This project is absolutely not alike any other student film that you can stumble upon on this site.
A little bit about me and my background:
Hi there! I am Nia, an international student at Woodbury University. I major in Interdisciplinary studies, combining philosophy, research, social studies, design, and film in order to pursue a career in production design for film and TV.
A little bit about the project:
While many other students just make a film as their Thesis project, I decided to go a different route. My film is only the intermediate part of the Thesis, yet it is a crucial one. The project started with lots and lots of research on philosophy of aesthetics and how the human mind understands visual information. While trying to incorporate the phenomena of intertextuality (referencing) in the structure of the film, I borrowed many shots from my favorite directors and created a narrative storyboard from the chosen shots.
The chosen shots only serve as a reference for the placement of objects and subjects within the frame.
The script of the film as well consists of many references to popular films.
The reason why referencing and intertextuality are so important in this project, is because the final goal is to conduct a research on human understanding of nostalgia. Do you always notice when you are being nostalgic? Are there any physical changes to your body when you are feeling nostalgic? Have you paid attention to your own emotions?
The completed film will be screened twice: once at Woodbury University, and once outside of it. During the screening event the guests of the premiere will be going through what could be called an 'aesthetic experience'. From the beginning to the end of the event the audience will be observed, and after the screening they will be asked to complete a survey. Collected data then will be measured and I will be able to determine if people actually do pay attention to their state of mind, and whether it is possible to manually create a sense of nostalgia by incorporating visual and oral references in the work of art.
A little bit about the film:
The film focuses on 4 stories centered around women and their understanding of love. There could be many emotions similar to love, but what is it really? The stories will showcase how these women understand the phenomena of love, and how they deal with it in their every day life. References to the film include: Twin Peaks, Mr. Robot, Pulp Fiction, A Single Man, Mad Men, and much much more. If you are interested in participating in a conversation about intertextuality or the cinematic styles of the selected directors, feel free to email me with inquires at niakell@outlook.com.
A little bit about the screening:
The screening will take place in the beginning of April. One screening will be held at Woodbury University and will serve as a random sample in the research. The second screening will be held elsewhere (location yet to be announced), and most of the audience will be selected based on their aesthetic preferences and personal favorites in film.
If you are interested in participating in the experiment, please contact me at niakell@outlook.com. All requests are cherished and appreciated, so please don't be shy and feel free to contact me.
The things we need help with:
Transportation for production and equipment
Rentals of locations
Food and drinks for the premiere event
Screening space for the premiere event and experiment measurement
If you are not sure what you are signing up for, check out the video on top of the page. It is the last project I did, after getting inspired by the aesthetics of 90's Taco Bell interior design.