Pleasantville Effect

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At the time, I am done shooting footage and just need to digitize and edit.  The title is going to be Come Out And Play Shadow, and I plan on editing it two different ways to see what works best.  One way will be a linear narrative while the other will be very nonlinear.  Things went good during the shoot because I had plenty of help.  (Jeremiah kicked ass on that sound woo woop)  I am ready to see how the sound adds to the visuals.

I am not going to be voting because I didn't register, and even if I was registered I still would not vote because I do not care for either one of the candidates.  I know that it is an important duty as an American to vote but I would rather not vote, than vote for someone I really don't want in office.  

For the Insomnia video contest I have plenty of landscapes we can use.  You all have seen the kind of places I use in videos.  I also have a spotlight that plugs into a cigarette lighter in the car.  

Movie Write Up

The filming for my movie Come Out And Play Shadow went really well, and I believe it will be strong. The actors did a great job and the crew did as well, which made my job alot easier. I was worried about the weather, but it ended up feeling quite nice outside Saturday and Sunday, although it was muddy in alot of places. I had to change a couple locations becuase it was too muddy, and another becuase hornets had taken the place over. I am excited to see how the environmental sound adds to the video.

Locations and Rehearsal Response

My rehearsal didn't go so well but it still was very helpful. I was short one actress during the rehearsal so there are a couple of scenes, we were not able to rehearse. Also, it got dark on us sooner than I thought it would which made me aware that I will have to start the real shoot earlier in the day to get the most out of my locations. I also learned that I need to choreograph the killing scenes a little better to make them appear more realistic. I am also aware now that I need to pay attention more to the characters who are not in action and how they are reacting to the action taking place. I need to work with the actors more on their lines and do many takes of them to get a variety of styles. I learned to try and get all the shots from one camera angle before moving the camera even if they aren't shot in order so I am not spending as much time setting up the camera. I am going to have to take two shots for each shot the ghosts are in, one with them in it and the other without in order to make the layers work. I also realized that if the ghosts are in the same shot as a regular character it may be a problem with the layers. Overall, I think I am on a good start and I am getting more and more organized, which is making things simpler and less stressful.

Proposal

1. Film Statement

My film, working title, Come Out and Play Shadow, is a narrative about a guy who gets stranded in a desolate rural area and his encounters with the odd strangers he meets on his journey to find help. His journey ends ends with a strange twist involving the paranormal. This film will probally run around 8 minutes and will be intended for a general audience.

2. Overview

In my film, I am playing with the concept of the inner "shadow" a concept developed by Swiss psychiatrist, Dr. Carl G. Jung. The "shadow" is the dark rejected aspects of our character, in other words the "beast within." The "shadow" lies in EVERYONE, repressed deep in the unconscious, some just acknowledge their's more. If one does not ever let their "shadow" come out, it will surface on its own. I think that it will be interesting to play with this idea in my film becuase it is a good way to show the ruthlessness of the human race, and a good reason to make characters do unexpected things.

I think my film should be made becuase it will be interesting to see the character's moving through the desolate landscape and the random irrational actions that take place. All the character's "shadows" will surface unexpectedly at sometime in the film, and their transformations will be shown through their abrubt and violent actions. I plan on making the story as unpredictable as I possibly can and creating a contrast in as many aspects as I can think of.

3. Approach, Form and Style
I will use the character's attitutudes and actions to show if thier "shadow" coming out or if they are hiding it. At the beginning, when the girl driving kicks the guy out she has a smile on her face when she tells him "Get the fuck out." This shows that her "shadow" is coming out but she does not know it. She makes him get out for an unknown reason, and leaves him stranded out in the middle of nowhere, therefore creating a conflict for the guy. He is forced to walk, not knowing which way to go. He shows no emotion when forced to get out of the car and while walking aimlessly. As he is walks looking for help, he encounters a strange guy standing in a field staring into the distance. The stranded guy calls to the guy in the field, hoping he can help him, but he gets no answer and no acknowledgement. Suddenly, the guy in the field turns around and stares at the stranded guy, still not speaking. They stare at one another for a while and the stranded guy walks off. The guy in the field follows behind the stranded guy.

After walking for quite some time, they encounter a girl alone in the distance spinning circles in the middle of the road. The guy from the field hides in the bushes when he sees her. This shows that he never lets his "shadow" come out, therefore he is weak and easily manipulated, which makes him afraid of the srange girl. The stranded guy walks toward the girl and when he gets near she stops spinning and jumps toward him. She grabs up some rocks and throws them at him and then runs off into the distance. This was her "shadow" at work. The stranded guy continues on still followed by the guy from the field and eventually encounter the girl again, but this time she is beating a random object with a stick. Both guys take the same action as when they previously met with her. This time when the stranded guy walks up to her she stops beating the object and stares him. She then smiles and introduces herself and tells him she can help him. This represents her "shadow" going into hiding.

The next scene they are all in the woods and the stranded guy sits at a table eating a bowl of soup while the guy from the field and the girl calmly stare at him. Suddenly the girl's "shadow" surfaces again, the girl jumps up and punches the stranded guy in the nose. The stranded guy sits back up to the table as if nothing happened and continues eating his soup, which he is bleeding in. This shows that he also is not in touch with his "shadow." As if instantly the "shadow" went away in the girl, she walks over and hugs the stranded guy. The guy from the field jumps up and tries to kill the girl but she disappears. The stranded guy then grabs the guy from the field by his throat and strangles him to death. His "shadow" has finally come out, somehow influenced by the girl. He sits back down and calmly finishes his bloody soup and continues on his journey.

As he walks he sees the girl walk past him several times but now she is a ghost. He continues on and comes to an isolated house, which he enters like he owns. Inside he finds the girl that kicked him out of the car in the begining and she is tied up. He runs over to her and acts as if he is happy to see her and concerned about her. He then grabs her by the head and begins to beat it against the wall. As he brutally kills the driver girl, the ghost of the spinning girl watches with a smile. After the murder he gets on his knees as if to propose to the ghost girl and suddenly kills himself so he can be with her. The next scene is him as a ghost wandering through the desolate area yelling for the ghost girl. The final scene is the spinning ghost girl and the driver girl as a ghost holding hands and dancing.

4. Audience, Distrubuting and Marketing
This film is intended for a general audience who likes suspenseful, narratives. I think anyone who watches this will be disturbed, if only slightly. I want any viwer who sees this to think about the cruelness of humanity. This film could get to my audience by the internet, by me handing out DVD's or at a gallery or auditorium.

PASSING final edit

New Ideas

1.  There are a group of friends who party all the time and one becomes an alcoholic.  He always wears a suit and craves to be the center of attention.  The friends laugh at the alcoholic at first just thinking he's having a good time, but after time they get fed up with his absurd behavior and must do something to end it.

2.  There is a guy who has a new girlfriend.  The son's mother does not like the idea of her son having a girlfriend so kills them both.  She feeds their body parts to her little dog and makes the dog do tricks for the flesh treats.  She eventually pretends, to mourn for her son and his girlfriend, and invites all of their friends over to cook for them feeding the friends the remains of her son and his girlfriend.  She always puts on a front of being a really nice lady but eventually kills everyone.

3.  Making an abstract or non linear video using footage of landscapes and characters who are rotoscoped during moments of the most action.  I want to combine beautiful landscapes with cruel actions committed by the characters. 

Audio Video Write-Up

The shooting for this video went really well.  I had doubts about the overpowering darkness in the scenes but I think it adds to layering effect quite well.  My locations worked out good, and added to the mood of the video.  I am pleased with the editing techniques I used and the shots being layered worked out nicely.  I believe my actor did a good job and did not make it seem like a video about tripping.  Overall, I believe this was a successful shoot. 

Instructional Video Final Edit