Assignment: This is a group project. The idea of the project was to create a movie using any tools that we need. We had to convey a story through moving image. The name of our group is “Black Ink.” Apart from me there are two other members of the group – Tiffany and Brian
Introduction:
The idea of the movie was to create a story of our shared dreams. It should tell the viewers about the most significant and memorable dreams that we ever had. It is about dreams which made us stronger and forced us to think twice about the life cycle.
For the movie, each one of us chose an animal that represents their true nature. Tiffany wanted to be a peacock because she loves different colors and this bird is very colorful and beautiful. In our movie, she is transforming into phoenix as her dream is connected to fire. Brian decided that he is going to be a deer. I was not thinking a lot about that. I knew since I heard the exercise that my animal is the snake.
Research:
Snakes are ones of the most terrifying animals. I find them intimidating, and that is the word which people usually use to describe me. Apparently, the first impression that people get about me is concentrated in this word. Snakes are fast, quiet and almost invisible, that what makes them so deadly scarring. They have the power, and they have their top place in the food chain. Moreover, they are stunning – their dance-like moves are hypnotizing and knowing that just one bite can kill you makes me respect this animal. The way they change skin is showing the endless cycle of renewing life, and this is exactly how I would describe my life so far. I moved a couple of times throughout last years of my life, and every change made me stronger and more confident, but changes hurt me as well.
In most of the stories, snakes are villains. Taking Bible as an example – snake is the impersonation of Lucifer when he seduced Eva to eat the apple of knowledge. For Egyptians snake that swallows it’s own tail was the symbol of eternity. Pharaon also wore snake shaped crown as a symbol of his power. Ancient Greek myths tell about the Medusa creature with snakes instead of her hair. This creature turned everyone who looked at her into stone. In every religion and belief serpent symbol is connected to life and death.
All of the photos above I took at the Museum of Natural History. They show how terrifying and beautiful snakes are. I found lots of inspiring installations in there, especially the one on the last image was very inspiring. The snake that changes its skin is very close to me. I am travelling a lot and moving from one place to another lately became my habit. I was studying in three different locations throughout past three years. Every change is stress, and every change hits hard. Every time I feel like I am changing my skin, and this became a part of my nature.
The primary goal of the movie is to show how some dreams might affect your life and decisions. There are dreams which make you face your fears or regrets. Everyone in our group chose a dream which somehow changed their life. I decided to tell the viewer about one of my most memorable and terrifying dreams.
I never was close with my grandmother, and right before her death, we went to the holiday altogether. During that trip, I got closer to her but after a month she died, and I couldn’t do anything about that. I was mad at myself for not being closer to her. Then after a few days after her death, I had a dream about her. In that dream, I was hanging with my friends. It was a beautiful day and a fantastic atmosphere around us but I suddenly saw my grandma not far away from us. I tried to chase her, but she just kept walking away from me until I lost her from my sight.
For the movie, I just decided to tell how this dream made me stronger. I showed how I made myself move forward from the pain and guilt. I represented the growth through the transformation into an animal. We used face paint to show our animal nature.
My partners did the same, but each one of us chose their own dream, and we collaborated the scenes into a whole movie. I was responsible for the editing. I mostly used Adobe Premiere Pro, but for stop motion(dreams) scenes, I used iMovie.
Storyboard:
Conclusion:
It was a challenge for me to work in a group. I am very controlling and strict person, but this project taught me how to be more patient and how to listen to other people. Moreover, I realised that even such unreal thoughts as your dreams could actually mean something and affect you even though you don’t think about them. Only after that dream, I realised that my grandma is not coming back and that the moment that you live in right now is the most important time in your life.
