Intention

My friend showed my a movie she had done up for class while I was in London over the weekend. It was a script for a 3 minute silent black and white short film. It was cryptic as it could get, featuring a boy in a hospital room listening to sounds ffrom a glass apparently.

She asked me for feedback, I found myself stunned and unable to speak, now that I look back, I wonder why. Was it the fear and intimidation of class and status I had imposed on myself when I'm confronting her? (she's much older than me and I sort of respect her in more ways than 1) Or was it the fear of judgment? I found myself unable to articulate the thoughts in my head, unable to form sentences, I paused for quite some time before making another comment that was neither what she was looking for nor the clear abstract of thought in my head.

Maybe it was my first time looking at a "non-shooting script", but I just couldn't get the short film, according to her all her other peers got it. I'm left wondering if it was just me, or everyone else pretended to get it but me.

At the end though we did reach some sort of conclusion, she thought of a way to improve the script and make it visually dramatic, though was it with or without my help, I can't say.

Looking back though, I realize the first thing I should have done is asked her the intention of the short film, because that nagging thought at the back of my head when I was reviewing the script was really a voice telling me I can't get the intention of the film.

I think that intention is the most important thing when one is creating something. It outlines the principles of the work, supplies the foundation on which that piece of work will be built on, and if the intention is clear enough, will determine the visual look and feel of the work.

From now on every time I do an ad or a project, there will be a post it on the side of it outlining the intention of the work.

I can't test this intention theory of mine, so it remains a thought I suppose, but like Scoot Adams once said: "It's as good as knowledge".

At least thats what I like to tell myself anyway.