Last week I came down with a really awful spat of glandular fever.

After emailing my tutor in the morning, informing him that I’d be unable to attend yesterday’s workshop. I proceeded to idly and tried to think of something witty to discuss on my blog post regarding the Workshop, considering I hadn’t attended it.

I worked through the workshop activity and it got me thinking about the decisions I had made throughout the pre-production of my portrait. I had a very distinct idea of how I wanted it to look and sound, I knew exactly at which angle I wanted to shoot Connie and Darren from, I had already decided the exact location for each  spot, and I had been unaware of this entire mental process, going completely unnoticed by my conscious thoughts.

But then I pondered further: do each of those subconscious decisions have distinct meaning that my brain had given to them?

I want my portrait to be highly emotional, an ode to my best friend. And there are few things that sound sadder than a sorrowful piano tune, so I need to find a licensed track on keys. I want Connie and Darren to be close to one another within the shot so that their spacial distance will convey and denote the fact that they are close both physically and emotionally. I want a mid shot so that the viewer could directly engage with the emotions on their faces, while also providing the distance that a close up doesn’t provide in order to evoke a sense of personal involvement in their private life. I want to shoot them in their house, in the corner of their L-shaped couch for two reasons: one, I have so many beautiful memories right there with Ricky and two, I wanted them to feel as comfortable, open and respected as possible while discussing such a sensitive topic of conversation.

I can’t wait to shoot this film and hopefully do Connie and Darren’s incredible story some justice.