More Developed Ideas for My Opening Sequence

Name of the film: 'The Receptionist'

Louise as the main character Liz - focus on her monologue or voiceover (might combine both).

Alice as Louise's daughter - driven to kill herself because of her cruel boss.

Alex as the boss - show him doing things that indicate to the audience his cruelty.

Main location - either the prison cell with Louise waiting to be taken down to be executed or the boss' office, a room with blinds and chiaroscuro lighting.

We hear a voiceover/monologue (from Louise as the central character, the receptionist) which plays over almost the entirety of the scene. In her voiceover, which is delivered in a very cold and clinical way, she describes the man who runs the company in ways that make him seem sexist/misogynistic and she reveals that her young daughter committed suicide after the way she was treated/abused whilst working there. She ends her voiceover by revealing that the man/men at the office will pay for what they have done and that she has applied for the role of receptionist at the firm.

During her voiceover, the audience see a series of shots of the male boss - these shots are designed to reinforce the woman's view of him as sexist/powerful, and are designed to position the audience with the woman and against the boss. When she talks about her daughter, happy shots of her daughter smiling and interacting with others will be shown. When she talks about her daughter's death, there will be a shot of Louise's character mourning or an image of the daughter having taken an overdose. 

The scene will end with a title/caption - 'One Year Later' - before we see a shot of Louise smiling and buzzing an intercom, a secretary answering and Louise's character cheerfully announcing that she has come for the job as the receptionist. She may look directly at the camera, breaking the fourth wall.

SHOTS OF THE BOSS:

Suit/Smart - jacket/suit/long trench coat/scarf

Bottle of whisky

Nice Crystal Whisky Glass

Cocaine (flour)

Cigar/Zippo lighter

Phone

Lamp

Shot in the meeting room - mess around with lighting/blinds (to give the scene a noir feel)

Shots of boss pouring and drinking whisky:

Shot of the bottle full/half full/nearly empty.

Close up of the class on boss' lips.

Shot of boss pouring the whisky.

Popping champagne cork pouring champagne with Christine or another woman, smiling laughing followed by a close up of the woman with smeared lipstick/smudged mascara.

Shots of Boss lighting cigar.

Shots of taking cocaine (flour).

Shots of boss having a go at an employer - nose to nose with Eli?

Shots of boss flirting with Christine - her smiling, me pushing her.

Shots of boss buttoning coat/on the phone

Shots of boss throwing some papers in anger in the office and them hitting the wall.