Inside Director's Mind - Beautiful You & Me
The Inspiration:
Everyone starts their new year's resolution for many different reasons. For mine, it started earlier in December because I was in the transition to a new lifestyle and career. Excited, overwhelmed, confused are all the feelings mixed in my mind. Trying something new is always an exciting adventure but my insecurities are also never out of reach.
What if people make fun of my work? Also, what kind of message I would like to convey to my audience? All I only know is that I have a passion in telling a story through my camera. I only can hope that one day I can be remembered for inspiring people to tell their own stories.
It took some motivational words from my friends and families but I finally got to have the project up and running.
I always have been inspired by a good storytelling where visual serves as the best medium. This being the case, I spent a lot of time deciding on the best way to approach this project with a minimalistic approach. After several brainstorming sessions, I eventually decided to draw my short film (short) with the creativity of using objects around my house and visiting places around my neighbourhood.
What is the story I want to tell? I was inspired by the notion that every individual has a shred of introversion and extroversion in them. Sometime we feel comfortable staying in our house as an introvert but in another time, we can just be an outgoing person who enjoys the life of a party. It is the combination of both personalities that make us unique individuals. People can judge us based on the things we have or the places we belong but in the very end, what makes us happy is how we can comfortably embrace our unique personalities to be the very best, remarkable version of ourselves.
This short is dedicated as my love letter to every types of personalities out there.
The Look and The Setting:
I wanted the short to appeal to audience through representation of objects and places. I chose to show most of the indoor objects to serve as a medium for introverted personalities while outdoor places for otherwise. The colour treatment for indoor scenes consists a slightly blown out exposure combined with a soft focus. It is important to point out that introverts are comfortable with their own thoughts and thus, they feel at ease in their "dream" scenes. Extroverts' scenes, on the other hand, have been reflected in deep and saturated tones because they exist in memories.
Most of the scenes were shot during "golden hour" with one goal that every frame can be converted to a standstill photo with a story.
The Scenes:
Beautiful Me (Introverted Personality):
Rear Sight of Street Light - In the beginning of the short, our eyes are withdrawn to the scenery outside the window. However, at times, the frame of the window comes to the screen. As an introvert, we sometimes feel very comfortable staying in our comfort zone (i.e. house, room, etc) and choose to enjoy the beauty from our perspective. Perhaps a trauma, bad experience hinder us from enjoying the possibility of a bigger adventure. I truly believe though that there may be more stories going on in our lives beyond our little bubble.
Morning Refresher - Regardless whether we are an introvert or an extrovert, we love our little morning routines such as having a coffee. Sometimes we get caught in our morning rush, we tend to have a less appreciation towards the time we can use to set the tone for the day ahead. In the end, however, I believe that all of us eventually are drown to our introversion because we feel at ease with our mundane morning tasks.
Under the Sunrise - As an introvert, no one can argue that we'd very much like to inspect or watch people's behaviours rather than interacting with them. Most of us sometimes would even be labelled as a "wallflower". What makes us special, however, is that every close relationship we have is based on our slow thoughtfulness and thorough evaluation. We are ready to take the time to know the people we care about and once it takes off to a deeper level, we can be an extremely loyal and reliable friend.
Illusory Companion(s) - Before or after our all outdoor adventures, introverts always need a quiet space to recharge. At the comfort of our room or home environment, we can be listening or watching our favourite song(s), video(s) to immerse ourself into a blissful solitude. For me, spending time with my illusory companion(s) can be the source of inspiration. In my inner world, free from crowd, I am comfortable to be in touch with my feeling to express emotions in non-verbal artistry.
Writing's on the Wall & Brave Steps - The two scenes are intertwined due to the fact that there are many misconceptions that correlate shyness with introverts. I, for one, have been accustomed to hear how my
friends like to utter the phrase "come out of your shell."
Their intention can be positive but sometimes, it can
come as the wrong approach. Any sort of criticism of our behaviour, most of the time, will make us retract. Instead of coming out of shell, we actually will carry our shell wherever we go. We become more self-conscious and feel less encouraged to go outside of our nature.
Beautiful You (Extroverted Personality):
Journey to a Brighter Future - In contrast to the first scene of the short, this scene showcases how I would like to get the first essence of extroverted personality out of the way. At times when my adventurous spirit takes over, I feel like I am invisible. Regardless of how busy I am, I do not mind travelling without any companion. I told myself that a simple way to make new friend(s) could be done just by saying "Hi" first to a stranger or even smile to them in general. Of course, not everything we imagined will turn out to be what we expected. But, in the end, life is a journey, not a destination. Who can blame us if we dare to take a risk for a chance of happiness.
Garden Charm - I will not always admit it but even though I am in my favourite place with my favourite people, at the end of the day, I can get physically drained. This might be the part where my I revert back to introversion. Some fight exhaustion with sleep, coffee or music. What makes me re-energized, however, is a fresh new pair of lens to admire our beautiful natural scenery. This perfect current moment I am experiencing that could bring another joyous moment of my life in the past. Those nostalgic perfect days followed by perfect nights where nothing wrong and smiles on everyone's face.
Spring and Fallen Flowers - Remember those moment when we fell in love for the first time or the unforgettable past when we lost someone dearest to our hearts? The journey we travelled, the moment we experienced unfortunately can be either beautiful or painful. The fascinating part of human being is regardless whether we are introverts or extroverts, we can relate to each
other through our level of sensitivities and vulnerabilities. I am a believer that everything does happen for a reason and as what a wiser man than me always says, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
Dream Palace - Over the past Christmas, I spent some time thinking about all the things I am thankful for. As I did, a lifetime of wonderful memories began to flood in. I remembered the magnificent place I visited in Niagara Falls along with the most wonderful time I spent with my parents. Looking back into this single instance of experience, I dream that one day the rest of my family can join us in another unforgettable adventure. We all have those places that, for one reason or another, mean a lot to us. When it becomes our favourite place, it becomes part of us, part of our dream that one day we can bring our loved ones.
Beautiful You and Me:
Us Against the World - I personify the wheelchair in relation to the insecurities or limitations we have on our everyday lives. It is easy for us or in an instance of the girl in the scene, to feel sorry for herself. However, her insecurities does not stop her to overcome her physical limitations. In fact, her imperfection can be endearing and even bring her closer to her loved one. When we are honest about our vulnerabilities, it can turn out to be a bonding experience for people around us. I believe that If you can cheerfully accept your awkwardness and imperfections, you will likely find that others will, too. They may even like you better for it!
Sunset Wisdom - The last scene of the short was drawn from the most inspiring quote by the late psychologist, Carl Rogers. He believes that people are as beautiful as sunsets if we let them be. How often do we less appreciate who we are and start comparing ourselves to other people? When I watch the sunset, I do not try to colour it the way I want. I let go the need of control and I just watched the colour of how they already were. I then started to witness the wonder of the sunset. Our personalities can be different and that is the most beautiful things about us. If we take a moment to appreciate who we are and how others as the way they are, we will be in awe with how we can amaze ourselves and be surprised by others.
