The Story
- Katherine Robinson
- Nov 29, 2018
- 3 min read
I have spent the majority of my time exploring how I want my film to look and in turn I have put the story side of it on the back burner. Now that I have a better feel of the aesthetic I want to start looking at the actual narrative; what exactly is going to happen and when. I'm very interested in the use of montage for story-telling and it's something I'm going to look at and consider for my animation.
MONTAGE: a technique in film editing in which a series of short shots are edited into a sequence to condense space, time and information.
Turning Clips Into A Narrative:
I have lots of shots and ideas in my head which I need to get down on paper. I need to choose my favourites/strongest shots to storyboard and eventually make into animatics.
Once I've created the animatics I want to experiment and play around with their sequence to see if I can get some sort of narrative out of them.
I know that I want long lingering shots of the setting but they can be used as fillers or pathetic fallacy, for example, if they've fallen out the shot of the setting is in winter/the dark?
Music/Composition:
The music for my film needs to be strong. I like the thought of simple piano which a recognisable tune throughout.
A Sequence Of Short Clips:
I really like the way that montages in films tell a story in a very short space of time. This is something I want for my own film, especially ass I'm interested in showing the seasons, it will need to be a time lapse.
I need to convey a lot of information about my characters and the setting in under 5 minutes (or less) so a montage is ideal.
I don't know if I will have a strong narrative for my film - the montage may just be showing a portion of their lives or routine.
At the same time, conflict always pushes a narrative, but I don't want it to be anything too deep or dramatic.
Disney/Pixar's Up:
The 4 1/2 minute montage of Ellie and Carl's relationship is a perfect example of story telling. There is no speaking, it's all music and the visuals are all that is needed to convey the information.
They show the conflicts, tensions and resolutions really well and clearly. I want the story to be simply told like this, however, I don't want it to be as emotional - my film is a happy one.
I have had three shots in my head and I know for definite that I want them in my film.
1. MAKING TEA
- This shot is inspired by Vera Babida's 'There Again'. Possibly my opening scene, introduces them both as characters and establishes setting well.
Inside the house, it's morning, kettle is boiling, shows process of making tea, seemingly normal scene, shots are very close - not giving much away. Shot then shows cup in hands and steam rising. Shot suddenly cuts to wide angle and shows that she is levitating = out of the ordinary. The familiar is presented as a cat which keeps the surprise.
2. SOUP:
- This is a way to show their relationship, shows humour and mischief, they play pranks on each other.
Inside the house again, she has her back to the camera and is chopping/preparing veg. Cat walks by and winds round her legs - is it irritating her? At some point becomes a frog and eats all of the ingredients so she turns heat up as a joke? Frog Soup! Not malicious.
3. THE FAMILIAR
- Is this is the first time you see the familiar transform? Not just a witch and her cat.
Witch and familiar are walking in the forest, the familiar is in cat form, walks behind a large tree and is a fox on the other side - showing that they are super natural.
Other Animated Sequences To Consider:
Witch and familiar floating in pond.
Clouds moving across the moon.
Witch and familiar in bed, dust particles.
Snow falling outside window.
Sunset to night (forest scenery).
Witch helps seedling to flourish.
Witch and familiar sitting at water's edge - lights.
Greenery appears when she walks.
Her house in different seasons/times of day.
Fire flies in jars.
Spells, potions and recipes in her journals.
Witch reads book while lying on deer familiar.
Questions To Ask Myself:
Is the familiar a physical embodiment of the forest?
Does their relationship mirror the forest? For example, when they argue is the weather bad? Do things stop growing? Pathetic fallacy etc.
What will the conflict be? Will it be a prank gone wrong or will there be any conflict at all?
Will the communication between them reflect the 'health' of the forest?
Is there a subliminal message/commentary on how we should look after nature and animals more? The world is our responsibility.
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