Project Treatment

Project Treatment

Title: The Storybuilder
Producer: Jonathan King
Date: 2/20/2006
Format: DVD (NTSC)
Run time: 30 seconds

Imagination is a concept that seems easy to define at first, but is actually quite complex. Thought processes are certainly a part of imagination, yet imagination is not the same as memory or analytical thinking. Imagination is often associated with creativity, but one cannot say that imagination and creativity are synonymous. Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines imagination as “the act or power of forming a mental image of something not present to the senses or never before wholly perceived in reality,” and “creative ability” . The medium we use to construct stories in our heads is not words, but images. The mind thinks in pictures, and it is much easier for us to process information from pictures than it is to process information from words. When we use our imaginations, we are using previously experienced images and ideas to form new images and ideas.

This project will depict the imagination of a writer attempting to construct the first draft of a horror short story. The video will consist of live action intercut with abstract, cartoon-style imagery representing the thought processes of the writer. The opening shot will consist of the writer staring at a blank screen and a blinking cursor, a recognizable signifier of creative block. The scene will transition into animation showing the writer’s initial ideas for setting and theme. More live action will be shown as the writer begins to craft the story. The scene will transition back to animation, showing more substantial ideas related to specific events in the story being written. Finally, there will be one more scene of live action as the writer types the last few words in the draft, and concludes with the familiar “The End.” The writer relaxes, then, as if on a whim, turns and stares directly into the camera. The camera zooms in on the writer’s face which suddenly develops monstrous features, and the scene cuts to black. This last part is an imitation of the ‘twist ending’ that is popular with both classic and contemporary horror stories alike.

The video is meant to be accessible to almost anyone, regardless of age or background. Perhaps because of the subject matter, artists, writers, students, and fans of horror may be able to identify more strongly with the video, but imagination is generally a universal idea. Specifically, the target audience is men and women 15-60 years old with a strong interest in creative writing, the horror genre, or both. Because of the wide range of age, the images presented will not be specific to any particular period in the history of horror, and will not rely on audience knowledge of horror or the creative writing process to achieve its effect.

There are four main production problems to solve for this project: how to film the live footage, how to create the abstract imagery representing the writer’s imagination, how to seamlessly transition from purely live action shots to the animation, and how to synchronize an appropriate audio track with the video. With a good script the filming should take a single weekend to complete, since the set up and shots are relatively simple. Ideas for the abstract imagery will probably be initially sketched out, or inspired from stock photography. The imagery itself will be drawn and animated using Adobe After Effects, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator. The compositing and transitioning of live action to animation will use tools within Adobe After Effects, rotoscoping in particular. Green screen footage and After Effects’ chroma-keying tool may be needed to show the actor with an abstract background. The audio track will be developed using Apple’s GarageBand. The entire production will probably take around ten weeks, with two weeks for planning, three weeks for gathering and creating assets and filming, three weeks to do the compositing, and two weeks to do final touch-ups and work out any other problems that may arise.

Everyone has an imagination, and most people have no trouble thinking creatively. The difficulty, however, is in transferring the images you form in your mind onto some medium, and then communicating the images to others. This project does not merely attempt to communicate an image, but instead show the process of communicating an image. Rather than attempting to depict a monster, this project attempts to depict a depiction of the monster, creating a kind of meta-depiction. The combination of music, abstract imagery, and live footage to personalize the writer will allow the audience to peer into the imagination of another fellow human being.

[1] Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, 19 Feb 2006, .