Monday, February 2, 2026

Group Meeting #1

    Hey Cambridge! Today in class, my teacher assigned us to groups with six other students, and we shared our ideas/plans and helped each other brainstorm anything we were missing. We had to discuss our story ideas, give feedback, and learn from each other's obstacles/problems. My group included my classmates Macie, Caeser, Gaby, Sofie, Kai, and Nicole. 

Macie was the 1st one to share her plot, which was a thriller opening. She was planning on having the main character as a janitor, who finds his frozen self in the freezer. But she had a few details she still needed to figure out still like where to film. She told us her dad said no to filming in their restaurant, so she didn't know what to do. I recommended she could film in the cafeteria, or she might have to adjust the plot a little bit. She also shared that when she was brainstorming, she came up with a brilliant idea of using a mad lib template (similar to the one below) to develop her storyline.

World's Greatest Research Tool. (n.d.). Survey Edition [Mad Libs worksheet]. Retrieved February 2, 2026, from https://www.worldsgreatestresearchtool.com/madlibs-survey-edition (worldsgreatestresearchtool.com in Bing)

Next, Caeser shared that he was doing the thriller genre as well but, he couldn't think of a plot/storyline to portray. He was also missing citations on his blog, so our group recommended things he could get inspiration from and showed him how to correct the citations. I recommended that he should figure out what sub-genre of thriller he wants to do and watch films similar to it.

FilmFrame. (n.d.). Thriller subgenres with movie examples [Infographic]. Retrieved February 2, 2026, from https://www.filmframe.com/thriller-subgenres-chart (filmframe.com in Bing)

After that, Sofie shared that she was doing a drama opening on a boy who runs track. It's going to be about his mental health problems and the struggles of being an athlete. She had mostly everything figured out, even her main character who was going to be her brother. Except for how to show the flashbacks, so I recommended she use color and make it black and white or very vibrant. She was going for an aesthetic of something like the picture below...

Marian Athletics. (2025). High school track meet [Photograph]. Retrieved February 2, 2026, from https://www.marianathletics.org/photos/track-meet-2025 (marianathletics.org in Bing)



Then, Kai shared his thriller idea of three boys seeing something glowing in the parking lot. It's a good idea but he hadn't thought of everything, so I asked him how he was going to make the back glow and etc. He didn't know, so I recommended using a flashlight and colored tissue paper (similar to what's below) to add a tint of color.

County. (n.d.). Green tissue paper packaging [Product image]. Retrieved February 2, 2026, from https://www.countycrafts.com/products/green-tissue-paper (countycrafts.com in Bing)



Afterwards, Nicole started talking about her Coming-of-Age genre (just like me!) and explaining the overall gist of what she wanted to do, sneaking out with friends and substance abuse. She just needed to think more in-depth and make decisions, so we recommended she do the mad lib approach.

The Diamond Luxury Rehab. (n.d.). Drug abuse and treatment overview [Promotional image]. Retrieved February 2, 2026, from https://www.thediamondrehab.com/drug-abuse-info (thediamondrehab.com in Bing)


Lastly, Gaby went and she told us about her thriller opening. She wants to make a family that's grieving and can't see what's truly in front of them, which is an imposter. This is a really interesting idea but will be hard to film, so I asked her up until what point of the film is she going to record until and she realized she needed to discuss it more with her partner.

Innersloth. (2020). Among Us impostor reveal screen [Screenshot]. Retrieved February 2, 2026, from https://www.innersloth.com/game/among-us


Finally, this was really helpful for me because they were able to help me consolidate my ideas for a plot (I'll explain below), come up with a title, and see examples of their blogs/what I need to fix or add.

So now, my idea for my Coming-of-Age opening is going to be called "So over it." It will be about a girl who's been pushed past her breaking point and 'over it.' She's going to be hysterical and packing her things to run away. I'm going to use music, voiceovers, mise-en-scene like posters or make up to show her personality. So, the scene is going to go from her room to the stairs, front door, and finally her biking away. I have a really cheesy line for the end of the opening which will be "And that's how this story begins." This shows continuation and alludes to more that can happen. My classmates recommended that I show where she's running away to or give more information about it, so that will definitely be something I discuss with my teacher. My biggest inspiration for this opening is Lady Bird, especially the emotional aspect and realistic feel it uses which I previously analyzed.

Gerwig, G. (Director). (2017). Lady Bird [Blu-ray cover]. A24. Retrieved February 2, 2026, from https://www.a24films.com/films/lady-bird



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Links to "Over It" and CCR's:

Hi Cambridge! Here it is! I hope you enjoy watching them! Here is how you can access "Over It": https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Z...