First Film Opening Idea

Title: Alone
Genre: Drama
Characters: 3 teenagers - 2 girls and one boy so we can see the naturalistic reactions of both genders and so there is no stereotyping or bias. We see the scene from all angles and makes the characters more relatable to the audience which will make the scene more uncomfortable to watch.

The film is about teenagers being stalked; it's creepy and unnerving. They are being watched from outside their window and each of them receives a text about someone in the room that could only be known if they were being watched. Over time (that day) the texts become more aggressive and threatening and they try to call the police but are prevented by the threats from the sender of the texts. They then receive a text saying the sender is in the house and hear a banging or a gunshot in a different room. They run and get in a car on the driveway despite the threats which had previously kept them inside. It's in this frantic getaway that they are hit by another vehicle in a very dramatic crash possibly as a result of disobeying the sender.

However, the audience find this out through questioning at a police station.
The film opens with a mid-shot one of the teenagers behind a desk looking really shaken up. We hear their answer to a question they've been asked and the story is built up through each teen's answers eg, "It started about 1pm," (different teen) "We were sat in the kitchen," (different teen) "We were getting lunch," etc. Its fast paced to build up an engaging story. The camera doesn't move from it's position as the interrogator, the teen facing it just changes.
As each person says a bit of the story we start to see flashbacks of the day they are recalling. These shots are handheld to fit with the idea that they are memories and we are seeing the day from each characters perspective. The jerky movements of the shots will also contrast with the very steady, clinical feel of the camera in the interrogation room to make each scene more realistic and how create  it would feel to be in each setting and situation. The first flashbacks will have laughing and joking in them, possibly some pop music on the radio to make the scene as naturalistic as possible and to create a more severe juxtaposition as the story becomes darker later on.
As the story builds up we start to jump between flashbacks and the police station more quickly to build up a more frenzied feel as the sequence reaches its climax - the car crash which would be very loud and sudden to really shock the audience.

The sound in this opening would initially all be diegetic; at first in the police station there would be nothing except the sound of the character speaking. The speech would be hesitant and nervous as if they can't believe what's happened as this silence is uncomfortable and starts to build tension. It also makes the scene feel very naturalistic as there is no soundtrack to everyday life, this helps to define the film's genre - naturalistic drama. When the jumping between the scenes becomes faster and more frantic some non-diegetic sound could start to build in the background but not loud enough for the audience to notice it as music, just enough to create tension.

The title of the film would appear straight after the car crash and would just appear on the screen, not fading in. This will help to create a severe atmosphere to give the impression to the audience that there is some inescapable danger. The font would be simple and sans-serif to add to the high impact simplicity of the title appearance but also to connote the involvement of technology in the plot line.

Possible locations:
-My house
-School

Strengths:
-Could be effective and powerful if done right
-Only 3 actors involved
-Clear plot

Weaknesses:
-Difficult to do a car crash
-Actors actually have to be able to act