Deciding what I wanted to explore in my film, I had a think about worries (I have a lot of these). I arrived at probably one of my biggest concerns: ageing/ growing old. I wouldn't like to think of this as coming from a place of pity or condescension of elderly people; it's more of a dread of ageing's inevitability and a loss of control (and seeing people I know get old is SAD). I realise the futility of such a worry, but still dwell on it too much - I think this might be a good way to approach my film's narrative; to think of it as a way to confront an irrational fear of ageing (or depict this confrontation) and the nature of the fear itself.
Thematically, ageing is something that I feel can be explored through animation in a number of interesting ways - aesthetically and narratively.
Right now, I'm playing with the idea of a character (a young-ish woman) being confronted by an older version of herself. The apparition of an older woman will appear only to the protagonist - whether or not she is really there or just a figment of her imagination doesn't matter; either way, she will think she's going mad.
A preliminary logline:
A young woman - to her horror - discovers a grey hair. Her dismay is only compounded by the sudden arrival of an older self, who forces her to confront her own mortality and advancing years.
The story begins with a young woman fearful of ageing, preventing her from just enjoying life; she's preoccupied and uptight. The conflict with her older self is characterised by a discomfort with her 'old body' and disbelief that she will end up like this old woman; who, in actual fact, is very content. The young woman grows to see how the old woman is comfortable in herself and the world around her - and begins to realise that ageing isn't all that bad after all. The pair reconcile, and the young woman is free of the burden of her worries - and of the old woman following her around.
I should consider motivations / ways to convey this fear. Is she vain? This might provide a reason for her to fear physical signs of ageing - there might be a lot of mirrors around, maybe she's putting on makeup ready to go out.
In terms of material; the idea I had of using recycled paper I think ties into the theme nicely. The crinkly quality of handmade paper - with its visible fibres and distinct textures - is sort of evocative of skin's unique patterns and wrinkley-ness. Both can act as a sort of canvas too, susceptible to influence from the world around them. Having said that, I also think to really explore this angle, the film would benefit from being a bit more abstract and incorporating the paper into the animation itself.
Tone? Although the subject matter sounds quite morbid, I'd like to explore some of the absurd and mundane facets of ageing. And hopefully in doing so, it might be quite darkly comedic - both slightly unsettling, charming and bizarre.
Edit - some initial drawings/ concept sketches I included in my internal pitch:
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