Another COP Post.

My central organizing principle is either one of two things. The first is something like, "Modernity succumbs to eternity." The main character is not just a modern person, he is THE MOST modern person. And the antagonist, Emily, is not just an eternal entity, it is THE MOST eternal entity. It is a head to head battle between these two ideals, and in the end, eternity wins, overcoming and devouring the modern.

The other option is my original one, though modified: "illusion overcomes reality." According to Egri, the COP has to start with character, specifically a character's defining trait. I feel that the main character, Sam, has one defining characteristic: he would rather see the world through a camera lens. This is a man detatched from the physical world around him. He is presented with an opportunity to spend the night in his ex girlfriend's new house to capture evidence of a haunting. Th ex sets up quite a DILEMMA, since it is obviously he is still attracted to her, despite the fact she now has a husband and a child. The main CONFLICT arrives when this filmmaker, left alone for the night, comes in contact with an entity that only shows up in his camera footage. He is forced to see the world with two eyes opened, because the digital image he has been using most of his life is now giving him seemingly false information.

I like the second COP better. But then again, everything could change once the cameras start rolling. Filmmaking outside the Hollywood model is a very organic process. Since there is so little money at stake, you have the freedom to do what you want and change as you see fit.

The resolution to this conflict happens when Sam, awake from being knocked out for a couple hours, finds his camera in a place it should not be. He sees his surroundings, which are empty. He then looks through the camera, where his dead body is lying on the ground in front of him. Which reality does he choose to accept? He believes the footage. Illusion overcomes reality. Emily, who may or may not even exist in any form but one in his mind, has taken over Sam.

On a separate note, I understand that we really need to have a clear vision of our films, but I think the "vision" aspect of the class is dominated by screenwriting. When Egri wrote about COP, he was mostly referring to the theater and literature. It is true that narrative has become a staple of cinematic art form, and I am making a narrative film, but there are so many wonderful ways to portray narrative and thematic elements through the combination of image, sound, and montage that I feel a bit slighted that we only focus on character and premise. COP does not a great film make. Avatar has a very strong and obvious COP, but does that make it a better film than The New World, which Malick was basically changing everyday as production moved along?