Waking up at 4:30 - BDM331

Woke up now to blog. After a looong time I'm getting some free time and I'm here again.
I've been logging major events in my notepad so that I can just come here and pour all of it.

So, internship. I've been doing internship with James Wilkinson and Ash Bartlett, for SIT's TVC.
Firstly, we started off with Fashion department. Day one was an indoor shoot in the fashion department itself. Jessie Gillies (no relation with Patrick Gillies) , was the model for the day. My job was clapping the slate, 1st AC and sometimes grip.
Second day was fun but really cold. We went out in the Daffodil Bay hoping that it wouldn't rain.
But it did. :@ . Then again, we were under canopy of tall trees so the rain water was really less when it got to us.
I was an extra, acting as a grip in this one. Apart from that, I was assistant to Steven Woller. This was an amazing opportunity for me to learn good things from him. Extremely talented and he has a great way of teaching things, that is, by asking questions. I really enjoyed being his assist on the JIMMY JIB. Yeaaaaah... That was my first time building the jib and seeing it that closely in action. Mr. Woller says it takes lot of time and practice to ace the art of handling the jib. Agreed.
Day 2 was the second part of Fashion department itself. That was a wrap on fashion department.

Bones of Essimer - Level - Intense_production - BDM331

Shoot had started and it was much more intense than expected.
Full day long shoots. Night shoots. Fighting the cold. Trying to keep the mind attentive.
I was feeling like one of the slaves from the Essimer.
My job was pretty much around the camera. Security and taking care of that 40grands worth thing, was my job. I took care of F55 like my own baby. It was a great experience. Never before in my life I was just dedicated to the role of camera department alone. I learned heaps of things.
After effects of that: now people are calling me for again and again for being the 1st AC and Cinematographer on their individual films. Which kinda feels good. I just wish I had the time to be on everyone's shoot.

I think camera department was flawless. I'm not saying that because I was in it. It's because even under pressure I found camera department a step always ahead.
All over. Everything was awesome (Except the pink shirt).

PEACE OUT!

Film Noir - BDM234

So far we have seen what COLORS can do. But how does it feels like without colors?
We were split into groups and my group had three students in it including me.
Moseley, Lana and me. (hmmm...Sounds like a movie's name).

Genre - Film Noir.

Getting inspiration from famous 'film noir' films, we went for the typical detective/suspense/classy/smokey/dark...kinda feel and look.

Andrew played the detective and he acted really well. The make up mattered a lot.
We filmed the whole thing on BlackMagic. It was my first time with BMC. I didn't like it very much, to be honest, in comparison to Canon XF305.
Basically, FILM NOIR is a black film. Lighting plays a major...major...major role.
We used cardboard blinds a lot to give that 'part light part shadow' effect.

I enjoyed the filming. Ash, Adam and Seth came down to help us and it was really great of them to do that. It was fun.

Make up is really important. Use of red colors(or dark colors) is beneficial when filming a Film Noir.

The famous blinds. 

Bones of Essimer - BDM331

Pre-production was fun. It was my first time when I involved in designing a set for shooting. Art directors did a good job. On the other hand, I had no slightest idea about what were we making. Then I started looking at the storyboards and communicating with Brandon. I understood that they wanted more and more hands on the set. I became like one of those slaves of Essimer. Lol.
My job was 'DESTRUCTION'. Yes...I had to break wooden palletes and provide wooden planks that could go into making of the set props.
Apart from that... I drilled things, cut things, tied things, hammered things, glued things, spray painted things, brush painted things, chopped things, cleaned things, pushed things, pulled things and nailed things. 'PHYSICAL REALM...YO'

Things Learned:
1. A lot of planning and preparation is required, even for pre-production. (pre-production for pre-production).
2. Team work is essential. If you stand 'alone', you'll be just standing.
3. Team briefing. Apart from 'team briefing' being a good excuse for taking a break, I think it's a nice way to keep track of the progress.
4. Wear gloves when working with wood and iron.
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These kind of scenes were pretty common then.

As I said...my job was to convert this...

...into this.

A little bit of painting.

Made fake shackles.

There was this particular hoarding in front of tin shed that I used to see all the time. Which said "SAVE EVERY DAY 3.99 NZD".

A hoarding of a supermarket or something. For me, half of that poster, was like a message, asking me to work extra hard to "save the day". Just a booster.

"save every day"

Genre Exrecise Homework BDM-234

Film Genre- FILM NOIR
Basic story line:

Two friends meeting in a garden casually. Both of them are hot heads and one of them is unrealistically unreasonable (assume his name is X). Both talk about a bar fight that 'X' was involved in the previous night. 'X' tells that he hospitalized a guy who was asking 'X' for the money that 'X' just lost in a bet game. The other friend(assume his name is Y), tries to tell X that what he did was wrong and unreasonable. This conversation gets hot and both start shouting at each other. Finally, 'X' in anger, tells 'Y' that he is going to kill him if he didn't shut up.

'X' - I'll kill you now.

'Y' -Lets see, you killing me now. Lets see.

'X' - I'll definitely kill you now.

'Y' - Lets definitely see, you killing me now. Lets see.

'X' - Oh yeah?? You gonna jump me? Lets BET on that.

 

The screen goes blank. And in the next scene, it's a doctor telling a nurse to put the new injured patient in the bed next to the guy who was beaten up in a bar fight.

Then a shot of, injured 'X' lying next the guy from the bar, in the hospital.

Can you save a cat? "Famous" BEAT SHEET by Blake Snyder - BDM204

The Blake Snyder BEAT SHEET originated from SAVE THE CAT, the book, written by Blake Snyder.

The Beat Sheet is divided generally in 14 different parts.

1. Opening Image.
2. Theme stated.
3. Catalyst.
4. Debate.
5. Break into ACT 2.
6. B-Story.
7. Fun & Games.
8. Mid Point.
9. Bad guys close in.
10. All is lost.
11. Dark night of the Soul.
12. Break into ACT 3.
13. Finale.
14. Final Image.

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1. Opening Image – A visual that represents the struggle & tone of the story. A snapshot of the main character’s problem, before the adventure begins.
2. Theme Stated (happens during the Set-up) – What your story is about; the message, the truth. Usually, it is spoken to the main character or in their presence, but they don’t understand the truth…not until they have some personal experience and context to support it.
3. Catalyst – The moment where life as it is changes. It is the telegram, the act of catching your loved-one cheating, allowing a monster onboard the ship, meeting the true love of your life, etc. The “before” world is no more, change is underway.
4. Debate – But change is scary and for a moment, or a brief number of moments, the main character doubts the journey they must take. Can I face this challenge? Do I have what it takes? Should I go at all? It is the last chance for the hero to chicken out.
5. Break Into Two (Choosing Act Two) – The main character makes a choice and the journey begins. We leave the “Thesis” world and enter the upside-down, opposite world of Act Two.
6. B Story – This is when there’s a discussion about the Theme – the nugget of truth. Usually, this discussion is between the main character and the love interest. So, the B Story is usually called the “love story”.
7. Fun and Games - This is the fun part of the story. This is when Craig Thompson’s relationship with Raina blooms, when Indiana Jones tries to beat the Nazis to the Lost Ark, when the detective finds the most clues and dodges the most bullets. This is when the main character explores the new world and the audience is entertained by the premise they have been promised.
8. Midpoint – Dependent upon the story, this moment is when everything is “great” or everything is “awful”. The main character either gets everything they think they want (“great”) or doesn’t get what they think they want at all (“awful”). But not everything we think we want is what we actually need in the end.

Hoooooooooooooofffff.....

9. Bad Guys Close In – Doubt, jealousy, fear, foes both physical and emotional regroup to defeat the main character’s goal, and the main character’s “great”/“awful” situation disintegrates.

10. All is Lost – The opposite moment from the Midpoint: “awful”/“great”. The moment that the main character realizes they’ve lost everything they gained, or everything they now have has no meaning.

11. Dark Night of the Soul – The main character hits bottom, and wallows in hopelessness. The Why hast thou forsaken me, Lord? moment. Mourning the loss of what has “died” – the dream, the goal, the mentor character, the love of your life, etc. But, you must fall completely before you can pick yourself back up and try again.

I don't even understand why I'm writing all this. I don't believe you need Blake Snyder's beat sheet to write a solid script. You can get help from this, to move forward in your story if you are stuck/ don't know what to do next/or if you're at level zero. Very useful for beginners. But...I'm definitely not gonna use this to write a script.

Basically, I start with something very usual from life that can target the audience from all the age groups. Then stir it up with something even I don't know about. I enjoy doing it that way. I see a linear process there.

I have to show evidence of my research here in the blog...So, moving on...

12. Break Into Three (Choosing Act Three) – Thanks to a fresh idea, new inspiration, or last-minute Thematic advice from the B Story (usually the love interest), the main character chooses to try again.

13. Finale – This time around, the main character incorporates the Theme – the nugget of truth that now makes sense to them – into their fight for the goal because they have experience from the A Story and context from the B Story.

14. Final Image – opposite of Opening Image, proving, visually, that a change has occurred within the character.

Thank God it's over. Don't wanna repeat Snyder's beat sheet ever again. Ciao.

Beat Sheet for the silent movie "SEE THROUGH" - BDM 204

SEE THROUGH. Original Script by Arjun Sethu.
SHOWSTOPPER PRODUCTIONS!

< Only the Beat Sheet here >

Main Character/Protagonist - Nathan White
Objective - To save a stranger from death by overcoming his(Nathan's) own fear and insecurity.
Dilemma -  Pleasure comes with pain. What Nathan thought that was extra ordinary, gave him a reason to be paranoid. He is just a silent spectator of some terrible event and the thought of not being able to help a person who might probably die in front of him, haunts Nathan. How will he help? Or will he try to help at all?
Subverting Audience's Expectations - Yes, there is one. But can't reveal. Sorry. :)

So, the beat sheet.

• Nathan White opening a package.
• Finding out something extra ordinary about his new object.
• Using it to please himself and enjoying the new power.
• Getting into something that's not his problem.
• Finding out a deeper secret. Digging out a bigger power.
• Overcoming his fear and using the opportunity.
• Ending the movie....but...Not yet...
• Taking it to a new level and giving a scope for next part - "SEE THROUGH AGAIN". ;)

Yep. Beat sheets are meant only to help the writer. You might not get even half of the story from the beat sheet. Well, that means my beat sheet is good. If you understand/find out the details, then it defeats the purpose of being the beat sheet.

Thank you for reading! :)

FILM IS BEHAVIOUR - BDM 204

Another interesting Wednesday.
Mainly, this time it was all about practicing and learning

'STATUS CHANGE'.

 Mr.Patrick divided us into a group of two and asked one person from each group to give the other person an offer.
   < Tinggg...  In the drama language 'offer' is known as a 'topic' to talk or discuss on. >
We were to talk/discuss only and only about that particular topic to each other. We did. Overall experience was... boooooring. And that was exactly the point Mr. Patrick was trying to make. Revolving around just one topic will bore the audience. We must change the topic after some time but..but...there should be a logical connection between the topics before switching the topics.
Adding a catalyst is very important for the story to keep engaging the audience. The catalyst can be a new person or a new situation.
The scene stays way more interesting when a person is trying to defeat/stop all the actions of another person than just one person going on trying to get where he wants or get what he wants.
I did quite a few Google searches and read e-books to find a solid definition of 'status change'. But I couldn't find any. So, I'm gonna make up my own.

Status Change - When the current situation projects no hope for anything new to come and change the situation into its state of best to worst or worst to best, then "something" eventually comes along and somehow changes the current situation from 'best to worst' or 'worst to best'.  Phewww.
__________________________________________________

Glimpses from the screenwriting class.

___________________________________________________

Some other very important things that Mr.Patrick taught us:

• Find the baggage - Research, talk to people and try to predict/find the baggage that the audience would be carrying in their minds or hearts while watching the movie.
• Bathos- Using humor to enhance the drama.
• Faceless bad guy, injects fear in audiences mind. On the other hand, Personalized Villains/Antagonists with a clear purpose evokes sympathy(not every time).
• Main character - This is the character who the story is mostly about.
• Protagonist - The character who changes over the course of the story.
• Hero - This is the character who you hope to see "win".
• Mise-en-scene - The arrangement of scenery and stage properties in a play.

____________________________________________________

Mr.Syd Field talking...- BDM 204 screenwriting

We saw a tutorial video on effective screenwriting. A well known American screenwriting guru called Syd Field sharing his ideology, experiences and basic techniques of professional screenwriting.

The video was really useful. I found few things that everybody can apply while writing a screenplay.

• Screenplay is a process. It keeps changing. Never be attached to the initial ideas.
• Find the best time of the day to write the screenplay. Research about yourself. Find out at what time your creativity is liberated the most and work at that time.
• Always keep a pocket notepad with you.
• Screenplay is a step by step and day by day process. Be patient.
• Work most of the time on the basic idea, action, character and the structure.
• It's not a novel.
• Screenplay can be described as the story told in pictures, with dialogues and description.
• Structure of the screenplay must serve to build a relationship between different parts of it.
• ACT 1  -  Beginning (30 pages)
• ACT 2  -  Middle (60 pages)
• ACT 3  -  End (30 pages)
• CONTEXT NEVER CHANGES, ONLY THE CONTENTS CHANGES.
• Never forget to describe and explain the setup. Middle or after middle part of the screenplay must contain confrontation. The end should be clear and it should inject a sense of resolution.
• Description & Creation of the protagonist should be finished by ACT 1.
• Interior scenes/shots are referred as INT. Exterior scenes/shots are referred as EXT.
• Dialogues should be in the center of the page.
• The narration of the opening scene should be dramatic, in order to grab attention.
• Action of ACT 1 should be summarized.
• The obstacles should be summarized.

A little about characters.

• Add attitudes.
• Show attitude through dialogues.
• Change. Character(protagonist) should change at some point of time.
• Biography of the character should be written. (5-7 pages)
• Try writing in 1st person. Example: My name is...

_________________________________________________________

I felt that my fellow classmates were already aware of most of the things said in the video.

There were many funny moments that day in class along with studying. Kim said that she got measles after watching the video. Hehehehe.

Lol ... :D

________________________________________________________

There was one more important thing that I took a note from the video and I wanted it to be my closing statement of this post.

"Never show, until its ready"

The Shanon Face (Homework) - BDM 234 Cinematography

New homework - Shoot two shots (Close up and Mid shot) at each of the following lens settings...

1. 18mm
2. 35mm
3. 50mm
4. 75mm
5. 105mm

1. 18mm - I had to move a lot closer to her face to click a close up but the more I went in the focal point became a problem and I had to sort of compromise the close up shot in order to get her face in focus. Plus, that picture gave a fish eye effect. In the mid shot, the background seemed to bend.

2. 35mm & 50mm - I felt pretty much same on both the settings. And it was easy to focus her. In the 50mm, I had to move two or three steps backwards.

3. 75mm - I got an elegant close up. No problem in focusing and composition also was not bad(that sign in the background kept coming though). In the mid shot, I had to make more distance between the camera and her in order to get a mid shot.

4. 105mm - I was standing on the road while clicking it. I had to move a lot backwards. But...the shot was so perfect. There was good amount of distance between the fore ground and the mid ground and the mid ground and the back ground. It enhanced the depth of field.

If I had to pick...I would go with the 105mm shots.

THE UNKNOWN - Cinematography BDM234 homework

THE UNKNOWN

Process : Fear, its just a state of mind. It can be created just like an illusion. We were assigned to click one picture which should illustrate a feeling of fear.

Initially, I planned to capture a man with leather gloves on, in darkness. I used my phone's light to light up the frame and asked my mate to hold a knife that would reflect some of my phone's light which would make the knife stand out. That didn't work quite well for me. The composition failed. I should have tried excluding his face from the frame.

The very next day, at around 12:30am, I was drying out clothes outside our flat. That's when I saw my neighbor returning from some party. He was walking across the wooden fence in front of our house. I couldn't find out who that is in the beginning and that gave me a mini heart attack. I knew at that moment that I had to click it. But the moment had passed. I ran and stopped him and told that I need to click a picture of him and he was totally cool with it. He didn't ask why? or How? He didn't even suspect me of doing any funny business in the middle of the night with a camera. He simply helped me. Such a nice person.

I asked him to stand on the other side of the wooden fence and not to move even a bit. It was too dark and I wanted to take a long exposure shot. And I did.

The man's face wasn't visible but his presence was. That my friends, is known as 'FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN'.

This is the edited version of the raw image. The Unknown.

I brought up the greens and made the shadows darker. I chose not to crop it. Selected the man on the fence and darkened him too. The night's elements are now more clear,that is,darkness. And now it looks scarier than the previous one.

THE UNKNOWN.

Namaskar...Welcome to an Utkriya blog - BDM 234

It was my first cinematography class. Cool classmates, wide range of equipment, mouth watering cameras around and with Patrick speaking in Hindi...I felt comfortable in the new place and environment. The project was to shoot a promotional introductory video of the whole creative department(mainly film department) to be screened in India and China. Students were assigned to shoot it but obviously without Patrick and Ash we would have shot something that would bring down the rate of admissions from Asia.
Mr.Dan handled the camera for the 'day 1' shoot. Basically, Patrick would give an introduction of himself and talk about the course and the Institute. Dan had to pick a frame which would look best and professional and I believe he managed to do so. We used Canon XF305 to shoot the whole thing. I was handling the audio, that is, standing in a funny posture and holding the boom mic close enough to record the dialogues.

Glimpses of Patrick's performance!

The second part consisted of Virat(an Indian student) sharing his experience of SIT with the audience and talking about his journey from 1st year to 2nd year. He was like a pro. Finished it in 2-3 takes. Kimberly did a good job of filming that while I continued making funny postures for recording the audio.

I volunteered to do a quick B-roll shoot of Virat directing a shoot in the end. I think I did good but not good enough. Clock was ticking I kept loosing my concentration. The feedback from Patrick was really helpful.

I must tell you, there was another team filming us filming the introductions of Patrick and Virat.

That means, 

"X filmed Y while Y filmed Z"

Concept: Life Saver - BDM331

As promised on facebook, I'm putting my concept up for the game's trailer cinematic. However, Laura's and Vince's concepts have been shortlisted. (as only blog counts, writing concepts on facebook might not count, so I'm writing it here too)

"Have anyone ever seen busy doctors and nurses, attending a medical emergency? It's a chaos."

Pitch- Dr. Drake, a young and newly appointed surgeon in 'Lifeline' hospital, which specializes in 'emergency cases', in the 'SRN' city.

The hospital has a reputation for holding a good track record of solving medical emergencies in the city. Dr.Drake is awesomely talented but awfully young. His age, attitude, dangerous lifestyle and flirting with death style, keeps affecting his job. But surprisingly, never affects his patients (awesomely talented). Other doctors hate him for being unethical but nurses(females) dig him.
Now,the game.... Every medical emergency in the hospital will be the levels/rounds/stages of the game. For example, the game has 5 levels in it...then those will be a case of... 1. Seizure, 2. Domestic injury(a kid falling down from stairs), 3. Road accident. 4. Psychotic break, 5. Heart attack.
The gamer will live the life of Dr. Drake, attending these medical emergencies and living his personal life,that is, waking up in hangover in unknown apartments when he is needed in the operation theater.
Its a bit hard to digest a concept like this but... Usually its always explosions,guns,swords,knives, blood..basically violence & killing in all the games...but in this game we can save lives.  Also, a doctor's deadline driven chaotic job can be highlighted.

We discussed almost every pitched concepts. Interesting concepts from Brandon, Steven, Shawn, Sarah, Seth, and Callum. After voting, 'Town's Secret'(Laura's concept) and 'Grandfather/Grandson mutation' (Vince's concept) got through.

No matter which concept, we'll rock it. Peace out.

A FEW GOOD HOMEWORKS - BDM204

Sup? Did you order the "code red" or not?
That's right. This is a review on 'A FEW GOOD MEN'.

Its a movie based on the play written by Aaron Sorkin. In terms of screenplay, this movie IS rip-roaring. This discussion can be easily ended by few people who would just say "bro...Tom Cruise movie bro", but there is more to it. "Bro...Jack Nicholson bro". I'm kidding, I was refering to screenplay,dialogues & direction.
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Formal review:
It hit the theatres on Dec 11, 1992 and Oscars were written all over it but only made it to the nominations. Directed by Rob Reiner and written by Aaron Sorkin, this made Tom look like just a cherry on top of the cake.
A military courtroom drama with words finely put toghether to make ear candy dialogues that pulls the auidence and makes them to sit on the edge, throughout the movie. Lt. Daniel Kaffe played by Tom Cruise is a young Navy lawyer freshly out of law school trying to walk on his late father's footsteps and struggling to live upto his high expectations. He is assigned as a defence lawyer to Pfc.Louden Downey and Lance Cpl.Harold Dawson who are accused of the muder of Pfc.William Santiago. Dawson and Downey claim that they were given orders of "code red" by Lt.Johnathan Kendrick, who follows only Bible and the orders given by his superiors.
Lt.Commander Gallawoy(Demi Moore) is assigned as asst.Lawyer to Kaffe. She insists on trial as she believes that there is more than the facts which are placed by the investigators of this case. On contrary, Kaffe believes that trial would be a mistake as its clear that the hustle between Dawson-Downey and Santiago caused the death and they would loose the case.
After Kaffe realises that a young lawyer(himself) who hasn't seen the courtroom ever is assigned on such a high profile case must be to keep him out of the courtroom on this one too, he decides to SLAMDUNK Col.Nathan Jessup (Jack Nicholson) who is believed to be the one who ordered the "code red" secretly.
The cinematography and editing were in complete discipline. Not less not more. Robert Richardson and Robert Leighton(cinematographer and editor) stayed unselfish and only delivered what the script demanded.
Overall: 4 out of 5.
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This movie is one of my favourites and it delivered famous catch phrases through dialogues like "You don't need to wear a patch on your arm to have honor", "<Why do you like them so much? Because they stand on a wall and say, "Nothing's going to hurt you tonight, not on my watch.">"
No dialogues or images were a waste and the movie was directed with a lot of care. Watch it, you won't regret. And if you do, SUE ME... I'll hire Kaffe for my defence. :)

CHANGE THE GAME - BDM331

I'm Arjun Sethu. People who find it hard to pronounce or pronounce it wrong, call me ' Rj '.

Being this my first blog ever, I'll start with a little introduction(very little).

So, I've finished my Bachelors in Visual Communication and now eagerly waiting to join my class, 7434 miles away from where I'm right now. Yes, that's correct. The class have already been started and I'm stuck here with delayed visa. My bags are packed and I'm just waiting to get my passport back.

According to Mr.Patrick Gillies, my tutor at SIT, the class has been delivered with the project guidelines for the first assignment, which is a VFX trailer for a video game. In addition to my views on gaming, I'll also throw few ideas for the concept of the game (which can be taken into consideration or can always be thrown back to where it came from, depending on the majority). I decided to include my ideas in this blog because I'm likely to miss most of the brainstorming sessions to be held in the class. So, moving on...

'W' 'A' 'S' and 'D' are my favorite keys (only a gamer will get it). Me being an 'above average' gamer, I think I'll be able to contribute some valuable points to think on. I would like to have your attention towards these three facts first:

1. Duration of 80% of the game's trailers are not more than 4 minutes.

2.The average age of the most frequent game purchaser is 41 years old.

3. Consumers spent $25.1 billion on video games, hardware and accessories in 2010. (and after three years, the numbers have only been increasing).

Trailer is the best and the shortest way to a consumer's heart. With a deep analysis of top games, gamer's comments and the kind of  'story revealing' images that we decide to show in the trailer...who knows...we might even end up getting calls asking about the release date of the game, lol.

The name of the game will also play a major role in it's marketing. Have you ever been fooled in the 'mobile games download sites' with a lot of rough & tough promising names?       I have. They flash these names,such as... "MONSTER IN THE CITY". After you download the game you realize that it's a two dimensional tiny yellow four wheeler, running off roads, hitting trees and bushes and collecting fuel, with 70's background music.

The point is, 'the name was enough' to attract.

Now, about the concept of the game. I've never worked on anything like this before(game's trailer). This is a new level and we should aim to take it to the next. Hesitation to experiment and try something new will hold us back.
I've noticed my friends getting bored while I play games, in the same room. Based on that, my first suggestion...

1. The real essence of the game can be the humor and the screenplay. Who doesn't like 'funny'? If a game, with its good visual effects, soundtracks and the story is supported by a funny mood / humor in it, then even the people who aren't playing the game, will stay to watch.

Everyone working on this assignment will definitely know that 90% of the gamers are 'Nerds'. Their world is limited to their room. The couch they sit on and play video games is their Throne. They don't go for a run and they refuse to play many outdoor games and the best part, they are proud of it. People love doing things that they are not capable of doing in real life. If we can make people believe that the story of the guy in the game is same as theirs, then it is success. A game based on a nerd itself will sell widely. However, we are looking for a potential trailer. Based on all this, second suggestion...

2. Make the main character of the game a nerd. Give him big study glasses. A small round tummy and a confused look. Imagine...(just an example)...in the trailer... A guy rising from ashes(in slow motion) with a determined look and scars on his face. Gazing into a wide distance where the bad guys have kept his loved ones as prisoners. His face going red with anger. The frame zooming out as he is standing up...and as it's zoomed out enough, the frame will reveal the character standing up with his boxers on... "I love strawberries" written all over it. Now, give this nerd a gun. There, we got 'funny'. (again, it was just an example).
I'm attaching something which I drew now (very rough). A portrayal of the character that I mentioned before.

There are a lot of other ideas that I want to discuss but for now I would just like to leave you with my basic idea of gaming that I find engaging in any game, that is, 'Fun' .

Counter Strike Global offensive trailer ( have a look. It's a good one. The whole game play is described as a story via just a trailer. Engaging) - Global Offensive

Something big happens when something new is made. This whole assignment being new to us is a blessing in disguise. It gives us the opportunity to try something entirely new rather than sticking with the usual. The video as a result that will follow after all the creative thinking, dedication and the team work(a team that I've never met..yet..lol ), will surely be exciting to sit back and watch, over and over again.
I Hope that I'll fly soon and join the class at the earliest, to start working on this interesting assignment with others. :)

CHANGE THE GAME.