At The End of A Universe
Story
A dedicated writer struggles to finish her book series, fearing that the main character of her novels will leave her when she does.
Central theme: Love defies loneliness - how does someone who doesn't fit in conquer their loneliness? - they find something inside of them (for Monica this is Vera/her writing)
Themes: Pressure, loss, success, perfectionism, ambition, loneliness
Tone: Light-hearted, formal, tense
Tone: Light-hearted, formal, tense
Synopsis
Monica Danes, a fiercely dedicated writer, sits at her dining room table, typing on a laptop in a steady rhythm.
At a champagne party, Monica is the centre of attention, yet isolated by how the other partygoers surround her. The room toasts to Monica and the perfect ending she has planned for her books. She basks in the attention.
Back at her laptop, a blank page taunts Monica. There are signs she has been sitting here for several weeks. An alarm about her upcoming manuscript deadline urges Monica to write, but as she does, she is overcome by noise, pressure and fear.
The noise crescendos, and Monica sits at another champagne party, hiding behind her laptop, still trying to write. The noise and people fizzle out, leaving her all alone. As she takes a sip of champagne, she grimaces – she doesn’t even like champagne.
Later, in desperation, Monica types the name of her book character, ‘Vera’, causing her to appear. This reassures Monica and allows her to get some writing done. Monica reaches the last sentence of the book, forcing herself to type it. As she does, Vera leaves. Alarmed by this, Monica backspaces, rewinding Vera.
Monica searches for another ending, rewinding Vera several times. Monica’s stress grows as she can’t figure out another ending. She decides to give up. Vera tries to encourage her, but Monica is decided.
Monica paces as her deadline gets closer. The alarm sounds again, signalling ten minutes until the deadline. Monica races back to writing, pounding out words. The ten minutes pass, and the alarm sounds again and again. Monica finally types ‘The End’. And Vera disappears. Unable to face this, Monica dashes out to hand in her work.
Monica returns and sits back at the table. Alone, small, miserable – and vulnerable. Noise begins to build again.
Another champagne party. Monica stands in the middle, trying to pretend that she fits in. She spots her laptop on the table and decides to retrieve it. Retreating into a corner, Monica begins writing again. Begins to regain her steady rhythm. Vera re-appears, and Monica is overjoyed. Vera suggests that Monica deletes her last sentence as she wants to see what it looks like when Monica rewinds a character. Monica backspaces, and everything rewinds.
Visual Style
The decisions made by the director about visual style define the world of the film, and how this is seen by the audience (Rabiger & Hurbis-Cherrier, 2013:116). Therefore, when making decisions about visual style a director should consider:
- "The nature and requirements of the story
- The tone and mood suggested by the story and its themes
- The nature and purpose of the main characters
- Their changing points of view inside the story
- The plot and how it is presented in time (structure)
- The associations of space, environment, and time period
- The Storyteller's intended impact on the audience"
- (Rabiger & Hurbis-Cherrier, 2013:116).
It can be seen that most of these points centre around character, since it has been argued that a character's environment (the time and place the character is in) influences their actions and conflict, with any changes in the environment causing change in the character (Egri, 1942:50), as well as that the characters have to be able to prove the premise (theme) of the story (Egri, 1942:103), and that this is possible through their personalities (Egri, 1942:108). Hence, from whose point of view the story is told can be considered the most important factor for a director to consider when making decisions about the film's visual style, because of how this will affect the other factors due to its dependance on character (Rabiger & Hurbis-Cherrier, 2013:116).
Throughout At The End of A Universe, the main character, Monica, is trying to retain the sense of belonging she has found through writing and the character of her novels, Vera. However, since she is getting to the end of the trilogy of books in which Vera is the main character, she is afraid Vera will leave her, so begins to get writer's block as she tries to come up with an ending which will allow Vera to stay, as the deadline for her final manuscript gets closer and closer.
From the story synopsis, it can be seen that this story is thus told from Monica's point of view, because of how its structure shows Monica and her conflict "by exposing the audience to the events that put a central character under revealing pressure" (Rabiger & Hurbis-Cherrier). Due to this, the story can be considered to have a "close, subjective point of view" (Rabiger & Hurbis-Cherrier, 2013:97), as Monica is in every scene, and therefore the audience watch events unfold and learn information as she does (Rabiger & Hurbis-Cherrier, 2013:118).
Nonetheless, the screenplay also includes very little dialogue, making it a "visually-driven film", with the story being told mainly through "action and images" (Rabiger & Hurbis-Cherrier, 2013:204). For this reason I realised that, in order to effectively convey Monica's story to the audience from her point of view, I would need a way to do this through visuals. I found that a director can use "expressive mise-en-scène (directing, compositions, scene design and blocking) and sound design" to help the audience engage with a character's state of mind (Rabiger & Hurbis-Cherrier, 2013:204).
This helped me to come up with aims for my directing style which would help connect the audience with Monica's point of view. Therefore, I aim for my own directing style for this film to be:
- Simple, like the directing style used by Spike Jonze in Her (2013), which mainly uses wide shots, close-up shots, and montages, to convey Monica's loneliness and isolation since this is a big part of her state of mind due to her wish to not be left alone by Vera, as well as the fact that she seems not to fit in at her own parties
- Character-driven, with a focus on Monica's emotions/reactions - this can help convey her state of mind by her emotions dictating the cutting, pacing, colours, and framing we decide to use, inspired by Damien Chazelle and Ron Howard, both of whom allow their characters to affect all aspects of their films, from lighting in A Beautiful Mind (2001), to sound in First Man (2018).
Storyboards
Fig. 1 Storyboards from The Black Hole (2018)
Storyboards are drawings of shots and sequences, laid out in the order which the director wishes for them to appear in the film (Hurbis-Cherrier, 2018:114). Storyboards can be useful to a production because "they allow a filmmaker to pre-visualize his ideas and refine them in the same way a writer develops ideas through successive drafts", as well as give the director a way to show their ideas to the rest of the crew (Katz, 1991:24). Because of how they show shots in order, storyboards can also give a director an idea of how the film's "shot flow" - considered as "the kinetic effect of a sequence of shots" - will look once the shots are filmed and cut together, since shot flow relies mainly on camera angle and shot size, both of which can be visualised through storyboards (Katz, 1991:159).
Storyboards can be both simple - stick figures - and detailed - showing lighting, costumes, sets, etc. (Hurbis-Cherrier, 2018:144). However, storyboards are a "tool", and should hence show as much, or as little "style or content" as the director needs to show in order to effectively communicate their ideas (Katz, 1991:23-4). Since I decided to use storyboards in order to help me determine how the shots would connect to each other, I kept mine simple, focusing on conveying camera angles and shot sizes.
Due to wanting to use storyboards in this way, I decided to storyboard the whole film, so that I could see the potential shot flow of the whole piece, and, since we are not filming yet, I thought that this was the most effective way to see my intentions for directing the script at the moment. Even though it is not considered essential, filmmakers have been known to storyboard entire films - for example, the filmmakers of the short film The Black Hole used storyboards to plan their whole film, rather than using a script, because of the film's short running time and no dialogue (Hurbis-Cherrier, 2018:116) - (see fig. 1).
I found that storyboarding the whole film helped me to explore shot ideas but refine these through drafts to fit my aim of conveying Monica's state of mind. Despite the storyboards helping me to see the shot flow of each scene, I found that it was hard to figure out how some of the shots at the transitions between scenes would flow. I think that, due to this, some of my ideas for the order of the shots may change as the film progresses through filming and editing.
Storyboards can be both simple - stick figures - and detailed - showing lighting, costumes, sets, etc. (Hurbis-Cherrier, 2018:144). However, storyboards are a "tool", and should hence show as much, or as little "style or content" as the director needs to show in order to effectively communicate their ideas (Katz, 1991:23-4). Since I decided to use storyboards in order to help me determine how the shots would connect to each other, I kept mine simple, focusing on conveying camera angles and shot sizes.
Due to wanting to use storyboards in this way, I decided to storyboard the whole film, so that I could see the potential shot flow of the whole piece, and, since we are not filming yet, I thought that this was the most effective way to see my intentions for directing the script at the moment. Even though it is not considered essential, filmmakers have been known to storyboard entire films - for example, the filmmakers of the short film The Black Hole used storyboards to plan their whole film, rather than using a script, because of the film's short running time and no dialogue (Hurbis-Cherrier, 2018:116) - (see fig. 1).
I found that storyboarding the whole film helped me to explore shot ideas but refine these through drafts to fit my aim of conveying Monica's state of mind. Despite the storyboards helping me to see the shot flow of each scene, I found that it was hard to figure out how some of the shots at the transitions between scenes would flow. I think that, due to this, some of my ideas for the order of the shots may change as the film progresses through filming and editing.
Camera Approach
Scene 1
For the first scene, I decided to use one continuous moving shot, which pans around Monica and her laptop. I decided to do this to convey to the audience Monica's state of mind in this moment, that she is happy, her mind is open, and her thoughts are racing as she writes quickly. It has been said that quick pans - typically whip pans - can convey excitement, so I hoped to achieve a similar effect with this pan, even though it is much slower (Sudhakaran, 2019).
I also wanted to use a two shot of Monica and her laptop in this scene, inspired by Spike Jonze's use of similar two shots of the writers in Adaptation (2002), with their laptop and typewriter (see fig. 2 & 3). Through this, I aimed to establish how Monica's life revolves around her writing, and therefore use this to introduce her to the audience, as well as set up that this will be an important aspect of the rest of the film.
I also wanted to use a two shot of Monica and her laptop in this scene, inspired by Spike Jonze's use of similar two shots of the writers in Adaptation (2002), with their laptop and typewriter (see fig. 2 & 3). Through this, I aimed to establish how Monica's life revolves around her writing, and therefore use this to introduce her to the audience, as well as set up that this will be an important aspect of the rest of the film.
Fig. 2 Adaptation two shot (2002)
Fig. 3 Adaptation two shot (2002)
Scene 2
To open the second scene, I decided to use a shot of the champagne flutes on the table, since I felt that having this shot follow on from Monica happily writing could suggest to the audience that Monica might be quite wealthy and may have had past success with her writing. However, I was inspired by Ron Howard's directing style to then tilt up to reveal writer #1, since this allows me to highlight the champagne flutes, but retain a focus on the characters.
I decided to further this by having the shot then follow writer #1 as they walk around the table. This is because follow shots can make the audience feel "like we're a part of the scene and are active participants in the story together with the actors" (Sudhakaran, 2019). This helps to draw the audience into the story, and since writer #1 is part of the other partygoers who watch Monica, it could encourage the audience to participate in watching her, important for being able to reveal her state of mind.
Nonetheless, I decided for the wide shot, which reveals the rest of the setting, to be a slightly high angle shot. I decided this because high angle shots are typically used when characters seem unconfident and mentally vulnerable (Mercado, 2010:04). Even though Monica seems powerful and confident in front of the other partygoers, she feels like she doesn't fit in, implying that the confidence is probably a front. For this reason, the high angle of the wide shot could alert the audience to how Monica may really feel. Seeing Monica surrounded by people like this also highlights how lonely she actually is, especially since there is some distance between her and the other party-goers. This is why I decided to have Monica stand one side of the table, with the party-goers on the other, so that they were physically divided. This was inspired by how Jonze uses wide shots in Her to also show how alone his main character is, despite being surrounded by others (see fig. 4).
To further convey what Monica's mind set could be, I decided to frame her medium shot so that the other partygoers can still be seen at the edges of the frame, seeming to trap her in. This is because it is the other partygoer's attention which traps Monica into the act of trying to pretend that she is confident and feels as if she fits in.
However, at the end of the scene, I intend to push in on Monica's medium shot, so that it becomes a medium close-up, and causes the other partygoers to no longer be visible. Doing this creates a dolly shot towards Monica, a shot which is typically used when a character decides or realises something important (Mercado, 2010:143). This is because "using a dolly shot instead of cut (to a tighter framing of the face) allows the tension, suspense, and drama of this moment to unfold gradually in real time, while the dynamic composition visually underlines it and makes it stand out from the rest of the scene" (Mercado, 2013:143). Due to this, it is advised that this type of shot should not be overused, but only applied to moments where the filmmaker wishes for the audience to strongly connect to a character (Mercado, 2010:143).
I decided to use this type of shot in this moment since I wanted the audience to connect with Monica here, as this is when her aim becomes clear - to end her books - and her conflict, since this is what causes her writer's block. The movement of the shot also draws the audience closer to Monica, which has been said to draw an audience into a character's emotional state (Sudhakaran, 2019). I felt that this was necessary for what comes next, as Monica's aim develops into conflict, changing her state of mind.
I decided to further this by having the shot then follow writer #1 as they walk around the table. This is because follow shots can make the audience feel "like we're a part of the scene and are active participants in the story together with the actors" (Sudhakaran, 2019). This helps to draw the audience into the story, and since writer #1 is part of the other partygoers who watch Monica, it could encourage the audience to participate in watching her, important for being able to reveal her state of mind.
Nonetheless, I decided for the wide shot, which reveals the rest of the setting, to be a slightly high angle shot. I decided this because high angle shots are typically used when characters seem unconfident and mentally vulnerable (Mercado, 2010:04). Even though Monica seems powerful and confident in front of the other partygoers, she feels like she doesn't fit in, implying that the confidence is probably a front. For this reason, the high angle of the wide shot could alert the audience to how Monica may really feel. Seeing Monica surrounded by people like this also highlights how lonely she actually is, especially since there is some distance between her and the other party-goers. This is why I decided to have Monica stand one side of the table, with the party-goers on the other, so that they were physically divided. This was inspired by how Jonze uses wide shots in Her to also show how alone his main character is, despite being surrounded by others (see fig. 4).
To further convey what Monica's mind set could be, I decided to frame her medium shot so that the other partygoers can still be seen at the edges of the frame, seeming to trap her in. This is because it is the other partygoer's attention which traps Monica into the act of trying to pretend that she is confident and feels as if she fits in.
However, at the end of the scene, I intend to push in on Monica's medium shot, so that it becomes a medium close-up, and causes the other partygoers to no longer be visible. Doing this creates a dolly shot towards Monica, a shot which is typically used when a character decides or realises something important (Mercado, 2010:143). This is because "using a dolly shot instead of cut (to a tighter framing of the face) allows the tension, suspense, and drama of this moment to unfold gradually in real time, while the dynamic composition visually underlines it and makes it stand out from the rest of the scene" (Mercado, 2013:143). Due to this, it is advised that this type of shot should not be overused, but only applied to moments where the filmmaker wishes for the audience to strongly connect to a character (Mercado, 2010:143).
I decided to use this type of shot in this moment since I wanted the audience to connect with Monica here, as this is when her aim becomes clear - to end her books - and her conflict, since this is what causes her writer's block. The movement of the shot also draws the audience closer to Monica, which has been said to draw an audience into a character's emotional state (Sudhakaran, 2019). I felt that this was necessary for what comes next, as Monica's aim develops into conflict, changing her state of mind.
Fig. 4 Wide shot from Her (2013)
Scene 3
During scene three, I aimed to show this change in Monica's state of mind through a close-up early on in the scene, inspired by Jonze's use of close-up shots in Her to show his character's depression and loneliness, since they isolate him in the frame (see fig. 5). I also aim to capture this shot from a slightly profile angle, as Jonze does, since this further highlights how alone the character is by showing some of their surroundings which, although blurred, are empty. Blurring the background helps the audience connect to the character's emotions in this moment, highlighting these as the character is the sole subject of the frame, and background distractions are minimised (Mercado, 2010:35).
To further this audience identification with Monica, I then plan to use a point of view shot to put the audience in Monica's position, and reveal what is making her depressed - the blank page on her laptop screen. This further reveals her conflict and shows the reason for the change in her state of mind towards writing.
The following profile wide shot through the doorway is similar to the two shot of Monica and her laptop I aimed to use in the first scene, emphasising the change in Monica. This framing through the doorway was inspired by a shot from I Am Legend (2007), where director Francis Lawrence frames the main character, Robert, and his dog in the doorway of the bathroom to symbolise that they are the whole world - or seem to be, since an illness has killed most of the humans in the city, or turned them into monsters (see fig. 6). I felt that framing this shot through the doorway would thus help the audience see that writing is a big part of Monica's life - almost her whole world - and that this is why her writer's block causes her so much conflict.
Yet, because the audience can't see all of Monica's face due to the profile angle, she becomes slightly emotionally distant in this moment - backed up by the wide shot size. This highlights that the audience don't know what Monica is going to do as a result of her conflict - and, in this moment, neither does Monica. This was influenced by the way Sofia Coppola frequently frames her characters from the back or the side when she wants to hide their emotions from the audience because the character is unsure what to do, or how to feel (see fig. 7).
Once Monica's alarm goes off, I aim to build tension since the alarm puts Monica under pressure by reminding her of her deadline and the writing she has to do before then, despite her writer's block. Therefore, I intend to use a slow push in, as Monica hears sounds from a champagne party which build in volume and intensity, to convey the pressure Monica is feeling, concentrate the audience on her emotions in this moment and create a sense of rising tension. This was influenced by the use of slow push-ins in A Most Violent Year (2014), which the film's director, J.C. Chandor, often allows to last for a minute or more, causing them to be so slow that sometimes the audience are unaware they are happening (see fig. 8 & 9). Although I aim for the push-in towards Monica to be shorter than this, the movement of the camera highlights Monica's emotions by again bringing the audience closer to her, backed up by the noise which alerts them to how chaotic and racing her thoughts become.
Unlike the first scene, I aim from this point to use mainly static shots as Monica's conflict worsens, since, as Monica has writer's block, her thoughts are mostly static, and rather than feeling excited or happy by writing, she feels miserable and stuck because of it.
To further this audience identification with Monica, I then plan to use a point of view shot to put the audience in Monica's position, and reveal what is making her depressed - the blank page on her laptop screen. This further reveals her conflict and shows the reason for the change in her state of mind towards writing.
The following profile wide shot through the doorway is similar to the two shot of Monica and her laptop I aimed to use in the first scene, emphasising the change in Monica. This framing through the doorway was inspired by a shot from I Am Legend (2007), where director Francis Lawrence frames the main character, Robert, and his dog in the doorway of the bathroom to symbolise that they are the whole world - or seem to be, since an illness has killed most of the humans in the city, or turned them into monsters (see fig. 6). I felt that framing this shot through the doorway would thus help the audience see that writing is a big part of Monica's life - almost her whole world - and that this is why her writer's block causes her so much conflict.
Yet, because the audience can't see all of Monica's face due to the profile angle, she becomes slightly emotionally distant in this moment - backed up by the wide shot size. This highlights that the audience don't know what Monica is going to do as a result of her conflict - and, in this moment, neither does Monica. This was influenced by the way Sofia Coppola frequently frames her characters from the back or the side when she wants to hide their emotions from the audience because the character is unsure what to do, or how to feel (see fig. 7).
Once Monica's alarm goes off, I aim to build tension since the alarm puts Monica under pressure by reminding her of her deadline and the writing she has to do before then, despite her writer's block. Therefore, I intend to use a slow push in, as Monica hears sounds from a champagne party which build in volume and intensity, to convey the pressure Monica is feeling, concentrate the audience on her emotions in this moment and create a sense of rising tension. This was influenced by the use of slow push-ins in A Most Violent Year (2014), which the film's director, J.C. Chandor, often allows to last for a minute or more, causing them to be so slow that sometimes the audience are unaware they are happening (see fig. 8 & 9). Although I aim for the push-in towards Monica to be shorter than this, the movement of the camera highlights Monica's emotions by again bringing the audience closer to her, backed up by the noise which alerts them to how chaotic and racing her thoughts become.
Unlike the first scene, I aim from this point to use mainly static shots as Monica's conflict worsens, since, as Monica has writer's block, her thoughts are mostly static, and rather than feeling excited or happy by writing, she feels miserable and stuck because of it.
Fig. 5 Close-up shot from Her (2013)
Fig. 6 I Am Legend wide shot through doorway (2007)
Fig. 7 Hidden emotion in Lost In Translation (2003)
Fig. 8 Slow push-in from A Most Violent Year (2014)
Fig. 9 Slow push-in from A Most Violent Year (2014)
Scene 4
Since Monica still doesn't know what to write due to her writer's block, I decided to also frame Monica from a profile angle during scene four. However, inspired by a shot from First Man (2018), directed by Damien Chazelle (see fig. 10), I decided to frame this profile shot not only in a wide shot, but also a close-up when writer #1 joins Monica. Chazelle uses this shot size and angle when the astronauts are inside the capsule which will take them to space, so that the audience can feel what the astronauts do in the small capsule - a sense of claustrophobia, framing Neil Armstrong in the foreground to focus the audience on his experience, a focus of the whole film. I wanted to make this shot of Monica feel confined to convey to the audience that she feels trapped by writer #1's expectation that she will end her books well, which adds to the pressure and tension she's already feeling. I feel that framing Monica in the foreground, and writer #1 in the background will signal that it is not what writer #1 says that is most important, but Monica's reaction to it, helping to continue to convey her state of mind to the audience.
I intend for the rest of the scene to mainly be shown in a static wide shot. This was influenced by how Sofia Coppola often films whole scenes as master shots to show her character's isolation and loneliness (see fig. 11). Static shots can also help a director encourage the audience to concentrate on the action of the scene, or the lack of action, highlighting, and therefore heightening the feeling which the audience experience (Sudhakaran, 2019). Thus, using a static shot during this scene once the people and noise fizzle out and leave Monica alone can help to emphasise her feeling of loneliness to the audience, as well as signify her state of mind, that she is stuck because of her writer's block. The shot being static can also symbolise and alert the audience to Monica's lack of action.
Since, it is "not uncommon for a director to rethink choices made in preproduction based on the energy of production: being in the real location, looking through the camera, interacting with the actors, seeing the lighting, negotiating logistical problems, and seeing how the movie is actually coming together" (Hurbis-Cherrier, 2018:114), these plans could change. I also want to discuss them with the cinematographer of our project to see her views on shot choices in regard to how she plans to light each scene. Despite this, thorough planning has been said to be necessary because of how understanding what they aim for their film can give filmmakers the "freedom and confidence" to make changes when adapting to the moment whilst on set (Hurbis-Cherrier, 2018:115).
I intend for the rest of the scene to mainly be shown in a static wide shot. This was influenced by how Sofia Coppola often films whole scenes as master shots to show her character's isolation and loneliness (see fig. 11). Static shots can also help a director encourage the audience to concentrate on the action of the scene, or the lack of action, highlighting, and therefore heightening the feeling which the audience experience (Sudhakaran, 2019). Thus, using a static shot during this scene once the people and noise fizzle out and leave Monica alone can help to emphasise her feeling of loneliness to the audience, as well as signify her state of mind, that she is stuck because of her writer's block. The shot being static can also symbolise and alert the audience to Monica's lack of action.
Fig. 10 Close-up profile shot in First Man (2018)
Fig. 11 Whole scene as master shot from Lost in Translation (2003)
Scene 5
To show the extent of Monica's writer's block, I plan to have the wide shot which ends scene four to continue into scene five. This was influenced by how Ron Howard uses a time lapse in A Beautiful Mind (2001) to show John Nash's mind set towards his work by him seeming to work constantly, even though the season changes (see fig. 16). Hence, having this wide shot continue from scene four into scene five shows not only that Monica's writer's block lasts, but also that she is intent on finding a solution to it, even if this means that she stares at a blank page for hours, reinforcing how writing is a big part of her life.
Once Vera appears, I intend to add some camera movement, since Vera motivates Monica to write again, allowing her to not be stuck for a while. Therefore, I intend for the shot of Monica as she sits down at the table to pan around to allow for a two shot when Vera's lab book appears, signifying that Monica has started to take action against her conflict, and also allowing her and Vera to appear in the same shot. I felt that it was important for Vera and Monica to appear in the same shot - as they do in the wide shot when Vera first appears - since Vera helps Monica overcome her conflict. Vera can be considered a part of Monica, since she is a character created by Monica, and hence they are in the problem together. The composition of this two shot was inspired by a shot from Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018), directed by Marielle Heller, which is slightly angled to create depth in the frame (see fig. 12). I wanted to use an angle similar to this in the two shot of Monica and Vera to not only create depth, but also to ensure that they were not at 90 degrees to each other in the frame, since this could give the audience the idea that they are directly opposed to each other, instead of working together.
To show that Monica and Vera working together is beneficial, I then decided to include a small montage of shots which show the two of them writing, and how this allows Monica's screen to fill with text, in contrast with the point of view shots from earlier scenes which showed a blank page on Monica's laptop screen, as she gets some writing done. I decided to include lots of camera movement in these shots to show that, in this moment Monica is enjoying writing, so is excited, happy, and unaffected by her writer's block. This was influenced by the amount of camera movement in Ocean's Eleven (2001), during which director Steven Soderbergh decided to use a lot of camera movement because he was "very interested in showing as much of the environment as I could", as it was an important part of the film's plot (Bankston, 2002). However, I found that camera movement in some instances of the film adds excitement for the audience, such as when one of the characters tells the antagonist that they have robbed him, due to how it highlights the action (see fig. 13 & 14).
Yet, Monica's state of mind during this scene changes from her being excited about writing, to her becoming stuck again as she is unhappy with the ending she has planned, which involves Vera leaving. To convey how Monica feels about Vera leaving to the audience, I decided to include a wide shot, where Monica is in the foreground, and Vera in the background walking away, with this shot pushing in slowly as Vera gets further away, eventually cutting Monica out of the frame. Having Monica in the foreground and Vera in the background was inspired by a shot from Can You Ever Forgive Me?, where Heller frames the action as the main character leaves a shoebox containing her dead cat with the receptionist of the vet so that the distance between the main character and her cat is emphasised (see fig. 15). I wanted this shot to achieve a similar effect, with the push-in helping to create a sense that Vera almost leaves Monica completely by Monica being cut out of the frame when the distance between her and Vera becomes widest. I also felt that intercutting quickly between Monica's reaction in close-up and the push-in of Vera leaving could help convey to the audience how Monica's thoughts race as Vera gets further and further away, prompting Monica to act.
Therefore, the action Monica does take to undo Vera leaving is important, since this represents Monica's conflict building once again. For this reason, when Monica hits the backspace key to rewind Vera so that she doesn't leave, I intend to frame the backspace key in a close-up shot. This follows what has been known as "Hitchcock's rule", which proposes that the "size of an object in the frame should be directly related to its importance in the story at that moment" (Mercado, 2010:07). I decided to follow this rule when framing objects in close-up, but I feel that it was especially necessary to highlight the backspace key here, since the audience don't yet know at this moment why the backspace key is important until they see Vera rewinding in the next shot. Using the rule in this way can help to build tension and suspense (Mercado, 2010:07), which I aimed to do in this scene because this is the height of the tension created by Vera going to leave, which is broken by Monica backspacing to rewind her, leading to equilibrium being restored for a brief moment before the conflict starts to rise again.
Once Vera appears, I intend to add some camera movement, since Vera motivates Monica to write again, allowing her to not be stuck for a while. Therefore, I intend for the shot of Monica as she sits down at the table to pan around to allow for a two shot when Vera's lab book appears, signifying that Monica has started to take action against her conflict, and also allowing her and Vera to appear in the same shot. I felt that it was important for Vera and Monica to appear in the same shot - as they do in the wide shot when Vera first appears - since Vera helps Monica overcome her conflict. Vera can be considered a part of Monica, since she is a character created by Monica, and hence they are in the problem together. The composition of this two shot was inspired by a shot from Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018), directed by Marielle Heller, which is slightly angled to create depth in the frame (see fig. 12). I wanted to use an angle similar to this in the two shot of Monica and Vera to not only create depth, but also to ensure that they were not at 90 degrees to each other in the frame, since this could give the audience the idea that they are directly opposed to each other, instead of working together.
To show that Monica and Vera working together is beneficial, I then decided to include a small montage of shots which show the two of them writing, and how this allows Monica's screen to fill with text, in contrast with the point of view shots from earlier scenes which showed a blank page on Monica's laptop screen, as she gets some writing done. I decided to include lots of camera movement in these shots to show that, in this moment Monica is enjoying writing, so is excited, happy, and unaffected by her writer's block. This was influenced by the amount of camera movement in Ocean's Eleven (2001), during which director Steven Soderbergh decided to use a lot of camera movement because he was "very interested in showing as much of the environment as I could", as it was an important part of the film's plot (Bankston, 2002). However, I found that camera movement in some instances of the film adds excitement for the audience, such as when one of the characters tells the antagonist that they have robbed him, due to how it highlights the action (see fig. 13 & 14).
Yet, Monica's state of mind during this scene changes from her being excited about writing, to her becoming stuck again as she is unhappy with the ending she has planned, which involves Vera leaving. To convey how Monica feels about Vera leaving to the audience, I decided to include a wide shot, where Monica is in the foreground, and Vera in the background walking away, with this shot pushing in slowly as Vera gets further away, eventually cutting Monica out of the frame. Having Monica in the foreground and Vera in the background was inspired by a shot from Can You Ever Forgive Me?, where Heller frames the action as the main character leaves a shoebox containing her dead cat with the receptionist of the vet so that the distance between the main character and her cat is emphasised (see fig. 15). I wanted this shot to achieve a similar effect, with the push-in helping to create a sense that Vera almost leaves Monica completely by Monica being cut out of the frame when the distance between her and Vera becomes widest. I also felt that intercutting quickly between Monica's reaction in close-up and the push-in of Vera leaving could help convey to the audience how Monica's thoughts race as Vera gets further and further away, prompting Monica to act.
Therefore, the action Monica does take to undo Vera leaving is important, since this represents Monica's conflict building once again. For this reason, when Monica hits the backspace key to rewind Vera so that she doesn't leave, I intend to frame the backspace key in a close-up shot. This follows what has been known as "Hitchcock's rule", which proposes that the "size of an object in the frame should be directly related to its importance in the story at that moment" (Mercado, 2010:07). I decided to follow this rule when framing objects in close-up, but I feel that it was especially necessary to highlight the backspace key here, since the audience don't yet know at this moment why the backspace key is important until they see Vera rewinding in the next shot. Using the rule in this way can help to build tension and suspense (Mercado, 2010:07), which I aimed to do in this scene because this is the height of the tension created by Vera going to leave, which is broken by Monica backspacing to rewind her, leading to equilibrium being restored for a brief moment before the conflict starts to rise again.
Fig. 12 Depth in a shot from Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)
Fig. 13 Camera movement in Ocean's Eleven (2011)
Fig. 14 Camera movement in Ocean's Eleven (2011)
Fig. 15 Emphasised distance in Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)
Scene 6
As the story progresses, Monica becomes more and more trapped by her aim of finishing her books, with this culminating in scene six, as her deadline passes. To represent this, I decided to use a wide shot, again emotionally distancing Monica from the audience as she is unsure what she is going to do, and frame Monica in one of the windows to symbolise how she is trapped. I could alter this shot by filming it from outside the window, similar to how Ron Howard does this to also show how his characters are trapped by their ambitions (see fig. 16), depending on the space and light at the location.
Since Monica doesn't know what to do, I decided to film shots when she paces handheld, with the camera following her, to represent to the audience how unstable her mind set is, as well as how her thoughts race to find a solution. This was influenced by how Jonze films Charlie, a writer in Adaptation, as he comes up with ideas for his screenplay, with the pacing of the jump cuts getting quicker as he gets more and more excited and comes up with more ideas. I also intend to use jump cuts here, with the pace getting quicker, but instead to show how Monica becomes more desperate and uncertain as time goes on.
When Monica looks at her laptop, and is making a decision about whether to try writing or not, I intend to frame her in a wide shot, with the laptop close in the foreground. Following Hitchcock's rule this signifies the laptop as important, due to its large size in the front of the frame, showing that this could help Monica solve her conflict, and foreshadowing Monica's decision to walk over to it, and seem to go to start writing again. As Monica lifts the laptop lid, I plan for the shot to tilt to create a low angle shot, inspired by the use of this type of shot in Jackie (2016) - (see fig. 17). Low angle shots can be used to represent "confidence, power, and control" (Mercado, 2010:09). Yet, despite this, they can also make a character seem vulnerable, since the framing becomes tighter, especially if the scene is filmed indoors, and they cause the audience to look at the character from a strange angle (StudioBinder, 2020). In Jackie this shot is used to foreshadow that Jackie will exert a lot of control over the journalist and what he publishes in the following interview, but also to represent how vulnerable she is after the death of her husband. Monica's situation in this moment also presents this contrast, since she is vulnerable due to her loneliness, but could gain some power and control over this if she begins writing again. Therefore, using a low angle shot here could make the audience believe that Monica is about to start writing, heightening their disappointment when she doesn't, and further investing them in Monica's conflict.
When Monica's alarm goes off, I plan to use a whip pan to connect the shot of her reaction and a close-up of the notification about the deadline since whip pans can have the same effect for the audience of when they "hear a loud noise in real life and quickly snap our gaze towards the direction of the noise", creating a sense of urgency (Sudhakaran, 2019). I felt that this could thus convey Monica's state of mind by representing her panic.
To further this, I decided to film the shots when Monica is writing the ending and the deadline eventually passes by having the camera pan around her in a circle. This was influenced by the TV show Castle (2009-2016) and how moving shots are cut together to create the sense of the camera going around in a circle during interrogation scenes as questions, accusations, and disagreements go back and forth between the detectives and suspects. Howard also uses a circular shot in a A Beautiful Mind to rotate around Nash the first time he enters the Pentagon, this getting quicker as as he takes in all of the information, and his thoughts speed up. I decided to use this kind of shot as Monica works to beat the deadline to achieve a similar effect as in A Beautiful Mind, representing Monica's panic as her thoughts speed up with the shot rotating quicker, and the framing getting tighter to show how she becomes increasingly trapped by her problem as time passes, and the pressure on her increases. To further this, I aim for the shots which make up the tightest and quickest circle once Monica's alarm goes off to be cut together with dissolves as Monica gets lost in her problem and her writing, and thus misses large chunks of time. Overall, I hope for this shot to convey the same sense of conflict as is present in scenes where it is used in Castle, as Monica's thoughts go round and round, creating the similar feeling of back and forth questions, accusations, and disagreements, but within Monica's thoughts.
Since Monica doesn't know what to do, I decided to film shots when she paces handheld, with the camera following her, to represent to the audience how unstable her mind set is, as well as how her thoughts race to find a solution. This was influenced by how Jonze films Charlie, a writer in Adaptation, as he comes up with ideas for his screenplay, with the pacing of the jump cuts getting quicker as he gets more and more excited and comes up with more ideas. I also intend to use jump cuts here, with the pace getting quicker, but instead to show how Monica becomes more desperate and uncertain as time goes on.
When Monica looks at her laptop, and is making a decision about whether to try writing or not, I intend to frame her in a wide shot, with the laptop close in the foreground. Following Hitchcock's rule this signifies the laptop as important, due to its large size in the front of the frame, showing that this could help Monica solve her conflict, and foreshadowing Monica's decision to walk over to it, and seem to go to start writing again. As Monica lifts the laptop lid, I plan for the shot to tilt to create a low angle shot, inspired by the use of this type of shot in Jackie (2016) - (see fig. 17). Low angle shots can be used to represent "confidence, power, and control" (Mercado, 2010:09). Yet, despite this, they can also make a character seem vulnerable, since the framing becomes tighter, especially if the scene is filmed indoors, and they cause the audience to look at the character from a strange angle (StudioBinder, 2020). In Jackie this shot is used to foreshadow that Jackie will exert a lot of control over the journalist and what he publishes in the following interview, but also to represent how vulnerable she is after the death of her husband. Monica's situation in this moment also presents this contrast, since she is vulnerable due to her loneliness, but could gain some power and control over this if she begins writing again. Therefore, using a low angle shot here could make the audience believe that Monica is about to start writing, heightening their disappointment when she doesn't, and further investing them in Monica's conflict.
When Monica's alarm goes off, I plan to use a whip pan to connect the shot of her reaction and a close-up of the notification about the deadline since whip pans can have the same effect for the audience of when they "hear a loud noise in real life and quickly snap our gaze towards the direction of the noise", creating a sense of urgency (Sudhakaran, 2019). I felt that this could thus convey Monica's state of mind by representing her panic.
To further this, I decided to film the shots when Monica is writing the ending and the deadline eventually passes by having the camera pan around her in a circle. This was influenced by the TV show Castle (2009-2016) and how moving shots are cut together to create the sense of the camera going around in a circle during interrogation scenes as questions, accusations, and disagreements go back and forth between the detectives and suspects. Howard also uses a circular shot in a A Beautiful Mind to rotate around Nash the first time he enters the Pentagon, this getting quicker as as he takes in all of the information, and his thoughts speed up. I decided to use this kind of shot as Monica works to beat the deadline to achieve a similar effect as in A Beautiful Mind, representing Monica's panic as her thoughts speed up with the shot rotating quicker, and the framing getting tighter to show how she becomes increasingly trapped by her problem as time passes, and the pressure on her increases. To further this, I aim for the shots which make up the tightest and quickest circle once Monica's alarm goes off to be cut together with dissolves as Monica gets lost in her problem and her writing, and thus misses large chunks of time. Overall, I hope for this shot to convey the same sense of conflict as is present in scenes where it is used in Castle, as Monica's thoughts go round and round, creating the similar feeling of back and forth questions, accusations, and disagreements, but within Monica's thoughts.
Fig. 16 Shot showing how Nash constantly works in A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Fig. 17 Low angle shot from Jackie (2016)
Scenes 7 & 8
In scene seven, I plan to film Monica's closed laptop in close-up as she puts it back on the table when she returns. I felt that it was important to focus the audience on the fact that the laptop lid is now closed and is not opened by Monica during the scene as this shows that she takes no action now and has stopped writing. This is because during the scene it can be seen that Monica seems to be morning what she has lost now Vera is gone and she has finished her book series.
To further highlight Monica's state of mind, I also intend to frame her in a wide profile shot, not only to highlight her loneliness and vulnerability in this moment, but also to make the audience question what Monica will do now she is mourning her writing, whether she will ever go back to it after this low moment, and if she doesn't, what she will do without it. I felt that this is why it was necessary to establish writing as such a big part of Monica's life, and something which has a considerable effect on her state of mind, to build to this moment when she is without it for the first time in the film, so that her sense of loss is conveyed to the audience.
With the final shots of his films, Damien Chazelle aims "to try to leave you in a state where you’re energized, that leaves you awake to the possibilities of the movie", and for this reason he often ends his films before all of the plot points have been concluded, but when the story is at the highest point emotionally (Buchanan, 2017). I aimed to do similar with the final shot of At The End of A Universe, and therefore intend for this shot to show Monica writing with Vera by her side, as, even though the audience do not know if Monica's last book did well, or if she has beaten her writer's block completely, the highest emotional point of the film, after the loss of Vera and her love for writing, would be this moment when Monica regains this. Hence, with this final shot I aim to reinforce the themes and emotions of the film - that a person who doesn't fit in can conquer their loneliness by finding something within them, for Monica her love for writing and Vera. I felt that this final shot tracking out can take the audience out of the world of the film, almost as if they are leaving Monica with Vera, highlighting the sense of belonging Monica finds from writing and Vera by leaving her with them.
To further highlight Monica's state of mind, I also intend to frame her in a wide profile shot, not only to highlight her loneliness and vulnerability in this moment, but also to make the audience question what Monica will do now she is mourning her writing, whether she will ever go back to it after this low moment, and if she doesn't, what she will do without it. I felt that this is why it was necessary to establish writing as such a big part of Monica's life, and something which has a considerable effect on her state of mind, to build to this moment when she is without it for the first time in the film, so that her sense of loss is conveyed to the audience.
With the final shots of his films, Damien Chazelle aims "to try to leave you in a state where you’re energized, that leaves you awake to the possibilities of the movie", and for this reason he often ends his films before all of the plot points have been concluded, but when the story is at the highest point emotionally (Buchanan, 2017). I aimed to do similar with the final shot of At The End of A Universe, and therefore intend for this shot to show Monica writing with Vera by her side, as, even though the audience do not know if Monica's last book did well, or if she has beaten her writer's block completely, the highest emotional point of the film, after the loss of Vera and her love for writing, would be this moment when Monica regains this. Hence, with this final shot I aim to reinforce the themes and emotions of the film - that a person who doesn't fit in can conquer their loneliness by finding something within them, for Monica her love for writing and Vera. I felt that this final shot tracking out can take the audience out of the world of the film, almost as if they are leaving Monica with Vera, highlighting the sense of belonging Monica finds from writing and Vera by leaving her with them.
Since, it is "not uncommon for a director to rethink choices made in preproduction based on the energy of production: being in the real location, looking through the camera, interacting with the actors, seeing the lighting, negotiating logistical problems, and seeing how the movie is actually coming together" (Hurbis-Cherrier, 2018:114), these plans could change. I also want to discuss them with the cinematographer of our project to see her views on shot choices in regard to how she plans to light each scene. Despite this, thorough planning has been said to be necessary because of how understanding what they aim for their film can give filmmakers the "freedom and confidence" to make changes when adapting to the moment whilst on set (Hurbis-Cherrier, 2018:115).
List of Illustrations
Figure 1. Hurbis Cherrier, M. (2018) Storyboards from The Black Hole. [Illustrations/Stills] In: Hurbis-Cherrier, M. (2018) Voice and Vision: A Creative Approach to Narrative Filmmaking. (3rd ed.) Oxon: Routledge. p.116.
Figure 2 & 3. Adaptation two shot (2002) [Film stills, DVD] In: Adaptation. California: Columbia Pictures.
Figure 4. Wide shot from Her (2013) [Film still, DVD] In: Her. Los Angeles: Annapurna Pictures.
Figure 5. Close-up shot from Her (2013) [Film still, DVD] In: Her. Los Angeles: Annapurna Pictures.
Figure 6. I Am Legend wide shot through doorway (2007) [Film still, DVD] In: I Am Legend. California: Warner Bros.
Figure 7. Hidden emotion in Lost In Translation (2003) [Film still, DVD] In: Lost in Translation. New York: Focus Features.
Figure 8 & 9. Slow push-in from A Most Violent Year (2014) [Film stills, DVD] In: A Most Violent Year. New York: A24.
Figure 10. Close-up profile shot in First Man (2018) [Film still, DVD] In: First Man. California: Universal Pictures.
Figure 11. Whole scene as master shot from Lost in Translation (2003) [Film still, DVD] In: Lost in Translation. New York: Focus Features.
Figure 12. Depth in a shot from Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) [Film still, DVD] In: Can You Ever Forgive Me?. California: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Figure 13 & 14. Camera movement in Ocean's Eleven (2011) [Screenshots, YouTube] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb2tjzecJX4 (Accessed on 19 May 2020).
Figure 15. Emphasised distance in Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) [Film still, DVD] In: Can You Ever Forgive Me?. California: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Figure 16. Shot showing how Nash constantly works in A Beautiful Mind (2001) [Film still, DVD] In: A Beautiful Mind. California: Imagination Entertainment.
Figure 17. Low angle shot from Jackie (2016) [Film still, DVD] In: Jackie. California: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Figure 4. Wide shot from Her (2013) [Film still, DVD] In: Her. Los Angeles: Annapurna Pictures.
Figure 5. Close-up shot from Her (2013) [Film still, DVD] In: Her. Los Angeles: Annapurna Pictures.
Figure 6. I Am Legend wide shot through doorway (2007) [Film still, DVD] In: I Am Legend. California: Warner Bros.
Figure 7. Hidden emotion in Lost In Translation (2003) [Film still, DVD] In: Lost in Translation. New York: Focus Features.
Figure 8 & 9. Slow push-in from A Most Violent Year (2014) [Film stills, DVD] In: A Most Violent Year. New York: A24.
Figure 10. Close-up profile shot in First Man (2018) [Film still, DVD] In: First Man. California: Universal Pictures.
Figure 11. Whole scene as master shot from Lost in Translation (2003) [Film still, DVD] In: Lost in Translation. New York: Focus Features.
Figure 12. Depth in a shot from Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) [Film still, DVD] In: Can You Ever Forgive Me?. California: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Figure 13 & 14. Camera movement in Ocean's Eleven (2011) [Screenshots, YouTube] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb2tjzecJX4 (Accessed on 19 May 2020).
Figure 15. Emphasised distance in Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) [Film still, DVD] In: Can You Ever Forgive Me?. California: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Figure 16. Shot showing how Nash constantly works in A Beautiful Mind (2001) [Film still, DVD] In: A Beautiful Mind. California: Imagination Entertainment.
Figure 17. Low angle shot from Jackie (2016) [Film still, DVD] In: Jackie. California: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
References
Bankston, D. (2002) Smooth Operators: Ocean's Eleven. At: http://stevensoderbergh.net/articles/2002/cinematographer.php (Accessed on 19 May 2020).
Buchanan, K. (2017) 'Oscars 2017: Damien Chazelle on His Beginnings and Endings' In: Vulture. [online] At: https://www.vulture.com/2017/02/oscars-2017-damien-chazelle-on-his-beginnings-and-endings.html (Accessed on 20 May 2020).
Egri, L. (1942) The Art of Dramatic Writing. New York: Touchstone.
Hurbis-Cherrier, M. (2018) Voice and Vision: A Creative Approach to Narrative Filmmaking. (3rd ed.) Oxon: Routledge.
Buchanan, K. (2017) 'Oscars 2017: Damien Chazelle on His Beginnings and Endings' In: Vulture. [online] At: https://www.vulture.com/2017/02/oscars-2017-damien-chazelle-on-his-beginnings-and-endings.html (Accessed on 20 May 2020).
Egri, L. (1942) The Art of Dramatic Writing. New York: Touchstone.
Hurbis-Cherrier, M. (2018) Voice and Vision: A Creative Approach to Narrative Filmmaking. (3rd ed.) Oxon: Routledge.
Mercado, G. (2010) The Filmmaker's Eye: Learning (and Breaking) the Rules of Cinematic Composition. Oxon: Focal Press.
StudioBinder (2020) Low Angle Shot: Creative Examples of Camera Movements & Angles. At: https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/low-angle-shot-camera-movement-angle/#low-angle-shot-effect (Accessed on 19 May 2020).
Sudhakaran, S. (2019) How filmmakers manipulate our emotions using camera angles and movement. At: https://wolfcrow.com/how-filmmakers-manipulate-our-emotions-using-camera-angles-and-movement/ (Accessed on 17 May 2020).
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