The film begins with a clip of the main protagonist, Andrew Neiman, intensley practicing his drum sheet music by himself. The camera shot gradually zooms in, traveling down a hallway & expanding Neiman's presence in the frame as it gets closer to the room he's playing in. The cinematography & scenery decisions during this clip set the tone for the isolated journey Neiman would soon face throughout the course of the film.
Eventually, Neiman's soon-to-be instructor, Terence Fletcher, steps into the room. After hearing Neiman's performance, Fletcher invites him to join the Shaffer Conservatory of Music, the most prominent musical academy in the United States, where Fletcher teaches. This scene marks the beginning of a strenuous relationship between the film's two main characters.
In one of Neiman's first practices with Fletcher, he is ridiculed aggressively by Fletcher in front of the entire band for a seemingly unnoticeable mistake. The audience is exposed to the hostile nature Fletcher applies in his teaching methods, & it dawns on Neiman that his experience at Shaffer will be an extremely tedious & difficult one if he chooses to remain.
Fletcher's cruel disciplinary tactics continue to be exposed as he shames another band member publicly for playing out of tune, leaving the student in tears, to which Fletcher responds by kicking him out of the band. The film's tension continuously increases as more scenes of Fletcher begin to highlight the stern environment of Shaffer. This tension begins to reflect in Neiman's performative skills.
Fletcher calls out all three drummers for their inability to master the arrangement the band is practicing. He dismisses the other band members from practice & forces the drummers to stay behind, practicing the composition for hours on end. This scene is the most prominent example of the dynamic between Neiman's desperation to be successful & Fletcher's ruthless approach to helping him. After playing the arrangement tirelessly, to the point where his hands begin to bleed, Neiman finally masters the piece & earns a part in the band's performance.
At his dinner table, Neiman announces the news to his family that he earned the part. As he expected, his family receives the news dismissively & appears uninterested in his achievements, paying more attention to the stories of his other relatives. Neiman begins to insult his other family members, claiming that his achievements are far more impressive. The film's theme of isolation is further emphasized in this scene, as the audience gets a glimpse of the minimal support Neiman receives at home.
On his way to the performance, Neiman's bus breaks down. He is forced to use a rental car to get to his destination, but when he gets there, he realizes he left his drumsticks at the rental place. Fletcher reluctantly gives him ten minutes to retrieve the drumsticks, & on his way back to the building, Neiman's car is hit by a truck. He quickly exits the crushed vehicle, & immediately leaves the accident scene to run towards the building. He arrives onstage coated & blood, & decides to still play the part with a possibly broken hand, in a spectacular display of persistence & dedication.
Due to his injuries, Neiman fails to perform the piece adequately. Fletcher stops the performance halfway through, & kicks Neiman off stage. Neiman responds by cursing at Fletcher, before tackling him to the ground & attempting to hit him. He is pulled off stage by his other band members, resulting in his expulsion from Shaffer Conservatory.
Soon after, Neiman is asked to testify against Fletcher, in a case involving a former student of Fletcher's who committed suicide as a result of Fletcher's abusive teaching methods. Neiman testifies, & Fletcher is removed as an instructor from Shaffer. One afternoon, Neiman runs into Fletcher in a restaurant. The two engage in a tense discussion, & Fletcher attempts to rationalize his approach to teaching music. Afterward, he invites Neiman to perform later that week in a private band Fletcher is conducting.
Plot Twist: Fletcher gave Neiman the wrong song to memorize in preparation for the performance. He knew all along that Neiman had testified against him, & planned to sabotage Neiman's reputation by making him look unskilled in front of a large crowd. The stakes are high for Neiman as he faces a seemingly inescapable situation.
Bigger Plot Twist: Neiman sits through Fletcher's initial song, appearing unprepared & untalented to the audience. Filled with rage & embarrassment, he interrupts Fletcher's closing speech & delivers the most intense performance of his life, filling the room with astonishment & praise.
Nineteen year old Andrew Niemann wants to be the greatest jazz drummer in the world, in a league with Buddy Rich. This goal is critical, despite not coming from a splendor of greatness, musical or otherwise, with Jim, his high school teacher father, being a failed writer. Andrew is starting his first year at Shaffer Conservatory of Music, the best music school in the United States. At Shaffer, being the best means being accepted to study under Terence Fletcher and being asked to play in his studio band, which represents the school at jazz competitions.
Based on their less than positive first meeting, Andrew is surprised that Fletcher asks him to join the band, albeit in the alternate drummer position which he is more than happy to do initially. Andrew quickly learns that Fletcher operates on fear and intimidation, never settling for what he considers less than the best each and every time. Being the best in Fletcher's mind not only entails playing well, but knowing that you're playing well, and if not, knowing what you're doing wrong. His modus operandi creates an atmosphere of fear and of every man or woman for him/herself within the band. Regardless, Andrew works vigorously to be the best. He has to figure out his life priorities and what he is willing to sacrifice to be the best. The other question becomes how much emotional abuse he will endure by Fletcher to reach that greatness, which he may believe he can only achieve with the avenues opened up by Fletcher.
Five Words: Strenuous, Musical, Hostile, Obsessive, Grandiose
Thesis Statement: Andrew Neimann’s obsession with becoming the greatest jazz drummer on the planet leads him to the Shaffer Conservatory of Music, the most prestigious music academy in the United States. Under the guidance of his stern and tactically cruel band director, Terrence Fletcher, Neiman gradually succumbs to the rigorous path required of a musical genius. On his journey, our protagonist learns new levels of discipline and sacrifice he must endure before fulfilling his lifelong dream.
Maroon background : emphasizes seriousness of film. White sheet music lines : establish pattern, include cast names in lines (?) Occasional, infrequent usage of red, tense undertones Occasional stretch type like a tight rope for call out cast names, tense undertones (?) Yellow drum hits surrounding the call out cast names Spotlight on callout cast names Pick audio that escalates from slow to fast, emphasizing the life of the main character (drum focused) Type alligns with drum hits Dissolving/combined images in the background of the sheet music display Occasional snippets of legendary drummers playing/preparing for a show/facial expressions(black and white) Whip pan to call out names
My initial idea was to use greyscale images/footage as backgrounds for text layouts in order to accentuate the dramatic tone of Whiplash within the title sequence. I included photos of a record spinning as a background due to its linear qualities and smooth surfaces which allow for interesting hierarchical layouts of cast member names, along with its association to musicality (which is the focus of the film). I included a tentative idea of what call out shots for specific cast members would look like under this format, ideally using photos/short footage of situations that embody tension, such as glass breaking or something burning. This would correlate back to the dramatic undertones of other selected photos.
I intend to use a soundtrack in my title sequence, & ideally I envisioned these circles appearing on screen in alignment with the beat of the soundtrack, & also in alignment with the presentation of the cast members. This is a tentative idea as I'm still exploring other methods to visually represent rhythm in my sequence.
This second idea plays with the visuality of piano keys as a background for presenting type. I intentionally manipulated the size & location of specific black forms in the composition to avoid displaying a basic & familiar representation of a piano, & also create room for experimenting with the hierarchical order of names.
