Production book, page 2:

2. Field Notes, Observations, and Research

A.) Artist work that inspired or applies to thesis:

-The movie “Sucker Punch,” directed by Zack Snyder

- The PS3 game “Heavy Rain,” directed by David Cage and developed by Quantic Dream

- The PS2 game “Silent Hill 2,” published by Konami and developed by Team Silent

B.) Subjects, theories, and or philosophies that informs your thesis

project:

- Subjects: Crime drama stories

Extreme Psychological mindsets

Ghosts and what they see post death

- Philosophies: Nihilism

Structuralism

- Theories: How one’s ghost sticks around after a traumatic event

How people think they see things, even if they are right

How one sees truth through insanity

C.) Field observations (observing your subject matter as natural phenomena in outside world):

- People tend to give in to their obsessions (and related mindsets) when looking into matters of personal interest, whether they are hobbies or indeed crime scene investigations (at least ones that are not trained in the art). These kinds of events heavily color one’s view of the world. This is what I want to exaggerate through the actions and visual styles of the characters proposed. In times of seclusion, whether self-imposed or otherwise, people also tend to become paranoid from too much thinking. The small parts that can be seen as slightly off behavior can lead to major breakdowns and unjustified actions.

D.) What do you see that may be problematic in producing your thesis:

- Limited control of the actors’ schedules

- Potential weather problems that impede travel

- The potential unavailability of locations

E.) What do you see that may support your efforts in producing your thesis:

- The interest of the chosen actors in the subject matter proposed

- The proximity of the locations planned

- The unique approach to directing skills

F.) Preliminary research and interviews:

- Review of similar subjects in shows such as CSI and other TV shows

- Review of horror genres and psychological dramas

G.) Possible subjects for your imagery and or audio:

- Newscasts of older murder cases related to serial killers

- Ambulance/police sirens

- Local towns and old basements for settings

-Various demonic sounds from well known movies/works

H.) Describe tests and experiments you will conduct to prepare for the

production of your thesis project:

- The planned effects will be tested on individual actors and locations

- Each actor chosen will be test to see how far they can go into character

- Locations will be set up to desired scenes to test areas appearances

I shall now post the production book for the most recent project. Here is page 1:

-1. Production Outline (Treatment/ Proposal)

A.) Format, Media, and length if applies

- Format: High Definition (1440 x 1080) (16:9)

- Media: Digital Film

- Length: 20 minutes or less

B.) Intended audience: Anyone open-minded

C.) Summary description of project in one paragraph: A short film about a serial killer who takes the blood of 1,000 people to fold 1,000 paper cranes for a ritual. A survivor of the killings tries to find the killer and the part of himself he lost in the attempted murder. A modern-day oracle and an unofficial detective become obsessed with the killings and both try to catch the serial killer. The views of each character are heavily affected by their previous experience with the serial killer, both in their actions and visually on screen. In the end, all three main characters catch up to the killer who kills themselves in desperation.

D.) Discussion of themes you plan to explore: Psychological states of mind, crime scene investigation techniques, media’s role in spreading information, and individual approaches to loss and obsession.

-Ghostly visions of the world

-The perspective and exploration of a serial killer’s mind

E.) Statement of your relationship to your subject and theme: I have always been interested in abstract approaches to serious matters and narratives, such as crime wave narratives and the states of mind each person involved goes through in extreme situations. I also am interested in the subject of ghosts, and wish to portray that visually.

F.) Social, theoretical, historical, and or cultural issues which are relevant to your project:

- Social: The alienation people can feel in the midst of modern media and the size of modern cities, as well as from their own actions which can be deemed “odd.”

- Theoretical: Exploring and solidifying the ideas of narrative structure, with influences of psychotic states of mind and heavy loss.

- Historical: The approaches to crime investigation and how it has and has not changed. The use of older techniques of “divination” to analyze modern issues.

- Cultural: How media can drive people to extremes in a place of a lot of people and technology, including the way they see life.

G.) Discuss conceptual themes and issues: The states of mind visually represented through the warping of the video.

-views of life after death

H.) Review methods (test audience plans): Show the film to test groups with context of an “experiment.” Listen for parts to improve on and what parts the audience likes.

I.) Approach and style: Dramatic narrative with psychological influences to the video.

J.) Probable collaborative members or production crew: None planned but all help appreciated

K.) List of all equipment you will be using: HD Handy Cam

- Olympus Portable Recorder

-Three outdoor ground lights

-Two Handheld lights

An updated and finalized research proposal:

B. SENIOR PROJECT PROPOSAL RESEARCH

1. Proposed Research Topic(s): Psychological states of mind

- Crime scene investigation techniques

- Shakespeare tragedies/comedies

2. Describe significance of Proposed Research to Thesis

Project: The techniques of crime investigation and psychological states of mind will directly influence the portrayal of the characters.

3. Describe Proposed Research in conceptual, theoretical,

historical, and cultural terms: Conceptually the research will influence the visual style of the film proposed.

- Theoretically, the research will solidify the narrative approach and improve

the story portrayal

- Historically, the research explores the approaches to crime narratives and information dispersal, from early news types to modern methods.

- Culturally, the research will emphasize the subculture within mainstream media, enriching my knowledge about media and how adding to the feeling of alienation of the characters of the film.

4. Describe your Proposed Research methods:

1. Fieldwork: Data will be gathered through the ways information is spread, like newspapers, newscasts, and other media.

2. Written Materials: Books (mostly fictional, some non-fictional). The fictional books will be like Shakespeare books, illustrating the mood of tragedy in satirical ways. The non-fiction books will focus on the methods of crime scene investigation and the people involved.

3. Screenings & Work Reviewed: The movies watched will be analyzed for their stylistic qualities and how the camera work adds to the mood of the story and/or characters. The setting in the proposed movies will be analyzed to understand how they are predominant and how they can be used almost as characters themselves.

4. Interviews: I will seek out interviews, either pre-recorded or live, with people who have already made work dealing with psychological thrillers and/or crime dramas

5. List resources you have already referenced for this

research: The movie “Sucker Punch”

- The PS3 game “Heavy Rain”

- The PS2 game “Silent Hill 2”

The research is still rough around the edges (at least more than the production) but:

B. RESEARCH

1. Proposed Research Topic(s): Psychological states of mind

- Crime scene investigation techniques

2. Describe significance of Proposed Research to Thesis

Project: The techniques of crime investigation and psychological states of mind will directly influence the portrayal of the characters.

3. Describe Proposed Research in conceptual, theoretical,

historical, and cultural terms: Conceptually the research will influence the visual style of the film proposed.

- Theoretically, the research will solidify the narrative approach and improve

the story portrayal

- Historically, the research explores the approaches to crime narratives and information dispersal, from early news types to modern methods.

- Culturally, the research will emphasize the subculture within mainstream media, enriching my knowledge about media and how adding to the feeling of alienation of the characters of the film.

4. Describe your Proposed Research methods:

1. Fieldwork: Data will be gathered through the ways information is spread, like newspapers, newscasts, and other media.

2. Written Materials: Data will be analyzed based off the modern sources read and replicated.

3. Screenings & Work Reviewed: The movies watched will be analyzed for their stylistic qualities and how the camera work adds to the mood of the story and/or characters.

4. Interviews: I will seek out interviews, either pre-recorded or live, with people who have already made work dealing with psychological thrillers and/or crime dramas

5. List resources you have already referenced for this

research: The movie “Suckerpunch”

- The PS3 game “Heavy Rain”

I am still seeking valid research sources and shall report as soon as possible.

In short, here is the project production proposal for the latest idea

1. Working Project Title: "With Cranes"

2. Medium: Digital Film

3. Intended Audience: Those with an abstract view of the world and interested in the digital film genre of entertainment

4. Describe Project in one sentence: A satirical, psychological crime drama from different perspectives and themes.

5. Summary of Project in approximately 250 words: A serial killer, bent on gathering one thousand paper cranes to earn one wish, kills the same amount of people. Each person’s blood is soaked into the paper folded into the one thousand cranes. One victim survives the killing spree and, not knowing why, seeks out the blood and soul parts they lost. In the process of finding his lost self, he goes from rich to poor due to lack of care for anything else. A modern day Oracle, whose parents were killed by the serial killer and seeing all the deaths as visions, seeks to stop the killer before she is driven crazy. An unofficial detective, intent on finally catching this serial killer, chases down what clues he can. The detective catches the survivor and interrogates him, not learned too much before the Oracle is in the mix too. All three characters find the killer watching them and chase after the killer until they reach the killer’s hideout. The three characters finally catch the killer, after nine hundred and ninety nine deaths, who kills themself in desperation to complete the thousand cranes. The survivor picks up his crane, reclaiming full senses and foiling the serial killer’s plans. After the killer sees this, they die knowing they had failed and that their wish will never be granted. The survivor later comes back and quietly kills themselves, knowing they have nothing left to live for.

6. Main conceptual goal(s) to be achieved: Explore how a crime drama/serious story can be twisted in tone, but still retain the narrative wholeness.

a.) Conceptual themes: Psychological exploration of crime victims and those involved in crime investigation.

-How instinct can be more truthful than conscious thought.

-Visual representation of mental ailments.

b.) Historical themes: Investigation techniques from the past and the present.

-Misplaced individuals and how they can be the same in many eras.

c.) Cultural themes: The effect of media on people and information

-How investigation can take many forms through modern media

7. Discuss technical pursuits and how they parallel with your

conceptual themes: The camera will be used from extreme angles to add emphasis to the people and their states of mind.

-The use of sound from objects in the frame will add to the distorted tone of the piece.

On a side note

With the most recent "Current Perspectives" speech, I feel I should note a trend I have seen at KCAI and possibly the rest of the city. The term "talk" or "discussion" tends to be abused greatly today, almost always meaning "lecture" or a monologue that goes on for too long. I respect words as a communication tool and an excellent way of expression, but a lot more "talks" are quite empty, letting the speaker take up time rather than inform. In relation to the speech, I respect the art of Wendy White makes and its style. The way she presented it, however, was quite uninteresting with more emphasis needed on the process. I did not learn much of the content, although as I recall there was not much, and this did not really help me develop artistically (especially since I use digital film). I do like her combination of materials, though, and hope her work does well in the future.

Banana Split Lollipops

Long story short, the situation is quite tentative right now (if that is the right word for a rather large boulder balanced carefully on a cliff edge). All bets go to this Friday , April 8, 2011, which is the final part of the filming process and only a quarter of the headaches to come. Monday may be arrangeable for filming, but that will have to be discussed with the people at Jannes Library. The animation portion of the piece is still on route and I pray it works, since I have not done animation before. I fear it may cause a certain amount of degradation to the overall impact of the work.

I think back to the speech regarding the legal actions that could possibly be taken against or by artists. I blame human society for getting so lavish and up on themselves that such measures could be conceived. Still, something I should be aware of in later practices, and definitely in Senior year.

I still remember the presentation on the quite interactive public art that involved material like the long clay letters, the pads that controlled the projection onto the buildings. This is the kind of art that I want to do someday, but I want to make it a whole world that can be accessed on and offline, sharable by all in any setting. Perhaps a pipe dream but plausible in the future for as long as I hope to live.

The show at the artspace was still interesting though. A true global snapshot if I ever saw one.

I can only pray that this semester works out. This film is only a third of it all. Headstrong, let us ride forth.

Also, TURKEY!!!!