Pre Production: Revisiting content for book
The aim of this post is to jot down all the possible elements that I will include in the book. It will help me rationalise, order, and edit before uploading it. There will be some elements that won't be included in the book but will be included in here. This was part of the planning stage for the book.
Draft content for book
Page 2- Aurasma notification
Page 3 - Contents
Page 4 - "Suicide is the UK's number one killer for men under 35". - NHS Online
Page 5 - "Black African and Black Caribbean males are the most likely to end up in hospital due to mental health." NHS Online
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Page 6 and 7 : Director's comments: Mental Health matters.
My goal with this project was to create something that would never lose value. Mental health to me is something that should always matter and never be forgotten because it is such a vital part of our lives yet it is often taken for granted as well as ignored, especially within the Black community. With the high rates of suicide for men and experiences that I've witnessed through friends and family, it is clear that there is a level of communication that lacks due to stigmatised views of mental health.Thus causing a lot of hidden emotions which sometimes take it's toll on the mental health of those suffering. With the statistics so high regarding men, it is clear that it's something we should keep shining light upon. The aim of this film was to illustrate how we can all make changes to check on those around us and to not be scared to speak up when we notice something isn't quite right within ourselves or others. I also wanted show that it's okay to follow your dreams no matter how unconventional they may seem. Theres artistry within all of us and I want to show that it's okay to express this.
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Screenwriter and Director: - Why I like to create stories ect.
- The importance of creating a believable and realistic story
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Story and Plot:Based on real life events, this story follows a young teenage boy as he is faced with difficult life changing choices. With the pressure of doing well for his family but also following his passion, the struggle to find himself and his voice essentially allows the manifestation of negative thoughts and takes a toll on his mental health. The thoughts begin to subside as he spends his time with his best friend Lily, creating expressive art and enjoying their summer. But after a conflict between his parents, Isaiah becomes withdrawn and distant from the world as his mental health continues to fluctuate, resulting in an attempt to take his own life. This is a story about hope, communication and acceptance. Will Isaiah finally find his way?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Synopsis:
Hideaway is a narrative drama that follows the life of Isaiah Anderson, a 17 year old boy who's mental health spirals out of control when he begins to feel the pressure of making his friends and family proud.
Story and Plot
Story and Plot
The Film starts with Isaiah laying lifelessly along a grassy floor. His drenched body is being resuscitated as hands move around him in attempt to save his life. The story then flashes to present day as Isaiah is awakened by his mum shouting his name to come and complete his chores. He hesitates to get up but eventually makes his way downstairs.
As Isaiah arrives in the kitchen, his mother Mariette rushes around the kitchen in attempt to gather her belongings before work. Isaiah tries to remind her that he has art class later but Mariette rushes off before he finishes. A fatigued Isaiah remains blank and distracted by his own thoughts, allowing the sink to overflow accidentally.
Isaiah arrives at his art class and sits opposite Lily. They attempt to draw the objects in front of them but can't resist glancing over and smiling at each other. Art class finishes and Isaiah starts walking home with his painting in hand. Lily startles Isaiah as she asks to see his work. A nervous Isaiah is reluctant at first but eventually shows Lily. In amazement, she compliments his work and invites him to an exhibition. He is unsure whether he should but Lily tries to persuade him before jetting off to meet her Dad.
Isaiah pleasantly arrives at his home but hesitates to open the door. He eventually enters into the hustle and bustle within his house as his mum begins to question his whereabouts. Isaiah reminds her that he was at art class by showing her the picture he drew. She takes a quick look before returning to her task. Isaiah decides to leave his painting on the counter but his mum tells him to move it to his room in order to keep the place tidy.
It's dinner time in the Anderson's household. After saying grace, Isaiah sits quietly as his parents David and Mariette tuck into food. They ask him why he isn't eating but Isaiah gives a false answer and tries to enjoy the food. The parents continue to enjoy dinner and Isaiah's smile dims slowly.
After dinner, he arrives into his room and miserably ploughs himself onto his bed. He reaches underneath and pulls out a leather bound sketch book. He opens up the page to an unfinished drawing of a lonesome figure sitting in water. He takes out a pencil and continues to enhance the waves.
A few days pass and Isaiah meets up with a group of school friends in an old, messy garden to smoke weed. They begin to discuss the university options whilst Isaiah hesitantly tries to smoke. He tells them his plans to study fine art at university and gets ridiculed. Isaiah zones out and begins to overthink his future but is then forced to snap out of it as his friends alert him.
Isaiah arrives at a peaceful riverside, he stares deeply into the water and proceeds to walk forward into it, he allows his feet to brush against the water until a message from Lily pops up reminding him about meeting up the next day. He decides to step back out of the water.
The next day Isaiah arrives at lily's house to practice art. The pair walk into the garden and Lily questions why he takes long to reply to her messages. He isn't honest with his answer but they continue to proceed into the summer house. Amazed by her variety of art supplies, Isaiah becomes overwhelmed when Lily speaks about her goals and aspirations. She proudly pulls out a calendar and reminds him about the exhibition that she wants him to complete with her, he is hesitant at first but she manages to convince him to join her endeavors.
The pair begin to create art work, Lily shows Isaiah the ropes with the supplies as they create a piece together. Isaiah is mesmerised by how she paints and continues to enjoy learning from her. Days pass and they continue to enjoy each other's company and paint together, crossing off days on the calendar .
The story flashes to the riverside where both Lily and Isaiah are onlooking the river. Isaiah asks Lily about her passions and why she chose art. She explains how it makes her feel as well as the importance of following your dreams. During this, the story flashes back to present day where Isaiah and Lily are in the summer house. He's showing her his drawings from his sketchbook and she stares in amazement. The pair continue to create art work together as the deadline date continues to get closer, more x's are added to the calendar.
The riverside conversation continues and Isaiah discusses the struggles of following your dreams. Meanwhile, the present day is shown where a few days have passed and it is now deadline day. The pair have finished 6 pieces of art work ready to be sent in. Lily holds onto Isaiah's hand as they stand proudly over their pieces.
The riverside conversation continues as Isaiah discusses the fear of not being seen as worthy when creating art. Meanwhile in present day, Isaiah has painted a small piece of art work to put at home, He arrives in the kitchen whilst his parents rush around the house. He places the art work down on the counter in hopes they will notice but instead his mum picks it up and looks behind it in search for her keys.
The riverside conversation continues where Lily tries to reassure Isaiah theres more to art than other people's opinions. During this, Isaiah is at home, tiresomely looking at art school courses. He hovers over the "Apply Now" button but doesn't then closes his laptop down.
The story flashes back to the pair at the Riverside. Lily speaks about how peaceful it is. Isaiah explains it's his favourite place because of how mysterious the water is. He explains that it covers so much of the world yet so much of it is undiscovered. Lily explains how this analogy reminds her of how people can often hide their true selves from those around them. It flashes back to present day where Isaiah arrives at Lily's house late, He tries to lighten her mood with presenting her with some new supplies and she eventually lets him in.
Present day, Lily and Isaiah are now at a bonfire in the middle of a field, They stand in front of it and gaze into each other's eyes before entering a warm embrace. During this, The riverside conversation continues where Lily is discussing how hard it is to understand people. Isaiah claims it is sometimes better that we don't know everything. Meanwhile, Isaiah's smile dims as he stares into the flames whilst holding Lily.
The pair are in Lily's summer house as they stand in front of the calendar which says: "exhibition day tomorrow". Isaiah is worried and tries to explain to Lily his doubts about showing the work tomorrow. She brushes it off and tells him not to worry.
Later that night, Isaiah revisits the riverside. He paces up and down in worry before walking closer to water. He stares blankly into it before closing his eyes and listening to the water.
The next day, Isaiah is awakened by his phone ringing. He lays blankly and allows his phone to continuously ring off. His eyes begin to water as he becomes fed up of the ringing and eventually answers the phone. Lily answers and begins to question his whereabouts. He tells her he's not coming and she begins to shout. The pair go back and forth but Isaiah does not tell her why he wont be coming, only that he wont be at the exhibition. In a fit of rage, Isaiah gathers all of his art supplies into a bag and throws them out of the house. He arrives back into his room and finds his sketchbook, after a brief look through it he throws that across the room.
A week passes, Isaiah is now around the table with his family for dinner. He barely touches his food and resorts to grating his fork against the plate. His parents don't notice as they continue to laugh and joke around the table.
A few days pass, Isaiah regroups with his gang of friends, disconnected from everything, he takes longer pulls on the weed and ignores them when they tell him to slow down. They notice something is wrong but choose to play it off cool and let him carry on.
Another day passes by, Isaiah is in his bedroom, legs clutched to his chest as he stares at his phone. His laptop is opened onto art school pages as he hovers over Lily's name on his phone.
Lily is in her summer house laying down, listening to music. Her phone rings and she hesitates to answer it after Isaiah's name pops up. She eventually answers and lets Isaiah speak. He tries to apologise but Lily is militant about the fact he let her do the exhibition alone. She explains that he will never know what that feels like before hanging up.
Later that night, Isaiah is in his bathtub. The sounds of the droplets become louder to him and he sinks into the water and screams.
Another night passes and Isaiah arrives back at the riverside. His bicycle wheel continues to spin as he paces around the water. As the wheel slows down, Isaiah becomes calm. Lily and Isaiah's riverside conversation continues over Isaiah standing at the river. She compliments his ability to always be happy, contradicting his true, present feelings.
He brings his feet closer to the edge and allows it to tip forward before the screen goes black. His hands move frantically within the water, making it pulsate. His sketchbook slowly sinks down into the water as everything becomes still.
Isaiah's wet body is rolled over onto the concrete. He then begins to receive compressions and mouth to mouth by what seems to be a paramedic. He continues to lay there lifelessly before the sound of him coughing up water is heard.
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The riverside conversation continues and Isaiah discusses the struggles of following your dreams. Meanwhile, the present day is shown where a few days have passed and it is now deadline day. The pair have finished 6 pieces of art work ready to be sent in. Lily holds onto Isaiah's hand as they stand proudly over their pieces.
The riverside conversation continues as Isaiah discusses the fear of not being seen as worthy when creating art. Meanwhile in present day, Isaiah has painted a small piece of art work to put at home, He arrives in the kitchen whilst his parents rush around the house. He places the art work down on the counter in hopes they will notice but instead his mum picks it up and looks behind it in search for her keys.
The riverside conversation continues where Lily tries to reassure Isaiah theres more to art than other people's opinions. During this, Isaiah is at home, tiresomely looking at art school courses. He hovers over the "Apply Now" button but doesn't then closes his laptop down.
The story flashes back to the pair at the Riverside. Lily speaks about how peaceful it is. Isaiah explains it's his favourite place because of how mysterious the water is. He explains that it covers so much of the world yet so much of it is undiscovered. Lily explains how this analogy reminds her of how people can often hide their true selves from those around them. It flashes back to present day where Isaiah arrives at Lily's house late, He tries to lighten her mood with presenting her with some new supplies and she eventually lets him in.
Present day, Lily and Isaiah are now at a bonfire in the middle of a field, They stand in front of it and gaze into each other's eyes before entering a warm embrace. During this, The riverside conversation continues where Lily is discussing how hard it is to understand people. Isaiah claims it is sometimes better that we don't know everything. Meanwhile, Isaiah's smile dims as he stares into the flames whilst holding Lily.
The pair are in Lily's summer house as they stand in front of the calendar which says: "exhibition day tomorrow". Isaiah is worried and tries to explain to Lily his doubts about showing the work tomorrow. She brushes it off and tells him not to worry.
Later that night, Isaiah revisits the riverside. He paces up and down in worry before walking closer to water. He stares blankly into it before closing his eyes and listening to the water.
The next day, Isaiah is awakened by his phone ringing. He lays blankly and allows his phone to continuously ring off. His eyes begin to water as he becomes fed up of the ringing and eventually answers the phone. Lily answers and begins to question his whereabouts. He tells her he's not coming and she begins to shout. The pair go back and forth but Isaiah does not tell her why he wont be coming, only that he wont be at the exhibition. In a fit of rage, Isaiah gathers all of his art supplies into a bag and throws them out of the house. He arrives back into his room and finds his sketchbook, after a brief look through it he throws that across the room.
A week passes, Isaiah is now around the table with his family for dinner. He barely touches his food and resorts to grating his fork against the plate. His parents don't notice as they continue to laugh and joke around the table.
A few days pass, Isaiah regroups with his gang of friends, disconnected from everything, he takes longer pulls on the weed and ignores them when they tell him to slow down. They notice something is wrong but choose to play it off cool and let him carry on.
Another day passes by, Isaiah is in his bedroom, legs clutched to his chest as he stares at his phone. His laptop is opened onto art school pages as he hovers over Lily's name on his phone.
Lily is in her summer house laying down, listening to music. Her phone rings and she hesitates to answer it after Isaiah's name pops up. She eventually answers and lets Isaiah speak. He tries to apologise but Lily is militant about the fact he let her do the exhibition alone. She explains that he will never know what that feels like before hanging up.
Later that night, Isaiah is in his bathtub. The sounds of the droplets become louder to him and he sinks into the water and screams.
Another night passes and Isaiah arrives back at the riverside. His bicycle wheel continues to spin as he paces around the water. As the wheel slows down, Isaiah becomes calm. Lily and Isaiah's riverside conversation continues over Isaiah standing at the river. She compliments his ability to always be happy, contradicting his true, present feelings.
He brings his feet closer to the edge and allows it to tip forward before the screen goes black. His hands move frantically within the water, making it pulsate. His sketchbook slowly sinks down into the water as everything becomes still.
Isaiah's wet body is rolled over onto the concrete. He then begins to receive compressions and mouth to mouth by what seems to be a paramedic. He continues to lay there lifelessly before the sound of him coughing up water is heard.
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- Isaiah Anderson
Gender: Male
Age: 17
Height: 5' 11
Hair: Brown/Black
Eyes : Brown
Traits:
Isaiah is a soft spoken young boy who is passionate about art and painting. He loves to engage with his sketchbook to free his mind and express his creativity.He uses art as a means to temporary escape the things he dislikes about his life.
He was born in London but his parents were not. He is of a Caribbean descent since his mother and father are from Trinidad and Tobago. Isaiah is very much a 'London boy' but is very culturally aware as his parents are still deep rooted within their culture by cooking him native dishes from his country which they all often get to indulge in. As well as taking a trip back to Trinidad once every few years, Isaiah understands his culture and where he comes from.
Isaiah has always been an extroverted yet introverted boy. In primary school, teachers would often have to establish Isaiah's lack of communication and input to his parents during parent's evening. It wasn't that Isaiah didn't have the right answers, it was a constant fear of being wrong and facing rejection for that split second which made him not want to put his hands up in class. This trait has been carried within him throughout the years and manifested into Isaiah being able to hide his feelings very well. In primary school, Isaiah found it easy to make friends as he was able to almost morph into their habits almost like a chameleon, but the ability to adapt to new surroundings all the time allowed Isaiah to always feel lost and unaware of his true self. He continued to search for friends that allowed him to become something new. Although he understands his roots, he never really understood himself or what his purpose was. These feelings continued from Primary school, up until now.
In sixth form, Isaiah tried to make friends in the way he always new, by adapting new habits in order to fit in. He was able to do this with his group of "hoodlum" friends A group of disruptive boys who often wouldn't follow the rules and would get in trouble. One day, his teacher noticed Isaiah's way of trying to fit in with the boys after joined in with paper throwing in class and told him that he's better than falling into the wrong crowd. This lead Isaiah to become even more confused about his identity, so much so that the only way to clear his thoughts was to draw. Isaiah continued to draw in his sketchbook from the start of sixth form, all the way till the end. He struggled to find his identity, morphing from crowd to crowd that he didn't realise his own identity was the creative artist all along. His realisation of this only really happened once he started hanging out with his new friend Lily.
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- Lily Thompson
Gender: Female
Age: 17
Height: 5' 3
Hair: Brown/Black
Eyes : Brown
Traits:
- Confident
- Creative
- Loves to talk to people
- Expressive and extroverted with her emotions
Lily is a 17 year old girl who's very focussed on her artistic ability and loves to encourage people to try new things
Lily comes from a high class background where her father is an investment banker and is never really home. Whereas her mother is now a stay at home mum who used to be a teacher. She occasionally does home tutoring lessons for younger children.
Lily was born in Italy since her parents lived there for 5 years.They stayed there for two more years after she was born before migrating back to London to raise her there instead.
At a very young age, Lily's parents allowed her to engage in a variety of after school activities and dance lessons. She started playing the violin at the age of 6 and danced ballet from the age of 4 up until 15 when she found new interests. Art.
In primary school, Lily was always a confident young girl who always got involved with the tasks. She was commended for being punctual and received a certificate for 100 percent attendance. Lily has always loved school because she enjoyed meeting her school friends and engaging in activities. This mentality carried on all throughout her secondary school life as well as her time in Sixth Form. Along the way Lily has made plenty of friends who she occasionally keeps in contact with when she's not creating art work.
Lily's love for art developed after she accompanied her parents to the National Portrait gallery in London when she was 12. She was always amazed by how different everyones art work can be so she decided to dedicate her time to being part of that and experimenting with a variety of art techniques. She still hasn't found her own specific style but she enjoys the practicing.
- Mariette Anderson
Gender: Female
Age: 47
Height: 5' 7
Hair: Brown/Black
Eyes : Brown
Traits:
- Enjoys cooking
- Enjoys Looking after the elderly
- Religious
- Quite introverted with her emotions
Mariette is a 47 year old Caribbean woman who moved to the UK when she was 25 in search for a better life. She met David whilst working as a cleaner for a Barbershop in London and eventually got married 4 years later.
Mariette's upbringing was not a pleasant one as she is the eldest of 4 brothers and was always made responsible for their actions. She had to be a responsible child even though she was young herself and that eventually took it's toll on her motivation for achieving her goals. Her parents didn't mind what she did as long as she helped out around the house and with her siblings. She always wanted to be a surgeon but never got the opportunity to study for it due to her big family commitments. When she was of age, she came to London in hopes of studying to become a nurse. She is currently a carer for the elderly which means she often gets call outs and does home visits all hours of the day. Because of her busy and ever changing schedule, she is tired most of the time but always makes effort to cook for her family when she can.
- David Anderson
Gender: Male
Age: 48
Height: 5' 11
Hair: Brown/Black
Eyes : Brown
Traits:
- Very chatty and loves to mess around and play practical jokes when he can
- Extroverted with his emotions at times
David and Mariette first bonded when they found out they were from the same country, Trinidad. He moved to London with his family when he was young but managed to keep the accent as he was constantly surrounded by it.
Upon meeting in the barbershop where David frequently went, He first approached her and they started off as great friends before he asked her to marry him.
He currently works as a manager of a home department store and often works extra nightshifts to help provide for the family. David was a fine craftsman with wood and was often commissioned by his peers to build them things such as chairs and wardrobes. He thoroughly enjoyed this but had to give it up due to a bad back injury but he is also happy with his current job as it is decent pay and allows him to get extra money for his family.
Director's statement
Tone and Mood:
The tone for the film will have a cold and sombre tone running throughout. Although this will be juxtaposed by the main character's happier interactions with his companion when they create art, the overall story will dip in and out but still eventually return to it's sombre state, illustrating that because the character left his problems hidden, they still managed to creep back to the surface. It is important for me to allow the story to blossom with positive notes throughout as it is important to have elements of hope.
Visual Style
Tone and Mood:
The tone for the film will have a cold and sombre tone running throughout. Although this will be juxtaposed by the main character's happier interactions with his companion when they create art, the overall story will dip in and out but still eventually return to it's sombre state, illustrating that because the character left his problems hidden, they still managed to creep back to the surface. It is important for me to allow the story to blossom with positive notes throughout as it is important to have elements of hope.
Visual Style
- Visually, I want Hideaway to maintain a raw and realistic visual style but also have natural elements that allow bright pops of colour to create some cinematic depth. I have taken inspiration from a variety of short films which have been broadcasted on Vimeo. I looked very closely to this platform throughout my planning stage as I felt this platform would allow me to get an understanding of what styles are current being created. It allows me to keep my ideas fresh and relevant and also gather information on how things are being filmed. I found great examples of visual styles that I will be incorporating into my piece ranging from documentaries to short narrative films.They all consist of realistic, yet visually appealing techniques that would really suit my narrative.
When thinking about my Character Isaiah and his passion for art, My aim is to get up close and personal with his hands as well as the colours he uses. In "Oliver Jeffers", this documentary focuses on the life of an artist and how enjoys creating illustrations.The documentary constantly features up close shots of the work he created. What I love about these scenes is the way the natural light illuminates his eyes and hands. I also really like how close we get to the main character. This is something that I aim to incorporate as I want to show my character in his 'Zone' to heighten his passion for art.
- Oliver Jeffers: made by filmmaker Bas Berkhout
Lighting:
When thinking about lighting, I aim to have natural light sources within the scenes to create better depth and more pleasing visuals. The light will be able to bring out the character more and enhance the overall look. As shown in 'Nothing Ever Really Ends', a short film about a couple who's relationship develops over 3 years. They make use of light sources to enhance their scene.
Nothing Ever Really EndsDirector and writer: Jakob Rørvik
- Light from the laptop screen as well as the sparklers in this short is very compelling and allows you to really engage with what is happening. This is something that I want to incorporate into my film as I also have scenes where my character is engaging with electronically devices as well as having intimate moments around a bonfire. If a light source that I am using isn't bright enough, I will take use of artificial lighting to make it seem as though the light is coming from the natural light source as I want to make this look as realistic as possible. Minimising the obvious use of artificial lights will help keep the narrative at focus and not distract from the main message. For example, In their sparkler scene, You can see that the light from it illuminates their faces. In this narrative the couple are also watching fireworks. It is possible that there wasn't actual fireworks taking place at this time, but their use of a flickering light that changed colours allowed this narrative to carry on smoothly.
Colours :
After shooting raw, I will be able to enhance the colours and create my desired tone and mood. Since my story will be following a young boy who shows signs of depression, I want to enhance his mental state by having a cold toned film with blue hues to enhance the sadness he may feel.
As established in 'St Louis Rises', a documentary about the racism and lack of unity within St Louis USA, the documentary gets up close and personal to the contributors in order to illustrate the raw emotion and culture they experience. They capture intimate moments between people but also illustrate the normal every day surroundings within St Louis. The colour palette that is used seems to be subdued and not over saturated. In some places you can tell that the real image would've been much more brighter but the desaturated look helps keep the see focus unified.
- St. Louis Rises - Directed by Andrew Litten Executive Producer: David Kwon Kim
Similar to St Louis, my character will also spend a lot of time outside in natural surroundings as well as a river. I love how the tones of the river almost matches undertones of the person. In reality his shirt was probably really white, but in this, with the tightened green hues and desaturated look, his shirt does not stand out but becomes one with the surroundings.
Cinematography
The intended style of Hideaway will be a mixture of handheld and stabilised shots. I will use handheld movement for his everyday movement as well as deliberately increased movement for when my character's mental health starts to destabilise and decline. This will further illustrate his anguish and allow the viewer to have a greater connection to how it may feel in that situation.
I will use stabilised, smooth shots for when my character spends time with his best friend and for when he creates art in order to illustrate how at peace he is around her as well as how relaxed he is when he's in his zone expressing and creating.
Since this is short film which aims to evoke emotion and create a greater understanding about the character's situations, I think it is important to be within the character's personal space to further illustrate what he's going through. This means I will mostly have a mixture of Close ups (CU's), Medium Close ups (MCU's) and Mid shots. The CUs will have a very nice effect on both my character's features as well as the art process when the paint flows across the canvas. The Mid shots will be used when my characters come together and interact. This will enhance the intimacy between them. I will make use of Wide shots for when my characters are outside, embracing their surroundings.
It's important that I get clean, crisp, well lit shots when getting CU's and MCU's. Having great Depth Of Field is key when achieving these shots as it allows the audience to feel closer to the subject. This is established in The Cage. The main character is established in a variety of Close ups and Medium Close ups. The background is blurred which means they have a shallow depth of field.
To achieve this, I will make use of the Canon 50mm Lens as this allows me to get close to the subject without standing too close. This lens is great for portraiture as it is known for allowing a nice amount of light in to create clear, crisp shots as well as fantastic depth of field. The only downside to this is if you want anything bigger than an MCU, You'd have to stand very far, thus illustrating its usability for closer shot types. This lens can also be used with the Sony A7s when a special adapter is loaded onto it so I will be able to get the best of both.
For the medium shots I will be using a lense that allows me to have a good range whether that is shallow depth of field but also crisp and clear long shots. Since a Riverside is an important part of my story, I have to be able to capture it as much as possible. I aim to obtain a Wide angle lens as well as a lense that allows me to do both.
Editing:
There are a variety of editing techniques that I will be incorporating in my film to enhance and maintain the desired narrative. Techniques ranging from parallel editing,Montage editing and elliptical editing. It is important that I maintain a real and raw atmosphere throughout this film. My main character often feels uncomfortable and at times disorientated due to his developed clouded thoughts, therefore it is important that I portray this in ways the audience can almost feel what he feels. Generally, this means I will hold shots longer than usual so the audience can also feel a little uncomfortable as well as cutting to next shots abruptly to almost throw off the flow. For example, the bath tub scene where Isaiah is trying to relax, the dripping tap becomes noisy for him and he results to sinking himself into the bath tub to drown out the sound. I aim to hold the shot of his face for much longer as the tap drips, showing his raw emotions in that one take will really help to keep the raw vibe of the scene. I will also make use of a shot/ reverse shot where I abruptly cut between his reaction and the dripping of the tap, making the time between the cuts shorter each time will really enhance the irritation he feels whilst he's in the tub. The juxtaposition from fast pace cuts to slow pace cuts is something that can really emphasise the audience's viewing experience and understanding about Isaiah's mental state.
Parallel editing -(Also known as cross cutting) This editing technique is the process of alternating between two or more scenes that seem to happen simultaneously but in different locations within the world of the film. With most films that utilize parallel editing, the corresponding scenes usually eventually meet or have some sort of connecting action.
A famous example of this would be Silence Of The Lambs (1991) where two juxtaposing scenes are continuously cut between each other as action progresses, thus building tension towards the final scene as viewers are continuously lead to believe they are approaching the same house where the action is happening. Director Jonathan Demme utilizes the technique to perfection as we watch the FBI raid a house they believe belongs to Buffalo Bill. We even see Buffalo Bill react to the bell in his dungeon, which correlates to the FBI agent ringing the bell in the secondary scene. However, when Buffalo Bill answers the door, we realize that agents aren’t on his front step — but Clarice Starling is. The crescendo that was built had a big impact because of the journey it took the audience.
Parallel editing doesn't always have to seem as though it is happening "right now" in the world of film. The simple use of juxtaposing cuts put together to illustrate a contrast in character can also be used effectively. As Illustrated in Godfather (1972) Director ___ contrasts the biblical declaration Michael Corleone is partaking in to the acts of violence he asks his henchmen to do.
As Michael watches a baptism takes place, he partakes in a biblical declaration;
The images of violence which is almost the opposite of the holy declaration he partakes in is shown.
This increases the pacing and tempo of the scene and, in turn, makes the baptism portion of the scene so much more powerful.
With this technique in mind, I aim to capitalise Isaiah's hidden emotions by illustrating the difference he feels when he's at home vs when he's with lily with the use of cross cutting. The juxtaposition of Isaiah's conversations in comparison to his true feelings of sadness will play a huge part in my story line since he often hides his emotions from everyone around him. In the scene where Lily speaks about how happy he always seems, I will cross cut to the scene of him attempting to take his own life. This is a major turning point for my story as the main message is about depression and how lack of communication can lead to seemingly irrational consequences. This also illustrates how powerful it is to write a story with editing in mind because they both go hand in hand when trying to create powerful narrative imagery.
Montage - A montage is a style of Elliptical Editing as it allows a a variety of fragmented shots to be put together, creating a sequence where time can be fragmented to suit the narrative. It is often used to speed up time and illustrate a collective of events that lead up to a singular moment/ event. A famous example of this would be Rocky, where the main character's process of preparing for a big fight, is shown with a sequence of fragmented actions.
This is simple yet effective because it allows the story to be told in a faster, effective fashion as it creatively gets to the point. It is necessary for the storyline and therefore shouldn't be used when it isn't needed. A montage is needed within my storyline as I have to show the process Lily and Isaiah go through in order to create art work for their exhibition. Creating art is a long process and I realistically do not have time to show them create each piece from start to finish. Therefore I will have to fragment the process and show the development with this technique.
Sound editing
To maintain the realness of the story, I will refrain from over using a soundtrack Instead I will have necessary music play from sound sources within the "world of the film". When it comes to sound effects and general actions within the story, I will enhance it in a way that singles it out, illustrating how it feels to Isaiah. For example, I will enhance the sound of the dripping tap, making it louder and more pronounced. It is a diegetic sound as it is coming from the narrative of the shot. Another example of this is when Isaiah's bicycle wheel is spinning whilst he has clouded thoughts. As it slows down, he begins to get clarity, I believe these subtle techniques can really allow the audience to feel what he may feel.
Music Choices: (scan over image to hear)
If any music is used within my story, it will mostly be ambient songs without any words to distract from the action. It will be used to enhance and not drown out. A dew examples of ambient songs I would use are; Bonobo - Migration
Clams Casino - All I need
This song barely has any audible lyrics and features dark elements and tones to it. A song like this would really suit when my character goes in and out of his clouded thoughts as well as the end scene where he tries to take his life. Although there are lots of sounds in this song, if paired with scenes of stillness and tranquility, it could really enhance the scene.
Film Inspirations:
- The Cage
- The cage follows the trials and tribulations a young boy faces as he tries to break free from the negative lifestyle he's faced with daily. What I loved about this short film was the way in which you're able to really understand the pressure that the main character faces when he has to make important decisions about his life just by his actions and expressions. This piece is far from being dialogue heavy, you rarely hear the main character talk but when he does, it serves a purpose and is very necessary. This story isn't being told in a conventional way as there is a clever use of a voice over. His father is in prison, giving him advice on how the choices he makes could seriously impact his life. It was very poetic in the way it was done because the images matched the things he said but not in a direct way. This initially inspired y thought processes on how voices can be used to move a story along. Because of this short film, I was then able to creatively introduce the juxtaposing conversations between Lily and Isaiah to enhance his feelings of hidden emotions.
Written/ Directed by: Aaron & Winston Tao (TwinTaoers)
This story illustrates a true story as it follows the misfortune of the main character's mission to break free from Korea. Along the way she's abused and eventually has her baby taken away from her.
In this scene, The main character is being physically abused. But instead of you to actually see it, with the use of some visual effects as well as some clever sound design where you can only hear her muffled screams, you can really feel the emotion but it is also quite artistic in the style. This showed me that there are abstract was you can show a character's turmoil and still have a powerful effect.
- George Washington
The first thing I noticed when being introduced to a character, you are shown individual actions before seeing their face, this gives the audience an indication on their characteristics without just watching them fully. It adds an artistic feel to it also. When looking at the framing through out the film, I would say it is very simplistic yet effective. They would either place things centrally or within the 'rule of thirds' as pictured below and would hold that shot just a little bit longer than you'd expect. Thus indicating the importance of what is shown but also gives you a moment to think about what is shown and also sets the scene a little bit more.
When it comes to characters having conversations, there was a similar pattern of shots used through out. Characters would usually be centred in a simple 2 shot, in an intimate setting with minimal cuts. I noticed that the dialogue was quite lengthy as well, each character had significant things to say which really illustrated their character and helped maintain a realistic, natural feel
- Moonlight (2016) - Directed by Barry Jenkins
There are many reasons Moonlight became an inspiration to me. I closely watched how the director chose to illustrate the characters story. Similarly to my story line, the main character spends a lot of time on his own and has these intimate moments between himself and his friends. You really get a sense of how he's feeling. The films also has a recurring theme of throughout. Water, the beach was shown at the start, this represented his happy time. We later see him by the beach again with his best friend, seemingly his love interest. In this scene, you don't see the water but you hear the water and the breeze. It's almost as if the peacefulness is always there with him as he somehow always manages to end up where the ocean is. These little recurring theme adds depth because a character's feeling is therefore represented in a more abstract way. When writing my story, I already had a recurring theme of water but after watching this I was able to make it become a more significant part of the storyline. This became a big turning point for my story. This story illustrated the character's turmoil so well, he does everything to oppress his feelings, tries to enhance and change his exterior but somehow still ends up back where he started, his true self. I really enjoyed the messages it had throughout, this inspired my thinking about how I can show passion between two people without actually having them interact sexually as well.
Preliminary Test Shoot: Emotions and Depth of Field
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