At the start, I had no idea what to do with my prompt and struggled to develop a meaningful idea. Rather than going into the project blind, I looked back at the films that really had me hooked the moment I started to watch them. Through some rewatching and analysing, I realised that they all shared a recurring theme of identity and the way that society can influence individual behaviours. Films such as Battle Royale, As Above, So Below, and This is England inspired me through the use of psychological tension. Through my research, I began to brainstorm how these ideas could be combined with my own story. I want to create a modern-day dystopian world where people are forced to hide their true identities behind “Masks”, which can be a metaphor for the pressure of having to act a certain way for societal expectations. I also explored the idea of a Collar around the characters’ necks, inspired by Battle Royale, representing the government’s control over the citizens and how it can strip you of your individuality.
STORY BOARD DEVELOPMENT
Character Development
During my development I wanted the characters to be diversed in ages and occupations therefore suggesting that anyone could be affected by systems of control and surveillance.
I left the workers and the child faceless because they represent individuals who had become used to the surveillance system surrounding them; they do not question the fictional world I had built in my short film. Instead, they are passive followers of the rules; furthermore, their lack of facial features symbolises the loss of identity within a society controlled by surveillance. These characters are specifically used to represent the wider population rather than fully individualised characters.
Compared to the Worker and the Child, the brothers have faces because they begin to recognise the problems within their society and actively rebel against the system. This makes individuality visually important to support the narrative of the story.
The contrast between the faceless poplution and the brothers in my short film emphasis the differences between submission and resistance.