For this week’s workshop, we were asked to answer the following questions in relation to our film portrait. So read below for my responses.

1. What is the ‘controlling idea’ (Robert McKee) of your portrait? In other words, what is the most interesting thing about your participant/interviewee that you want to communicate?

• Considering she is my friend and I know her very well, I would like to portray my participant as someone who is confident, talented and funny. She likes to have fun and her outgoing personality is something I’d like to depict throughout the film portrait.
• Her main interests/passion for dance and make-up was something I would like to highlight and show more detail on.

2.  How is your portrait film structured?  (Remember there might be multiple forms of structure employed)  E.g. Discussion and depiction of an event or process? A Journey? Use of voiceover narration? Other?

• It’s a mixture of live action and voice-over narration (cutaways to other footage), so there is a balance of seeing her on screen and her performing certain actions.
• It begins with a brief introduction into things she likes, before it goes on to her more elaborate yet brief explanations of two of her main interests, that is, dance and make-up. The last section of it goes into more ‘deep stuff’ where you can see the serious and wise side of her as she speaks about what is important to her and her hopes for her future.

3. What do you want your audience to make of your interviewee? (e.g. What are you saying through them and/or human nature, human folly, or noble human inspiration?)

• I’d like for audiences to see my interviewee as someone who is genuine and real. That she isn’t afraid to express herself and she likes to have a good time. I’d also like for audiences to see a glimpse of her more serious and thoughtful side.

4. How is your portrait being narrated? Why? How does it affect the structure?

• There is a combination of live interview and voice-over narration.
• The live interview allows audiences to see the interviewee in person and see their facial expressions when they respond. This assists in creating a sense of realness and genuineness.
• The voice-over narration allows for found footage to be incorporated, which is one of our requirements, and it also allows for cutaways to other footage instead of just a constant face on camera interview.

5. What role will the ‘found footage’ play in your portrait? For example, reinforcement? Ironic counterpoint? Contrast? Comparison? Other?

• I tried to find relevant ‘found footage’ that matches with what she is saying and so to help with the flow of the portrait.

6. Does your portrait have a dramatic turning point?

• I wouldn’t really call it ‘dramatic’, but there is a turning point where the mood goes from happy and chill, to something more philosophical (ie. ‘real talk’).

7. When does this turning point in your portrait and why? At the beginning? At the end? Two-thirds through?

• It occurs 3/4 of the way through and is the last part of the film portrait. I purposely structured it that way to create a somewhat turning point from all the relaxed atmosphere seen throughout majority of the film portrait.

8. How does your portrait gather and maintain momentum?

• I think my portrait loses momentum in a some sense. It begins quite upbeat and bright, before gradually dropping to a more mellow tone, and this is due to the change in music.

9. Where will your portrait’s dramatic tension come from? The gradual exposition of an overall situation? A volcanic, climactic moment? An impending change or crisis? The contrast between what the interviewee talks about and the found footage?

• My portrait doesn’t have any dramatic tensions because the questions that I planned to ask my participant had similar themes of what interests her most and I purposely stayed away from anything that required her to talk about any personal experiences that she may wish not to share considering that this will be published online.

10. Does the portrait have a climax and/or resolution? Outline them.

• My portrait has neither a climax or a resolution. It ends on a more hopeful note as she discusses what is something that she hopes for herself in the future.