- What is the ‘controlling idea’ (Robert McKee) of your portrait?
The most interested thing that attracted me was he is a dancer, but he dance is because dance has helped him to find his self-value, so he continued on. I think the most important/ interesting thing I wanted to highlight or indicate about my interviewee is the two sides of his personality, Jim told me: ‘because the existence of the ‘black’, the white seems more dazzling’, his words really inspired me on how to arrange the sequence and which direction am I going to. I wanted to highlight how Jim overcame all the depression and struggle, so I wanted to emphasize the turning point has an extremely important impact on him until now.
- How is your portrait film structured?
The structure/sequence of my portrait film was inspired by my interviewee, from the list of interview questions, I have asked him: ‘If you need to produce a self-portrait film for yourself, what are the shots you might include or highlight which really tells who you are?’ Jim answered that, I think I will start with myself in a dark dance studio doing athletic, I can only see my face and I am sweating. Story will go back from this moment like a call back to the black memories of mine and then gradually move to the light part to indicate the white of myself. As the result, how I structured was the black part which is a brief summary of his pass in the beginning; Turning point is in the dance studio and it is dark and gloomy at the start than gradually brightening; The end of this film will be how he survived by dancing and how he finds who he really is through dance.
- What do you want your audience to make of your interviewee?
As a dancer myself, I find confidence and self-value through dance, and so does for my interviewee, dance taught him who he really is, where he should be and he finds his self-value through dance. I want to tell my audience through this film is: if there is fog in front of you, then there must be rainbow behind you.
- How is our portrait being narrated? Why? How does it affect the structure?
It is narrated and structured through a time sequence from his pass where he is very lost to the turning point, which is the highlight of the film that he have started to dance. The last part of the film will be what his status is now.
- What role will the ‘found footage’ play in your portrait?
Comparison, I guess is the largest part of my portrait film. As I am highlighting how dance has changed and helped Jim, so I used comparison of his dark part and light part to emphasize how he is different.
- Does your portrait have a dramatic turning point?
I do, the turning point I represent was manipulate by the lighting, at first there is only a spot light on his face and gradually the light bright up the whole space.
- When does this turning point in your portrait and why?
I have designed this turning point at the one-third through, as I have briefly summarized my interviewee’s pass in a dark tone and the turning point is gradually introduced in the one-third part of the film which gives me more time to highlight the difference between the pass and now.
- How does your portrait gather and maintain momentum?
In my perspection, I found very interested in chatting with different people and listen to their little stories. Doesn’t matter what kind of person they are, chatty or not, there must be stories behind everyone which caused their personality. Through the whole progression, I kept in touch with my interviewee which made him feel easier to talk with me so he can tell me more. And I really think my interviewee is the best, he has so many stories to ‘dig out’ and they are so dramatic! Every time I found something new that I may like to add to the footage, I felt I have another step forward to the finish piece.
- Where will your portrait’s dramatic tension come from?
I think the tension might create by the tone I used through the whole film, I manipulate the lighting which I think is an important tool in order to appeal tension to the audience. Through the beginning the tone of lighting was chilly, dark and dusky. I have carefully manipulated the lighting in turning point, there is a spot light right on my interviewee’s face and then the environment light gradually spread out and brighten up the whole space.
- Does the portrait have a climax and/ or resolution?
- Climax: When he is extremely down and trapped by his situation, when he was struggling, he has started dance training. Through day and night, none stop for a whole year.
- Resolution: Dance appeared as his mental guide and pulled him out to the lightness, showed him who he is and what kind of person he can be. ‘I am free and I am satisfied’.