Website Startup

One of the main components of this portfolio project is the website for my short film. To create this website I will be using a site called Wix. With Wix I am able to completely customize my site and part of the reason I choose to work with Wix was its simplicity, it also helps that I have used it before so I am familiar with how it works.

I want my short film, website, postcard, and blog to follow the same aesthetic to really emphasize the fact that they are all connected. I can achieve this by using a universal color palette and images that connect visually. The ultimate goal for my website is to provide behind the scenes information about my short, how and where to watch it, and to promote the short overall.

The photo above is the template from which I will be working from. One of the great tools that Wix offers is the amazing templates from which you can further customize your site. I can add both pictures and video in order to make it eye-catching and engaging. I not only want my site to be informative, but I want it to beautiful and interesting to look through.

I have only just begun to construct my website, so there isn't much there yet, but as I continue to work on my short film I will continue to add to my website. It is extremely important that the two fit together and seem to be cohesive. A website is important not only to help market a piece, but to further engage audiences and encourage them to continually connect with the work.

Get to Know the Characters

Cora
General Information:
- The female protagonist
- 19 years old

Physical Characteristics:
- Very simple appearance
- Minimal makeup

Information Relating to Plot:
- Gets dumped by her high school sweetheart
- Gets dumped over the phone
- Uses writing as an emotional outlet
- Becomes more reclusive post-breakup

Inspiration Photo ->
(Odeya Rush)



Ezra
General Information:
- The male protagonist
- 20 years old

Physical Characteristics:
- Very relaxed
- Well-groomed

Information Relating to Plot:
- Gets dumped by his girlfriend of 1 year
- Gets dumped with a voicemail
- Using work and exercise as a form of distraction
- Experiences an extended period of denial post-breakup

Inspiration Photo ->
(Dylan O'Brien)



These descriptions are of course idealized versions of my characters. When it comes to casting actors, though, the physical appearance may not fit the exact person I had in mind. This is to be expected because it is extremely rare that you find someone who both fits your vision exactly and can act as well. So when giving physical descriptions I like to keep it extremely vague so that I can adapt the "look" to my chosen actor.

Behind the Title

Eros

When deciding what to title my short film, I came up with a few ideas, but none of which really stuck with me. Everything I thought up was either too long, too cliche, or simply didn't fit. One day as I was driving a song came on, Eros by Young the Giant; it is one of my favorite songs but I had never given any further thought into the title of the song. It is a word that I have heard time and time again, and upon doing some research about the history of the word and the different contexts in which it is used, it struck me that this would fit perfectly as the title of my short film.

Mythology
Eros is the Greek god of love. Eros is more commonly known Cupid, so the name is most often overlooked. You may also know of Eros because of his even more recognizable mother Aphrodite. He is often depicted as having wings along with his usual bow and arrow. With these tools he can cause people to fall in love, and in that way cause love itself. Eros often refers to more intimate and romantic love rather than other forms like familial love.

Psychology
Another way to define eros is in terms of psychology. According to psychologist Sigmund Freud, eros  is one's life instinct or life force, which is often associated with sexuality. Freud believed that the life instinct was to survive and in that manner, to reproduce. Eros in this context is also associated with Thanatos, which is the death instinct. Thanatos represents anger and hate and in this way it creates a balance with Eros.

Philosophy
Another connection to eros is made through great philosophers like Plato and Socrates. In dialogues such as the Lysis and the Symposium, eros is defined simply as "love". Like the other mentions of eros, it represents a more passionate love. Plato also helped distinguish and identify the different meanings of love, whether it be more intimate, pure, or platonic.

Sources: http://www.greekmythology.com/Other_Gods/Eros/eros.html, https://www.alleydog.com/glossary/definition.php?term=Eros, http://study.com/academy/lesson/eros-life-instinct-definition-lesson-quiz.html, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/plato-friendship/, https://philosophynow.org/issues/85/Eros_In_Plato

Tech and Software

As I embark on the production aspect of my short film I will be utilizes various pieces of technology and software in order to create the final project. This post is going to be a breakdown of the most important pieces of technology that will aid me on my journey.



Blogger
They most obvious resource would be Blogger! Blogger is the site I use to create my blog and all the posts within it (including this one). It is an amazing tool that allows me to document all the work that I do in real time. It is also a great way to share extra information about my portfolio project and all the work that goes into it.





iPhone 7 Plus
As a student I don't have access to professional cameras or any fancy equipment, but that doesn't mean I can't shoot quality footage. Smartphone technology has advanced tremendously over the years, especially in regard to the cameras. The iPhone 7 Plus offers a duel lens camera which shoots beautifully clear and crisp video. The cameras have become so good that some people   even choose to film entire projects with them. The phone is small, light, and portable, making it unique compared to many of the other industry standard cameras.



Final Cut Pro
No matter how good your footage is, its nothing without good editing. I will be editing my short film using Final Cut Pro. When I first started creating films and other projects I used iMovie, but as my skill and my needs grew, my software had to change with me. With Final Cut Pro I am able to make a clean, professional looking short film.




Photoshop
I will be using Photoshop when it comes to the creation of my postcard. Photoshop allows my to manipulate images and crop things together to form one cohesive piece. I am familiar with the program and have been using it for years so I am quite confident that I will be able to create a spectacular postcard with it.






Wix
Wix is a site that builds websites. It is the site that I am using to create the website for my short film. With Wix I can customize everything from the background to the layout, which is extremely helpful when trying to make an informative and eye-catching website. The website is a critical component of the overall project, so I want it to be as good as it can get.

Technology plays a big role within the media, especially the constant innovation associated with it. As technology changes and improves, so does the media. I want to take advantage of the technological resources around me so that, as a creator, I can also continue to grow and change.

Target Audience

No piece of media, whether it a feature film or a website, is made without a specific group in mind. This specific group would be known as the target audience. As I am putting together my portfolio project, I also have a target audience in mind. With my short film I am targeting all genders, ages 16-30. Now, while this age range may seem a little vague, there is a purpose behind it.

I chose this age range because this is the period in life during which people are most actively dating. My short film tells the story of two people who have just been dumped by their partners, so I want my audience to be able to relate to the characters and the story. I went up to the age of 30 primarily because the median age people get married is around 27-29, so I felt that, by 30, the majority of people will have stopped dating and settled down. People within this age range has most likely experiment heartbreak at some point in their lives, this means that they will be able to have a greater connection with my short film. I also want my short to go beyond just getting over a breakup. I want it represent any obstacle in life and show how that, even when you feel like you've hit rock bottom, things can only get better. As much as life might not being going your way a one point or another, there is always hope that you can overcome any situation.

I also don't want to isolate one gender over another. By incorporating both a male and a female character into my short, I feel like I will be able to address both perspectives and show that these experiences are universal. Typically within the media women are portrayed as the weaker sex, in that they are the more emotional ones. I want to show that your gender does not define your personality and that everyone is unique. I hope that with my short I can help break the stigma surrounding men who express their emotions and show that having feelings doesn't make anyone "less of a man".



Sources: https://www.census.gov/hhes/families/files/graphics/MS-2.pdf, http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21652323-blue-collar-men-rich-countries-are-trouble-they-must-learn-adapt-weaker-sex

An Interview with Heartbreak

As someone who has never gone through a series breakup, creating a short about a breakup is a bit of a daunting task. So to get a better idea of how a breakup would go and the aftermath of it I interviewed one of my friends who went through a bad breakup last year.

This is the story as told to be my friend Kristin. Last year Kristin broke up with her longtime girlfriend after she moved away. She told me her story starting with the decline of her previous relationship up until present day, where she is in a new relationship and is happily in love. Kristin described the feeling of being so lost after the breakup and the different ways in which she coped with the sadness associated with it. She told me of her main source of relief, music. She wrote songs upon songs as a way to get her emotions out and into the open; she used music as a release for all the conflicting emotions she felt inside. This revelation helped me realize that any creative outlet, like music, art, and writing could be useful in expressing yourself, especially when it comes to a breakup. Kristin also told me about her jam-packed work schedule following the separation. As another method to distract herself she threw herself into her work. She said that keeping busy with work was the perfect way to focus on something else besides the sadness she felt. She wanted to feel better and stop feeling sad, so instead of getting stuck in her own head, she picked herself up and tried to move on with her life. When it finally came to getting out of her post-breakup slump, she told me something extremely interesting that was a bit shocking, she looked for a rebound. I was expecting her to say that she realized she didn't need a relationship to be happy (which she later clarified that she doesn't) but ultimately she said while her intentions were never to find anything serious, she ended up falling in love. She also told me about her continuing friendship with her ex. Although Kristin is no longer in love with her ex, she didn't want to end things on bad terms. Kristin is someone who sees value in each and every relationship she is apart of, whether they end badly or not, because she feels that they were each an important part of her life at one point or another.

This interview with Kristin  really opened up my eyes to the complexity of breakups and how to get over them. While "rebounds" are usually connected with a negative connotation, they can end up being something really important and not as sleazy as it first appears to be. After hearing what Kristin had to say, I now have a much clearer view on how I want to portray the characters in my short film and how they each represent certain coping methods that are unique to them.

My female character will represent a more introverted approach to a breakup. As inspirited by situations like Kristin's, she writes as a way of expressing her feelings, and after she is dumped by her boyfriends her writing takes on new meaning.

My male character takes a more active approach at dealing with his breakup. He begins in a state in denial and then traditions into distracting himself, and it that way he is similar to Kristin and the way she handled her breakup. He begins to work any times he can and exercising in any free time he has as a way to get out and forget about his anger and sadness about the situation.

I want these two characters to contrast each other, but to still be connected by their experience and the  similar ways they deal with the end of a relationship.

The Parallel Narrative

For my short film I have chosen to pursue a parallel narrative. The most basic structure of a parallel narrative is that they usually involve multiple protagonists. Sometimes the characters know each other and are connected in that way or they can also be strangers but still connect in a way other then direct contact.

Parallel narratives that do not feature time jumps can be further broken down into three categories: the tandem narrative, the multiple protagonist narrative, and the double-journey narrative.

1. The tandem narrative follows two characters with equally-weighted stories that run simultaneously.  The stories are often held together but a overlying plot that somehow connects the two. ex. City of Hope and Traffic

2. The multiple protagonist narrative often features the perspectives of a group of people working together in situations like a mission or a reunion. The story is not about a singular journey, but a collective one. ex. Little Miss Sunshine and Saving Private Ryan

3. The double journey narrative follows two protagonists that are either working towards a common goal or an opposite goal. Each character is often shown alone or interacting with other characters that are specific to their lives. Each character has their own plot line but also one that is shared between them. ex. Finding Nemo and Brokeback Mountain

In terms of my short film I plan to create a combination of the tandem narrative and the double journey narrative. In my story both characters are facing a similar problem, but they will each have their own unique way of overcoming the obstacle. They will both also be featured equally in the final product. I feel like it is going to be a very interesting way to present an otherwise simplistic plot.

Sources: http://www.lindaaronson.com/parallel-narrative.html, http://www.lindaaronson.com/six-types-of-parallel-narrative.html, https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jul/02/philip-hensher-top-10-parallel-narratives-mrs-gaskell-david-mitchell, https://www.studyblue.com/notes/note/n/parallel-narrative-films/deck/2725112

I Feel Inspired

When developing the plot for my short film I felt a strong gravitation towards the idea of parallelism. I have always loved stories in which two seemingly unconnected characters come together in an unexpected way, but throughout the story there is also many similarities and parallels between the two. The idea for creating a short film involving parallelism was sparked by a couple different sources that I have encountered in my life, including 1Q84, Brokeback Mountain, and Your Name.

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami -  This book tells the story of two characters, Aomame and Tengo. The story begins with Aomame who, after an encounter with a strange taxi driver, begins to see discrepancies in her reality. Each chapter alternates point of view so in the second chapter we are introduced to Tengo, a part time math teacher and part time struggling novelists. Now, while these two characters seem to have no correlation in any aspect of their lives Murakami does an excellent job of slowly weaving the two narratives together. In much of the book Aomame and Tengo do not interact, they live their own separate lives and deal with their own unique problems. I took inspiration in this story specifically from the subtle ways the stories intertwine and the parallels drawn between the two characters. Unlike with this book, I don't plan on having the characters in my short film ever meet face-to-face.







Brokeback Mountain (2005) - To be honest, this film isn't the greatest film ever made, in fact it isn't even close, but what it does an excellent job at is its parallel narrative. This film tells the story of two men, Ennis and Jack, who begin to form a close relationship after both working on a job herding cattle. The film follows each of their perspectives and shows their lives apart from each other as well as when they are spending time together. The both experience similar experiences in their personal lives and go through similar hardships that both bring them together and drive them apart. I loved how this film portrayed two people who were going through the same situation and the different ways they approached the conflict. In my short film I want to be able to show a similar situation in which two character are going through the same issues, but handle them in unique ways that represent themselves as a character.






Your Name (2016) - This Japanese animated film does a spectacular way of intertwining the lives of two protagonists. This film follows Taki and Mitsuha, two high school students who live very normal, average lives. Taki and Mitsuha live contrasting lives in that Taki is a city boy living in the heart of Tokyo, and Mitusha lives in a more traditional setting in the countryside. Their lives connect one day when the suddenly wake up in each others bodies. In order to try and understand this strange occurrence they begin to leave each other notes and soon for a close friendship. They stories begin to grow closer as they attempt to meet up, but a dazzling comet alters their lives in a surprising and mysterious way. What first appear to be two completely contrasting characters are brought together by a common event and are shown to be more similar then they thought. What I loved about the portrayal of this story was the contrast between the characters and how, in an everyday situation they would have never met or became friends, but through their shared experiences were able to find a common ground.


Sources : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10357575-1q84, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brokeback_Mountain, www.imdb.com/title/tt0388795, https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/your_name_2016, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Your_Name

Genre Research

Drama Film Genre

Conventions
- Portrays real-life situation and realistic characters
- Shows character development
- Story revolves around a conflict (internal or external)
- Ends with a resolution
- Portray heightened emotions
- An emotional journey

Examples
Gone with the Wind (1939) - This classic tale tells the story of a young woman's journey through a whirlwind relationship during the American Civil War. This film follows conventions in its portrayal of heightened emotions and in its depiction of an emotional journey. Now, while some may think it features an unrealistic characters and plot, it is pretty accurate when the time it was released is taken into account. The reality of the 1930s and American Civil War are two concepts that modern audiences may not be very familiar with. This film is not only a classic and a must-watch, but it is an excellent representation of the drama genre.






Dead Poets Society (1989) - This moving piece follows a teacher who has a unique and inspiring impact on his students especially in regard to their views on poetry and the powerful meaning and beauty behind the words. The character development is most prominent in this film especially in regard to the students. Throughout the film the audience is shown the various ways that they have been influenced by their teacher and all the things they have learned. There is also a strong presence of heightened emotions and the emotional journey. All of these elements come together to create a masterpiece of drama film and film in general.







Whiplash (2014) - This film is nothing short of heart pounding its it portrayal of a young drummers journey surviving in an extremely competitive environment at a prestigious music conservatory all while dealing with a brilliant but harsh instructor. This film also hits all the points when referring back to drama conventions from internal and external conflicts to almost emotionally abusive journey. It is a gripping piece that evokes sympathy and anger, and is also a wonderful depiction of a cut-throat industry.






When creating my own short film I will definitely make use of these conventions as a way to tell my story and make sure I utilize my choice of genre to its fullest potential. These films will be excellent references in regard to the genre and how to both implement and challenge these conventions.

Short Film Study

Definition of a Short Film
Short films are defined simply by their length. The length varies from 5-35 minutes, but anything exceeding 35 minutes is considered to be feature-length.

Short Film Conventions
- Tend to only contain 2-3 main characters
- Usually contain some type of "plot twist"
- Due to a characteristically low budget, cast and locations are limited
- The story usually involves everyday situations and events
- Don't always rely on dialogue


Examples
Paperman (2012) - After seeing a beautiful girl on the train a man uses paper airplanes to try and get her attention after spotting her in the window of a nearby building. This short is around 6 minutes and length and follows two main characters. The "twist" occurs when the protagonist sees his dream girl after losing her on the train. There is also very little/no dialogue and the story is driven through music and movement.
Link - www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QAI4B_2Mfc











Uncanny Valley (2015) - In the slums of the future, virtual reality junkies satisfy their violent impulses in online entertainment. An expert player discovers that the line between games and reality is starting to fade away. This short is around 8 minutes long and follows one main character, but it also feature other players. The "twist" featured in this short occurs when the protagonist discovers that the virtual reality he plays in isn't as imaginary as he seems. This short is heavily driven by dialogue that is either in the form of a voiceover or from an indirect interview. It also takes the idea or virtual reality, which is currently growing in popularity, and shows what it could eventually lead to in a dystopian future.
Link - https://vimeo.com/147365861


World of Tomorrow (2015) - On the longer end of spectrum this short runs for about 17 minutes and it is  an animated piece about a young girl who is shown the content of her future. This story follows convention as it focuses on two main characters (the main character of the present and of the future, who also happens to be a clone). The "twist" occurs as the main character, Emily, is shown what her future looks like by her future self. This short is also very dependent upon dialogue as it is used, along with the visuals, to progress the story.
Link - https://vimeo.com/ondemand/worldoftomorrow


Code 8 (2016) - This short is 10 minutes in length and it was created as a sort of storyboard for a feature length film, but the short stands on its own in terms of story and plot. The story takes place in an alternate world where 4% of the population possess special powers. Contrary to popular dystopian pieces, these 4% are on the bottom of society and most live below the poverty line. This short follows two in particular who run into a conflict with the police after committing a petty crime. This story follows the typical conventions in that it only contains around 2-3 main characters and adds a "twist" to the everyday situation of people living in poverty trying to get work and support themselves.
Link - www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqO90q0WZ0M









Why a short film?
When deciding what to do with this portfolio project, there was little question as to what I should do. I wanted to create a complete piece that had a beginning, middle, and end. I wanted to have the opportunity to create a piece in its entirety in order to work on my ability to convey my story. This is the first time I have ever worked on a short film before and, while it may be intimidating, I'm excited to share my story with the world.