A Tragicomic Sci-fi Satire

Usually, I tend to like sci-fi or fantasy films, so if I directed a movie, it would probably be in one of those genres. Also, I tend to like tragicomedies a lot so the movie would probably be a tragicomedy. Finally, I like satires so the movie would probably be satirical. Therefore, I would probably like to direct a tragicomic sci-fi satire.

Current events are often an inspiration for satiric movies so I would like to base my movie on current events. Perhaps it would be about a charming but greedy leader who convinces people to follow him despite the clear problems this is causing. The heroine is clearly reasonable and tries to stop the leader from becoming a dictator. However, she is stopped and eventually killed. The movie would stress how ridiculous the situation is as more and more people follow the dictator despite the fact that the dictator clearly is not being good.

If I directed a movie, I think that my views on art and cinematography would affect how the movie is made. I feel that a lot of sci-fi movies focus on special effects and not cinematography and storytelling. Of course, as a sci-fi movie the movie would have plenty of special effects. However, I feel I would want a lot of control over the make-up and use of those effects. Many movies I see seem to want to have nonstop special effects and action. I would want the movie to have some slower moments and even the special effects would be all carefully planned to tell the story, not just to have special effects. I think that the director Edgar Wright is very good at this type of directing. He has many action-packed scenes, but each shot is carefully planned and used to give the audience information.

I think the style of my cinematography would be a bit more classical with carefully chosen shots, possibly similar to Peter Greenaway or Wes Anderson. However, I think I would probably be a little bit more flexible in how I filmed each shot than those two directors, but overall I like the style of well put-together shots. That said, my tone and colors would be quite different than Wes Anderson, as he prefers light pastel colors and I would probably focus more on story than either of the above directors.

The other thing I admire about the direction of Edgar Wright is the way his music and images are perfectly matched. Often shots are filmed first, and the composer uses music which fits the shots. I think that one should have a good idea of what the music will be like and then try to fit some of the shots to the music. That way there is greater connection between what is being seen on screen and what the music is like. In terms of a composer, I would like someone like Bear McCreary or Philip Glass (although Mr. Glass is probably too old at this point).

Overall, I think it would be interesting to direct a movie and would be an interesting, if stressful, experience. I think I would like to bring by own ideas and style to the big screen and create a unique experience.

Nathaniel