Hello all and welcome back to a new season of Film School Files! I am in my final year in film school and I want to share with you the process of how this film will come together. My film is called The Debt Must Be Paid and its a take on the concepts of honor and father-son relationships as funneled through a classical samurai story. I see this film as a wonderful way to tell a visually engaging story that will challenge me as a filmmaker and entertain the audience. I really believe that film gives us the opporuntiy to learn and explore new cultures and with this film I want to explore the genre that one of my favorite filmmakers, Akira Kurosawa, made his name in. So want a sneak peak? Check out some fun stuff below.
Lighting Ideas
I really want the visual style of this movie to reflect the drama of the story. When the son commits his fatal act, the movie takes on a dark tone. I don’t want the movie to be dark and gritty just for dark and gritty’s sake. I want the colors of the film to be rich, even with the darkness and shadow. This is one major depature from the films of Kurosawa, which often rely on high key lighting. Some photos below show how I see the lighting scheme.
Sword Fighting
Sounds
I want the soundscape to be natural. The drama of the tale is enough without a crazy sound design. However, what I really want to focus on aurally is the score. Music is such an important part of filmmaking and all of my films have had integral scores. With this project I want to work with a composer to create a traditional Japanese score with music like you can here below.
Similar Films
Rashomon, for its narrative complexity and framing
The Wolverine, for its modern embrace of ancient customs and lighting scheme