Directing Performance

     I noticed that I have been speaking about many things that will help me in making my brief great, but I had forgotten the most important aspect: directing. Emotional impact is a key factor in melodramas, and this relies heavily on the actor and their subtle expressions and body language. To achieve this, it is my role as a director to direct my actor in evoking those emotions.

    David Lynch's Mulholland Drive was a standout for me due to Lynch's superb direction of his actors. The acting is restrained as well as carefully blocked and includes framing that creates psychological intensity. Lynch's direction allows emotion to surface through tight spaces rather than characters explicitly stating their feelings. By doing this, a more immersive and interpretive viewing experience is formed.

 

    This is particularly relevant to my brief, as I want my audience to gain an understanding of emotion rather than being told explicitly how they should feel. As a director, I must focus on giving my actors clear but minimal performance guidance so nothing feels forced. I am also currently considering how the utilization of blocking can communicate internal tension without relying on dialogue that much.

Editing

     In this blog, I previously mentioned how important pacing is in melodramas, but another aspect that goes hand in hand with pacing is editing! In melodramas, the editing is usually very controlled and not fast/chaotic due to the material. As said before, you must allow the audience to sit with the scene and fully take in the moment, so editing plays a KEY role in this. Since my opening will be short, the way I structure my shot durations is very important.

    Let's use Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut as an example. The film's editing is incredibly slow, and that is what builds the uneasiness and tension in the film. Each scene is just the right duration to let the audience take in any emotions they feel from the particular scene and atmosphere. What strengthens the film's immersion is how the pacing feels intentional instead of rushed, which supports my point of how editing and pacing go hand in hand. This editing approach is useful for my genre because it offers emotional engagement, giving the audience enough time to read subtle performances.

    

One aspect of the film that I noticed and will be applying to my own project is the importance of rhythm. If my cuts are too rapid, it may feel emotionally shallow, but if I let my shots run with no motive behind them, my brief could lose momentum. This shows that even though I have two minutes, my editing needs to have purpose and add to everything. To combat any complications, I am going to experiment with slightly longer shot durations to see how that would feel emotionally, and from there, I will fix my mistakes.

Storyboarding

    To create a great brief, it is very important to plan out your shot order, framing, and pacing, as this allows you to be more prepared and have an overall smoother filming process. This process is called storyboarding, and it is very crucial to create one when planning, as you need your shots to contribute to your brief's mood as well as character. A film that showcases how a good storyboard can create amazing outcomes for your film is David Lynch's Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.

    Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me serves as an excellent example of what great storyboarding can do for you due to its highly controlled and intentional visual style. Countless scenes in this film contain lingering shot durations, and this is intentional in order to slowly build a heightened sense of emotional depth. Lynch purposefully decides to create a tense atmosphere with a psychological effect instead of a quick editing style to allow the audience to further connect with the film, and his technique works, rightfully so. This goes to show that proper storyboarding can do wonders for your film.

    One of the key takeaways I got from researching this film was the importance of shot purpose. The key to fully allowing the audience to take in the shot and connect with characters is to let a shot linger. If you want this effect, you must carefully plan your pacing, keeping it balanced, especially considering that I am limited to two minutes. If shots are kept too short, there is a chance that built-up emotion could be lost, but if shots are kept too long, the brief will feel unbalanced and give me less opportunites to build.

    I chose to blog about storyboarding because it is almost time to begin my rough drafts for my storyboard in preparation for filming. I plan on mapping the emotional progression of my brief and making sure that each shot I plan has a great contribution to my brief's atmosphere and how I introduce my characters. I also plan to use this storyboard as assistance in testing how many shots I can fit into my brief realistically, rather than rushing emotional pacing. Completing a storyboard will allow me to move into filming with a clear idea of how I want my film to turn out.

Characters

     In melodramas, character selection is incredibly important, so before I enter production, I began to think carefully about how I want to introduce my character and what type of character that would be. Since I am limited to two minutes in my brief, the audience needs to quickly grasp who my character is and their emotional state. This means that their performance, costume choice, body language, and even silence must work together effectively to communicate meaning.

    Ingmar Bergman's Autumn Sonata is a great example of this emotional complexity due to its deeply layered characters and subdued performances that don't exaggerate emotions.  Much of the film's emotional weight comes from the eye acting (facial expressions), body language, and pauses in dialogue. This reflects how effective character planning prioritizes vulnerability and internal conflict. This also helps me plan how I want my actors to act in the brief.

These stills prove my descriptions of the character's actions

    This research has influenced how I think about planning my protagonist. I want to aim for my protagonist in my brief to be emotionally convincing and grounded, rather than being overly dramatic as seen in many dramas. At this stage in planning, I am outlining key traits like age, emotional state, and hints of backstory. This early planning will aid me in later choices around casting, costume choices, and the performances I want out of my actors.

Props

    As I move closer to producing my brief, I have started to place more consideration on the use of props. In melodramas, props are rarely just showy, and instead, they help communicate character, relationships, and emotional context. My brief will rely heavily on subtle storytelling, so my choice of props must be intentional and add realism.

    David Lynch's Blue Velvet caught my attention when researching because, in that film, props are used in a very deliberate way to create emotional and narrative meaning. Props in frame often hint at a deeper emotional strain. Blue Velvet includes conventions starring in thrillers, but the emotional scenes rely on careful prop placement to build mood and psychoanalysis.

    The use of props in my brief will be minimal, but also have purpose as I was each prop used to feel motivated instead of seeming performative. As I continue blogging, I will list potential props that reflect my character's environment and emotional state. This helps ensure that my mise-en-scene supports my desired tone.

PROPS USED IN BLUE VELVET

Color Theory

     In my own research as I prepared for the production of my brief, I learned that color theory is first and foremost a very important medium, and that, as such, color theory in melodramas is seldom used arbitrarily, as it often pertains to inner emotion, memory, and relationships. Call Me By Your Name, I think, is exemplary of the influence of color theory on the viewer without necessarily influencing them through dialogue or symbolism.

    In the duration of the film, warm and golden tones are king. Natural sunlight, earthlike colors, and a soft form of green create a sense of intimacy, nostalgia, and a fleeting connection. Even throughout quieter instances, this acting warmth sustains the emotional experience as immersive and reflective. Rather than resorting to any unnatural boldness or exaggeration, the film relies on naturalistic lighting and subtle grading to maintain realism, to which it closely cleaves and which is proper for modern melodramas.

    This research has also encouraged me to think much more intentionally about what sort of look I wish for my opening scene to convey. Since I will be given two minutes for my brief, I understand that color can immediately work to convey tone before much dialogue is spoken. If I wish to convey emotion, perhaps a lighter, sun-drenched color choice will work. Or, if I wish to convey distance, cooler tones of color will also work, as can be seen in Call Me By Your Name.

Project Proposal

    My name is Matthew Fuentes, and I have decided on a two-minute film opening. I'm working alone, and my blog will show my research, decisions, and developments as I approach making the film, and updates on my production.

    For this project, I have chosen to make a melodrama. For me, melodramas are appealing as they allow me to work with emotional realism and character-driven narratives rather than quick-paced action-based films. Intrigued by melodramas, during my research on films like Moonlight, Hament, Past Lives, and Call Me by Your Name, I have been attracted to the emotional depth that can be conveyed through subtle performances and the tone of the film. In a melodrama, I have ample scope to work around vulnerabilities and interpersonal conflict realistically.

    My intended target group would be between the ages of 15 and 25 years. This is because this age category tends to respond well to emotionally charged stories and primarily relates to narratives driven by the characters. Although my assignment does not require me to target any specific gender, I believe most gender groups would be able to relate to the potential themes and narratives presented in emotionally charged, character-driven storytelling.

  While representation-wise, as far as themes are concerned, I would like to explore emotional vulnerability and strained relationships in a more realistic sense. Modern melodramatic works may deal with stereotypes in different ways, such as stereotypes related to masculinity. I would like my characters not to be exaggerated, ensuring that representation is honest instead of performative.

   To make my brief, I will be using a camera that is actively available to me and Premiere Pro to edit. Though I have basic knowledge in film and editing, I want to take this experience as an opportunity to expand my skills. Considering the genre of melodrama and the importance of emotional descriptions within the genre, I intend to enhance my knowledge of using light and setting to convey certain moods to the audience effectively.

    I think I will start by simply bringing in the main character, suggesting that something might be wrong without necessarily tackling everything that will happen. I will focus on tone, performance, and look, rather than telling too much. In preparation, I will simply look at completing set exercises like checking the dialogue scene, color, and possibly making a simple storyboard to check the speed of it all.

Screenwriting in Melodramas

    As I get closer to starting pre-production on my brief, I start looking at screenplays. In melodramas, the screenplay is not about the actual plot but about emotional weight. The dialogue, pace, and subtext all help frame how the audience empathizes with characters. The script for Manchester by the Sea really stood out for me because of how it handles emotion in such a restrained but powerful way.

One of the most striking and guiding aspects of the screenplay is its use of subtext. Characters rarely say exactly what they feel. Instead, pauses, half-unfinished sentences, and day-to-day conversations mask a deeper, hidden meaning beneath. This makes the emotional moments ring even more forth with feeling and realism. The film allows tension to build rather than releasing it through monologues. For a melodrama, this is an important aspect, as it makes it impossible for the story to be overdone and mushy, but instead surprisingly fraught with emotional intensity.

Segment from Manchester by the Sea script

   Reading this script has given me further insight into what I need to consider when thinking about writing my own opening. Since I only have two minutes, I am not able to think in terms of any heavy exposition, and therefore, I need to think in terms of building up any type of emotional tension simply by using dialogue and interactions. Reading this script has given me further insight based on the fact that sometimes, outstanding results can be achieved without resorting to any heavy or dramatic speech, as might be seen in many instances of dialogue.

"Manchester by the Sea" wins Best Original Screenplay

Establishing Mood and Atmosphere

     Mood and atmosphere play a key role in shaping how an audience experiences a film from the very beginning. In melodramas, the opening often focuses on emotional tone rather than action or plot. During my research, Past Lives stood out for how effectively it establishes a reflective and emotional atmosphere early on, making it a strong reference for my own opening.

Past Lives (2023) Opening Scene

    The opening of Past Lives uses soft lighting, controlled pacing, and minimal dialogue to create a calm but emotionally charged mood. Instead of immediately explaining the characters' relationship, the film allows the audience to pick up on emotional distance and longing through visual and auditory cues. This demonstrates how an opening can communicate emotion through atmosphere rather than explicit narrative, which helps the audience feel connected without being overwhelmed.

    This research has helped me think more clearly about the emotional tone I want to create in my own brief. While I am not planning specific shots yet,  I now understand how important it is to establish a consistent mood early on. When I move into the planning stage, this will influence my choices in lighting, pacing, and overall visual style to ensure my brief feels emotionally grounded and cohesive.