Video Ideas

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One of the critical assignments for this class is creating a video project. This blog post will be me free writing – mostly rambling – about my ideas for said project.

For my video project, I don’t want to do anything typical or anticipated. I don’t want to do anything that involves a love foundation or anything like that, because A) my podcast was about a love triangle and B) that angle is kind of played out. I would like to do something scary or an action packed, but because it’s a video project and not just a script, I doubt that I would be able to do that. I feel as though action would be extremely hard and challenging because I would not be able to properly do the extra effects that would make the project amazing. What is action without special effects and elaborative stunts? Nothing.. it is nothing. Attempting a scary movie would be the same.. there would be no real special effects or extravagant costumes in my video so I also can’t really go that route either. I was thinking about doing comedy (because I can’t really do the first two), but comedy is also hard because you have to actually be funny. I am funny in the sarcastic way, not the joke/script writing way. Ya know? All of this leaves me with a drama filled video and plot… which is not horrible but ya know.. its not what I’m passionate about at the moment.

As you can tell, I have no clue what I am going to do for my video nor do I know what I am going to say for the rest of this post BUT lets hope some productivity comes from this. By process of elimination, I have narrowed it down to either a video about drama, like I said, or an ironic movie that will end with “to be continued..”

I like the idea of doing a short ironic film, so I think I am going to create one centered around some type of deception or mind-boggling situation. Perhaps I can make a video about a college volleyball player who is struggling with her gender identity or a video about a crazy ex going through various schemes to get her lover back?

If I were to create the video about the college volleyball player, I would play that part (and I think I would do so perfectly, might I add). I would make the setting Rutgers, because that is easiest, and it would be realistic because it is an issue that is becoming more and more talked about. I would make the opening scene the main character playing volleyball during an important game or during practice with the team. Then I would change the setting to the locker room so she could talk more privately with her close friend, who is also a team player. This is where the audience would get a real feeling of who the character is and her personality. At some point, I would also show text conversations on the phone – which would give viewers an inside view of what is going on in the main character’s life. I would like to end the video with some kind of conclusion, but a bit of a cliff hanger at the same time. I think it’d be good actually, the longer I free write about this topic; the viewers would be interested throughout hopefully.

The other thing I mentioned possibly writing about/making a video about was the crazy ex scenario. I know I said that I didn’t want to base the project on love, but the video I create using this scenario would more so be about the crazy extents that this girl goes to for her ex’s attention, rather than focusing on the relationship and her love for him itself. The story would begin right after the ex-boyfriend realized his ex did something else crazy … again. For example, say she slashed his tires because she found out he went on a date or something. The opening scene would be him walking up to his car and then loudly expressing his discontent and surprise.

He’d then call her to start yelling at her and maybe even kick the tire on the driver’s front side. She would respond laughing initially, and then say something along the lines of “Well that’s what you get for going on a shitty date with that close-eyed thing last Wednesday!” or maybe, “You want me to call you an uber?” In this situation, the ex would be fully knowledgeable about how crazy his ex-girlfriend is, so he wouldn’t be that surprised necessarily. That sounds good too.. I don’t know.

Response to Authors

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I personally found the meeting with authors Daisy Johnson and Rebecca Schiff to be extremely interesting and surprisingly entertaining. We started the meeting with an introduction to Daisy Johnson in her oxford study. She is a self-proclaimed horror writer and the author of a work named Fen, which came out about two years ago. She gave the audience several tips on writing as a profession – for example be cautions writers to be patient with the process. She explained how it took her about ten years to actually get published and that each time she works on a piece, she has to take her time. She encouraged us to “read outside of your comfort zone and go outside of your interests,” – which I think is extremely solid advice when it comes to perfecting any craft really. She also encouraged us to show other people our writing so that new pairs of eyes could take a look and give necessary feedback – also solid advice.

Prompt:

“I had come back and it was just the way I left it” – or was it? I remember the trees hanging the way they are now, seemingly weighed down and depressed. I remember the air being this crisp and the sounds that echo around me here. I love this forest. I love the smell of the pine and the sound of the leaves crushing under my foot. I even love the competitive squawks the squirrels make back and forth, and hearing the borderline unsettling sounds made by random creatures in the background. Its all so refreshing; it centers me. This place makes me feel alive; it reminds me that I am whole. What I don’t remember is the trash all over the place, or what used to be a clear river being this faint yellow color. I hate what humans do to nature.

The second author that we heard from was Rebecca Schiff (whom I actually preferred, if we’re being totally honest). After her explaining what kind of work she did, I was all:

She read the audience a piece called “Little Girl,” during the meeting and it made me want to look into her as an author because I truly liked her piece that much! The excerpt was about a sexually liberated girl going through the motions and experiencing life in the way she saw fit; I liked it a lot because it isn't a narrative that we hear often in our society. I like things like that, that go against the norm and are a little taboo. I enjoyed her word choice but I also really liked the way she read the piece. She also gave us advice; she started off by stating that if what we are writing bores us, then it will definitely bore the reader - which I had never thought about before. Sometimes when I write, I get bored of what I am writing but that’s usually when I'm trying to convey important details to the reader/listener - ya know, the in between stuff. She continued on to say that we ought to embrace any awkwardness that we feel in our piece, and that that kind of material is usually what is best. Her biggest piece of advice was to keep trying no matter how much we fail, because the end result is rewarding.

All in all, I actually enjoyed the meeting a lot!

Toffees Podcast

Wrapping up Homecoming season one ...

Homecoming Ep. 5 & 6

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This podcast seems to just get better and better, growing more and more interesting longer I listen to it. Episode five starts off with Heidi having a session with Walter. Only this time, things are different. He does not remember Lesky from his unit getting killed by the hit and run, he does not remember the Titanic Rising prank that he helped pull on Benji; he does not remember anything. He takes this to mean that he is healing from all of the trauma he has experienced, and that makes me feel sad because obviously that is not why. He even goes as far as to express his new viewpoint – that he has a lot of time in life and that he is young with his whole life ahead of him. I feel badly about the hope in his voice and it makes me mad at Heidi! For someone who claims to care so much, she sure is a good liar and a grand deceiver; Walter trusts her and has feelings for her and this is what she does?! Shaking my head; Can't trust anyone these days.  

The next scene, Heidi is on a date with a guy who sounds a lot like Colin. They are on a boardwalk and the sounds were perfect! They were so real in this scene that I actually had to take my earphones out when I was walking and look around because I thought that the muffled voice on the speaker was actually happening around me, and not in the podcast. In this scene we heard a variety of noises and sounds; we heard the muffled voice that I had mentioned, shoes, kids yelling, and the like. We learn in this scene that Heidi does not remember faces or names - which is proved with the fact that she doesn't even remember Colin's face or voice.  

Later in the episode we hear Heidi being triggered by the sound of the bird – which was a great touch in the script if you ask me. Next, in the following episode, we hear Heidi talking to the department of defense guy after he picks her up... this being after she runs into the highway. She is openly telling him what she does and doesn't remember, and he reveals that they have discovered her taped sessions between herself and Walter. I wonder why they haven't arrested her.  

The season finale ends with Colin reporting to his higher up, a very savage woman by the name of Temple, the situation concerning Heidi's memory. There's also a conversation between Heidi and Walter where they plan a fantasy trip – a road trip to Alaska where they pan for gold, catch fish, and ditch their car. This conversation made me kind of sad because you kind of know it will never happen. All in all, the first season was very interesting and I am extremely curious about what is in store.