First Production Check

The theme I am most interested in exploring is the theme of The Human Experience, as I mentioned in my last post. To reiterate my interest in this theme, I like the idea of celebrating the diversity of the human experience while still linking aspects of it. Some of the commonality that links the human experience are the "big things": death, life, self-knowledge, decisions, vanity, etc. Commonly in film, the theme of the human experience is most blatantly explored through documentaries such as Human (2015). Human is a documentary that follows individuals from allow over the globe and manages to simultaneously point out their differences but still create a sense of common humanity. 

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While it may be easy for documentaries to focus on the theme of the human experience, feature films can also explore this theme. A prime example of a movie capturing the theme of the human experience can be seen in Boyhood (2014) which follows a boy from the time he is young until he goes off to college. An interesting element to this film is the element of continuity which can be seen through the continued use of each of the actors, as they filmed it over a series of twelve years, actually watching the main character grow up.

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For my own film, I want to focus on the concept of the human experience. For this production, I will assume the role of the cinematographer. As the director of photography, I will make all the decisions concerning the aesthetic and technicalities of the image. I feel as though the role of cinematographer aligns closely with the element of film that I want to focus on which is color. I am interested in films that create a color scheme or even appear tinted, whether by an off white-balance, effect in post production or lighting effects. 

As far as plot goes, I am interested in depicting the story of a young adult who is making decisions about his/her future. The main source of conflict will be the character's indecision and their inner turmoil about choosing a projected path. The character will be around 18 and will be debating the idea of furthering her education or taking her own path. 

Another idea I have would be to follow two separate individuals as they follow the death of a mutual loved one. It might be a friend or a relative, but it would be someone that they both lost. I would capture different ways of dealing with grief. 

For both of these ideas, I would compose strong color schemes that demonstrate both of the themes. I feel like one of my strengths is composing a visually unified but striking image, which is best done through the role of cinematography. I feel like one of my weaker areas is writing because most of what I want to convey often goes unsaid. However, I want to work on my script writing to create more natural dialogue. Another weakness of mine is editor because I do not feel super comfortable or familiar with the process of post production. Therefore, if as the cinematographer, I can create the look I want initially, I can forgo any major editing. My fascination with color includes manipulating the setting, costume, casting, and lighting. This will require me to take on some of the duties as director in addition to cinematographer but will hopefully produce the look I ultimately choose to portray.