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Create a short movie to interpret the selected topic: "Eureka!"
— Jan Kubasiewicz
play movie - QuickTime file
Get QuickTime 6
02.22.2003
Simone was a vision- a very attractive woman. Simone was what many men dreamt about, but she had some baggage- she was very skilled at
talking about herself. It probably came from years of having men falling over themselves when she was around. Simone had this way of finding herself in
every situation, every conversation, everywhere, every time.
Not surprisingly, her boyfriend Lenny forgave this little character flaw when they first met. Soon after they started dating, Lenny's single-minded
focus on her body and great looks gave way to an awareness of what he should have seen right away. He realized with every conversation they had that
she didn't hear a word he said. She was either waiting for an opportunity to insert herself or outright ignore what he was saying and the burden of
knowing he was in a dead-end relationship started to weigh heavy on his mind.
Somewhere along the way, many months later, Lenny checked out. The sex was still great, but that was a consolation prize that served an increasingly
limited role. Time slowed to an almost motionless point when he was with her and the pain of her presence put him in a coma. It boggled his mind that
she was oblivious about the state of their relationship. "How could she be so clueless," he thought.
Then a funny thing happened. Lenny began to notice that when he was with Simone people would look at them very strangely. To see them would stop them
in their tracks. To Lenny, they were seeing what he saw- a shallow and thoughtless person whose disregard for him had brought down their little
enterprise. To him, everyone saw what he had to live with and he rallied behind their silent support. He convinced himself that it was time to make
a move and he started planning the coup that would end her regime.
But the strange looks that people had hurled were for him. Lenny was the problem and all of the detestable qualities he had perceived in Simone were
his. Soon after they had started dating, Simone had realized that she was in a meaningless relationship and she had been planning their breakup from
the beginning.
Having worked out the details of his plan, Lenny returned home from work one day to find no evidence that Simone had ever been there at all. Her
clothes were gone along with every knick-knack she had purchased for their apartment. Lenny thought is curious that not a single photo of her had been
left behind, though every picture frame remained as if untouched. In their place were photos of Lenny and his dog Simone.
03.10.2003
Scene 1: The Meeting (16 secs)
- Lenny sits alone at an upscale bar
- Simone walks by with a girlfriend
- their eyes connect and lock
- this sequence may be one or two brief camera shots played very slowly
Scene 2: The Evidence (17 secs)
- quick vignettes and objects offered as evidence of their relationship
- scenes of Lenny and Simone enjoying each other's company (utopian)
- suggestion of the important role of sex in their relationship (e.g., clothes on the bedroom floor)
- this scene is a rapid sequence of interlaces shots
Scene 3: Lenny Goes South (16 secs)
- Lenny and Simone sit at the breakfast table (morning sunlight)
- Simone is talking, going on without pause while Lenny stares into space
- progressive camera jumps into facial details of both characters
- this emphasizes the opposite mindsets and facial expression displayed by Lenny and Simone
Scene 4: The Train Station (38 secs)
- Simone walks alone through the train station (slow motion)
- people standing and walking by give her strange looks
- her back is to the camera so we don't know people are reacting this way
- camera view slowly shifts to reveal her face as she continues to walk (still slow motion)
- a tattooed design is revealed on her face
- tattoo represents "tribal burial mask"
- tattoo is expanding, spreading over time
- Simone is oblivious to the tattoo and the stares people are giving her
Scene 5: Lenny Thinks (interlaced w/ adjacent scenes)
- interlaced with end of scene 4 ending and first half of scene 6
- quick shots of Lenny walking alone, contemplating
- walking down the street, riding the T, smoking cigarettes
Scene 6: Getting Undressed (33 secs)
- Lenny sits in a sofa chair in the corner of the bedroom
- as Simone undresses slowly, we see that her tattoos have continued to spread throughout her body
- Simone is still unaware of the tattoos, just going about her business
- she also makes no acknowledgement of Lenny's presence (as if she's alone in room)
- Lenny's face remains expressionless, still staring into space
- his face provides some ambiguity here: has he checked out or is he awe of her naked body?
Scene 7: The Dream Ends (55 secs)
- cut back to Lenny sitting in the sofa chair in bedroom
- Lenny is in same position but his appearance and wardrobe has changed
- goes from well dressed and clean cut to stained tank top, messy hair, unshaven
- cut back to Simone
- progression of her tatoos have reversed (retreating now), but she continues to undress
- camera view changes, now behind Simone
- views of clean-cut Lenny walking toward chair, sitting in chair, etc.
- Simone's figure vanishes as she continues to move and reveals view of Lenny sitting in sofa chair
- Lenny tears page with Simone's photo from glamour magazine
- as camera continues to come in tightly, Lenny drops the torn page
- close up of photo floating downward (feather-like)
- torn page drops into scruffy Lenny's hand (seated in same sofa chair)
- camera pans up to reveal scruffy Lenny examining page
- scruffy Lenny's girlfriend/wife (vacuuming) crosses field of view; enters from right, exits left
- scruffy Lenny crumples page, camera view closes in tightly on paper
- rapid visual rewind of entire sequence
- return to first scene of Lenny at bar, puts glass down to reveal the same magazine on bar
-- END --
Notes:
scenes 5 and 6 are interlaced, not separate sequences;
sequence begins with scene 6 view of Simone undressing with moderate insertion of scene 5 images;
as sequence progresses, scene 5 images become less frequent;
by the end of sequence, the scene 5 shots are completely eliminated, paving way for uninterlaced scene 7
03.11.2003
words and music by Beck
Time wears away
All the pleasures of the day
All the treasures you could hold
Days turn to sand
Losing strength in every hand
They can't hold you anymore
Already dead to me now
'Cuz it feels like I'm watching something die
Love looks away
In the harsh light of the day
On the edge of nothing more
Days fade to black
In the light of what they lack
Nothing's measured by what it needs
Already dead to me now
'Cuz it feels like I'm watching something die
©2002 Beck
03.03.2003
03.17.2003
- critical
- important
- optional
Dover/Portsmouth
Location: Dover Yoga Studio
- seduction #1, Simone undressing, camera behind pans down
- seduction #2, Simone undressing, other views incl. front and side at various stages
- seduction #3, same view as #1 but w/o Simone, scruffy Lenny zoned out sitting in sofa chair w/ magazine(s), cigarettes, begin zoom
- scruffy Lenny zoned out sitting in sofa chair, with magazine(s), cigarette butts, detail shots
- scruffy Lenny zoned out sitting in sofa chair, final zoom into magazine photo of Simone
- torn magazine page falling into scruffy Lenny's hand (close-up)
- scruffy Lenny sitting in sofa chair holding magazine photo of Simone, crumpled as camera closes in
- clean-shaven Lenny zoned out sitting in sofa chair, detail shots
Location: Various
- morning coffee, Simone gabs, Lenny zones (location: Breaking New Grounds or Golden Egg)
- leaning against the wall, strattling Simone, making out (location: beneath Rte 1A bridge)
- walking across bridge arms around each other (location: Rte 1A bridge)
- window shopping with Simone, Lenny zones (location: Market Street shops)
- Lenny and Simone at the movies (location: TBD)
- Lenny alone at the movies (location: TBD)
Boston
Location: Stars
- Lenny drinking at the bar, shot begins from behind glass he's drinking
- Lenny drinking at the bar, puts down glass on bar next to magazine opened to Simone's photo
- long slow glance between Lenny and Simone at bar
- Lenny doodles on napkin (sketch is of henna/tattoo design)
Location: Back Bay Station
- train boarding area shot #1, camera behind Simone walking, people stare
- train boarding area shot #2, close up of Simone's face as she walks
- detail shots of Simone's feet (walking) and hands, train details, bystander close-ups incl. production assistant
Location: Various
- walking down sidewalk holding hands (location: Huntington Ave)
- Lenny walking alone, city streets at night, smoking
- Lenny sitting on stone steps, smoking (location: Boston Public Library or hotel entrance)
- window shopping with Simone, Lenny zones (location: Newbury Street shops)
- Lenny contemplates magazine stand, outside if possible (location: TBD)
03.11.2003
Stars (Boston)
walking, holding hands (Portsmouth)
making out under the bridge (Portsmouth)
train station (Back Bay Station, Boston)
final sequence (Dover Yoga Studio)
03.11.2003
Stacey Alley as Simone
Sasha Parkovich as Lenny
03.17.2003
Equipment/prop checklist:
- JVC DV500 DV camcorder
- tripod
- 8 stick batteries + charger
- wide angle lens
- white card for white balance
- Mini DV tapes
- field monitor
- battery powered fan for train station hair movement
- 4 C batteries for fan
- 10' x 27' sheer fabric for studio backdrop
- 5 king size sheets for studio backdrop
- light stands for studio shoot
- upright ashtray for studio shoot
- large fan for studio shoot
- 6-pack of Budweiser cans for studio shoot
- panty hose for camera lens distortion (white, black, tan)
- sofa chair for studio shoot
- upright lamp for studio shoot>
- oriental rug for studio shoot
- final henna/tattoo designs on paper
- napkin sketch of henna/tattoo pattern
- fashion magazine
- altered tear sheets from magazine
03.30.2003
03.23.03 - Durham and Portsmouth, NH
03.29.03 - Somerville and Boston, MA
photos ©2003 Colin F. James
04.02.2003
Lenny's hand
Simone's shoulder
Generous support from:
- David Mendelsohn - advisor, studio equipment, model search
- Jay Childs - advisor, video equipment, video production training and support
- John Palen - production assistant
- Colin James - production assistant, tattoo animation for face and hand (not used in final edit)
Vendors/Conracted Services:
- Mark Herlehy Tattoos
Salem, NH
603-890-6105
- Mass Audio Visual
Bedford, NH
603-624-8617
- Dover Yoga Studio
Dover, NH
603-740-9700
©2003 ekaratzas - all rights reserved
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