I’m slowly, but surely piecing together the footage I had shot. In the meantime, the actress who played Anna and I are going to write a VO together. At the moment, I’m not quite sure if the character should read the VO or if Professor Breyer should. I can always try both and decide later. I want the VO to start with a specific experience Anna had and interlace that with the close-up shots (watering the plants, making coffee, etc). It’s not really necessary to introduce the character Anna as her personality is very clear from her actions and demeanor. From then, I can decide if I want to shoot more/reshoot.
It should be a fun and introspective process to write the VO as the story is loosely based on me and my friend’s life and attitudes. The girl who plays Anna had actually fainted, hit her head, and as a result, had a concussion during her time abroad. Nobody had helped her then. We both experienced a time in our lives when we almost completely closed ourselves off from the world due to “irrational” fears. I hope the short pans out the way I had intended because it means a lot to the both of us. The quote or monologue I included in the script accurately sums up our rationale behind “not being afraid” and “ok to be unsure.” I read a book by Miranda July this past summer that inspired me to include that quote. I remember when taking the required screenwriting class two years ago, my professor told us that the best stories come from personal experiences or people/places/things we know to be true. I really hope this translates on screen.
Jocelyn
