Final Project Progress - Dec 8

I guess it's done now.

I hate how laggy iMovie is on the school's computers. Maybe that's why we're supposed to put it on the Working Volume... oh hm...
Anyhoo.

I didn't get enough footage to fill up the entire two and a half minutes of the song I used, but I think that's okay. Quality over quantity, right? (Speaking of, please excuse the horrible quality of my cruddy little Kodak. And my mumbling.) I asked a few strangers off the street, but only two really gave an answer, and even those were not very sufficient.

My first conclusion from this project: Nobody likes to be surveyed. My second conclusion: Nobody likes to spill out their heart on camera. I didn't really expect somebody to just be like "Actually, I had a pretty rough day, let me tell you everything that's stressing me out and lean on your shoulder for a few moments." Nah. Those are pretty high expectations.

Maybe if I filmed in secret (is that illegal or...?) people might answer differently. If I had a hidden camera and just shot the question casually, giving them no time to actually think about it, I'd get some truer results. It would take less time, too, and I wouldn't be bothering people as much as I would be formally asking them to answer a question first. But those were not resources I had at hand. I ended up acting like a surveyor.

Ask somebody how their day was. Listen to others. It'll help.

Final Project Progress - Dec 4

My idea had changed from encompassing nineteen rules somehow into just focusing on one of the rules and acting it out:

2. Ask every person you meet how their day is going. Genuinely ask with the soul intention of learning how their day is. Ask the coffee shop employee. Ask the person next to you in line at Walmart. Ask your distant friend. Ask everyone.

Again, I'm reminded of a YouTube video I once saw (I have seen a lot of YouTube videos and my memory is impeccable for those that had had an emotional impact on me):

 I might use their method rather than what I've been doing, which is prepping the other person and asking their permission first. I think they think I'm gonna ask them a really complicated question about the State of the Union or something like that. At the same time, I don't want them to panic about randomly being filmed. Would that happen? I guess I'll find out.

I'll definitely be asking more people in the next few days. I'll do my painting homework during the mornings and late nights, and go out sometime in the late afternoon to the evening and just gather footage. I can go to Family Dollar and ask the cashier, to the diner and ask the waitress.

I've seen strangers on the street and thought about including them, but I usually get intimidated by others. Not that random people are particularly intimidating, it's probably just a mild form of social anxiety or something. I don't really want to be a bother to people who are just trying to go about their day. Maybe willingly picking a project that requires me to put myself in kind of stressful situations wasn't my best idea, but I do need to get used to it. Can't be a shut-in forever.

I can do this. So far I've only gotten people that I know (and one rushed person). It may be time to branch out. Statistics say that not all of them will respond. But for the ones that do, I'll be eternally grateful.

Final Project Progress - Dec 2

Oh boy hm.

I seem to vaguely know what I want to do, but it's not quite there yet, it seems.
I don't know oh gosh. Maybe I should nix the .mov format and find a different way to express the nineteen pieces of advice.

Maybe I could just elaborate on one? Like the second rule, to really ask how people's days are going. I could record myself just doing that with multiple people right? like basically everyone. Even chatlogs with friends I haven't talked to in forever. (If they get too personal, I might have to censor at least the name.)
I could put that all together in Flash. I think. If not, then iMovie.

just record myself saying

"How's your day going?"

to random people. Clerks, passerbys, roommates, classmates, teachers. security, friends here, friends far away.
I could use videos, or I could use the audio of those posts and some kind of visual. Use the text chatlogs as visuals? Or just a dark screen. Or the person's face. hm. I'd ask them if I can use the conversation and/or their face in a school project. Get people's permission and stuuuff.

For some reason I just thought of this video:

It's not quite the same, but the concept is - let other people know that they matter to you.

So how about that final project eh

I was thinking that maybe I would read a quote and kind of put it together in the same format as the narrative. something like…

Nineteen things I’ve learned before I turned nineteen.
1. Always carry $5 and a lighter with you (even if you don’t smoke). 
2. Ask every person you meet how their day is going. Genuinely ask with the soul intention of learning how their day is. Ask the coffee shop employee. Ask the person next to you in line at Walmart. Ask your distant friend. Ask everyone.
3. Take many photos of yourself. Take photos of yourself when you’re happy. Take photos of yourself when you’re sad. Take photos of yourself because there are millions of trees in the world, and we all look at the same sky, but there is only one of you.
4. Stay in contact with your parents. Try not to hate them. They are the reason you have the ability to feel anything at all. Try not to hate your parents.
5. Opening your skin will not set your demons free. Open your heart. Open your mind. Open your hands.
6. Nobody knows anybody completely. That’s okay.
7. Be gentle, but be aggressive. Take a stand. Nobody hears your voice if you stay silent. 
8. Respect everybody. We are all humans trying to survive. We all deserve respect. 
9. Wearing black will ALWAYS make you feel better about yourself. 
10. Always give tips, whether it be a couple extra dollars or a piece of mind. You never know how much you could be helping someone. 
11. Change is the only thing consistent in life. Do not allow that bother you. Embrace chance and move with life, whichever direction it chooses to take you.
12. Smile often. Smile at strangers. Smile at your friends. Smile when nobody is looking and you’re alone in your bedroom. Smile when somebody is rambling to you. 
13. Body image means nothing. Your body is merely just a seatbelt in the car. Your body is here to protect you. You choose the direction you go, and your body will not hold you back. Only you can hold yourself back. 
14. Don’t hold grudges. Don’t allow yourself to hate anybody. Forgive them. Learn to love them for the person you never got to see them to be. Believe that a beautiful human exists in that person. Wish them well.
15. Drink orange juice. Lot’s of it.
16. Don’t allow the opinions of others to choose your destiny. We are all simply trying to live our own life.
17. Sing all the time. Sing off key. Sing in a silly voice. Sing like you’re on stage. Sing no matter who is around. Singing is breathing for the soul. Sing.
18. Take time to think. Write your feelings down. Write letters to the people you love. Texting is overrated and not as heartfelt as a nice handwritten letter.
19. Live for yourself. Breathe for yourself. Do everything in your life for nobody but you. This is your life. This is it."

-Katey Chrest

It was just something I happened upon that kind of inspired me, so… I think I want to do something with this. Like a typography

Project Status as of now

Alright so... I shot a good number of pictures before realizing that I'm gonna need to re-shoot them at the train station. I can see if my two roommates are available tonight and have the narrative take place during the night, but I'm worried that the lighting and such would be less than desirable. Other than that, I'd have to wait until the weekend arrives again because class schedules don't comply.

Train times: 6:21, 7:00, 7:27, 8:20, 9:28, 11:11.

I wonder how other people at the train station will affect the shots. Hm.

Visual Nararararararative: More

Alright, here's the high-quality images of what my storyboard looks like. There's basically two characters, which I may get two of my roommates to play. The crowd can be just a bunch of my housemates. I'm sure one can pose as a guy.

Maybe I can get my other housemate in photography to actually shoot the pictures, since I doubt she'd let me borrow her camera. Or I can use my cheap little Kodak.  This could all take a couple days to shoot, especially if I want to get the right lighting for each scene. And I'll have to actually wait for the train to pass for that one short scene, with only that section of time available.

I'm probably making this far more complicated than necessary. Go big or go home, I suppose.

I decided to largely draw inspiration from one of my favorite videos on this very planet:

I may or may not use the song featured in this as well. Shhhhh.

Visual Narararararative

Visual Narrative:

A visual narrative is a story told primarily through the use of visual media. The story may be told using still photography, illustration, or video, and can be enhanced with graphics, music, voice and other audio.

Thank you Wikipedia.

So would this be classified as a visual narrative?

Or even it's epic sequel?

I'm sorry you had to see that.

Would it be bad if I drew inspiration from this for my visual narrative assignment?

I think yes.