Movie Inspirations:
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring; (Release Date: December 19, 2001); Director: Peter Jackson
The friendship between characters; in time of crisis/doom
The crystal ball; the atmosphere behind Evakdor Halfdin
Part of the journey; in a dark time, creepy places the travelers have to venture through
The final battle; when Evakdor is overthrown
The ending; when Latabat is restored/glorious
The Lord of the Rings has this atmosphere that really makes the audience feel as if they are in the center of the mission. It clearly conveys themes of friendship and determination– both of which are focal points of my story– through tones of urgency and some instances of humor, which I also plan to incorporate into my screenplay. Thus, I’d like to model my screenplay after the feel of The Lord of the Rings because that iconic film does very well with using those elements to emphasize the relationships between characters and how they change as the journey progresses, and my story idea is largely centered on those themes as well.
Twisters; (Release Date: July 19, 2024); Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Representation of the romance/relationships between some of the characters (e.g. Dergek and Plurmef)
Dergek’s home–farm; shows the darkness but also the light/hope that the travelers’ mission brings
Shows the dramatic and fast-paced nature of screenplay; all together in a group
The path symbolizes the adventure they have to embark on; they’ll have to deal with similar natural disasters on their adventure (the world is essentially falling apart physically–literally and figuratively)
Twisters: This film is quite different from what I have in mind for my story, but I still find inspiration in it. Twisters is centered around nearly constant drama and action, which provides great camera shots of conflict and shows how the relationships (both platonic and romantic) between characters evolve. From this screenplay, I would like to draw on the look as it relates to the action and conflict because it shows everything clearly and vividly at a rapid pace, which is how I imagine many of the action scenes during the travelers’ journey to be. Additionally, the characters (especially Dergek) will face quite a bit of internal conflict in the story that impacts how they view and behave in relation to their relationships with other characters, which will somewhat parallel the portrayal of Kate Carter’s (the main character of Twisters) struggles.
The Tearsmith; (Release Date: April 4, 2024); Alessandro Genovesi
The dark, uncertain atmosphere–a lot of the setting/shots should be pretty dark and shadowy (because they’re in caverns); also captures the uncertainty/fear that should be showcased (none of the main characters really know what is going on, as they learn more they become more fearful)
The palace of Latabat– dark, kind of crumbly looking; somewhat like this but definitely a dark black color (like obsidian/black marble); again, the dark/shadowed shots–texture from shading; potentially a similar look in the scene when the travelers approach the palace for the first time when called upon by the Trusted One
The screenplay/film should be very focused or centered on the characters– this captures that (the way the characters are front and center; emotions conveyed, etc.); Background setting further adds to the scene–darkness, some lighting but it’s minimal, striking, perhaps somewhat ominous
The Tearsmith: The plot of this movie does not really coincide with the plot I have in mind for my screenplay, unless we consider the slight elements of romance that I may end up incorporating into the relationships between some of the travelers. However, I still take inspiration from this film because of how it is shot. Specifically, The Tearsmith tends to have a lot of dark lighting (which fits the look of the cave/cavern system that makes up the nation of Latabat), with sort of a gloomy, traumatized and depressing mood. It’s a pretty sad movie, and I want there to be elements of that in my screenplay. Now, my screenplay will not be a depressing drama, and I am planning to have the characters themselves be relatively optimistic and positive. However, my idea is that there will be a feeling in the background and setting that’s more ‘doom-and-gloom’ that perhaps the characters don’t notice immediately because everything is getting ready to fall apart but they have hope that they can fix it.
Beauty and the Beast (live action); (Release Date: March 17, 2017); Director: Bill Condon
Highlights the strong family aspect of the story–each traveler has connection to their families (motivation for all revolves around saving/protecting their familes)
The dark aura–the fight on the castle/palace (similar to the ending/resolution scene of my screenplay when the travelers scuffle with Evakdor)
Plurmef and the Cavern of Pernet; Plurmef is sweet, somewhat innocent–very into reading, flowers, her grape vines (orchard/vineyard)–>shown through this pic (flowers in background, Belle, etc.; very quaint)
Represents the end of the screenplay–when the people of Latabat turn on Evakdor and riot against him; when the travelers and the “monster” return they join them–attack/infiltrate the castle
Beauty and the Beast: In terms of more light-hearted aspects, I chose Beauty and the Beast because of its focus on family dynamics–particularly in regards to the love Belle and her father have for each other– and its representation of the lead character. The lead, Belle, is somewhat similar in terms of personality and character to what I have in mind for Plurmef. She’s sweet, kind, appreciative, and smart, and she comes from this place that’s full of life. Granted, Belle wants to escape her “provincial life” whereas Plurmef wants to get back to it, but in general the atmospheres behind their homes are very similar. I also chose it for the representations of conflict, considering it has both the mob-attack and the one-on-one fight types of battles that I will be incorporating in my screenplay, especially towards the end of the story.
