Creative Critical Reflection

  In creating “The Sound Between Us,” I relied a lot on my personal experiences. The short film aims to depict the relationship between two brothers broken up across different points in time, told non-chronologically.  

 

I told the story non-chronologically because arguments between people span across many periods of time, not just one singular point. Every conflict is just a build up of past transgressions and emotions that have been threatening to spill. “The Sound Between Us” represents the domestic household and particularly the relationship between brothers. I drew heavily from my relationship with my brother, though mine is certainly not as tumultuous as the one depicted in the short film. The first layer of engagement, I feel, is to make a relatable story. I like to write naturalistic dialogue with a lot of pauses, stutters, and sly looks. Martin, the older brother, is kind of snarky and definitely condescending but also aggressive and sympathetic at the same time. The monologue in the final scene is meant to underscore his motivations throughout the piece.  

 

I wish I would have included a connective scene between Martin accepting that his younger brother is going to college and the one where he slams the piano. I think the final scene comes a bit suddenly and audiences might feel whiplash from the difference in characterization that Martin goes through. Because the relationship is between brothers, both of whom are near college age, the target audience for this piece is between fourteen and thirty. For the sake of realism, I wrote in multiple mentions of their parents, though they’re never seen on screen. Again, this was something that seeped in just from my real-life experiences with my older siblings berating me for not doing enough or doing things that they did not agree with.  

 

The branding of the short film is created mostly through the usage of the title cards and the different dates. This is also prominent on the Instagram account which shows a variety of visuals but has a focus on blank, bold visuals that parallel those found in the short film. The idea of chronology is the very premise of the film, that these brothers have arguments so similar to each other over time. One film that has a non-chronological narrative is “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”. In “Eternal Sunshine,” the relationship between the two main characters is built through flashback and a constant build up and exposition on their relationship troubles. Only through this, can we see the ending and the resolution between their personal arcs. Similarly, “The Sound Between Us” utilizes non-chronology to characterize their relationship and growth but also continuing conflict over time. Only by showing the scale of their lives could I show the audience the meaningfulness of Martin’s final decision, which was to be appeased and let the younger brother go.  

 

The color grading for difference sequences varies. For instance, when they are in the kitchen, I muted the colors for a washed out look. This caused their argument in the kitchen to appear less dramatic and more everyday in nature. However, when Martin and the younger brother argued by the piano, I increased the saturation to make the walls more yellow and the shadows darker. Their argument by the piano is much more dramatic.  

An adjustment layer to make the hallway consistently yellow

 The subtle messaging of the film, mostly because I didn’t spend enough time talking or suggesting it, is that one should not lead their lives passively. My biggest failure was really in pre-production, considering I had to change my entire premise only a week and a half before the portfolio project was due. I changed the premise but remained focused on the aspect of family. Martin is meant to represent a person who craves stability more than anything else and isn’t sure of how to confront his younger brother, who represents passion and joy for something else, something larger. I wanted to represent a common issue found within families, the inability to openly show affection because of petty reasons like arrogance or fear. For both premises of this film, I wrote characters whose primary conflict was how closed off they were from their family. Though there is a semblance of that in “The Sound Between Us,” I think it’s much more in the background which is regrettable.  

 

One powerful convention in films that are focused on family is the underlying love behind anger. “Parasite” and “Moonlight” are two films which depict families who don’t get along in orthodox ways. Similarly, the character of Martin may be a sort of antagonist, but he doesn’t hate his younger brother. The importance of the story is that it’s his love for his younger brother which drives him to do what he does, even if it’s expressed unhealthily. I think this is an engaging element.  

A scene that ends in bottles being shattered in Parasite.

 The postcard for my film assists in branding by being consistent with the font but focusing on the scenic shots which frame Martin and his brother or just the brother alone. I wanted to capture a lot of picturesque shots and the two I chose for my postcard were some of my favorites, though one of them didn’t make it into the final cut. There’s beauty and serenity in family which I wanted to show through meditative and contemplative sequences such as the end where Martin is walking around in his backyard.  

 

Working on this project has made me see how to pace a screenplay better. I struggled greatly with trying to fit a story within the allotted time and even after extending it, I was not happy with all the plot points. I feel the premise is strong, though, and the visual style of the piece is something I’m quite satisfied with, barring some of the camerawork. The branding is also weak, and my social media needed more work. This was a huge step forward in my post and pre-production capabilities and I think if I would have done a better job with pre-production, I could have shot much better.