Brief: To make a short film
This is a group project, and in the beginning we started brainstorming and pitching ideas on topics we'd want work on as a group for the short film. We decided to make a film about a group of people expressing their views on the selfie revolution. They talk about its problems and give their solutions. The film is shown in a very exaggerated and a quirky manner, just to emphasise on the aspect of self obsession. Pictures, videos and stop motion animation have been combined to make this film interesting.
My role in this project was script writing, choosing music and sound effects and editing the film.
Script and Story Board
V.O: You know what the problem is?
Description: Black screen with the above words written in white posing a question to the audience.
V.O: We live in a society with highly, self-obsessed, ignorant, careless, self-conscious, stupid, narcissistic people. Let me be more simple and precise. We take too many selfies.
Description: Each word showing a selfie which describes it well. Then the screen shows a blurred image of the table with polaroids, then showing the same in focus.
V.O: From wanting a picture with every person known to us, we have our all time portable photographer with us. Is it necessary to have a picture with your big face smiling blocking the picture? No I mean just think. Do you not want to remember how your eyes saw every detail of that pretty girl? Do you not want to reminisce the breeze on the beach at dusk but replace that with a hashtag #SunsetSelfieAtTheBeach. Forget the part of being self obsessed. I still can't forget the incident that my friend told me who wanted to pee and couldn't because... you see it yourself.
Description: Show one person's selfies with someone else and keep on adding numerous ones with one person constant and different people added.
Cut to: A picture of a person taking a selfie with a big face blocking.
Cut to: Extreme close-up of a pretty girl. Camera tilts from top to bottom showing her beautiful hair to eyes and smile.
Cut to: A video of sunrise which pauses suddenly cut to an early morning selfie of a girl posted on Instagram.
Cut to: A table with too many selfies and the camera pans (randomly) and focuses on
The selfies on the table and the camera zooms in to the problem 1.
V.O: She was heading to the washroom with an urgency, but to her surprise, the way was blocked
Description: Zoom in to an extreme close-up of the background of an image of 3 females taking a selfie in front of the mirror in a girls washroom. The camera zooms in to the polaroid of the girls inside the washroom showing a mid shot of the washroom and the camera zooms out to show that 2 girls are holding lights for them, the other shot would be a front shot of them talking a selfie and as they zoom out to show the friend’s furious face.
Dialogues: Friend, “Excuse me, I need to use the washroom.”
Selfie girl, “Just a minute”
Friend: “Please, its an urgency”
Selfie girl, “Cant you just wait for a minute, we’re taking a selfie”
(Friend gets irritated)
Sound Description: Knocking, door opening
'Click' sound of girls taking selfies
V.O: I think you already got what I wanted to say.
Description: The camera slowly zooms out from the polaroid picture and is being hand held panning from left to right and then right to left rapidly in a blurry motion. Then it suddenly stops and focuses on a certain polaroid picture where a guy is taking a selfie from the edge of the cliff which is a mid shot. We zoom in to this picture
This problem is done in stop animation. There’s an illustration of a cliff and the guy is (cut out).
V.O: Take this guy for instance, he’s literally standing at the edge of the cliff facing the other way of a breathtaking view of a valley and taking a selfie of himself. Little does he know, that if he leans back a bit more he will be tumbling down the cliff!
Description: The camera slowly zooms out to a long shot of the background and cuts to a stop motion showing a guy falling off a cliff.
Sound: ('Thud' of the man falling on the ground)
V.O: And this is what happens when you’re not careful while taking a selfie.
Description: The camera tilts with the guy falling down from the cliff in a comical way.
Dialogue: While falling down the guy screams, “MY PHONE!!!”
Description: The scene pauses and the camera slowly zooms out of the picture . The camera pans (randomly) and focuses on the third picture which is the final problem discussed in this film; which is taken in a high angle and is an establishing shot of a group of friends clicking a selfie.
V.O: How often have you been a part of a groupfie and not happy with your appearance in the first click? Let me answer on your behalf. Never. Lets see this group.
Sound: Click sound of a camera.
Dialogue: Person 1, "Take it again. Let me adjust my hair."
Sound: Click sound of a camera
Dialogue: Person 2, "My face got cut! Again!"
Sound: Click sound of a camera
Dialogue: Person 3, "One last picture guys. (Whispers I was looking too fat)"
Description: It zooms in to the background of the picture and then zooms out to a mid shot of the scene as per V.O.
V.O: Now that we can endlessly go on clicking we have become more and more self conscious and less okay with our imperfections. So, how do we deal with these problems? Not take selfies? No. That’s not a solution. But, let me just give you my suggestions.
Description: The camera zooms out from the picture and the screen fades to white. Stop Motion starts.
SOLUTION 1 and 2:
V.O: Be aware of your surroundings. Next time you’re taking a selfie, look around and be sure that no one is dying of wanting to pee or you by falling off a cliff.
SOLUTION 3:
V.O: Don't be self conscious. A bad picture doesn’t mean an ugly face. Learn to be okay with imperfections.
(Shown via Stop motion Animation)
Conclusion:
Dialogue: Person1 - Let me just adjust my hair before the video starts... Oh the video started? Oh it started! shit shit shit.
Person 2 - Anyways, pictures will continue to be a part of our lives. We will continue to cherish these moments…
Person 3 - So don’t ever stop taking pictures, just don’t let pictures be your only moments
Person 4 - Ayeee let’s just take our group photo
Person 1 - (Rolls eyes) I’m not taking a selfie!
Person 4 - Okay, not a selfie. Let’s keep the camera on timer…
Description: Cut to a video of our group concluding the film where person goes close to the camera, clicks the picture button and a picture is clicked.
Camera zooming out showing just our groups polaroid which is tilted on a black screen with credits rolling on the right.
Final Deliverable
I enjoyed working in this project a lot even if there was a lot of work. When the groups were formed, I was put in a group with people I don't usually speak to and would have jumped at the idea of changing groups and be inside my comfort zone. But after spending time and getting to know them, I wondered why we never had a conversation before. It helped me get out of my shell, and talk to new people. I learnt a lot about the softwares and working on films. Going through process, I really enjoyed the ideation phase where everyone was figuring out the problem areas to show and how the sequence will be.
Learning Outcome
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