BVA 203 S1W2: Pretentious Tripe

The idea of a party is great because it can also be seen as a slow invasion of strangers if told in reverse. I am very sure that this is what I want to do for the story in my short film, what I am not sure about is the rest of the content: specifically the relationship explored and nightmare he has of his Girlfriend leaving.

The main motivation for me to change this is just because it is personal, and a bit embarrassing. I don't want to be the "up his own ass" filmmaker type who just makes things applicable to themselves, or serving as some kind of mini autobiography. It's unappealing and pretentious. Also I am already working on similar subject matter for what I intend to do for 206 later in the year.

What I like so much about filming a party scene is that it's in a house, an easy location to work with, with a cast of randoms - something we have already done in the past with Izaiah's project from last year.

The difficulties with the romantic plot comes in finding actors again, I just don't have that many connections and anything intimate like the scenario that I have planned scares me. Just thinking about filming it is difficult, can't imagine how I (with my extremely limited experience) would execute this on set. Its awkward and I am afraid of the cringe.

This means I should probably do it, especially since my 206 project sees more of that in play, I can't just make bad comedy shorts because that isn't what I want to do for the rest of my life. I have to start somewhere so I guess this is as good a place as any.

Anyway being afraid is usually a good sign that you're heading in the right direction. This would also prove to be good growth for me and I will gain more out of the experience than I would otherwise.

Logically it fits, it's just that my own personal hang-ups and fear of doing it are getting in the way.

I don't even know how I would start looking for an actress😒.

I also got told that it would be good to use my own experience and dreams after presenting the idea to the class so it wouldn't be too out of the blue.

The dream I had was actually somewhat different to what I've presented in the beat sheet, I retrofitted it a bit to work better for the short and simple narrative that I am telling.

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Here is the dream I had, the first bit I filled in again but the rest is a text I sent to my girlfriend describing what I had dreamed, as such the punctuation and grammar is very bad (also I wrote it on a phone and often press the comma button instead of the space bar). I just don't feel like fixing it for this blog so here you go (things in bold brackets are comments for you):

The first bit of the dream took place on a football field, where a game of American football was taking place, there were various famous comedians and I assumed it must have been some kind of bad comedy. There was one girl, she became very horny and all the players wanted to have sex with her - they started making out with her and so on, until one of them stopped it and mentioned that one specific player could not participate since he has some kind of sexually transmitted disease which they did not wish to share. 

It was at this point that he revealed he was already inside her, ruining the event for everyone. The rest of the players left in disgust " but she was so horny that she just kept having sex with the herpes guy on the field.

Now it changed a bit, because suddenly it was like a housewarming guest in this flat, except I didn't know any of the people, but the girl and guy were,still on the floor having sex. Now the house guests were disgusted though and most made to depart.

I was the host and suddenly De la Rey (my brother) was the herpes guy. Except he didnt have herpes and,didn't play football - he just wanted to have sex with this girl.

I tried to tell him,not to,and,tried to explain why its wrong. I told him i would tell chloe (his girlfriend) and he said,he,doesnt care because,,she,knows that he'll move on soon anyway. He said he'll tell her himself. All,the other guests except, like 2 left, one was,her and,one was,her father who was asleep,in de la rey's room.

He was an old man and they couldnt wake him so they went into,my room which really upset me because,I felt like i had nowhere to,go. I was stuck in the house, only able to ve in tge liv8ng room and,not wanting to because they could come out,of,the room at any time and,i,would,have to,awkwardly look at them. I tried,to explain this to,de,la rey, and told,him i was just uncomfortable, bjt he didnt care and went,back,into the room to,have sex.

I decided to wake up the father, maybe he would,put a stop to this,nonsenss and maybe he would,leave. I had,to,wake,him, but suddenly he wasnt that old anymore,and,suddenly he hadnt been sleeping but working on the computer.

I,didnt want,to,say it plain and be mean but i asked hik how,he got there - he said,he'd walked. I asked how long the walk was - he said half an hour or,so.

He didnt get the hint so I asked him,more clearly whether,or,not he wanted,to,leave now - as you would ask,someone who youve gone to a party with. He said no, that he was waiting for his daughter.

I,felt as,though i was,bothering him,and told,him,i,wanted them,to,leave.

He didnt,budge because hes a very liberal,father and,doesnt mind what his daughter gets up to. I told,him,i have a secret and,leaned,in to tell,him (i wanted,to tell him how i felt,stuck) he got very defensive when i did,this, didnt like my manner and told,me,not to be weird. I denied being weird and said i wouldnt tell him as saying it aloud would be too embarassing. He seemed to move on quicly ans get back to,work, this wouldnt stand.

In a very loud voice i said "i have nowhere to go and feel very uncomfortable,because,you're,in this room and ray and your daughter is FUCKING in mine!"

This was,too far, he said,i didnt have to,beso,dramatic and that people could hear. I felt a bit better though, now having said how i feel. He said sex,addiction is a very bad thing and pointed,to a news article on his computer in which a girl died.

Just then his younger daughter walked,through the door (brown hair, the older one was blonde) she was also mich younger altbough the age chnaged from like 3 to 8 throighoit the dream.

He told her to show,me some of her drawings and,stjff,and,she did. Excspt,it was all like on a compiter even though it was in a book. She was really good at everhtging and better even than me at some. I remember drawing some things for,her, letting her guess. The father suggested i,should make her guess when i was born - right after i thought of,it, this annnoyed me.

I wrote down 1989 as a joke. She didnt believe i was that old. Then i wrote three different years in the book, making her choose one. I remember the,pencil was very bad.

Just then de la rey and the girl,walked,out the door,and,they looked at me, and the girl seemed guilty when she saw,me,playing with ber sister.

I then woke up. "
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I recognize a lot of subconscious things at play from my own life here, and especially things I was thinking about and experiencing at the time of having it. 

I would give a quick summary of what I think came from where, but it's too complicated for the story I am trying to tell, instead I have relegated the themes specifically to the main characters' fear of losing his girlfriend, meeting her parents and being insignificant or not worthy of her hand,

The transaction with the father should show that he feels weak and incapable of getting someone else to do what he wants, getting the father to leave, or any of the guests for that matter is an issue for him, he is too weak to make them do his will, even when they are trespassing on his property.

The father and meeting both the parents later in the story is an obvious correlation, it would be around this point that we learn the film is playing in reverse order. The girl should be leaving to go home, returning to her parents home. This translates to his subconscious anxiety of meeting them, and living up to their supposedly high standard.

Losing his girlfriend to another man is presented by the stranger she flirts with, as well as her receding into the bedroom with said stranger. This hangs heavy on his mind, her leaving is his biggest fear because it's like the first step to having her completely absent from his life.

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After all this I don't think its a bad idea to go with the long distance relationship angle, it makes sense and obviously I've thought it through. The main concern, besides not being able to physically make it, is that I can't even write it to a standard of quality that I'm happy with.

See, I've already started writing the script and I'm really not happy with it:

I thought it started okay, but that's from a writing point of view. I don't even know if I should have so much exposition at the start of the film - it might be more effective delivered at the end, when they're going to bed, not when they wake up. Other than this, the whole thing falls apart very quickly once he leaves the bedroom and enters the dream, the transition works and I think will pretty much go unnoticed, but the interaction between him and the father is just, for lack of a better word, shit. 

I don't like the way it unfolds, it feels unnatural, isn't entertaining and doesn't take long at all to become on the nose and pretentious tripe.

At this stage I am worried, will rewrite, but am starting to rethink the whole thing with the father. I like the intruder idea, people slowly multiplying too, it works as a seemingly straight, albeit surrealistic, narrative, I just don't like the actual minute to minute stuff. 

At the moment it's working on a macro level, just not on the micro one. Which, unfortunately, is very important.

I am considering taking more of a comedic route or making it pure psychological horror, all I want is for it to at least be entertaining when viewing it the first time. It still needs to work as a film, originally I thought it would, but at the moment it's too artsy and I hate it.

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