I spent yesterday looking on flickr and facebook for suitable images I can photoshop. I want to use still images to highlight that the party of the film is one to remember before the audience is even a part of it. Most people take photos of a night out to show how much they enjoyed themselves but for the main character Jenny these photos become evidence of a crime. Examples of the images are below. They appear so quickly (barely often 3 frames) that they hardly register with the audience.
To focus on the Red Cup as a object hazard and fun I've made the images black and white with only the Cup a vibrant/warning shade of red. I need to push the cup as part of the action and cause of enjoyment and danger simultaneously.
I've used some photos taken by Roy Perestrelo to convey the many levels that the characters of the film are reckless. They use alcohol to numb pain, forget problems whilst putting themselves in unintentional danger. Now I'm not against theses things (we've all been there) but if that's all you care about who is there to care about you? The shallowness of the characters places them in serious danger because they are distracted by their own selfish aims and desires.
These red images are from porn, specifically with girls who look the same age as our characters. I've blacked out their eyes with a bar to make them faceless, it's just sex no feelings just desire. I really want to emphasise this objectification of our bodies through over sexualisation. This mixed with alcohol can be enjoyable but everyone seams to glide over the consequences in favour of having a good time. I may not be able to address those issues directly in the film but I can use the visuals to place a deeper resonance if the viewer wishes to see it.
The numerous pictures of nights out that people have are often indistinguishable from each other. I've covered individuals faces to highlight this and to convey a non-specificness to our party and it's events. Do you know everyone at a party? No, but you trust that they are non threatening.
I'm really pleased with how using these images in the film enhances confusing drunken atmosphere of the party. These, along with subtitling specific dialogue, add to the mixed media visual concept I wanted when rewriting the script. By each character having a different font I hope to distinguish them and convey their personality in a basic way -
With the restrictions placed upon us we can't develop them above shallow individuals which does work within the context of the film. I'm very happy with how the film is evolving.