Being clear about the ultimate goal of the film; aesthetically, thematically, emotionally was crucial to being able to work smoothly. Figuring out the character and film’s arc was the process that required the most discussion and compromise. We balanced collaboration and independent working which culminated in an ultimately unified final project that embraced the multifaceted elements of stories and ourselves.
In creating the film, I embraced a point of view approach. The sounds included are the sounds the character hears, whether consciously or unconsciously, and there are moments with just her voice and silence. I tried to make those appear like snatches of memories (the last two clips at the end of the film) – a re-imagining rather than what is currently being lived through. To establish those shifts of consciousness, the film starts with only the voice as well until the audience sees the physical present reality. The overlays that appear twice in the film are not accompanied by sound as they are thoughts/images that occur to A in those moments, rather than the immediate environment.
Playing with sound was especially interesting. Reducing the tempo, thus changing pitch, created quite odd/futuristic electronic sounds that were almost like music but were just the atmos getting funkier. There were manipulated sounds that became a sort of score; e.g. the whirring of automatic doors opening turning into a distinct note/pitch. Many of the cooler sounds are actually taken from clips that are not shown but since the film has already established the odd manipulation of perspective/time, it’s a smooth process.
The film observes the behaviour of people and its relation to the logic/science of perception. I began by brainstorming and playing with some key words with double meanings e.g. dark/light. There’s minimal narrative and emotion in the language but the subtext is loaded with implications of the discriminatory society, A’s desperation for a better world, and the resignation that this is how things are.