Concept worksheet #5 (I think or 7 or just one that I'm missing)

Elena Ortiz Concept #: 5

TITLE FOR YOUR CONCEPT (you’re not married to this title forever; but even working titles can help later on): Shrunk

PROJECT VENUE/FORMAT: This is a live action feature

RUNNING TIME (approximately): About 5 minutes

TYPE OF CONTENT: live action video. Real people, real locations.

VISUAL LOOK(S) OF YOUR CONCEPT (stay with the visual here, and don’t be afraid to cite examples from films, TV shows, videogames, etc.): Setting would be in a house like in the beginning of “girl, interrupted” when Susanna is visiting her father’s friend who is a therapist. The setting needs to be comfortable and homey like the set of “The Cosby Show” in order to properly contrast with the mood of the film.

STORY STATEMENT: Jen is a 20 something suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder. She sees a therapist, Carl, once a week at his in home office until one day she finds herself dissatisfied with his treatment. During their session Jen turns the tables on Carl, a small man, and ends up leaving him bound and gagged in his own attic while she has a little fun with his other patients.

NARRATIVE OUTLINE: The story would begin with Jen entering a house in a normal fashion. She uses keys and walks in, leaving her purse on the table and going through the mail. Everything would appear normal and we would follow her through the house into a cluttered office. The first words she speaks address someone named Carl, a character currently unknown to the audience. We aren’t meant to know if he’s in the house or if she’s merely thinking out loud. Jen rifles through the materials on a desk and looks over a list containing names and times. She then proceeds to a file cabinet and removes a large file. Opening it she begins to read the diagnosis of a woman named Jen. She reads her own file aloud as she moves about the house, stopping to get herself a glass of water with studied familiarity. The audience has yet to learn her name and doesn’t know the Jen she’s talking about is herself. She soon closes the folder but continues speaking. This time her voice is raised as if to make sure what she says is heard. She checks her watch and taunts a still unseen Carl. When a knock comes at the door Jen opens it and introduces herself, revealing that she was previously reading her own file. She persuades the woman at the door to enter and as she does the camera pans through the roof and into the attic, revealing a bound and gagged Carl slowly waking in panic.

WHY YOU THINK AN AUDIENCE CAN SHARE IN THIS (what are you trying to say or explore?): I just really enjoy psychology and want to create something that explores the psychological world. I like the idea of a completely knowledgeable patient effectively duping her psychologist and then psychoanalyzing others quite possibly better than her therapist has. I think seeing psychology from the point of view of someone who is considered ill but who has a remarkable grasp on the study itself would be extremely interesting and also maybe a little scary. I want to question what crazy is and make a point that maybe things aren’t as cut and dry as we wish them to be.

I will email you a script.

Week 14: Impact III - Reading

Showing your completed work is always the most nerve wrecking part of the process because it's the point at which you get judged. Everyone is analyzing and generating opinions and good or bad they reflect directly back on you. It's a terrible feeling to realize that you've failed to live up to the responsibility you set for yourself and if peoples' opinions are negative that is precisely how I feel. My personal responsibility is to create something that everyone will enjoy while putting out a message in my own way. If people don't enjoy it or my message does not come across the way I wanted I feel as though i've failed. I used to hate attaching my name to things until they'd been viewed and I'd received feedback because I only wanted to accept credit if it went well. That way of thing was far too unproductive for me because then everything turned out mediocre. When I had to start owning everything I had to start thinking more about what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it because I knew it was mine and that everyone else would as well.

Week 13: Impact II - Reading

I would have to agree with Kureishi. Whenever I sit down to write I think about what I want and what I wish was out there to see. That is always my starting point. The more excited I get about whatever I'm working on the more I want to know of it will excite other people and that is when I get input from others and "show it to an audience" aka my friends. If they like it I keep going and continue if they don't I shelve the idea. People enjoying your work and wanting more of it is always an extremely inspirational feeling and helps your creativity flow. When outside interest isn't there it's much harder to keep going simply for your own personal enjoyment.

Week 12: Interaction III - Reading

I think that any creative endeavor always carries with it a deeper meaning. What you write into a script or in a book is what you want people to see, but what you don't write is what's far more magical. When you write a film you have no idea what kind of chemistry your actors are going to have or how they're going to interpret your characters and no matter what story you've written the story that develops on the screen will be far more meaningful because of it. One film that really lingered with me was the film "W delta Z" or "The killing gene". I chose to watch it because I liked the actors involved with the project and what I thought was going to be a standard horror/suspense film ended up being extremely psychological and stimulating. It struck a chord not with what was on the surface but with the meaning beyond the dialogue and the visuals. The unspoken is really what makes a film.

Week 10: Interaction II - reading

I definitely think it's important to surround yourself with people you respect when creating a project. If you don't respect someone then you won't ever see eye to eye on a concept no matter what it may be and no matter how well it fits into your vision because you will always see your idea as superior. If you have someone you respect coming to you with ideas then you'll better appreciate their input and opinions and are more likely to come to a successful collaborative agreement.

Week 10: Interaction II - Weekly entry

A dialogue from the independent film Last Goodbye, written by Jacob Gentry and Patrick Kaye. The dialogue is between one of the main characters, actress Agnes Shelby played by Clementine Ford and a film producer, Sean Winston played by Faye Dunaway.

Sean: Just look at you, I mean the way you do that, you just do it. You know, that’s it see? I mean, you can’t write that. You can’t write it. Come here.

Agnes: What?

Sean: Come on, come on come on come on.

Agnes: What? What? What?

Sean: I want to see you.

Agnes: See me what?

Sean: I want to talk about some stuff, try a couple of things… Come on. Okay, come on over here. Alright, ok so you know, hold your arms out.

Agnes: Make me.

Sean: Haha, okay. Well there you go and there. Now take a deep breath and now let it go. This is you, huh, this is you being free. Close your eyes. That’s it. Whatever you want… that’s what it will be. There is nothing between you and anything. So, do you believe me?

Agnes: I don’t know yet.

Sean: Oh come on now let it all go. Let it go, and understand, you are alone, with whatever you make, of the rest of your time.

Agnes yells for some shots before returning to her meditation.

Sean: That’s it ok, come on come on. Alright, alright, now now, listen what do you want? What do you want Agnes? I don’t mean things, I want to know what you really want. This is a beginning for you. All that other stuff before was just practice. What is it?

1. I want to make films because it's what I love. I first picked up a camera when my sister had a film themed birthday party and I absolutely loved it. When i found an editing program on my computer when i was in middle school I fell in love with the idea of cutting and manipulating images and sound to create new dynamics and new feelings. I taught myself how to edit and shot footage for the purpose of giving myself something to cut. It's my favorite way to tell stories and it's sometimes the easiest way for me to express myself. It's like putting together a puzzle, you know you have all the pieces, you just have to put them together the right way so you come out with a beautiful picture.

2. My plan is to move to LA and continue working with some of the talented directors, producers, and actors I've worked with in the past year or so. I've done both editing and PA work with an independent production company that is based in West Hollywood and they've expressed interest in working with me more. I plan to get pro-certified on FCP and possibly also AVID so that I am more marketable to potential new employers. I plan on continuing to build my resume whether it be with PA or editing jobs and at some point I'd like to attend stunt school as well. I'm also considering staying in Albuquerque and helping my old high school create an introductory film program though that is a very recent and undeveloped idea at this point. There are several alums from my high school who are working in the industry and we all agree the school should have a program so who knows, but I would be interested in that as well.