S T O R Y L I N E // MISE-EN-SCENE COLORS & PLOT

Here’s my script so far!...

SCRIPT

Overall slight static in bathroom- when within their head
*Opening on a black screen (echoed voice coming in and out of clarity)* “HEY, HEY YOU READY? ”- Charlie
Opening visual on Drew's face in the bathroom looking at the mirror (his reflection) Slow movements - held back back lit
Series of close ups of face in and out of the mirror (focused on eyes, bloodshot?) Heard unsteady breathing
When drew looks at themselves in the mirror the camera turns into a fish-eye lens but not when its from a mid or long shot
“ You look like shit”- Charlie's voice (illusion of Drew hearing it within his head) Wash face (aggressive) Audio of sink (trippy visual?) <- squeaky Flash between looking at self and washing face
“Yeah, i'm coming” breathy seems annoyed and extremely dull seemingly questioning themselves
Turning bathroom lights off (flicker) seeing body(demonized version of Charlie) quick on and off

Quick and sudden cut to the car


Hearing patter of rain


Charlie is driving Drew in the dark on the highway






Camera is high on drivers side, mainly only seeing Charlie in frame in car, Drew in the passenger seat falling asleep


When Drew speaks a close up is taken from inside and outside the passenger window


Main argument starts


Charlie Drew

“ Im sorry for earlier..(looks over and sees Drew isn't paying attention) mumble curse *HIT* you fell asleep” “you good to come to this? You haven't slept”



“Im fine”


“ I don't understand why you can't give yourself a break”- getting more and more aggressive


“ Im fine”


“ Why do you do that to yourself? Huh?!”


“ What”


“ You let everyone push you around, treat you like a dog”


“ What like you?”

They begin overlapping in conversation


Drew barely raises voice


“ Fuc.. ridiculous, you're really gonna start now? After all I've done for you i'm bringing you to a party for christ sake”


"If it wasn't for me you'd still be on the street!"
"I never asked you to help me"
"WITHOUT ME YOU'RE NOTHING, YOU'VE BEEN NOTHING...

useless piece of trash... ill kill you if you make me look like the bad guy tonight..

you act like I don't love you"

YOU DON'T LOVE ME, don't you DARE tell me that you do!

YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT LOVE IS, EVERYTHING IS ALWAYS ABOUT YOU

.... charlie, charlie, charlie WATCH OUT"


Charlie lunged to hit Drew


Drew sees the demonized version of Charlie in the street

causing them to swerve but it again immediately cuts to Drew alone at the party








Dark lights in the party


Many people


Mid shot of Drew on the couch staring and messing with their drink


They look up and it ranges from the room being full to flashes of nobody


Someone talking to Charlie goes up to Drew

"hey are you okay drew you seem kinda out of it?"


Charlie is spotted by Drew in the crowd and turns around


Drew and Charlie make eye contact


Drew immediately puts head down and friend sees

"Is it charlie? whats going on are you two okay?"


Graphic matches of regular charlie and demon charlie walking over

(demon charlie is cryptically walking)


Static grows



Cuts between Drew and Charlies reactions to each other as the friends voice

who's trying to help gets muffled and echoey


Drew runs into bathroom panicked as they lock the door behind them

Static gets louder again aggressively washing face


Drew looks into the mirror and demon Charlie grabs him as Drew then falls to the ground as screams


The friend bursts in





"HEY whats going on what happened?"

Drew is mumbling and acting "crazy" pointing at the mirror

hysterically sobbing
"what?"

Charlie then also runs

C H A R E C T E R B I O G R A P H Y// COLOR PSYCHOLOGY

Color Theory: 

The psychology of color stems from the mental and emotional effects color(s) may have on sighted people, these can be very subjective but contain some generally accepted and proven effects. Color psychology is important in every film but I particularly hope to subconsciously impact viewers immediately as that would make the opening more powerful in topic and its subject matter. Colors impact how you may think of a person and I want to clearly portray who each character is not only through body language and speech but through what colors are associated with them.

From the reference picture given of basic emotions brought out by color psychology I've based my two main characters personality and appearance on these factors.

Charlie:

In my plot the character Charlie is the abusive partner, due to this I've chosen a striking color pallet which resembles such. The main color associated with Charlie is a dark grey which I'm using to associate them with power and authority over not only Drew but any and everything. The next most outstanding color is going to be a range of red and orange tones which is going to be used to convey Charlies anger and danger they are to Drew. These will be mostly portrayed through the Mise-en-scene of the scene through lighting during Charlies bursts of anger and violence toward Drew. The dark gray and neutral tones will surround his clothing as nobody really knows Charlies dangerous and violent behavior but Drew, so his clothing will act as a mask or barrier from his true self.

Drew:

In this plot the character Drew is the partner getting abused, not for their looks or size, but for their childlike heart which to Charlie is easy to corrupt. Drew is going to be associated with different shades of blue and white portraying the childlike innocence they once held which is now corrupted by the red tones of Charlie, sometimes forming green or becoming overtaken by Charlies orange or red. The surrounding blue tones will portray Drew's sadness and felt helplessness from their relationship with Charlie. 

References:

Deborah, et al. “Color Psychology: The Psychological Effects of Colors.” Art Therapy, 24 Dec. 2012, www.arttherapyblog.com/online/color-psychology-psychologica-effects-of-colors/#.XH6m5IhKjIU.

P L O T// THE DEVELOPING CHARECTERS

Main theme: 

I've slightly strayed away from the idea of isolated dissociation but rather add faces to it, within my plot I want to portray an abusive relationship which makes the abused partner dissociate. Dissociation occurs within many because of people experiencing extreme stress and anxiety which the brain can no longer handle which causes them to "break away" from themselves.

Character plots:

The main theme is going to circle around an unhealthy couple, Charlie and Drew and their everyday interactions. I chose the names Charlie and Drew because I wanted the freedom of using gender neutral names for the sake of finding actors easier and to break the stereotype that only women are abused when in reality any age and gender can become abusive or get abused.

Charlie: Born January 7th, 2001. Abuser

Charlie is honest, reserved, circumspect, honorable and strong-willed. Quietly ambitious within the realms of the possible, likes and takes on responsibility. 

Weaknesses: a sometimes bitter and mistrustful mind.

Drew: Born November 24th, 1999

They are good, idealistic, enthusiastic and warm-hearted. Drew is independent, has a taste for travel and freedom. Very curious and fair-minded.

Weaknesses: Drew is too adventurous and leaves things to chance: takes risks which cause problems: Drew is also rebellious and sometimes tactless when offering opinions.

References: 

“Birth Chart.” Free Astrology Birth Chart Report, astro.cafeastrology.com/natal.php.

R E S E A R C H // INSPIRATION FROM HORROR GENRE

         I want to involve a series of "horror" dynamics from real life situations and experiences, which may seem like horror to some but everyday life for others causing a rift in audience relation and reaction.
Through this aspect, I hope to involve the theme of mental illness -specifically dissociation.
Techniques I plan on using are somewhat heavily inspired by Billie Eilish's music video "Bury A Friend"- I'm not the biggest fan of her but the video introduced a lot of new concepts I admire which circle around more explicit themes, harsher lighting and movements.

Dissociation is a special altered state of awareness in which a persons consciousness is split into two components: the hypnotized self and the hidden observer, often feeling like you feel trapped inside of a fishbowl. Focusing on dissociation throughout my opening the change in lighting and slight visual change is extremely enticing and an exciting technique to use in my opinion. These slight changes in lighting and visuals add new dimension and meaning to the film itself- creating an opening with visuals not all of the audience may understand completely but have a visual comparison to become educated.

Reference:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUHC9tYz8ik

R E S E A R C H // HORROR TECHNIQUE IMPLEMENTATION

      SUSPENSE!- Hundreds of films have influenced my paradigm of the genre of "horror" due to it being my favorite to consume- both visually and audibly.
My two favorite horror movies consist of "Get out" and "Silence of the Lambs" with an obvious love for cult classics like "The Exorcist" and "The Shining".
The basis for a horror movie includes darkness in color and lighting, as well as audio cues of a jump scare, although I mainly hope to focus on timing and vulnerability.
Timing within any film is extremely important- but for horror, it can make or break the built suspense and reaction. To this, I look to a short film titled "lights out" who has a movie remake of the same name.

The movie is alright but the short film utilizes the proper techniques in a more efficient manner. The plot of the short film surrounds a woman in her home, whos then haunted and ultimately killed by some sort of demon. The killer scene within the film is the conceptual confrontation of a human vs. a demon and Innocent vs. Evil. The timing of the main scare of this film is why that particular moment is so scary- it's long and uncomfortable.
Vulnerability is also important- within a short film, you have to quickly get the audience to relate to what's going on, even if they've never experienced it. Meaning you must rely on an empathetic bond between audience and your characters, in the short film the women is getting ready for bed-seemingly weaker and unsuspecting. Due to this, said confrontation is built upon in suspense which again completes the aspect of relation and impact.

Reference
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPRppNlfaX8

D O C U M E N T A R Y // GENRE RESEARCH ACTIVITY

D o c u m e n t a r y 

Genre:

1.           Documentaries (or cinema verite) are non-fictional, factual works of art sometimes being propagandistic or non-objective, with the intention to document some aspect of reality. A documentary is meant to inform, educate, investigate, and entertain the public on a specific event or topic. Documentaries remain subject specific with a clear point usually including facts (possibly presented in different styles). Early film was dominated by the novelty of showing an event, they were single-shot moments captured on film. These short films were called "actuality" films; the term "documentary" was not coined until 1926. Many of the first films, were a minute or less in length, due to technological limitations. 

Genre Conventions:

           Documentaries are usually fully narrated with an off screen voice playing throughout, sometimes called the “voice of god” since it knows everything about the subject and gives specific information to the topic for the audience. The narrator may be pushing a certain idea or topic, the narrators gender, vocabulary, accent, or social status also depends on topic discussed. Graphics within a documentary are usually quite simple to not distract the audience, no harsh editing or camera filters.Within most documentaries an establishing shot is used to set the scene or topic, Mise-en-scene must also be consistent containing neutral lighting and neutral attire. Conventional and consistent editing containing many cuts followed by long camera shots is used throughout leaving no questions left for the viewer to ask.

Types of Documentaries :
- Biographical: About the life of a real person.
-Well known event: Documentaries describing and containing first and second hand sources from that specific event.
-Rockumentary: Documentary on a concert or rock festival.
-Comedy show/live performance
-Nature/science related
-BTS (behind the scenes)
-Mockumentary
- Mixed: Uses a combination of interviews, observation and narration to entice the audience and persuade the viewer to look at the topic in a certain way.
- Re-Enactment of Events (docudrama): A re-enactment of a real life event in order of how they happened.

Sample 1: Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)

            Revolving around "Mister Fred Rogers", Won't You Be My Neighbor? takes a look at America's favorite neighbor. A charmingly soft-spoken and yet powerful man expressing his ideals, Fred Rogers was a unique presence on television for generations. Through interviews of his family and colleagues, the life of Fred Rodger was retold through documentary style film.

Sample 2:When We Were Kings (1996)

                Based on famous boxer Muhammad Ali as a 32 year old individual. The film follows promoter Don King who wants to make a name for himself and offers fighters Ali and George Foreman five million dollars apiece to fight one another. This documentary follows King as he has to come up with the money. Using interveiws and non-scripted events the film follows their fight and Alis ride to victory.

Other Examples:

Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)

March of the Penguins (2005)

Woodstock (1970)

Shoah (1985)

Zelig (1983) 

The Endless Summer (1966)

R E P R E S E N T I N G T H E F E W // REASERCHING REPRESENTATION CHARACTERISTICS

Who are they?

                   Human trafficking is modern-day slavery. Human trafficking usually involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. 1 in 7 people either running away, or those who've already ran, have the danger of becoming apart of the sex trafficking industry. Those becoming trafficked usually involve women more than men, although anyone is capable of being taken advantage of. 

Media Representations:

Vice Squad (1982 Movie)

              The movie focuses around a prostitute known by her street name "Princess" located on California's Sunset Boulevard and two undercover investigators who turn her in due to cocaine possession. The movie follows her violent life and those around her who are also "princesses" (those forced into sex trafficking by their 'managers' or pimps).        

Fields of Mudan (2004 Movie)

              A young Asian girl, Mudan, is forced into modern day slavery by a brutal child brothel owner. Mudan soon befriends another young girl in the brothel, and starts dreaming of a better life with her mother in America.

Fair Representation?-Changes?

               Representation wise mainly women or young girls are shown, which yes a lot of the time it is women who are trafficked so heavily although men can be as well. Women can also serve as pimps, not just men. Considering race and locations of sex trafficking hubs, the media has done a good job on putting a world wide view on the issue due to its world wide occurrences. Changes I would consider making would be switching the stereotypical roles of pimp and princess, reversing the ingrained gender overhead. I would also change the idea of how a princess came to be such, not all ran away from home and were kidnapped. Regular, everyday people could become apart of the industry no matter how strong or wealthy.