Two weeks have passed and this is really starting to feel like a tangible project. I last met with Nicole on Friday and we discussed storyboarding and writing. Since then, I've started working on a stop motion puppet(which I will discuss later on). Nicole is taking care of the script, and I'm working on storyboards. Despite the fact that I've spent about eight hours on this project this weekend alone, I'M EXCITED.
Anyway let's get into the shots!
So our film is gonna start in a dark room with a close up shot of a gun pointing to the top right third of the screen. The camera then cuts to an over the shoulder shot of the doll in the foreground, with a dark figure in the background- paired with a reverse shot. We wanted to start the film by creating a sense of mystery right away, keeping the figure in the shots obscured for the most part, with low key lighting, and a creepy monologue.
Jasmin only comes into the light when she slams her hands on the table as she furiously interrogates the puppet. Throughout this sequence, Jasmin is the largest figure in the frame, and takes up most of it- thus, establishing her as having "primal control" (I picked up this term from a video I watched a while ago). In the context of her taking control of her life, and looming over the inanimate version of herself, this choice made sense to us.
In one shot, however, the viewer sees them stare face to (clay) face, and the doll is elevated so that their eye levels match- further reinforcing the confrontation, while creating a slight, temporary change in hierarchy to illustrate her inner conflict trying to figure out where she stands.
The scene follows the same guidelines I mentioned above: low key lighting, visual hierarchy, and slightly unnerving shots. As she says a line of heavy weight, there's an extreme close up of Jasmin's mouth. I also included a zoom on her hands as she slams her fists on the table to make the rapid motion all that more jarring with fast editing. These techniques are meant to create a sense of mystery, as well as to make the viewer uncomfortable with anticipation. As Jasmin reaches for the gun, the camera follows her actions until the point where the gun is facing directly at the camera. This shift from the beginning shot-where the gun was pointing to the side- to a more balanced one is meant to convey the idea of her being more assertive and making up her mind, ready to pull the trigger.
As she pulls the trigger, a graphic match from the gun barrel to a camera lens transitions into the next scene. Where we see her animating a stop motion film. We want to emphasize her enthusiasm and dedication by having the actress move lively in between the shots, yet be very still as she takes the picture.Symmetrical shots are also used to convey that she has full control over what's happening inside the mini-set. This order contrasts greatly with the messy "set design" of her room.
As her mom calls her to go downstairs, she continues to work until she calls her a second time. Then we cut from the sequence of her animating meticulously, to a wider shot of her room, as she struggles to find her sweater in the unknown sea of papers and clothes. We plan to use jump cuts to show the progression of time.
Once she finds her sweater we wanted to have symmetrical, balanced shots as she puts on the sweater. Close ups and quick cuts will allude to the fact that the sweater is important, and that she's very particular about the way she gets dressed.
As she leaves the room we see a a kind of point-of-view shot from inside the set. As if the doll was watching her. Nearing the door, Jasmin turns back and a shot reverse shot of both Jasmin's and the puppet's eyes alludes to a sense of confrontation. Then Jasmin delivers her last line, "I'll get back to you later," and the door shuts close as the screen goes black. This would be our title screen, but we tragically do not have a title yet.
Nicole and I plan to do some more research on classic detective movies for the dialogue of the interrogation scene, so I'll let you know how the script is coming along once I meet with Nicole again. I also plan to finish the puppet by the end of the week, so expect more on that matter. Lastly, we finally have an actress who you may or may not get to meet next week!
As you probably know by now, I'm not the best at conveying emotions through type, but I'm beyond excited for how this is coming along!
Until next time!
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