Initial Ideas

My initial idea is to structure my film opening by the foundations of well-known folklore tales. Specifically, I wanted to recreate the Brothers Grimm stories and twist them with the horror and thriller genre. I am aware that some films (and TV programmes) have based their narratives on these folktales and have given them a twist to widen their audiences. Many of the Brothers Grimm stories were not meant to create a positive atmosphere for the reader and were suppose to have a lesson behind them for children (such as The Boy Who Cried Wolf). These meanings were forgotten over time and were changed by people in order to make them more entertaining than horrific to children (which Disney have done with some of the tales – Little Snow White).

I would like to create an atmosphere based around the witch in some of these stories and have thought about her being the cause of most unfortunate events that happen to the main protagonists. For example, what if the witch had cursed a man and made him become the werewolf – also known as ‘The Big Bad Wolf’? What if she possessed the Queen in Snow White and made her kill her with the poisoned apple? These will be the basis ideas of the film in general (as a synopsis), and the opening to the film will have to show the witch somehow in order to get the narrative going successfully (as the audience need to be aware of the villain/or outset of the film).

Therefore, I think that taking the ‘Hansel and Gretel’ story might be a good opening because the audience can meet the witch for the first time and show that it relates to the Brothers Grimm tales. Also, I should be able to get a good representation of the Hansel and Gretel characters and also the witch herself – because she should look kind to them while tricking them into the house. I can hint other tales to the audience along the way (using mise en scene) and hopefully will create the horror/thriller genre as well as the fantasy genre.

Because the audience should be aware of these tales (through childhood), they may have already knowledge of the tales which is a good focus because using the well known folklore can benefit me in creating a narrative.