The TimeroomDirector’s statement by Olivia Krusec

Synopsis:Annabelle, a stubborn year 12 student, is suffering from poor time management as her nest exam comes around the corner. She believes everything has been solved however when a mysterious force pulls her into a room separate from time itself. However, she fails to treat this moment with the proper amount of respect she should and the Keepers of the room force her from the room. She realises then that if she wants this opportunity she must make certain sacrifices to appease the keepers and gain her much needed time.

Context and GoalThe inspiration for this piece comes from Icelandic Folk lore where mischievous fae creatures, the Huldufolk, have control over small areas, sometimes even different pockets of time and space. This may not come across in the 90 second script but the concept of these fae creatures is what crafted these invisible and inhuman creatures. The Huldufolk are secretive but mischievous creatures who have a distaste for human technology and human tendency to ruin their peaceful homes. This leads to Annabelle being put out after she disrespects the room. Often the folk tales the Huldufolk find themselves in impose a lesson on the listener. My story takes a modern twist on this traditional form of storytelling as Annabelle, a stubborn girl, must learn not to take this opportunity for granted and to gain humility in desperate times.

VisualAs an homage to the Icelandic folklore I am drawing from I have researched some popular Scandinavian Television shows in order to stay closer to the inspiration that sparked this short. Scandinavian films tend to have rather dark themes and colouring to match with heavy blues and greys. This can be

mimicked in the hallways and hinted at throughout the room. Scandinavian film and TV also have a rather art house approach as they focus less on flashy cinemograph on more on an approach to realism through handheld cameras and tracking shots following the character unceremoniously though their environment, I really want to be able to capture this in the hallway scene to paint Annabelle as a far more distant character in the beginning as we aren’t fully on her side until the final moments where she shows some humility. This focus on character development over imagery is one that has become popular on many Scandinavian works. For example, in Mammon we watch as Peter Veras’s life is turned completely on its head and he is turned to do terrible things to stay alive however the camera work and lighting serve no other propose than to present the story. This almost invisible camera technique is incredibly effective in telling in-depth stories about character.

BY OLIVIA KRUSEC. 101625226. FTV10004. Scriptwriting and Directing: Short Narrative film. Director’s statement. Vincent Giarrusso. Monday 2:30pm tutorial. Due 19/05/2017.

The Huldufolk: https://apetcher.wordpress.com/tag/huldufolk/

Mammon (2014-)

Hallway: The hallway should seem bleak in comparison to the enchanted room. The colour pallet will be neutral with blue tones inlaid to reflect Annabelle’s feelings of desperation in this

situation. To heighten this there will be no focus on the other students passing by and a handheld camera will track her as she gets bustled through the corridor. The Room: Immediately the

audience should notice this room is special through the use of saturated colours (despite the lingering blue tones), bright lighting and soft focus on everything around her. This juxtaposition can be seen quite clearly in Bridge to Terabithia as the school appears dull and average but their imagination in the forest is filled with bright saturated colours. This is a technique I will definitely employ. Whilst in the room there will be small close ups of seemingly normal objects as the light filters through the window, the focus shifting to follow Annabelle through the room as she wonders through it in awe. To portray a scene of seclusion and abandonment disturbed dust motes in the windows light is a powerful piece of imagery can use. The camera work here is hand held to make the audience feel more involved in this world as they discover the room and its properties with Annabelle.

SoundVoices: For the first set of voices I want them to be a hodgepodge of different pitches as we get the scene this place is occupied by a crowd. For the “deeper voice” it should be one clear voice over the others, a good example of this can be heard in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 as Voldemort speaks directly into the minds of Harry and the other students. Much like the Harry Potter sequence I want the voice to have no apparent source to create a disorientation for Annabelle before she is finally propelled from the room.Hallway: The hall will be loud and obnoxious in every way, girls talking too loudly, boys calling down the hall and just a general excitement that seems to engulf Annabelle as we only hear her disgruntled muttering rather than defined words. Nothing coherent can be heard from the people around her giving the audience the scene that Annabelle has distanced herself from those in the hall around her. This over saturation of noise is purposefully done so it becomes apparent very quickly that time is stopping and starting due to this room.Room: The room will be perfectly still apart from the dust moats disturbed by Annabel’s entrances. The transition into the room is sudden and silent. No backing track for the first moments. As Annabelle discovers the rooms purpose all you hear is her breathing and footsteps. As she begins to realise the world outside has stopped, watching the leaves outside hang perpetually in the air a wistful slow tone plays (Relaxing by Bensound) non-diegeticly as we watch her come to terms with the room, pushing the audience into a sense of awe and warmth. Whenever the voices speak to her the room falls back into silence amplifying this fear of the unknown through nothingness. Lastly the song Annabelle will be studying to is “bad reputation” by Joan Jett. It’s a great song and very befitting of the situation.

BY OLIVIA KRUSEC. 101625226. FTV10004. Scriptwriting and Directing: Short Narrative film. Director’s statement. Vincent Giarrusso. Monday 2:30pm tutorial. Due 19/05/2017.

Bridge to Terabithia (2007)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part II (2011)

Bridge to Terabithia (2007)

Performance and Casting Voices: The voices are not difficult to cast as a lot of it will be computer modified to sound the way best fit for the sentences. I will need 5 people of differing age and sex to ensure a wide array of tones to modify. The inhuman nature of these voices must be clear this can be achieved through the layering of multiple different voices and a clear whisper as if speaking is

hard for them, which is further exemplified by the broken English they speak in.Annabelle: A teenager with a disrespectful streak, Annabelle is the typical rebel just trying to get through these last weeks of school so she never has to come back. Annabelle is not a classical beauty but a bit rough around the edges with barely tamed hair and massacre being her only attempt at makeup. Her clothes are loose fitting and comfortable, in drab colours to represent her current mood. Annabelle’s performance must be very specific and well executed if the room is to appear believable. If she seems melodramatic or too nonchalant about the space it will instantly become unbelievable as the audience’s belief is

directly tied to Annabelle’s. For this I will need a fairly experienced actress with a willingness to accept the concept of this world, as I feel only then could I trust them to portray Annabelle accurately.

LocationsThe short’s location in time is the present (2017)The hallway must be dull and full of sharp corners to reflect the harsh situation Annabelle has found herself in. This is reminiscent of older (1960s) schools with minimal windows, long corridors with oppressive lockers to either side and harsh fluorescent lights. I like the idea of keeping with the blue theme through the colour of the locker however this isn’t a must as the cool tones can be shown through the extra’s wardrobe and colour grading in post-production. The Room is a computer room with a window through the door to the hall way and windows facing outside. These will help to establish that time has stopped. The outside windows will also provide nice natural lighting to enhance the mystical nature of the

room. By choosing a computer room it easily portrays the uncanny neatness of the room. Whilst also having a subtle homage to the original folklore as the Huldufolk despise technology and so have chosen to lock it away from the humans in this space

BY OLIVIA KRUSEC. 101625226. FTV10004. Scriptwriting and Directing: Short Narrative film. Director’s statement. Vincent Giarrusso. Monday 2:30pm tutorial. Due 19/05/2017.

Georgie Henley as Beth Anderson in Perfect

Sisters (2014)