Assignment 2: Storytime!

1) Introduction to my thought process at the start: 

When I first started this assignment, I wanted to do 3 things: Firstly, I wanted to come up with an interesting, and meaningful plot. Secondly, I wanted to use as many different kinds of shots as possible. Lastly, I wanted to use colours to represent the different mood of the story. In order to fulfil the last criteria, I would have to have a change of mood. While considering my first criteria - to create a meaningful plot - I thought of what mattered most in my life at the moment, and that would be my mother's constant encouragement. Therefore, I came up with a storyline that was especially relatable to myself.

I started my first critique submission, where I featured a hardworking student studying hard till late at night. The next day, she was on her way home with her friend and they compare their results. She finds out that she scored below average despite working hard, and was depressed. To depict the emotionally drained and depressed feeling of the student, the first 5 images were edited to be darker and less saturated. However, there is a turning point in the story as the student gets home and is cheered up by her encouraging parents. She is once again motivated to work harder as depicted at the end of the story. The last four pictures were generally bright and saturated in nature, to create a sense of warmth that is given to the student by her family. 

Figure 1

2) Learning points from peers and tutor during critique & self evaluation:

Feedbacks by Professors and Peers:

Upon submitting this, my peer mentioned that she enjoyed the meaningful change in the colours of my pictures. However, she mentioned that the third and fourth pictures were a little confusing and abrupt given that the first two pictures were situated at home. She also said that too many words were in the text of the pictures, which was generally a little difficult to read. For the 7th picture, she suggested for me to include my dad in my photos instead as it would be more meaningful that way. 

My tutor added that the second image might be confusing as people might not understand the second picture which suggests that the student was studying till late in the morning. She further recommended for me to replace the second image with my materials filled with notes to emphasize the hardworking characteristic of the student. 

My thoughts:

After considering the comments given, I made necessary changes as much as I could. As my dad was not around, I decided to focus the storyline solely on my mother instead. 

I had 2 main concerns:

Firstly, I was hugely concerned as trying to convey a jump in timespan is tricky with only 9 pictures. To effectively convey this change in timestamp, I tried taking picture of a calendar next to my computer which says "exam results" day. It was meant to convey a time lapse from the day the student was working hard till the day the results were released. 

Secondly, the images in my first critique submission seemed to lack emotions. For example, picture 5 in Figure 1 showed me in a mask, which does not effectively convey my emotions. Therefore, I edited the image to picture 5 in Figure 2. The student is feeling vulnerable and depressed from the bad news of the grades she had just received.  To highlight that sense of helplessness, I decided to use a top-down shot, to emphasize the sense of emotional weakness that the student was feeling at that point in time. To further dramatize the emotions the student was feeling, I added in actions and removed my mask (since I was shooting at home) to better convey the emotions. 

Figure 2

Critique 2:

I consulted my tutor the second time after finishing Figure 2. However, due to the time lapse, my storyline was still confusing and it was difficult to understand. Tutor Zicheng kindly feedbacked that the transition from picture 5 to 6 was far too abrupt with the introduction of a new character. To further increase the type of shots, she suggested for me to increase a close-up shot in picture 1 and a reaction shot for picture 8. After consulting my tutor, I decided to stick to a storyline without a time lapse, leading to my final sketch as shown below.

Picture 1:

I decided to use a close-up shot to firstly introduce my character, and zoom straight into the mood of the character, who is currently feeling quite upset. 

Picture 2:

I used a top-down shot to highlight the sense of vulnerability that the character is feeling due to her plight - that has yet to be introduced. 

Picture 3:

I used a long-shot to introduce the two characters of my story and anticipate the interactions between the two, also considering the environment of a home. By using a long-shot, I wanted to bring to my viewers’ attention the warmth and concern of a mother in a home setting, where she brings food to her daughter as a form of encouragement. I positioned the shot at an eye-level to provide a neutral and familiar shot. 

From this picture onwards, I edited the images to be brighter, more saturated while adding a pinkish colour to it. This is where we see the entrance of the mother who is symbolic of positivity in the character's life. The juxtaposition of the dull and bright colours highlight the change in student's mood, showing how the entrance of her mother cheers her up. The warm colours parallel the warmth and love of the mother. As pink is symbolic of love - I wanted to highlight the motherly love shown here. This colour stays constant till the last picture where the daughter is evidently happier - highlighting how bright colours suggest optimism, hope and joy.

Picture 4 & 5 & 7:

I used a mid-shot for these two pictures instead of a long-shot that is shown below to focus on the actual interaction and reactions between just the two characters, excluding the environment they are in. They are kept at the eye-level for a neutral portrayal. 

 

Picture 6: 

I took an over-the-shoulder shot to establish a continuity from the previous picture, zooming into the content of the iPad shown in picture 5. This is where I reveal why the character was sad, using this shot to put my audience into the student's perspective.  

Picture 8:

I used a reaction shot, to capture the precise emotions of a happy character. Since my focus is on the change in students' attitude after her mother's encouragement, I zoomed in to analyse the student's feelings at that point in time. I chose a reaction shot to gauge the character's emotions and offer a wider variety of shots to my assignment.

 

Picture 9:

Lastly, I used a bottom-up shot for my "jiayou" picture instead of a top-down shot shown below. This angle conveys a sense of empowerment that the student got from her mother's encouragement, juxtaposing her initial sense of helplessness when she was all alone. Therefore, the bottom-up shot heightens the sense of power and emphasises her determination to work harder. 

 

 

Learning Points:

Firstly, different kinds of shots and angles could result in a different meaning. Therefore, we should play with angles to find an optimal shot.

Secondly, good lighting is key to good photography. As I had taken some shots at night, the lighting was really bad and I had to retake the shots a few times. 

Thirdly, good storytelling requires a smooth flow and transition. Previously, I never considered the transitioning between each scene while watching a movie. However, I realised the importance of transitions from this assignment to prevent abruptness in the storyline.