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| storyboards from last year |
As I delved deeper into the making of my project, I came to the realization that my idea was not so original as I had once thought it to be. What is most peculiar, however, was that the idea from which I borrowed was... also mine. At the beginning of the year, we were instructed to create a series of storyboard slides, an activity so we could become acquainted with the widely used technique. There was no story needed; the only requirement dictated that the sequence of 15 drawings had to have a beginning, middle, and end. From that exercise, I came up with a few sketches: a crazy scientist, a few potions brewing atop Bunsen burners... nothing worth spending too much time thinking about - or so I thought. Apparently, the brain really does work subconsciously: I have been thinking about this project since then! Still, since no real narrative was developed at that time, I must use these old storyboards merely as an inspiration as I work on more precise ones. But first, I have to decide on which shots I wish to use to convey the tone of the opening, and, for that, I'm creating a shot list:
As for the setting, I am limited to the confines of my home, and so I must adapt. I would like to have the scientist framed against the window, so that there is always someone watching her - or that is how she feels. Though my original storyboards from September also featured a mad doctor beside a large window, my intent then was only for the drama of it all. I might play around by gluing drawings and schemes against the glass, partially blocking the character from the world as she closes in on herself. And to further accentuate the mood, I will film at night, when the lighting can be manipulated to my liking.
As I'm sure you have noticed from the images above and beside, the table is made of glass - not ideal for the laboratory setting, but it is what is available to me. Yet another complication is the fact that it is a large dinner table, not a desk as I had originally envisioned. That said, I am hoping that by capturing shots from a high angle similar to the one on the right, the issue may be overlooked. With respect to lighting, a darker color scheme and dimmer lights go best with the story.
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| the shot list. A bit vague as of now, but I need to get a better feel to understand if the fragments work together in a montage-like fashion, all the while showing the character |
You may have noticed, in the above picture, that I already have a choice for the soundtrack. Chopin's "Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2" has probably been overused to the point that including it almost feels cliche. Still, the melody and descent nearing the end of the piece evoke the exact feeling I aim to include in the opening. That, and this video (though more of a comedic and particularly accurate take on the song) inspired me to include it in the first two minutes of the project. Additionally, the classical music adds a certain melodrama to the movie, not uncommon in the genre I am going for. Please note that this may change - nothing is concrete as of now. Nonetheless, is good to know that there is at least one song in the public domain that fits what I have in mind. To give myself a challenge (that will probably fail), I will attempt to either accelerate or cut the song so that it fits within the time-frame (a faster tempo would go in compliance with the tone as well).
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| the table beside the window |
There are many more decisions to make, and many more experiments to help me decide what the next step should be - or if I should go back and change something. We'll see how it goes.
SOURCES:
Nocturne op.9 no. 2: Chopin’s most famous piece. (2020, April 17). PianoTV.Net. https://www.pianotv.net/2016/09/nocturne-op-9-no-2-chopins-famous-piece/
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