More Changes...

  Today, in class, we watched an example of a student film opening and creative critical reflection, and I was honestly amazed at how in-depth she went into her production process. I realized that I really need to think about all the choices I'm making, about my story, and if they make sense.
  I came to the conclusion that the twist that I was going to add to the end of my film opening isn't going to work. I was going to have something really bad happen to Samantha, but I realized that that would change my entire plotline for the rest of the film. And that the modified version would be so far-off from my original idea.
  So, I'm going to stick with my original plan, but make my opening a bit simpler than I was thinking about. Instead of showing any of the friends drifting apart, I think that I would rather just show the happy times that the group had, in my opening. When we all went to Markham Park, I got an abundance of shots and cuts that would be really great parts to my opening, and I've decided to just stick with mainly those shots. I won't show them drifting yet, because that wouldn't really make sense for them to drift apart so soon.
  My film opening will show this close group of friends and how happy they made each other, and I'm going to leave the opening up in the air a little bit. I'm going to end the opening on a good note, even though the rest of the film isn't about that. It's going to be a sad film... just another reminder that nothing lasts forever and that no matter how perfect something seems, there's usually always a problem headed your way. It's a bit negative, but it's the truth.
  But these friends truly love each other, and they love being together and laughing together. They feel safe together. They can be themselves around each other. They feel happy... truly happy.
  So, that's what I want my opening to express. Youth. Happiness. Serenity. Because those are honestly some of the greatest things life has to offer. And as teenagers in high school, we really need to appreciate this time when we're young and lively, because the real world is not as far away as it seems.