[The Story Lab] Statement
Our project is very much a linear story of an introvert who seems to be on the brink of insanity, as he is portrayed to be constantly playing out scenarios in his mind along with his incessant monologues and dark jokes. Just when he thinks that his self-esteem has hit a record low, he stumbles upon a fellow female coworker who finally becomes a reason for him to be optimistic about life.
My role in this project would be to visualise and carry out the narrative in such a way that it is both aesthetic and relatable to our audience. The transmedia element of this project would be the main character’s Facebook profile, as well as the Facebook page of the company that he works for. These elements further emphasise the dark undertones in the film, where all these supposedly motivational posts on the company Facebook page have a more reversed effect on the main character.
The general theme revolves around escapism, humor, and hope. We would want to give the impression that the main character (Keith) often wanders off in his own imagination and has constant monologues, therefore giving the film a feeling where reality is off-kilter. Therefore, the color style that we would implement in our film is a greenish/bluish filter that provides a somewhat ambiguous and ingenuous undertone. A large part of the film will be dismal and gloomy and the mood will lift up progressively. A scene in David Fincher’s “Fight Club” where Edward Norton is shown contemplating accurately depicts the tone that we wish to convey in our film.
Image credit: Fight Club – 20th Century Fox
Image credit: Fight Club – 20th Century Fox
There are some movies that have applied a greenish filter for scenes that were slightly dark and grim. Timur Bekmambetov’s “Wanted” share some similar themes, where the character exhibits escapism in the form of consuming anxiety pills, and the scenes that follow compliment it with it’s dark humor. The color tone of this office scene is comparable to our film where it shows monotonous work and workplace relationships.
Image credit: Wanted – Universal Pictures
Image credit: Wanted – Universal Pictures
The Wachowski’s Matrix (a.k.a one of the greenest movies ever made) would also be a good example here. Their use of a greenish and bluish tint throughout the entire Matrix trilogy was so that the audience could distinct which was reality and which was the Matrix. (bluish for reality, greenish for the Matrix)
Image credit: The Matrix – Warner Bros
Image credit: The Matrix – Warner Bros
The mood of the film lightens up as it approaches the end, and it will have a warmer tone to it as to accommodate the theme of hope, where the main character finds his love interest and finally finds something to be optimistic about.
Image credit: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty – 20th Century Fox
Image credit: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty – 20th Century Fox
Image credit: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty – 20th Century Fox