Group Meeting Experience #1

In Week 3 of the Portfolio Project, my instructor placed me in a group with seven other students. We each shared our film ideas, discussed our plans, and received feedback. I want to talk about the projects that stood out to me the most.

The first idea came from Manuela, who proposed a thriller about a family that doesn’t realize the child living with them isn’t actually theirs. This raised a lot of questions, like who would play the child and how they would pull off the production. The concept has strong potential, but it still needs more development. Juan’s idea was a thriller‑action film featuring a John Wick–type character who suffers from severe PTSD and a major injury. This injury gives the antagonist a physical advantage. The idea is interesting, but fitting all of that into a two‑minute opening might be challenging.

Andre presented a horror/thriller about someone home alone dealing with strange issues involving their Ring camera. At first, the character thinks it’s a glitch and asks someone for help, but it turns out the problem is connected to paranormal activity happening throughout the city. It’s a strong concept, but again, it may be difficult to fit into a short opening. Taryn’s idea was a sci‑fi, post‑apocalyptic story about two sisters living far from civilization. The idea is solid, but it feels a bit plain right now and raises questions about how they’ll film it.

My opening begins with a group of three to four friends driving home from a party after getting something to eat. They stop in a parking lot to finish their food when one of them notices a random bag on the ground. One friend checks it out, opens it, and immediately falls into a trance. The others rush over to help, only to fall into the same trance. A final friend arrives, sees them frozen and staring at the bag, and is shocked by what they’re looking at. That’s all I have for now since it’s still a rough draft.

After presenting my idea, the main suggestion I received was to include camera shots from inside the bag. Overall, I really enjoyed this assignment and appreciated hearing everyone’s ideas as well as the feedback on my own project.