Week Four

What I Know Now

Shortly after I caught the flu, I passed it on to my entire "cast and crew"... the family and friends who were scheduled to play certain parts in the evolution of "On the Long Road Home." So I started re-framing my final project, still wanting to keep the sentiment and tone the same. This is "What I Know Now."

On the Long Road Home

Under Construction

I would still like to add the narrative to this animatic video, but I am posting it for your review in its current state.

On the long road home there is so much time to think.
The way things were... the way they are now.

On the long road home, the scenes are all so familiar... Which ones are real... which ones did I dream.

On the long road home there's a random unpacking of memories.

I wonder, when they look at me, what do they see?
A life well lived.
Time squandered.
Missed opportunities... at the fork in the road.

Life is too short... or is it really too long?

Life isn't fair... or is it just fair enough to keep us asking "Why?"

All long roads must come to an end.

Who will be there to greet me?

Are they waiting now?

Oh, there it is... At last... I'm home.

The viewer will be left to ponder... where did the road end? Was this a trip to visit friends and family in the place where she grew up? Or... were these the last minutes of life, on her final journey home?

How I Arrived at This Place

"On The Long Road Home" is an evolution of ideas.
It started with days of journaling about what "Home is..."
But as a whole work, my ideas and plan were coming together in a way that seemed cliche'.

Then one evening, sitting on the front porch, my mind wandered in a different direction, and I just started writing.
Now, with the two days of thoughts that I jotted in a notebook edited into an animatic, the story feels authentic.

Where From Here

This is more than a school assignment. It is my first serious exploration of my own artistic direction. While on a deep dive into the works of various styles of cinematography, I was drawn to a style of artistry that primarily uses color grading to set a tone. My work until now is mostly rooted in a journalistic style that matches words with video and sound, without affecting the reality of the scenes. Developing my own style through color grading and experimental photography techniques is an important next step for me.