Research on Chosen Sonnet

Do not stand at my grave and weep

I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.

Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep was written by Mary Elizabeth Frye in 1932. The inspiration for the writing of this sonnet was a German Jewish woman who was staying at her home with concerns about her ill mother who had eventually died. This sonnet was written by means of comforting the woman while taking the inspiration from her story where the woman said to have stated that she never had the chance to 'stand by my mother's grave and shed a tear'.

The poem itself appears to allude to the dying figure as having moved on from death and not being in their grave, not wanting their relatives/ friends to stand by their graves and mourn them.

I feel that my own adaptation of this piece links well with the poem as a character is mourning somebody that is no longer present in should but still in physical form. I just need to make sure that there is more of a focus on the person mourning the other character. 

Feedback on Project Proposal

The main pieces of feedback I was given on my Project Proposal was as follows:

- I need to make sure that my piece actually has an ending and that I know what my ending would be. Otherwise my film would lead to nowhere and there wouldn't e a point to the film.

- I should look into and do some research on the original poem which the fiction adaptation piece will be based on. The original poem was actually written by someone to comfort somebody who was struggling to cope with a loss. My film and its story appeared to deviate too much from this and I should put more of a focus on the person who is trying to cope with the loss of their friend.

- My plans to use words on screen to create more impact from spoken dialogue should be done in a more interesting way instead of just having the words appear and fade out. Should be frantic and have a pace to them.

During the feedback, I also showed my storyboards which can be found during an earlier blog.

I shall take all of these into account and shall think back to this feedback when planning ahead for my piece. I think the main thing I need to get right is the story and its focus. Before, I was giving more focus to the person who was lost rather than the person trying to communicate them and having to cope with their loss. By switching the focus to the person in mourning, I am firstly giving more of a connection to the source material as well as given the characters more depth. I feel I should still include the scene involving how the person had found themselves in such a state but not make it the primary focus. I need to find a balance between the two. 

The ending I originally had planned link heavily with the start of the piece where the lost character would envision their friend standing beside their metaphorical grave. However, this meant that I would then go back to this same scene at the end of the piece and the film would have come full circle and not have gone anywhere in terms of the narrative. I should change this so that there is some sort of resolution. I feel I could change the ending so that something occurs which snaps the character back into reality and the two friends are reunited. This would link to the more hopeful message of the original poem and would give the film a clear ending.

Experimental Film Feedback

The feedback I received from the viewing of the experimental film was as follows:
- There were some good experimental shots e.g the turning of the camera and the crash zooms.
- Good use of sound, ambience created for effect.
- Good colourisation, created an appropriate mood for the subject matter of despair.
- The change in colour also allowed viewers to see a change in perspective.

Own improvements:
-Integrate the chosen stock footage more carefully as it stands out from the rest of the footage.
-Take more time to set up each shot, perhaps use a tripod.

I felt that this feedback as helpful and will look upon this wen planning and timing my final fiction adaptation piece.

Cemetery Risk Assessment

Initial Story Board

Here is the initial storyboard I have created for my fiction adaptation short film.
There will likely be some changes from this to the final film depends on the feedback I will be given towards my project proposal.

Park Risk Assessment

House Risk Assessment