Brain-rain, Brain-storm

Amores Perros (2000, dir. Alejandro González Iñárritu)

For weeks now I have been trying to imagine ideas for this project but none have felt special or important enough. They have either lacked substance or been far too convoluted and could never be done correctly within a five minute time constraint. Incidentally, as I mentioned in earlier blog posts, two main things that have been recurring in my concepts have been the beach (or more specifically water) and dreams. In addition to that, I have found that central to my schemes are themes of longing and a search for connection.

Initially I wanted to create something that took place within a dream state, following a girl as she searched for someone she thought she recognized. It would begin with her in the middle of a busy sidewalk, spotting a man farther up the way who seemed familiar. She would push past walker-byers trying to get his attention but he would never hear her. Instead, as soon as she got close enough to tap him on the shoulder she would be transported into another dream, an entirely different setting and context, and be plunged into a cycle of chasing as the man would appear again in different forms and she would feel compelled to find him. At the end I imagined looping back to the opening scene but as she looks up he is already on the other side of the street, the two never speaking. In formulating the structure I was largely influenced by the winding and woven nature of Iñárritu's Amores Perros (2000). The film chronicles three different stories but brings them together in a way that resembles the broken down nature of dreams.

Even though I can clearly see this idea in my head, many issues present themselves when actually conceptualizing how to go about creating it. First, I have no clue how I would show audiences that the protagonist is sleeping without at some point presenting her awake or going to bed. Peers suggested that I could include audio from the real world, such as the tap running or her parents talking, but I think that without the context that she is in a dream this could further confuse the viewer. Moreover, because it would take place over a wide variety of environments I would not only need to assemble a larger cast to play small characters but also a variety of locations. I am worried that the process would require more planning and shooting time than I have left. However, this is not all bad news. I have recognized that at the core of this are themes that are important to me that I can work with on a separate idea, and I am definitely feeling inspired!

Talk soon,

Cassie.