Specific Iconography

In our film, one very important piece of iconography we will be using is a card, similar to a business card and about the size of a playing card. In our film, the character wearing the suit hands the other character the card just before the credits. The card is small, and will have the words ‘allegiance’ printed on it. We believe that this ends our opening sequence perfectly, as it creates many enigmas for the audience, and they wonder why the word is important and why the man is handing the other the card.

After receiving an idea about the card, we decided that this would be more intriguing than our other original ideas. We thought the use of cards left good cliff-hangers, and made the audience excited for more. The final scene from ‘Batman Begins’ (Dir. Christopher Nolan, 2005) was a big influence on us, as The Joker’s card is revealed to Batman. This was a perfect end to the film, and wetted the audience’s appetite for a sequel involving The Joker. We wanted to have a similar effect with our film. We think that the use of the card just before the opening credits will make the viewer wonder, and make them want to watch more and find out the significance of the card.

Another film that made us feel the idea of a card was a good one is ‘American Psycho’ (Dir. Mary Harron, 2000). In this film, the main character Patrick Bateman becomes obsessed and angry if someone else has a classier looking business card than him. We liked the effect that such a small and meaningless object could have on a character, and feel this is the kind of reaction we want to create in our thriller. Our character may have a similar reaction, or it may burn a hole deep inside him.

On the card, 'Allegiance' will be printed. This is a very unusual word, and we think this will create enigmas for the audience, and make them wonder why this card is important and what effects this word will have on the character. We decided to choose this word to put on the card, because it is a word that is not used in every day life and people may wonder what it means. We chose this over a number or address, because we thought it would have more impact and create more tension and enigmas.

By using the card as a piece of iconography, it creates a sense of mystery, and makes the audience wonder why it is so important and why it has such an impact on the character. We are hoping that this will be another reason that the audience will want to view the rest of our film, to find out all of the answers.

- Taylor Gladwin