The initial story idea was derived from the lonely and fragmented image of a girl sitting next to a crow on a cemetery bench, talking. Then it grew legs and limbs and became an absurdist dramedy of sorts.
The film is little unorthodox and this is a test to see if it will work. The crow will be played by an older gentleman dressed in black, feathered attire. He is a resident of the graveyard. The girl is a visitor, but not there to see anyone in particular. During their conversation, the world shifts and changes to reflect the absurdity of their situation – he has a white rabbit in his lap; they are eating birthday cake; there is a cactus between them. This is contrasted with the story of the boy, with the two narratives interwoven throughout the film. While the girl remains outside in the space of the graveyard, the boy remains within his home, playing with dominoes, tending to his plants.
The storytelling is aimed to be vague, non-linear and atemporal. The film hopes to explore the idea of self-isolation and loneliness within an environment that is becoming increasingly crowded. Beyond it’s absurdity, the film essentially reveals itself as a story about the vast distances that can occur between people who are otherwise (biologically, emotionally and physically) close. It attempts to treat these things with sincerity and curiosity without dipping into the realm of melodrama.
The tone of the film that I hope to achieve is pictured in the image below:
(clockwise from top-left: “Rushmore”, “Wuthering Heights” (mostly the visuals and laconic dialogue), “Spirited Away” and “Moonrise Kingdom”)
The aesthetic of the film, like its content, will be similarly dichotomised through two different shooting styles: one that is documentarian and intimate, like a home video; the other aesthetic possesses the visual put-together-ness of a storybook. An example of the former shooting style is in the image below, taken from some of my older photos:
Equipment hire: $2000
Props: $200
Post-production: $500
Catering during filming: $600
Original score!: $200
and of course, sourcing materials for the rewards.
Another major challenge is that of content. Ideally, I would like the film to be in between genres. Somewhat awkward, somewhat witty, somewhat like a storybook and yet also sincere. Whilst I want the film to work within a certain degree of comic absurdity, I don’t want the treatment of the content to be perceived as flippant, which could be challenging. Hopefully we might be able to mediate between them, without sacrificing any the use of aesthetic.
Frankly, I’m looking forward to it – if this were to work, then it will prove to me that a film doesn’t require a grandiose production budget or number of crew; it can be impromptu and comfortable and small and create-ive.