Project 3: Final (proposal)

Here is the script for my final video project...
Currently in production and Untitled...

               TITLE

               EXT. ROAD - LATE AFTERNOON

               A quiet road in a remote area.

               A car broken down by the side of the road with the hood open.

               MICHAEL looks under the hood. He cannot fix the car.

               He tries to make a call on his cell phone, but there is no
               signal.

                                   MICHAEL
                         Shit.

               Michael looks back, then up the road where he sees a sign
               covered with bushes, by the turn to an unmarked road.

               He closes the hood and takes his backpack out of the car.

                                   MICHAEL (CONT'D)
                             (V.O.)
                         I was in the middle of nowhere. I
                         passed the last service station
                         nearly an hour ago. It had to be at
                         least 20 miles. It was already
                         getting cold.

               He locks up his car and zips up his jacket, then proceeds to
               walk up road.

               At the sign, Michael stops and moves the bushes aside.

               The sign says "Bed and Breakfast 1 mile". An arrow points up
               the unmarked road.

                                   MICHAEL (CONT'D)
                             (V.O.)
                         Maybe there's a phone I could use.

               Michael proceeds to walk up the unmarked road.

               EXT. PATH - DUSK

               The path leads to a set of brick steps going up to an opening
               in the trees.

               Michael heads up the steps, tired and out of breath.

                                   MICHAEL
                         I shouldn't have stopped going to
                         the gym.

               EXT. HOUSE - DUSK

               Michael approaches the house.

               He KNOCKS on the DOOR.

               A porch light turns on.

               A VOICE from behind the door..

                                   VOICE
                         Who's there? Who is it?

                                   MICHAEL
                         There was a sign, said 'bed and
                         breakfast'...

                                   VOICE
                         No bed and breakfast here! I have a
                         gun!

                                   MICHAEL
                         I just need to use a phone. My car
                         broke down. Please, I just need a
                         phone.

               The curtain moves in a window by the door.

               An OLD LADY opens the door.

                                   OLD LADY
                         That sign should have been taken
                         down years ago!

                                   MICHAEL
                         I'm sorry, I, I just need to make a
                         phone call.

                                   OLD LADY
                         Well, the phone doesn't work. It's
                         been broken since yesterday and I
                         have to go to town tomorrow to call
                         the phone company to come out here.

                                   MICHAEL
                         I'm sorry to bother you. Is there
                         somewhere around here I can go?

                                   OLD LADY
                         There's a phone in town, 20 miles
                         down the road. I'm going down
                         tomorrow to call the phone company.

                                   MICHAEL
                         I'm so sorry, I'm just- I'm stuck
                         out here- Is there any way you can
                         help me?

               The Old Lady looks Michael up and down, somewhat suspicious.

                                   MICHAEL (CONT'D)
                         Please.

                                   OLD LADY
                         Well, I don't drive at night. You'd
                         have to stay in a guest room 'til
                         morning.

                                   MICHAEL
                             (nods)
                         Okay...

                                   OLD LADY
                         Come inside, young man. You'll get
                         the death if you stay out there.

                                   MICHAEL
                         Oh thank you! Thank you so much!

               The Old Lady lets Michael inside.

               INT. HOUSE - NIGHT

               The Old Lady walks away with her walker, through the house.

               Michael closes the door behind him and follows her.

                                   OLD LADY
                         We closed down over 10 years ago.
                         We haven't had anyone since all
                         that dot com business, and the
                         taxes- we just couldn't keep up.

                                   MICHAEL
                         We?

                                   OLD LADY
                         It's just me now, you see. My late
                         husband ran the business...

                                   MICHAEL
                         Oh. I'm sorry.

               The Old Lady stops at the door to a hallway.

                                   OLD LADY
                         You can stay in the room there, on
                         the left. Forgive the mess, it
                         hasn't been kept since we shut
                         down.

                                   MICHAEL
                         Thank you so much, ma'am. Is there
                         anything I can offer you- for your
                         hospitality?

               Michael pulls out his wallet and offers cash.

                                   OLD LADY
                         My husband ran the business. He's
                         gone now. I don't want your money!

                                   MICHAEL
                         Oh. I'm sorry.

                                   OLD LADY
                         You can sleep here tonight.
                         Tomorrow I'll drive you into town.

                                   MICHAEL
                         Thank you, I, thank you so much...

                                   OLD LADY
                         Just keep to yourself. There's a
                         bathroom right there, but that's
                         it.

               Michael looks down the hall.

                                   OLD LADY (CONT'D)
                         You keep out of the room down the
                         hall. We don't go in there.

                                   MICHAEL
                         Oh, I wouldn't--

                                   OLD LADY
                         It's off limits, you hear? So just
                         stay out!

               Michael looks again down the hall. When he looks back to the
               Old Lady, she is already walking away, through the living
               room where they came from.

               INT. GUEST ROOM - NIGHT

               Michael sits up in the bed, looks around. It is quiet and
               there is no TV. He checks his phone.

               The phone has no signal. Michael puts on his headphones.

               He turns on the iPod and listens to music as he plays a game
               on the device.

               Michael starts to fall asleep and puts down the iPod.

               The iPod battery is low and shuts off.

               INT. GUEST ROOM - NIGHT

               The room is dark and quiet.

               KNOCKING from the hall.

               Michael wakes up and turns on the light.

               More KNOCKING from the hall.

               Michael gets up and opens the door.

               No one is there.

               INT. HALL - NIGHT

               Michael enters the hall and turns on the hall light.

               More KNOCKING from down the hall.

               Michael looks at the closed door at the end of the hall.

               He hears a WHISPERING VOICE from the room at the end of the
               hall.

                                   WHISPERING VOICE
                         Go home... Leave here... You are
                         not welcome here...

               Michael goes to the closed door at the end of the hall.

                                   MICHAEL
                         Hello?

               No answer.

               Michael KNOCKS on the door.

                                   MICHAEL (CONT'D)
                         Is somebody in there?

               No answer.

                                   MICHAEL (CONT'D)
                         I'm sorry to bother you, I, I heard
                         something, is everything okay?

               Loud BANGING from behind the door.

               Michael backs away from the door.

                                   WHISPERING VOICE
                         You are not welcome here! Go away!

               Michael freezes, in shock.

                                   MICHAEL
                         I'm sorry. The lady- of the house
                         let me in. Who's there?

               The door suddenly swings open with a BANG.

               INT. FORBIDDEN ROOM - NIGHT

               The room is dark, and empty.

               INT. HALL - NIGHT

               Michael stands in the hall, stunned and frozen.

               INT. FORBIDDEN ROOM - NIGHT

               A GHOSTLY FIGURE walks into the doorway and stops, looking at
               Michael.

                                   GHOSTLY FIGURE
                             (whispering voice)
                         You are not welcome here...

               INT. HALL - NIGHT

               Michael rushes back to his room.

               INT. GUEST ROOM - NIGHT

               Michael grabs his backpack and runs out.

               INT. HOUSE - NIGHT

               Michael comes out of the hallway and stops.

               The Old Lady stands in the room in front of Michael.

                                   OLD LADY
                         I told you to stay out of there!

               The Old Lady fades away, becoming invisible.

               Michael, still stunned, stands in the doorway to the hall.

                                   MICHAEL
                         I gotta get out of here...

               Michael rushes through the house.

               In a mirror by the entry hall, Michael sees his reflection
               and the Old Lady approaching from behind.

               Michael freezes.

               The Old Lady reaches out to Michael from behind.

               Michael quickly turns around.

               No one is behind him. He turns and rushes toward the entry
               hall.

               EXT. HOUSE - NIGHT

               Michael runs outside into the dark night.

               The porch light on the house turns off.

                                   MICHAEL
                         Damn. What now?

               THE END

               CREDITS

Project 2: Place ("what place?")

My "place" video examines the juxtaposition between two places, the natural and the man-made.

As I make my way through a forrest trail, I reminisce about my experience traveling on foot in the city. The sights and sounds are different in each experience, but my perception of scale and movement are similar. The forrest trail is partially man-made and the city is almost entirely man-made. What's the difference? As I look up to the trees or look up to the high rise buildings, I feel small, insignificant and helpless.

The experiences blend together in a rhythmic comparison of the two very different places. I imagine that the two places are one, differing only in my perspective and understanding of the sights experienced along the way. I think about how they were both built, one by nature, the other by man. The time scale of the construction of both places is beyond my experience. I can see changes in each environment over time, but they both exist in perpetuity compared with my relatively short life span. Everything moves and changes around me, while I only exist within each as a small element of the environment in which I am only a tiny insignificant part.

In both cases I am a mere observer, unable to influence, change, or affect the environment in any significant way. Even so, the city represents the ways that people can completely alter the world around us, given enough time, commitment, cooperation, and determination. The forrest represents the ways that nature does the same, though on a much grander scale.

While people can shape the environment around us to fulfill our needs and desires, nature can ultimately take back, or reclaim the places we have borrowed. I am a part of this process in both cases- As a human I can build and influence the environment in small, cumulative ways, yet I am also a part of nature. In that sense, everything we see is the same place- a slice of the existence we all experience here on Earth.

Thoughts on Narative-- an experimental viewing experience....

I was thinking about the storytelling process and the roll of the editor in a traditional linear single channel film or video. The editing leads the viewer through the story. The editor decides what the viewer will see. Consider a scene in which two characters are having a conversation: We could see person A, person B, or both in the same frame. The editor can emphasize elements of the conversation by focussing on one person or the other. Do we focus on the person who is speaking? Do we focus on the reactions of the person who is listening? When do we show the reaction? When do we show the speaker? When do we show both characters in the same frame? It depends on what the editor chooses to emphasize. A particular reaction to the speaker's words? A close up? Or a wide shot in which the viewer can see both?

I was thinking about the possibility of handing the editing roll to the viewer, involving the viewer in the experience in a more immersive way....

What if the viewers (audience) were in the middle, deciding for themselves who to watch? How would I give the editing process over to the viewers, allowing a participatory roll in the video experience, rather than a passive roll?....

A dual channel video production...  Two screens, on opposite walls, the viewers (audience) in the middle....

On each screen, the characters would have their conversation, uncut, displayed simultaneously. The viewers, positioned in between the two screens would then decide who they should look at. In this case, the viewer 'becomes' the 'editor'.

I would place the screens on opposite walls, with the audience in between. Sitting in between the two screens, the viewer would only be able to see one character at a time, but would have an active choice as to which character to look at.

In this way, the audience becomes part of the editing process. Each viewer would have to decide for themselves when to 'cut' (by turning to look at the opposite wall).

Project 1: Time (proposal)

Here's what I have so far for the 'time' project...

I'm working on some time lapse footage, shooting with my Canon Powershot SD750. The resolution is set at 640x480. Frame rates are either 1 frame every 1 second, or 1 frame every 2 seconds.

I will also use my Canon HV30 high definition camcorder for some shots. I'll set the camcorder to standard DV 640x480, 30 frames per second.

The footage will be combined in Final Cut Pro. Shots with a green screen background will be superimposed on various shots from the time lapse footage and the standard footage.

The sound will be voiceover (and music), and some sound effects recorded separately.

Titles on a black frame will separate each sequence.

“TIME”

Script:

-(voice over)- 

Time passes slowly.

As I wait.

I count the seconds.

Time to get going.

Time speeds by.

It’s moving so fast.

Trying to keep up.

Stuck. Move on.

Time just gets away.

The secret of youth.

Forgotten.

Time is illusion.

Shot List:

Title - “Waiting”

Me staring into space, waiting.

Close of my fingers, thumping...

Close up of clock, ticking. Tic, tic...

Me staring into space, waiting.

Title - “Morning”

Close up of alarm going off.

Close up of me waking up.

Close up of putting on a shoe.

Me looking up, look toward the clock.

-(time lapse)- Medium shot, the clock moving fast.

Close up of putting on the other shoe, starting to tie it.

-(green screen)- Wide shot of me leaning out of the bottom of the frame to tie my shoe. My face is in the bottom of frame as I tie my shoe. 

-(background shots)- The wall behind me. -(dissolve to)...

-(background shots)- (time lapse)- Close up the clock, moving fast.

Title - “Going”

-(time lapse)- Extreme close up of the hands of the clock moving fast.

-(green screen)- (HANDHELD SHOT.) Wide shot of me looking up, face still at the bottom of frame. As I look around, I seem bewildered by what is going on around me as time speeds by in the background.

-(background shots)- (time lapse)- The view behind me as I get up, move through the hall and out the  front door, to the car, getting in the car...

-(time lapse)- (POV SHOT)- Time speeds by as we drive away.

-(green screen)- (HANDHELD SHOT.) Wide shot of me looking forward, face still at the bottom of frame. As I look around, driving the car, I am intently focussed and scared as time speeds by in the background.

-(background shots)- (time lapse)- View looking out the back of the car as I drive down the road.

Title - “Secret”

-(time lapse)- (POV SHOT)- Time speeds by as people move around the scene.

-(green screen)- Close up of me as I sit, stunned and slow.

-(background shots)- (time lapse)- View from the other direction as people move around in the background.

-(time lapse)- (POV SHOT)- Time speeds by as people move around the scene.

-(green screen)- Close up of me as I sit, girl approaches from behind and whispers something in my ear.

-(background shots)- The background freezes.

-(green screen)- Girl smiles as I open my eyes, aware.

Smooth Transitions (editing tips 2)

When editing multiple shots into a sequence, a smooth transition from one shot to the next will create a seamless edit, leading the viewer through the idea without drawing attention to the editing. Sometimes the effect of an abrupt, unsettling, or jarring experience may be desired, however, such edits will be more effective if well placed in a sequence of shots tied together with smooth transitions.

A smooth transition can make a cut from one shot to the next practically invisible. Our brains have a tendency to draw relationships between adjacent images, allowing two separate pictures that tie together in a logical (or illogical) way to appear as part of the same image, or part of a whole. The brain wants to put everything we see into a tidy package. If we see a man walking down the street, then a close up of his face as he walks down the street, we perceive two parts of a complete picture, assembling them into one image in our minds. Our focus is drawn to the action, while the differences between the two shots fade into the background of our perception. We simply see the man walking down the street. If the action and direction of the man walking matches from one shot to the next we won't notice the cut.

Our persistence of vision will enable the editor to guide us through the idea, captivated by whatever concept, mood, thoughts, or understanding the editor decides to convey.

A woman reaches for a mug of coffee as the sun rises in a window behind her. Close up of the coffee mug as it is lifted from the table, backlit by the rising sunlight. Close up of her mouth as she sips the coffee, then lowers the mug. Close up as the coffee mug moves down, landing on the table. Wide shot of the woman letting go of the coffee mug and turning to look out the window. A shot of the view through the window, someone walks down the street two stories below. Close ups of the actions happening on the street, etc..

Movement from one shot to the next will tie the shots together. If the subject looks down in one shot, then in the next shot the camera is moving down toward the subject's point of view, the shots will blend together. The timing of the cuts will affect the flow of the action. Matching the action in one shot with the next will preserve the persistence of vision.

What is time made of?

I've been thinking about how time seems to move faster as we get older. There seems to be a connection between our sense of mortality and the passage of time.

Einstein showed us how time would vary relative to mass and velocity. What if it goes deeper than that, fluctuating on a molecular level? Our current understanding of time would seem to be naive, awaiting all kinds of new discoveries.

We are starting to understand that time as we know it (simplified to the microcosm of our existence), is an interpretation of the reality of time, which is actually part of the fabric of the Universe. In a way, time is a substance, immeasurable by our current understanding, yet woven into our existence with connections we have yet to discover.

Could it be that time is a flexible membrane which varies depending upon our perspective? What if the neurons in our brains have some influence on the nature of time?

Potential Project - Time Lapse

Using my Canon PowerShot SD750 (a simple point and shoot digital camera), I discovered a "time lapse" feature. I can set the camera to record one frame every 1 or 2 seconds. VERY COOL. So now I'm experimenting with this feature. At one frame every 2 seconds, the resulting video will play a minute of real time in one second. If I record for an hour, playback will be one minute. I'm thinking of things that would be interesting at this time rate...

Three minute movie- (three hours of footage)

A clock?  No, too slow.
Flower blooming- still too slow.
Sun setting? Too slow unless other stuff is happening in the picture.
Traffic- Good.
Crowds of People? Also good.
People in general- should be good.

The trick would be to write a storyboard using several time lapse ideas and combining them in a meaningful way.