Video Idea 1 – “When We Met”

My first idea for Thursday’s (tomorrow’s) group tutorial is my most powerful and most favourite idea of the three. The idea is called “When We Met” and takes inspiration from video advertisements with narrative aspects such as Care Norway’s “Dear Daddy”. Other inspiration comes from popular filmography such as “Battleship Potemkin” and “Her”. In terms of the narrative, the story is told through a voice over that plays over the footage – the voice over is from the inner monologue of a male in a relationship with an abusive partner. The voiceover speaks of the males first impressions’ upon meeting his other half for the first time – the description is mostly positive as to contrast from the dark parts of the footage:

When we met. I knew that you were something different.

Something exciting.

Unexpected.

Unpredictable.

When we met. I knew you would make your mark on me.

You were new.

You were enlightening.

You were beautiful.

When we met. The world stood still for a moment.

It was all you.

And I didn’t mind.

When we met. You were…

New.

Exciting.

Unexpected.

Beautiful.

Enlightening.

Unpredictable.

Unpredictable.

When we met. I knew that you would never do anything (pause) to hurt me.

But…why do you?

The voiceover is written so that without context it appears to be like a love poem which would be appropriate for an advert about a life insurance firm or valentine’s day gifts. The voiceover is a tool is misleading the audience early on in the film thus making the wist in events much more shocking. The film’s content I have written in the form of a screenplay:

The screenplay describes the content of the film in detail and in relation to the voiceover. The powerful thing about the film’s footage is that it begins lulling the viewer into a false sense of security because of it’s linear narrative – the rhythm is responsible for this and when it is interrupted the audience reacts with anxiety and confusion which is exactly what I want to do. In summation, this video aims to visualise the common observation that “things are okay on the surface” when really a lot goes on behind closed doors. This visualisation is appropriate for my chosen campaign because men are subject to emotional abuse over physical in most cases and therefore an emotionally difficult video which creates feelings of anxiety and possibly fear helps for people to understand what the victims may be feeling.

---