Creative Writing

For the creative writing aspect of Element 2, I chose to write a poem. I wanted this poem to show a clear contrast between dreaming, fantasy and real life. I used a lot of descriptive vocabulary to create vivid imagery of fantasy in the readers mind and emphasise how surreal, beautiful and idealistic it is in comparison to reality. As well as this, negative depictions of reality and the real world are emphasised to draw attention to the many the current issues in the world. I created this contrast to show  the narrator of the poem’s need and desires to escape it all and why they feel   they would rather be in a fantasy than real life. I also wanted the poem to have a melancholic and longing feel to it to show the narrator is so lost in the glamour of fantasy that it makes them feel hopeless about their real life. This was to show the duality of escapism.

MOODBOARD

For the Web content/Moodboard I decided to use images which showed the different forms of escapism and then images which represented fantasy/dreams or an ideal world where people escape to. The images depicting escapism can be categorised into ones showing negative escapism, the colour palette is dark and dull for these images to suggest connotations of danger or unhealthiness and ones showing positive and constructive escapism. The colour palette for these is light, soft earthy tones. Both colour palettes are kept muted to show emphasis of real life. The photos portraying fantasy have a strong vibrant colour palette which is intended to be eye catching and mesmerising in comparison to the other images. I chose dream like, ethereal images to enhance this. I wanted a clear contrast to be shown between what is real and what is not. To improve my moodboard I could have possibly improve the layout of my images by putting them in a sequence which tells more of a story rather than laying them out solely for aesthetic purposes. 

AUDIO

The audio content first uses a sound effect which sounds sort of mysterious and a little spooky but also soft at the same time to contrast with the ethereal choir-like singing which fades out as the speech begins. I also have the word ‘escape’ being whispered once before the music and sound effects fade out. The intended effect of this was to spark a bit of intrigue in the listener and make them feel as if they’re entering a trance or dream which fits the theme of my project (escapism).  Then, I explain what escapism is as well as why and how I chose it as my passion. I wanted my audio to be interesting and thought provoking as well as sound pleasant so I ended the speech with a question which would hopefully leave the listener to really think about and process the audio they have listened to. Then I faded in the same music and sound effects when the speech is finished to close the audio and leave the listener feeling like they have stepped out of a trance. To improve this, I could possibly add more effects such as echoes or I could have had more than one voice in the audio.

VIDEO

The video I have created is a short movie about a boy and his friend which is a figment of his imagination who he uses to escape his loneliness. I had many ideas for the video on the topic of escapism, however, I found they were all too complicated for the short 30-60 second time frame of the video content. I drew inspiration from the idea of imaginary friends then further inspiration from the famous movies ‘Fight Club’ and ‘Ratatouille’. I used diegetic and on screen sound which was the dialogue and off screen sound of people speaking in the background and outside/nature noises. I also used non-diegetic sound which the music playing towards the end of the video. As well as this, I considered different camera angles and movement for example, I used a low angle for a shot and then tracking for another. I also used the camera to show the character’s point of view whilst maintaining different shot sizes in the video. To improve this, I could have possibly added in more sound effects or made the shots flow a bit better as some of them can look a little choppy at times.