Trial and Error - Portfolio Project Blog Post #4

 TRIAL AND ERROR

So... What Now?

So our last idea was scrapped. But, without murderous monsters roaming the Earth and a stupid, oblivious character shielded in ignorance by their "normal" life, what do we do now? 

Chaos.

We managed to turn our idea around, but somehow we managed to transform our already unnerving story into something madder. As a group, we all agree upon keeping our main character in a threatened position, alone in an office while danger awaits outside. But, in order to keep things unique while giving ourselves a challenge, we want to make our antagonist something unconventional, something that is normally viewed in a positive manner. But, how could we turn something sweet and innocent into a terror-inducing villain? Our answer: the apocalypse. 

But, Not Your Usual Apocalypse

When one thinks of the "end of the world," they normally picture some kind of disaster, whether it be natural causes, nuclear war, or an alien invasion. Images that may creep into mind include burning buildings, fogged alleyways, and dark skies will the human race slowly fades from existence. But... we want to steer from cliches (and we don't have the budget for that, but that is beside the point).

Instead, we want to present a world that seems parallel to ours, nearly identical in every aspect- buildings clear of flames, clean skies, colors all over- except for one thing:

There are no human beings left.

Our main character, who I am going to play, is the final human on the planet. I'm very excited to act in this role, especially because most "lone survivors" in films tend to be men. Very rarely are women depicted as animalistic or instinctive outlivers; in many post-apocalyptic pieces, in fact, they take on a nurturing, emotional role while the men tend to scavenge for resources. Defying this trope is in my particular interest.

So, What's Up With This Girl?

Our current outline revolves around our main character searching for materials in an office and factory to keep herself alive after the "apocalypse." Presenting her as the final human on Earth will be a challenge, especially without extensive set design and CGI to make the world seem run-down and abandoned. But, we hope that some drone shots displaying her as the only figure within miles will help reinforce this idea. At the end of our opening, the character is going to hear or see (or both) something that implies other humans are still alive: a train.

Our protagonist will be frightened by this contact, and the final shot will be her standing on the railroad, glaring over at the train as it creeps forward.

Are there other humans inside? Or is what comes closer their annihilator, ready to claim its final victim?

We don't know either. Yet.