tommy o

1. Classical

Over – The story begins at the end of a long term relationship with the recognition by the protagonist that the legal ending has come long after the relationship was beyond repair. But when did it really end? Was there a moment? In order to answer these questions the protagonist seeks out old friends and family that had become distant during the long term relationship. What is found is a kind of frankness in conversation that comes when an intimacy with one person pushes other people from your daily life. The protagonist finds conflict between internal memories and perceptions, and those memories and observations of those once close friends and family. Reflecting heavily on personal recollection in context with the observations of these friends and family the protagonist is forced to face the inconsistencies in the internal story of experience versus the weight of the unified collective truth of the opinions he sought out in search of answers. The protagonist comes to accept and take ownership of faulty perception and poor decisions. This allows the protagonist to re-contextualize memories with the help of others’ input and come to the understanding that recognizing key moments can not be done casually in context, and possibly, can only be done through reflection. The story ends with the protagonists ability to release external blame for the failed relationship and to accept that too-high expectations for a person in an intimate relationship does not afford the same depth of understanding and leniency inherent in friendships and family dynamics where you tend to judge the other less harshly. With this change in thought, the protagonist can move forward with a more insight and the wisdom of experience in the wake of loss. 

1. Kishōtenketsu

Fisher – The story is a day in the life of a Fisher in a coastal village and the fish that make for daily meals. The fisher walks out onto a dock where a barrel serves as a fish well (now empty), a box holds tackle and does double duty as a convenient seat, with a fishing pole leaning up against the barrel ready for daily use. The first part of the story is establishes this scene, while the second part of the story moves on to show the Fisher seated, pole in hand, patiently waiting for a curious fish to try the bait. Excitement builds when a fish is hooked and the play between the Fisher, working to keep the even line tension that will tire a fish on a hook, and the fish struggling to jump the hook leads to part 3. The Fisher has hooked a tire. Nonplussed, the Fisher places the tire on the dock and continues to fish patiently, line in water. In part 4 the Fisher’s fish well is no longer without fish.

1. Episodic

Monster on a Hill – A town in a small quiet valley has growing concerns for a disturbing presence somewhere on a nearby hill (over arching story – find the monster and get rid of it). The townspeople do not directly engage in exploring and resolving this concern initially. Instead, as irritation becomes annoyance they start to in-fight about weather there is a problem, who should be responsible, etc. This has a polarizing effect on the town where folks begin to form cliques that become more combative (story 2, act like monsters). As the townsfolk become more insular in their groups there is an increase in “us versus them” mentality which focuses negativity on those who are seen as outside ones group or, in one case, outside of every group. The one case is a young orphaned child, living with an older sibling, who seems to live a largely dream-like existence, exploring the woods around town, making astute observations about the nature that make people uncomfortable when those observations are directed at their natures. The child discovers the monster’s home and, having felt the pang of being ostracized, decides that instead of delivering the news it would be best to observe, as is the natural way of the child. The child discovers a kindred spirit in the monster’s actions, which seem to be driven by curiosity, not ire or malevolence. The relationship becomes much like a friendship (story 3, explore and observe the true nature of things). When the townspeople discover the monster is real they turn the animosity from the child to the monster. The stories tie to together by illustrating the actions of the townsfolk are monstrous toward any others while the monster actions and the boys actions are driven by curiosity. The townsfolk find and destroy the monster, but remain themselves unchanged. The child, witness to the nature of the townsfolk grieves the loss and the knowledge that true monsters can look just like everyone else, it’s their motivations that matter.

1. Surrealist/Fantasy

Bubbles – Living in a transparent spherical shelter in order to be as close to nature as possible, the protagonist spends time writing observations about the immediate area. The time is in a future where humans have become so sensitive to the allergens of nature that they can no longer be outside. Indoor plants are in sealed terrarium spheres or “bubbles” that are self sustaining, but deadly if opened. Food is made from proteins and flavors that are combined on 3D printers, along with anything that might be needed. Everything is recycled back into printing materials. There are multiple bubbles for the protagonist to observe different landscapes nearby. Travel between them is by a sealed conveyance that runs on tracks between the bubbles. The conveyance goes through a decontamination process at every entry/drop-off point before a sanitary bubble seal is made. Several bubbles are shown with the protagonist in them making environmental observations. they range form normal landscapes to underwater to one where a flatland desert has been laid out with metal poles every few meters in an effort to attract lightning for power generation, like being in the middle of a lightning storm. The conveyance gets stuck in transit between to bubbles. The protagonist wonders if it is really dangerous for humans to go outside. It is. The protagonist dies of anaphylactic shock.

1. Anecdotal

Camera – Grandfather was an accomplished hobbyist photographer. He spent a lifetime documenting trips to places far and near. He had a Nikon. I’m not sure which one, only that it was manual only and top of the line when he bought it, a real professional’s camera. When he got a new lens or flash he would give a show and tell about it before his next trip. Then, when he returned, he would give slide shows that showcased what the new piece was for and why it was the best tool for what was needed. He was very excited about a new camera body that was coming out soon, set aside money for the upgrade. We went to a lake to go swimming that summer. I was about six. He took pictures of me jumping off a dock into the water. I swam all day, loving the water. About an hour before dinner he called me in from the water. I was having trouble getting back onto the dock so he bent over to help pull me out. I didn’t notice he had set the his camera down on the dock. I knocked it in the water. A teenager fished it out for him. I was very upset, and knew my parents would be too. Grandfather told me not to worry, the camera was fine. For the next five years that held true. I didn’t question why he stopped talking about the new camera model. Until, I took my first photography class in middle school and he gave me the functional, but damaged camera from the lake to use as a beginner model. Instead of buying the new model he had purchased the same old model camera body so neither I nor my parents would be upset. He traded the “new” old model in for a better model after he revealed what had happened. We all had a laugh.

Hey everyone,

Here is my video: Click Here

– Gibson

Attached is my short day in the life video!

Day Of Me (DTC) (bars)

I didn’t have the variety of shots I wanted since my pup was quite the puller on our walks/errands the day I was filming.

“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is over 120 years old and still tells a good science fiction story. Each version tells its story effectively, but the video tells it more efficiently. The written story gives more background about Peyton Farquhar and his motivations along with an account of his intended crime, but these are not actually relevant to the story being told. We simply need to know that he was convicted of a crime and has a desire to return to his family, nothing else revealed about his character becomes relevant in the events of his escape. Nothing about his plantationing or his political views or sympathies to the South, in fact he could have been a factory worker from the North and the story wouldn’t change in the slightest. The only background information that is important to the story we are given in the establishing shots of the video, there’s a crime and Peyton is being executed. Aside from the history of Peyton the two stories mirror each other very closely. And for a video based on a written story it does a great job of being faithful to the original. The video shows each scene happening as the story has told it, the driftwood slowly flowing downstream, the ticking of the watch growing louder and digging into his mind, and making sure to note his injured hand when he made it to shore. The video even does well conveying each indication that what we’re seeing is not what is real, adding in each breadcrumb, confusing runaway scenes, suddenly manifested injuries, fantastical landscape, and the run to his wife that seemed to always be farther away than it should have been.

Aristotelian Structure:

Exposition: The story takes place in 1940 in Britain, during the time of the bombings of Britain by Germany. The main characters are introduced: George, Andrew, Winston, their father John Parker and their mother Abigail. George is 17 years old and wants to join the war, Andrew is 15, Winston is 14. The father works in a factory and the mother does not work. The family is coping with the death of Jacob, George’s youngest brother who drowned when George was supposed to watch him.

Rising Action: The story progresses and the family is dealing with the pressure of the war, the bombings, and the guilt and responsibility of Jacob’s death. The father is pushing George to enlist and the mother is dealing with her own emotions and fear of the war. George is struggling with his own feelings and decisions.

Climax: The climax of the story takes place when the family’s house is destroyed by a German bomb. This event is a significant turning point for George, as it makes the war and the danger more personal and immediate for him. He may feel a strong sense of responsibility to protect his family and country, as well as a sense of urgency to act.

Falling Action: George joins the war, leaving his family behind. The family is dealing with the aftermath of the event and the absence of George. They may experience a shift in their relationships and emotions.

Resolution: The resolution of the story is the tragic death of George, who died in the war a year later, shot in the back on accident by his own fellow soldier. The family is distraught, the father realizes he pushed George to enlist and feels guilty. The mother is in denial about her role in George’s death. The story could also explore how the family copes with their loss, the father’s guilt, and the mother’s denial. It could also explore the impact of George’s death on the rest of the family, particularly his brothers, as they grieve the loss of their brother and navigate their own feelings of guilt and responsibility. The story could also explore the themes of grief, loss, and the impact of war on families and individuals.

Kishōtenketsu Structure: 

Summary: 

The year is 1946, and Bob just got out of the second world war. His girlfriend, Nancy, has been waiting for him to come home ever since he joined in 1943. Bob, although a bit shaken from his time fighting, is happy to be home. He and Nancy get married that year, with both of their families traveling to Georgia where they just bought a new house. 

2 years later, Nancy is expecting a child, and is due in a few weeks. Bob is nervous, but very excited. They are going through their list of things they need to get done before the baby is there, like baby proofing the house and getting the baby’s room ready. The baby is a beautiful boy, and everyone is very happy. Bob also gets a good job around this time and buys a new car/more expensive things.

4 years later, a letter is sent to the house from a French woman addressed to Bob, but Nancy opens it before Bob finds it. The woman addresses Bob as if she knows him, and explains how he has a 7 year old son, and about how hard it was to find him. She asks if he would return to France and see his son. Nancy confronts Bob about it, and he tells the truth, about how he had slept with a woman in France and that this boy is probably his son. He tells her that he has to go, and he leaves. A week later, bob is back and apolagizies to Nancy, telling her that he wants to stay with her and their son, and that his other son would be well taken care of. 

Bob and Nancy live the rest of their lives together, and see their son grow up to be a smart young man. Bob, having still been of fighting age, did serve and live through the Korean war as well. He has many scars at the end of his life, but is content and passes away at the age of 89. Nancy lives on a few more years and gets to see her son have kids, and then watch her grandkids have kids as well before she passes.

Episodic Structure:

Episode 1: A group of five people wake up on an island, with no one remembering how they got there. They are freaked out and are trying to adjust to the new people in their lives. They start out in search of food and drinkable water, and to find a place to sleep. The next weeks are tough, and the characters are pushed to their limits.
They notice that the birds on this island are none they have ever seen, and the only other animals are small, unrecognizable rodents. Tensions are building between the group members. 

Episode 2: A similar structure to the first episode. 10 people wake up on an island with no memories about how they got there. There are crates of food next to them, an assortment of tools, and one gun with a few bullets. This group has a much better time getting on, and often have parties on the beach after they are comfortable on the island. They don’t notice weird birds or rodents, and think this is a normal island. At the end of this episode, we see the original group after they’ve eaten a dinner of rodents. They seem to be sweaty, and acting strangely. They don’t seem to be bothered by the weird twitching movements their arms are making. Eventually we see their eyes go glassy and they all pass out. 

Episode 3: Back at the first group, they are exploring more of the island. A single member finds a stream where they start washing themself. We hear crunching behind her as a few members of the second group lunge at her, and start biting and eating her. This prompts the first group, once they realize they are gone, to go search for the group member. Eventually the 4 remaining members come into contact with the members of group 2. They have a hard battle with very few weapons. Another group 1 member dies, but once the last member of group 2 is dead, fireworks shoot everywhere. It was a show, and they all won. A helicopter type vehicle comes and picks them up and they are paraded through a futuristic type city, although they feel terrible for their friends. They come to find out they volunteered for this contest, and had their minds wiped.

Surreal or Fantastic Mode:

Once upon a time, in a peaceful land long ago, a human girl named Lily lived in a small village that overlooked a beautiful valley. She loved her parents, and often spent time in their garden that bordered the edge of the village. The people of this village lived a quiet life, and everyone was committed to helping each-other. 

One day, Lily was playing near the edge of the garden, when suddenly she was face to face with a small, bright green goblin. They both seemed surprised at first, Lily having heard stories of the goblins in the mountains, but never seen one. They eventually calm down, with Lily asking the first question. They talk for a while, and eventually Lily somewhat trusts him.

What Lily did not know was that goblins age differently, and what looked like a goblin child was actually an adult spy, and he intended to gain her trust so she could aid in the invasion of the village. There is a main gate, and it would need to be opened from the inside. Lily is skeptical about what the goblin wants her to do, but still carries out the task. Goblins rush in, taking the village by surprise. Her father defends their home well with the men who were left, but they are going to be overtaken. Lily, who ran away crying, see’s that she can save the men by opening the irrigation door and flooding the goblins away. 

Lily learned an important lesson, but overall the village still loves her for saving them. Without the presence of goblins, the village had another long time of peace.

Personal Anecdote:

One weekend, my mom, brother, and I went to Diamond lake with my grandpa to go fishing. The weather was beautiful, and we had rented a nice, little cabin. After we had set up our stuff, my grandpa offered to take us on a walk if we wanted to go with him. I said yes, as I didn’t get to spend much time with him. My brother, who was about 7, was indecisive, but told us he didn’t want to come.

My grandpa and I set off on our walk, looking at the beautiful trees and the lake as we went. We talked about a lot of things, and he told me where we would be fishing the next day. We walked for quite a while, until the path wrapped around and pointed us back towards the cabin. The sun was starting to set, and we were both getting hungry, so we decided to head back.

Upon approaching the cabin, my mom saw us and was obviously upset. She told us she couldn’t find my brother, Luke, and that he had been gone for a good couple of minutes. We looked around the immediate area, and my mom even went up to other cabins in search for him. Eventually, my grandpa got on this bike and rode the trail we walked on. He found my brother and put him on the handlebars of his bike, riding all the way back to our cabin.

My mom was very relieved to have luke home, and was also pretty stern with him about how she felt about him walking off like that. Apparently he had changed his mind about wanting to come on a walk with us, and he decided to try and catch up with us. When asked if he had learned a lesson, Luke replied with, “Well, I learned a lot about squirrels.” We all laughed that one off, and proceeded to have a great weekend at Diamond lake.

tommy o

tommy o

Sea Life

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

Both film and short story follow the same story. Of course there are some differences between the two that can only be done in certain ways because of the different media used. 

For example, the film was able to show human expressions and actions, setting and environment, something that in writing can be done, but will likely make the writing longer trying to explain everything. Of course, sound is something that differs from writing. You can hear the voice of the main character when he calls out to his wife, or his last sigh when he is hung. The sound of the swirling water, the birds, the guns, all of that makes the film a different experience from reading. The film did not need a narrator to explain what was going on through the main character’s mind, the camera angles and the actors expressions and movements were enough to explain what was going through his head.

For the writing there is more information given about the character Peyton Farquhar and how he ended up being hung. The film did not give any background story for this character, it only showed his family. The writing was able to explain things that the film did not, the audience might have to figure it out by themselves. 

The pacing is different in both medias. The short story can have a slow or a fast pace, it depends on the reader and how they want to process the story. The writing does not feel slow, it feels right for me to be able to read and understand what is going on in the story. The film feels slow in comparison to the short story. The video is about 23 minutes long, and it took me less than that to read the short story. I noticed the film’s pace was slow because the camera was showing the environment around the character. It gave a vast image of what this setting looks like so that we can follow the main character through his journey back home, which ended up only being the character’s imagination.

It is interesting how different both media can be, you can do things to one that can’t do to the other, which makes it fascinating.

After watching the film adaptation of “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” and then reading the short story by Ambrose Bierce I noticed a few differences between the two works. The biggest and most noticeable difference between these two is in the beginning, specifically with the background. In the film, there isn’t really any background information. All we see is a sign on a tree that says anyone who messes with the railroads or bridges will be hanged and then the film goes straight to the bridge where we see the soldiers setting up for the hanging. But, in the short story, there is a large section of the story devoted to Peyton’s background telling us what happened leading up to the hanging so we understand why he is being hanged. However, we did not necessarily need all of the background information in the film because we are able to tell a lot about him and his situation based on everything that we are able to see, specifically the way that he dresses.

There were a lot of techniques used in the film that helped to successfully translate the effects in the short story. At the beginning of the film, they do a great job of setting the scene. Everything is moving slowly making us feel anxious about what is about to happen. Additionally, the way that the clips were filmed made us feel like we were seeing what Peyton is seeing, which also added to the anticipation and anxiety.