Group 9-116 Z

Our ideas for our final project will be taken from the theme of weirdness. Each story we have worked on through the semester dealt with this theme in varying ways, with different outcomes. Thus, it will be our greater theme, the one that will color each aspect of our film.

One of the specific themes we discussed was the idea of an alter ego. In each story we looked at, there were at least two versions of the central character. In the ballet of The Metamorphosis, Gregor was shown in two forms: an overworked man, and an abhorred cockroach. In The Nose, Kovalov’s alter ego was his nose, since it was part of him and similar to him in some ways, but was also sentient and had its own will. Finally, in Nosferatu, Dracula passed himself off as human (albeit a very strange and very intimidating one), but eventually it was revealed that he was a vampire. In a way, the idea of an alter ego is a variation of the theme of transformation, since an alter ego is a version of oneself that is simultaneously similar and very different to the original. Our second specific theme is that of not belonging, both in the sense of being an outcast and being out of the ordinary. This theme, in the second sense, is seen in a three pieces, whereas the image of the outcast was particularly prominent in Metamorphosis. 

We had a vision for how we might combine these themes. One of us will play the central character, who is something of an outcast and will appear to have no friends. Other members of the group will take the role of normal people, and of monsters. In one shot, the central character will be seen watching a group of kids hanging out, laughing together, and a number of other normal activities. In the next shot, they’ll be harassed, chased, or otherwise haunted by monstrous versions of the kids. This will represent a contrast between reality, and the way the central character views each situation. Our goal is to create a sort of nightmarish state, a film saturated in weirdness and uncertainty.