Self Reflection

For this project in my Visual Storytelling class, we were given the challenge of creating a film that was silent, with minimal edits. This constraint was definitely a unique challenge for me, and while I may have bent the rules a little to make some of the edits feel more fluid, it gave me a deeper appreciation for simplicity and the power of visual storytelling. Another part of the process was creating scripts that were voted on by the class, and we were then paired into groups to bring the most popular scripts to life.

The film I voted for was called Self Reflection, which follows a college student throughout their day. As they look at their reflection in various mirrors, their image becomes increasingly distorted, with signs of exhaustion such as eye bags. The film culminates with the student looking into a mirror, only to see nothing. The twist is that throughout the day, the student interacts with others who don’t notice anything wrong with their appearance—because, in reality, there's nothing wrong at all. The dissonance lies entirely in the student's mind, highlighting the theme of self-image and the struggles with mental health.

Working on and editing this film gave me valuable insights into the dynamics of group work, especially when it comes to scheduling conflicts and differing levels of involvement. Finding a time to film with everyone was challenging, and unfortunately, we couldn't get all the footage we needed before class ended. This resulted in missing some group editing time, which meant that a lot of the editing was done solo. While I was fine with taking on most of the responsibility, I did want to make sure I wasn;t being too controlling in the process, especially when it came to the overall vision. At times, I struggled with contributing ideas without pushing too hard, but I was transparent with my group about my willingness to take the lead where necessary, and I think that helped ease some of the tension.

The most exciting part of the editing process was selecting the soundtrack. My group and I agreed on using two tracks from the OMORI soundtrack: "168 - OMORI" and "169 - ALTER" These tracks are essentially the same, with the latter being a distorted version of the former. We decided to layer the two together to create a soundscape that would distort alongside the visuals, making the film feel more immersive and unsettling at key moments. The subtle shift in the soundtrack helped build the tension throughout the film, as the student's perception of reality unraveled.

Overall, this project pushed me to think more critically about group work, balancing leadership with collaboration, and experimenting with sound and visuals to enhance the narrative. It was a difficult but rewarding experience, and I'm proud of the final result.

After sharing the film, our next assignment was to go back and add sound. Although we were allowed to use music, we couldn't use any pre-recorded sound effects, so we had to channel our inner Foley artists and create them ourselves! We spent a class session recreating sounds, and then I incorporated them into the film. I also used this opportunity to fix some mixing issues from the original version.