Our New Film Idea

Hey blog!

Today in class I met with my group and we came up with a completely new idea: a sports comedy called "Airball". We brainstormed for about half an hour and came up with our idea, then met with our teacher who gave us some advice that changed our direction. I documented this process in my notes:

Our original idea was too cliche. It relied on a montage and too many voiceovers. The idea followed a basketball game where the protagonist shot with perfect form only to airball anticlimactically. However, as I noted in my original notes, making it seem like there's people is challenging. Then there would be a montage of him training and then a 6 months later scene where he is a new person: stronger, taller, confident, but airballed again. 

This would move way too fast and be too cliche. After meeting with our teacher, she gave us some guidance.

Our new idea keeps the humor but adds more depth. The first 20-25 seconds will still be a basketball shot, it'll seem like a game and we'll be in the head of the protagonist, but we reveal that it's a 2 on 2 practice, not a real game. The coach talks to him and then there's a scene change to his house where we'll develop his character more.

We need to work out the kinks on how exactly we'll do this, but we're thinking we'll develop a backstory through dialogue with his mother and mise-en-scene in his room. A picture frame could have a picture of him and his dad in black and white for example. Or the figure in the picture frame could have him and his older brother. The dialogue would smoothly explain this, either the idea would be he's the shadow of his older brother or trying to prove himself to his late father. Then we'd end it off with him working hard in the gym, straining to bench press, only for the camera to reveal there's no plates on the bar. Little moments can develop his character too without over-explaining.

The title Airball works as a double entendre - the protagonist sucks at basketball but the movie itself is a comedy. We just have to iron out the execution with the script and storyboard and we'll be set.

Stay tuned.