For my two proposals of ideas for films, I have written a short synopsis for both a cyberpunk action graphic novel and an experimental idea inspired by an image I had to choose from a range of images.
Themes I want to focus on in the graphic novel are issues of ‘road rage’ and ‘the gig economy’ more notably courier services involving bicycles and mopeds in London. I’m interested in the way these courier services lend themselves to biker gang films such as the Cyberpunk manga Akira (1988) and the dystopian action adventure film Mad Max (1979-2016).
I want to bring woman empowerment into the film and keep the idea of using strong heroic women as protagonists/main characters consistent in film. Some notable examples are: the hero Motoko Kusanagi in Ghost In The Shell (1995-2017). This theme is also in keeping with the fact that bringing a woman in as a hero is a break from the norm of what’s usually expected of a erotic character in action films.
Synopsis for my graphic novel Set in London in the year 2025 two rival courier gangs are in competition for orders and territory. Whilst the protagonist gang, the Bohemians, hang out on their turf in Dalston, the hero, Doe, receives an order. Her drop is off the canal in Granary Square and the route across the canal is off limits to the rival gang, the Norm’s hoverpeds. (propeller-powered mopeds)
As much as Doe thinks she’s safe from the Norms as she embarks on her delivery, this doesn’t mean they are unable to follow her. An informer in the Norms gang hiding out above the canal spots her. The word gets through to the Norm’s leader Kitten who assigns her right-hand man, Calf to help the informer ambush Doe before she reaches her destination through a tunnel the Norm’s hoverpeds can’t fly under, but will their be any light at the end of that tunnel..
I was inspired to use redemption as a theme in my short story and portraying this concept through the side-kick of Norm’s leader Princess by bringing her in to the story as Doe’s best friend. Princess turns against Doe when they were younger and subsequently became part of rival gangs.
I looked at scenes in films that convey redeeming qualities in antagonists as well as enigmatic or hidden emotions. These transformations are revealed in the subtext through the use of close up shots, dialogue, facial expression, atmospheric sound and music:
I found this scene at the ending of Pulp Fiction (1994) for how in the heat of this climactic stand-off between Jules (protagonist), Ringo and Yolanda, we see a touching shift in Jules’ motivations as a ruthless gangster to a character who has at least some moralality in him. The subtext of redemption is expressed though the character’s poetic use of wordplay, a passage from the bible the sincerity in his eyes:
This scene of the two best friends Shotaro Kaneda and Tetsuo Shima in the film Akira (1988) has inspired the character relationship between Doe and Calf in my story. The two friends in the film reunite after Tetsuo develops psychic powers that bring havoc and destruction to Neo Tokyo. They talk as if their relationship isn’t affected by Tetsuo’s downfall but the rift is soon revealed. The mise en scene and staging of the character’s and their surroundings visualise the subtext:
Redeeming dimensions feature often in Cyberpunk films and this is another notable example. The replicant Roy Batty saving Rick Deckard in Blade Runner (1982)
My second film idea is inpired by a selection of images.
I chose this image:
Immediately I was drawn to the angle and perspective conveyed in the image, the complimentary combination of red and blue and the connotations the woman’s appearance brought to mind. In addition, I found that the indentations in the wall that look as if they are cutting the woman into segments lends itself to the imprisonment some women feel in society and how they’re metaphorically split apart like inanimate objects.
These interpretations inspired me to create an abstract/experimental film that explores a cyborg woman and an ordinary woman and show how each character is used like a machine or disposable object by people. I’m considering visualising how these women are broken up in to segments or trapped behind bars, but conclude by expressing that women shouldn’t be treated as a lifeless object, but like every other human being. Furthermore, I want to convey the blurred distinction between a cyborg and human as a theme and how this expresses a message that all living entities breathe the same air.
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