Ratatouille (2007) - Anton Ego Tastes Ratatouille - Flashback Scene [HD]

I was trying to find an example of what I meant with the music to show how it changes between a present and past moment. And the movie Ratatouille was a great example, but the thing that caught my group and mine attention was the shot that used as a transition from a present moment to a flashback. The way the camera zooms into the eye from the present person then it flashbacks to the younger person. I think it adds a bit of touch to the storyline cinematically. Especially, for the last scene where Elean gets up from her mom bed, then she goes to her dresser and puts on her mother necklace. We think it would be a creative transition that we can use for when Elena is in her mom bedroom and putting on her mother necklace to it transitioning to the present moment of her being at the museum. Both shots would have Elena standing in the same place, facing the same way and I personally think it adds a bit of touch to the scene because it's a rare camera shot that is hardly used. 

Costume Ideas

 For most of the scenes Elena would be wearing just typical clothes that teenagers would normally wear. The only outfits that I want to symbolize something is the outfit she wears to the museum for the first time since her mom got sick. I want her to wear a cardigan that belonged to her mom. This cardigan would be shown throughout the film as a statement piece. It shows that her mom is still with her even when she's gone. And I want her to wear the necklace her mom always had on. I think it just adds a bit of sentimental meaning to her character, that hopefully people capture. 

Then for the very last scene, which is her coming home from the funeral, she would be wearing an all-black dress.  With again her mom cardigan. Then later on in the scene she would put on her mom necklace. 

And for the very first scene, younger Elena would appear. And for this particular outfit I want her to be wearing an outfit that mimics Elena (older version) outfit. I think it adds a bit of meaning to the plotline saying that younger self is also with her and she's not alone. 

Planning to film

 

With our film, thankfully our scenes don't require us to shoot in such crazy places that are far. The only place that is bit of a drive is the Musuem, but even then, it's only about 20 minutes away from. But for most of our scenes they are being shot at a house. And if not a house, then some local park. But with everyone schedule we are planning to shoot on a Sunday morning right when the museum opens just in case it gets full. And we are planning to get all the shots that we need at the museum first, rather than to go in order. To us, it makes no sense to film in order because for example, say the museum is closed for some reason and we need to film there, that causes us to have an issue. Then the following weekend we are planning to film on a Saturday from midafternoon to the nighttime. We will try to film all the house and local scenes this day. Since most of the storyline is followed through the evening/ nighttime. It makes more sense to film the afternoon scenes first then the night. And hopefully we manage to finish filming within these two days. And if we don't, we can always work around everyone schedule to meet again. 

Targeted audiences

 Since there is a lot more younger adults on social media nowadays, I feel like it's important that we do a social media promotion to not draw attention to our film but to show people important lessons. Our film isn't just meant for entertainment, but it's meant for people to take away valuable lessons from it. Especially as a teenager, they definitely have it as the hardest considering they are learning how to be adults but are also treated as children. I think for our film a lot of teens and younger adults can relate to. Having to say goodbye to someone or even something in their life and having to move one with no one by their side. Unfortunately, almost everyone goes through it, but I think that's what makes it so captivating. You believe no one is going through the same pain as you, but through this film you realize there actually is. 

Pt.2 of Social Media post

 

Furthermore, the second post I wanted it to be a picture or pictures I should say of some of the locations. I want people to think about what potentially the film is going to be about. And with the caption "Walking down Scott Street feeling like a stranger", which I quoted from one of Phoebe Bridgers songs "Scott Street". I decided to do this because this song is very popular especially on TikTok, so I want to draw people attention with the lyric. But only that, but also because the lyric means so much more than what you think it does. It conveys and carries such a heavy meaning that only a few know about. 

Truth behind these post

 

So, for the first post, I wanted it to be a potential postcard because I want to draw people attention to our film. Essentially, I was thinking more of a teaser but I thought to myself, I need to build up the fan base first and draws people attention in order to post content like that. I feel like postcards, and posters are some of the things that should be posted and shown first so people can be like "omg that looks cool" or "I wonder what this is going to be about." You kind of just let the audience decide themselves what they think your film or media is going to be about. 

Furthermore, the second post I wanted it to be a picture or pictures I should say of some of the locations. I want people to think about what potentially the film is going to be about. And with the caption "Walking down Scott Street feeling like a stranger", which I quoted from one of Phoebe Bridgers songs "Scott Street". I decided to do this because this song is very popular especially on TikTok, so I want to draw people attention with the lyric. But only that, but also because the lyric means so much more than what you think it does. It conveys and carries such a heavy meaning that only a few know about. 

Social Media promotion for our short film

 

So, this is inspiration for what a social media would look like, if I were to create an Instagram account for our film. I wanted the name of our page to of course be the film title, then in the bio I had to crop my name out because it didn't let delete it. But for the quote "appreciate the people you love, before it's too late..." is a one of the themes that I want people to take way after watching this film so that's why this quote is in the bio. 

For the profile picture, I choose a photo regarding a heart that is broken but has two meaning. One piece of the heart can make together "love" while the other can make out the world "lost". And I came up with the quote "to the one person who she loved that she now lost". There are many interpretations that people can take away from that photo but that's something that I think resonates a lot with our film, because again, Elena did lose her mom. 

Mi Coranzo Esta Contigo- Postcard

 

This postcard will eventually change once we start filming, because I believe it would make more sense use a shot from our film rather than a random photo off the internet. But this would have to do for now. It still needs a lot of work, but for my postcard the reason why I used a picture of red wine being spilled onto the floor and creating a heart, because our title "Mi Coranzo Esta Contigo" translates to "My Heart is With You". So, I feel like the heart adds this small meaningful gesture. And the wine represents that the mom had a drinking problem that she couldn't control. So, when she couldn't control the amount, she drank eventually it will spill. And the fact that the wine is red resembles blood. Since she dies at the end, the wine being spilled cause portray that she drank too much causing her to get sick, and eventually leads her to passing away. Hence spilling the wine and never getting it back. 

On the back of the postcard, it will have a small summary of the plot without giving away too many details. It would also have some sort of contact information regarding on how to contact me and our group and getting more information on our film. 

Lighting for different scenes

 

So even though this is more of an editing problem, the lighting for when we are actually filming makes a major difference for the kind of mood we want to give off to the audience. Like I said, for certain scenes in the museum the lighting might be different to show different points of time throughout the storyline. For some other scenes, like Elena being home there is going to be this warm vibrant but also dark type of lighting. We want the audience to believe that is a comforting place but that there is also this heavy energy here. I think it's important that we keep these little things in mind because they create such a difference not only for the audience but for the storyline and film itself. 

Emailing for music rights

 So, we were informed that, we were highly suggested to email the music production company in order to obtain rights to a song, if it's not copyright free and use it in our film. It wasn't something that were expecting but I did my research and emailed Sony Music Production, because they produced "All I Want" by Kodaline. I highly doubt they will reach back to me, but it was worth a shot. 

Scott Street

Considering this is only a five-minute film, we believe that having too much music play out through the scenes will take away from the story cinematically. So, that's why we only stuck with two songs for our film. And for majority of the time, with the pieces of music we will be mainly using the instrumental versions of it but edit it to use certain lyrics to really emphasize on specific things throughout the film. 

With Scott Street, the songs dive into this theme of nostalgia and the bittersweet memories associated with a specific place. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a street where the singer once felt safe and had a deep connection. This is actually perfect considering that we are going to use the museum as a place that hold significances and meaning to Elena. This is place that is able to connect with her mom and feels like a second home to her. 

Kodaline - All I Want (Lyrics)

All I want is a song written and created by Kodaline. And just by hearing the song with no prior knowledge the song sort of has this heavy sad essence to it. Not only does the piano and guitar add to this heavy mix of emotions but so do the lyrics. The lyrics carry such heavy meaning that I don't think a lot of people capture. 

For example, the lyrics of the song speak about a person who is lost, searching for answers, and is desperate to find someone who understands them. The very first line of the song is 

" All I want is nothing more 

To hear you knocking at my door" 

These lyrics set the tone for the rest of the song. It expresses the idea that they are in deep need for human connection and the sense of loneliness that comes with feeling disconnected from others. And with Elena, she just recently lost her mom. So for to feel these heavy sad emotions is normal. And to not have people in life along her way is obviously going to make her feel alone. 

Another lyric that resonates is 

"But if you loved me 

Why'd you leave me?"

These lines express the pain that someone feels after they've been abandoned by someone they loved. 

Again, Elena just lost her mother, and even though they didn't have the ideal relationship, it was still her mom who she loved. So, she feels this sense of abandonment. 

But beside all these things, the overall message for this song is hope. It's a reminder that even in the darkest moments of our lives, we are not alone. Everyone experiences pain, loss, and heartbreak. But these experiences also give us the opportunity to grow, to learn, and to find some meaning in our lives. Which I think Elena can relate to. And I think this song really says a lot about her character and how she feels. 

Barthes theory of signs

 I know this isn't something related to the advanced portfolio, but I thought it was a good example regarding postmodernism. It's one of the components that in A-level we need to learn and know about. 

Our main focus isn't about postmodernism with this project, but one thing that stood out to me is the fact that we are applying Roland Barthes theory in our film. Obviously, there is many more theories and concepts that are being applied throughout our film but with Barthes theory in particular, he talks about " that everything communicates meaning through signs, which have a physical form (signifier) and mental concept (signified). Language and style, claiming that they are not purely creative, but is influenced by conventions." This goes hand in hand with my previous post because I was mentioning how certain places in the films, mean something to the storyline. That is our version of communicating with the audience. 

Locations and there importance

 

So, as I previously mentioned in other posts, the locations that are being shown throughout this film is something that is very important and meaningful towards the storyline. One of the biggest things I was set at the very beginning of planning this film was that I wanted to incorporate a museum, an art and history one preferably. 

With the storyline, I wanted the museum to symbolize this place as a "home" to Elena. This place was very special to her, especially when growing up. This was the place her and her mom were able to have a normal "relationship". Not only is this place a symbol but it also sets the tone for the film. For example, without giving away too much, for some scenes, we want to try to make the lighting for the museum have these soft but happy sort of colors to show that this is a sad moment for Elena. While other scenes might require white and harsh lighting to represent that is a more a "wasn't expecting that" kind of moment. 

And with the park, for certain flashbacks scenes we wanted incorporate moments of Elena and her mom (Valentina) being at the park and just having fun together. And I feel like the park is a perfect place to resemble this because it symbolizes youth and innocence. Even though most of the films revolve around the tough relationship Elena and Valentina had, we want to give some insight that it wasn't all too bad and there were some good moments. 

The Script

 

So above is a sneak peek of the script. The script itself is about 13 pages long. And yes, considering this is ONLY a 5-minute film, 13 pages seems like a bit over the roof.  But when I first started writing the script my head was actually going in a completely different direction. My group and I had shared a document where we all pretty much wrote down ideas for a storyline. We all threw in all our own ideas and visionary that we thought would go with the film. Then we finalized a storyline which I used as a guide to create this film. I would say however, I wish I wrote down the ideas as I went because majority of the time, I was just going based off the ideas that were being produced in my head. I know that was a horrible idea but in the end the script came out really well, so that's what matters. 

Moving forward, this is definitely one of the longest scripts I have ever written. I've written scripts in the past for other productions and projects, but I never written one like this before. Writing this script was definitely more challenging that I expected because for some scenes I had to go into detail about what exactly is going on. And I tried my best to be as straightforward as I could be so the people reading this would be able to visualize and understand what was going on in certain scenes.