Preproduction Package for next movie:

The world is conveyed from the perspective of a dirty sneaker.  It's mostly about the rhythmic journey of a shoe from point a to b.  As it is worn by a "seasoned" pedestrian.  Through puddles, dirt, and mud; across asphalt and concrete. From location to location in rapid succession.  You see the shoes get pulled out the closet and have feet stuck in them. Movie cuts to a shot where a door in front of them opens to the outside world.

You see the shoe walk from the front lawn, all across memphis.

If you've ever seen one of those old school film movies, they have those transitions where the camera moves from side to side really fast in a blur to get to the next scene.

I also want to create a rhythm in the shots themselves. Maybe even do the entire movie to music. People walk with a distinctive pace in mind, and i can mirror that with music, and the times at which the camera will cut to the next shot.

-------------------------------------

1: Shot list and Storyboard:

*my ideas are location dependent, so i included images that show the overall area of each shot. each shot is done in the style of this indoor test video*

EXAMPLE. When looped, appears as if walking in endless hallway. (creates smooth transitions.)

------------------------------------

1.  low angle  shot of shoes in closet. picked up. taken out of closet and sat on floor.   View from below of feet of person (face not seen) moving feet toward camera. (cut to black)

2.  cut to shot of door opening from shoe's perspective.  Room that was once dark becomes filled with light.  View of the outside world in detail contrasts a room that was once pitch black. (front yard)

3.  time slows as shoe takes first step. serves as the beginning of the long trek to the destination that the individual is walking to. Once first step is made, time of steps goes back to normal, establishing the pace of the walk throughout the movie.

....Each of the next shots are done with 3 steps a piece, in rapid succession.  The transitions between them visually convey covering a very large distance in a short amount of time on film.  Each location emphasizes the distance traveled, and the constance pace of the walk itself.  Depending on the area traveled the rhythm will slow or speed up.  (for example:  slower walks for uphill climbs, faster walks for downhill movements.)

4.  walk from the front yard.

5. walk to the sidewalk outside the house.

6. transition to sidewalk of shopping center parking lot

7. gas station, step in car oil (splashes on screen? small traces left in the following shots)

8. walk through field of grass

9. uphill walk through dirt and mud (mud accumulates on screen as pace slows down, stops at top of hill. small traces left in following shots)

10. shoe is cleaned off with stick. pace quickens as foot begins to speed up, walking faster.

Faster pace is denoted by the more frequent passing of environments.

shots 11 - 14.  neighborhood, sidewalk of street, park area, set of stairs (going up).

15. denotes the trek back to point a.  The shoe goes back down the stairs. As each step is taken, a shot of a previous location is shown again, cut in-between each step taken down the stairs.

16. the shoes are back home, and are thrown down, inside the closet, where the door closes.

-------------------------------------

2: Additional Notes:

Although the focus of my movie has shifted away from an emphasis on closeup visuals, the variety in locations is important.  I am still scouting more areas (including a few shots on cooper st)  i add in this movie, as i feel that the greater diversity in environments and surfaces to walk on, the better.

-------------------------------------

3: Q and A

a. The shoe's objective is to carry the individual from point a to point b, regardless of terrain, distance, or hazards.

b.  The major obstacles the shoe has in moving from area to area is the terrain itself. Different areas require different rhythms of walking, from trots to sprints.

c. The only action that the shoe uses to overcome these obstacles is a constant move forward.  The shoe serves as an extension of the wearer's body.

d. Different areas require different rhythms of locomotion, from slow trots to fast sprints.

e.  The shoe, when it can no longer fulfill its objective is entirely dictated by the user.  Fulfillment and failure work in a cycle that is repeated each day.  The shoe is laid aside to be worn once again when it is given a new objective.

f.  The main realistic doing that the shoe is engaged in is walking, although it is being portrayed from an unrealistic angle.

-------------------------------------

4.  Breakdown

a.  2 actors. The individual who wears the shoe, and the implied presence of the shoe itself.

b. the shoe will be in all scenes, where as specific shots of the wearer will only be seen at the beginning, end, and the one shot where the shoe is cleaned off.

c. All locations are outdoors and located within a block of each other, up and down central avenue, due to the variety of locations and scenery in that area. Outdoor outlets are few and far in between, so it is imperative to use batteries when filming.  

d. Special effects(2):  simulating the look of a shoe walking through different areas and the look of mud and dirt getting on the camera.

e. No special costumes or makeup.

f.  Props?  No props, other than a pair of dirty shoes.

-------------------------------------

5. Location Snapshots:

...included with storyboards.

-------------------------------------

7. Days to shoot (2 or 3):

This friday, 4/17 for rehearsals, then next friday, 4/24 for the final shooting.  Saturday, 2/25 is needed in case something goes wrong.