Daniel M Koo
Convergence
10/8/2015
Convergence Culture final project proposal.
Convergence is a part of our day to day lives, now so much so that it has become part of what makes our society tick. I am planning, for my final project for the class, to create a narrative short film that demonstrates this idea. I enjoy film very much and I want to make a career out of it some day soon. Being that this is a strength of mine, narrative story telling through filmmaking, I wanted to ground my final project in this medium where I feel most comfortable.
We will follow a main character as he goes through his day trying to find out what is going on in his social circle. This story is so broad, at the moment, yet it opens up the possibility for so much. We will see how some people live their lives on the web from youtube, to twitter, to instagram, to facebook, to snapchat, to vine, and beyond. How some people place such importance in posts, and in general comments that have nothing to do with them. This is something that we have been discussing in class. And by the time his journey is over, he would have exhausted himself purly by checking portals.
This also brings a comment to the table that times really have changed when just 8 years ago, you had to run around and actually exchange words with people to find things out. Now conversations appear to have become nothing but small talk. Much of today’s he said/she said rumor milling people have become so familiar with has become seemingly reserved for texting and social media. Word of mouth has become a method to retain secrets where as phones and computers are where these things get passed around like notes in a class room.
This is the angle I’d like to tackle in my short film, its something I think is rarely talked about, but often experienced. I want to bring the experience of the rumor mill of social media to a short film format, complete with all of it’s tension. The short would be between five and ten minutes long and showcase how people these days can go through an entire journey without so much as getting up from their desk.
Dan, completely agree with your philosophy here man. This view is similar to my proposal so I'm part bias. I know about your skills in the video department so I'm not foolish enough to direct where you might go with this - even though you're a solid listener. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteDan, just to clarify you would have a character go throughout his day with no cell phone trying to find the people in his life and what they are up too? you could also have him trying to figure out a score but he can't because he has no phone. Or better yet have the main character try and do math in his head but realize the numbers are too big to calculate. Love you idea
ReplyDeleteHey Dan! First, I like the main idea of a narrative about someones journey using the internet. You are right when you say that the story is broad, so one of your challenges before filming is how and where you are going to narrow it down to. What is the dramatic question/conflict that the viewer is watching? What is the theme/thematic question? Having strong answers for these will help you in terms of story arch and execution. I agree that I haven't seen too many pieces about people and the internet vs. real life HOWEVER I hear my parents and many older adults complain that we have lost our social skills. To a point, the get preachy. What do you think you can do in order to give a refreshing point of view in this argument?
ReplyDeleteAlso, in terms of shooting, how do you plan to film the online interactions? I remember Professor Velez saying that no one can make a scene where someone sits at a computer and types look interesting. How do you plan to make this look interesting OR how can you film the online interactions in a new and exciting way?
There is so much potential here that I am really excited to see what you come up with. If you want someone to bounce ideas off of, or maybe an actor, or a sound guy, I could possibly help! (That's a shameless plug in... sorry...)
Here is a link to a video on the use of texting and the internet in film that I really think you might like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFfq2zblGXw