Synopsis:
In this video, I document the process of the creation of a handbag entirely from recycled plastic bags that my childhood home, where my mother has been collecting plastic bags from various stores since I was a born. I begin my video by setting the showing the final product in use. Then, I reveal the product name and set the scene. There is suddenly a picture of a caterpillar climbing a plant and soft music humming in the background. The peaceful, earthy aesthetic connects the product to nature. The intertwined videos of my process and the morphing of the caterpillar aims to demonstrate how the structural design of the accessory is inspired by the monarch butterfly and the textile design is inspired by the shape and pattern of a caterpillar. The documentary continues by showing my planning process: sketching, rendering, measuring, prototyping, cutting, weaving, sewing, and photographing. I end the video by showing how my piece can work for all styles: trendy, classy, and sporty. The footage of the life cycle of the caterpillar is a figurative display of progression and growth. By contrasting that footage with that of the construction of the bag, it is clear that the caterpillars from the weaving technique are transforming into the butterfly that is the bag.
Story Board:
Reading Response:
The reading mentions key concepts such as “spatial structure,” which combines geometric information with our abstract knowledge of concepts. This is reflected in my use of the monarch butterfly life cycle stock footage to signify progression throughout my movie. I also used the reading’s concept of “windowing” by only providing a few seconds of footage for each step of the narrative an action, in order to convey to the audience a continuous process of various steps. This technique of constant change and action allows me to keep my audience’s attention. Lastly, I integrated the reorder method discussed in the reading. Most notably, I brought the “release” footage to the front by showing glimpses of my final project before raising the process discussion. This method draws the viewer into the narrative, the “hook.” Reordering can also involve the reordering oir removal of the initial phase, the part of the story from which all other plots stem, sometimes the initial phase is deleted to get to main argument faster.
Reflection:
After showing my first draft to the class I became aware of some key issues, which I thoroughly addressed. I removed my nature footage from home. I shorted the length and frequency of my clips to prevent repetition and to keep my audience hooked till the end. I also included footage of New York City street garbage in order to effectively convey the issue addressed by my product: waste in urban communities and their effect on rural environments. Lastly, I chose to add more footage at the end of the documentary of my product in use by different people with different styles to show the versatility and trendiness of the product.
