1. Enquiry: What do you want to explore and why?
Taken by me
I want to utilise River Thames, near Kew Bridge, as a connecting, moving background for a short film, so it remains as a constant within 2 of my protagonists lives, where one comes from a place of misery on one side, and the other comes from a place of joy on the other.
I’d use a wide shot to not only capture the characters essence, but the world that surrounds both of them, and how they vary on opposite sides of the River, as the gap and location is vast, yet similar, so too is there world view.
A book called IMPOSSIBLE CREATURES By Katherine Rundell inspired me to the idea of 2 characters meeting via the river, though it was under different circumstances, what stayed the same is how they influence each other.
2. Research: What is helping you develop your ideas?
When I look at Peter Jackson, Director of Lord Of The Rings, use of wide eye-level landscape framing, moving with the characters and the environment, it inspires me to have my own wide shot view, but from the characters height, showing the scope and emotion that the environments, and characters are individually feeling.
Take the scenes where they travel on the River Anduin, in Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship Of The Ring. they are spectacular shots that exemplifies how water can be used to showcase various checkpoints, and foreshadows the Fellowship’s journey into the unknown, where change awaits them all. Peter Jackson used various locations in new Zealand to showcase the vast wonders of Middle-Earth, truly utilising the landscape to tell the story.
3. Making: What might you create?
At this point, I intend to create a short film, that utilises long, side shots and the river/environment as the background for story-telling. I will use colours to convey 2 colouring styles that would convey differing emotions, such as blue for sadness and yellow for joy.
I’m going to move the camera alongside the characters, taking different shots of different views from time to time, like close-up shot shots, wide-angle shots, long shot, landscape shots etc.
I would need a crew, made up of 2 camera men, as I’ll only need to shoot 2 angles, 1 boom mic operator to follow the actors and 2 lighting technicians to slightly change the effects practically.
There will be darker/black clothing for one character and the other wears white/bright clothes, resembling their feelings within the movie.
I’m going to request the university to lend me filming equipment, like cameras, boom-mics, lighting equipment etc. and I am going to discuss with my peers if they would be open to a collaborative effort, so that we get this done as effectively and efficiently as possible.
I am aiming to explore this project for the next few weeks and have my deliverables ready for A2. The process will involve writing a script, creating a story board, filming and sound recording, mixing sound, colour grading and final export.
4. Experimentation: What will you try first?
First, I will walk up and down the River side, then I will take lots of pictures and record from different angles. Will spend some days, seeing how it’d look in different weather conditions, so that I may have the environmental story-telling that’s right with me.
I will compare all the angles, positions, colours, shots etc. to find one that looks visually appealing to the audience, and meets my standards. I need to also explore different colour pallets, mix them to match the vibes of the 2 emotions that’s portrayed, and when they mesh to one, what could that colour be.
In the current form of media, I would publish my short film through YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. With YouTube shorts, I would upload snippets and to showcase the themes and what it might lead to, with actually revealing the ending. Kind of like a preview.
What I will learn from this is how it will teach me to decide outcomes, and influence the process via deciding on dates, organise equipments, explore new editing techniques and styles.
