Wednesday 3/2/21 - Storyboard and Test Shoot

I decided to use my intial ideas and research so far to create a storyboard so I had a set storyline planned for the short film. Whilst it is likely to change based off of new ideas and research or technical limitations, I felt it was good to have the first draft of the narrative and shots involved. The idea is based around the character dealing with death, however it is never explicitly said. Only implied throughout. It's up to the viewer to find it's meaning and perhaps even discover their own new one. I chose this theme as it's something that not everyone will eventually have to deal with unfortunately, it's something very big. The ending doesn't involve much of a resolution, all the character does is find music belonging to their Dad (further implying that it was their dad who passed). I did this because things don't get solved that quickly or easily, in fact they don't really ever get solved. They just eventually find it something they can cope with and that they accept. This story is something personal to myself and others that I know who have shared a similar experience. I felt like it was a good way for people who haven't experienced it to get a glimpse at what it may feel like. I purposely chose the scene from 2001 as inspiration for the final shot. I felt that the reintroduction of colour, especially in the form of this abstract and bold reflections, is a good way to show that it's a small amount of happiness coming back in the form of a memory or a memento.

Originally I was going to use the experience of lockdown as the idea for this, but when looking at the brief I really wanted to connect my film more with the idea of memento and identity. Whilst lockdown was an experience everyone is sharing, I wanted it to feel more personal and use an experience from my past that others will have. And those who don't can get an idea of what this experience is like.

I also used this as an opportunity to take test shots for the project, get an idea of what the shots would look like before I did any preparation. I used both myself and my cat for some of the shots, using my cat actually helped for when I found it difficult to get a good angle without setting up a tripod and such.

Two images in particular from my moodsheet were influences in my storyboard.

I plan on using other photos from the moodsheet as further influences in the film, though these were easily the most prominent.