Category: Story
Endless Tune – One Minute Short Final
Florida’s Natural – Final
For my final project, I decided to tell a story about an everyday problem—only with a comedic twist by exaggerating it just a little.
I had difficulty coming up with a story to do. As finals week loomed closer, I found my creativity waning, replaced by the stress and exhaustion of burnout—until an unexpected moment sparked an idea.
When I was walking through the juice section of the store, looking to replenish my beverage of choice, the idea suddenly came to mind.
The story is about having a difficult, inconvenient time trying to find that delicious orange juice, as most grocery stores don’t carry it anymore. :'(
Endless Tune – One Minute Short ROUGH DRAFT
Custom audio and end credits still needed!
With Victoria Clark, Jaxon Stephens and Brent Ocampo.
Digital Effects – Blog Post
In How Not to be Seen by Hito Steyerl, a green screen is used to not only change the surroundings of the female character but to transport the viewer to a world that the cinematographer isn’t actually in. The green screen is used to change the surroundings of the character and objects she has, going back and forth from the studio that the character is in, and a world created by the green screen. The way the green screen is used challenges realism of traditional cinema, specifically when they put green paint on the character which makes parts of her face one with the background, and when they have an environment and a “green screen” in it, which makes the environment seem “real” and the green screen fake, but in actuality it is all still green screen. These effects make the viewer have a sense of an altered reality and makes them second guess which representation is the reality.
In Whispering Pines (series) by Shana Moulton, A green screen is used in a cut out shape and a line drawn off center which shows two different perspectives. At first it seems that the second perspective represents what the character is visually thinking, but then this perspective shows different environments. Showing two different perspectives at the same time alters traditional cinema as the viewer does not know which perspective is the real reality for the character. By showing two different perspectives side by side at the same time, the viewer must change their focus back and forth from both representations to try and understand what is happening.
Nurses Documentary Blog
The story of the documentary will be about the everyday lives of nurses during a pandemic, and the unique struggles they face by being a medical worker. I would create interview questions asking them about if/how their jobs as nurses have changed since the pandemic hit, and then I would ask them about if/how their personal lives have changed due to the pandemic and being an essential worker. For example, the information that I am trying to get at is if they need to take extra precautions when they get home from working at the hospital as to not get their household sick. Do they quarantine themselves away from their loved ones? Did they use to do their own shopping but now they have someone else do it for them? Has someone in their household gotten sick, and do they feel guilty about perhaps being the cause? Have they had a loved one die from COVID, but they were unable to see them due to being an essential worker?
Due to not being allowed at their workplace with a camera, some B-roll will be taken that is related to the narrative but not essential. As stated from the reading, “B-roll illustrates talk” so the B-roll will be in conjunction with the nurses talking about their pandemic routine. The B-roll is as follows:
- B-roll of them getting ready in the morning and leaving from their house. The footage will show their routine, either normal or abnormal. This will be in conjunction with them talking about their routine. This footage highlights how even though people may only see them a few times per year, they are people with individual lives of their own. This footage may highlight precautions they take while being home with loved ones, or perhaps that they take a long time getting ready to work at a hospital.
- Time-lapse footage of patients coming and going to and from the hospital, hopefully getting some shots of long lines and wait times. This view will go from a bird’s eye view, showing people arrive in their cars and walking to and from the building, then also a shot in front of the building of people going in and out. This footage, depending on what is caught, may show the demand on hospitals and their workers.
While I am personally not allowed in with a camera, I could ask the nurses I am interviewing if they would be willing to vlog updates about their shift, the focus being on their work conditions and what they have to deal with. There will not be focus on patients (as this is probably the reason why I am not allowed inside with a camera). This will be my only “evidence” to show their working conditions, and if they match with what they tell me. As stated in the reading “…shoot people doing what they’re do… Plan the location so that it becomes part of the evidence for the scene”. It’s important to show them at the location they talk about so that it becomes “real” for the audience.
The following footage will be them going home, and what they do at home. For example, their interactions with their family, how they deal with being a parent or partner, how they balance work/life or perhaps a lack of balance, the boundaries they set with other people in their household, and any precautions they take when living with other people while being a hospital worker. The footage captured would widely depend, but the point of this footage is being visual evidence for how the pandemic has impacted the everyday lives of nurses. Visual evidence is important because it shows the audience the truth of the situation, whether if what is happening matches with what is being told, and to give the audience a real sense of the reality.