Joel's AICE Media Studies Portfolio: Conveying Loneliness

As I was starting to plan the story board, I realized my story line was unclear and did not accurately convey a sense of loneliness or disconnection. Also, my film was more montage like by cutting from the inside of an airport shot to a shot of a car. I conducted more research in order to gain more knowledge on how to convey loneliness/ disconnection in film. Although this may extend the intended planning time of the opening, it is necessary for me to clearly understand how to depict these themes of the opening as it is

Extreme Wide Shot

By shrinking the subject or actor in a film, their surroundings envelop them and create a sense of isolation/ overwhelmingness. Edward Hopper used various examples of these to develop the theme of isolation throughout many of his paintings.

Other ways wide shots can be utilized is by having objects separating the camera and the subject to depict disconnection or further develop the sense of overwhelmingness. For example, the film, "In the Mood for Love" uses a "frame" in the camera shot to make the audience feel as if they are observing the subject. This can be used to make audience to perceive the subject as alone or portray their emotions. In my opening, I might integrate a "frame inside of a frame" shot of the actor looking inside of his room. This will represent the overwhelmingness of the mood and the multitude of emotions he has suppressed inside of him.

Close ups

By using a close up of the subject/actor's face, the audience can look into the characters mind and understand their emotions. The movie "Her" uses a variety of close up shots of Theodore to represent the protagonists emotions as he searches for a love in his life.

Upon entering the room, I will use a close up of the protagonist as he looks upon his new bedroom. This will further develop the sad emotions he keeps hidden from the world around him.

Conclusions:

After conducting my research, it is clear that my plot needs more revisions to introduce the sadness of the character in the opening. Through the use of wide shots or close ups, I need to plan out the plot better and think about the shot order to make the opening not seem like a montage. I may also need to use a blue lightning or filter to further develop the tone.