries a 'last cigarette' to smoke before dies - cheesy action hero trait that contrasts Little Guy
- Searching for salvation after zombies killed his family
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