Director's Intent - One Shot of an Event

1.       What is the story--the beginning, middle, and end--of this scene in three or four sentences? In other words, what happens in this scene as it starts, as it progresses, and as it ends?

      In this scene, a group of friends sits around a TV with their phones out playing the game Quiplash.  The main subject receives some questions on their phone and answers them.  We wait until everyone’s answers have been submitted, then we see all of the questions and answers.  We see the crowd react, vote for their favorites, and points are earned by the players.  By the end of the round, the main subject has either won the round or done horribly.

2.       What, specifically, must the audience understand narratively? How do you intend to communicate that information?

They must understand how the game works, how answers are submitted, and how points are earned.  I intend to communicate this information by focusing on one person per round and showing how they submit their answers and then focusing on the people during the voting of each round so that the audience understands that points are earned when other people vote for your answer.

3.       If this scene is from a longer piece, what is the narrative, emotional and thematic purpose of the scene in the larger story?

      The larger story is man’s desire to interact with others and form lasting friendships.  We partake in activities that may seem frivolous or pointless, but there is a strong social factor that influences these choices and helps to make us healthier, happier people in the long run.

4.       What emotion do you want to communicate in this scene? How do you intend to do this? 

I want to communicate fun and friendship.  I will do this by focusing on people’s reactions to the questions and answers submitted by their peers.  In this game, there is a lot of room for improvisation and creativity, and a lot of the joy comes from the humorous answers to the already humorous questions.  By focusing on the answers and how people respond and vote on which answers they like, I hope to be able to communicate the joy that is felt while playing and the friendship/bonding that is taking place.

5.       What is the first image of the scene? What is the final image of the scene?

      The first image will most likely be a wide shot of the crows preparing to start the round.  The final image will likely be a similar wide shot, or a close up reaction to the main subject’s success/failure.

6.       Why is this scene personal to me? What previous personal experience(s) does it remind me of? Why do I need to make this scene?

This scene is personal to me because I love this game, and I have bonded and created many friendships by playing this game.  I love playing games in general, especially because it allows a chance for people to be creative and learn new things about others that you never knew.  I need to make this scene because I want others to know how fun this game is and its potential for bringing people together and helping others to have a good time.

7.       What two visual elements (line, shape, space, tone, color, rhythm, movement) will you use to help communicate the emotion of the scene? (Be sure these elements apply to the assignment as listed on Learning Suite; only choose elements that you have read about or that we have covered in class.)

Since the players will be seated for the majority of the game, movement will be hard to capture.  Space will also be pretty flat and confined, although I might want to emphasize this intimate space when shooting. Therefore, I intend to use line in order to direct the audience’s attention to the screen when that is the focus, or to people’s reactions when that becomes the focus.  I also want to use bright colors to contrast with the dull environment of the living room and to emphasize how fun and vibrant the game and atmosphere are.

8.       What are two or three potential obstacles to creating a successful scene? How can you be prepared to overcome these? Be specific!

      

      The number of people involved in the game can make it hard to shoot in two ways: if there are too few players, the level of excitement and fun will diminish.  If there are too many, it may be hard to focus on one person and keep the action limited and easy to understand.  I intend to overcome these by RSVP with everyone involved and getting a headcount, and choosing only one subject to focus on in order to simplify the action.  Another obstacle is limited space.  This game is generally played in living rooms and other rooms where space is limited and there’s not a lot of room to move around.  I will resolve this by finding spots that won’t inhibit the player’s view yet allow me to find good vantage points, and using lenses that can zoom in to get close ups and zoom out to get wide shots of the room.