At Freestyle we take narrative very seriously because story is king. A story is the most important enhancement to art, it is what gives purpose to a canvas and what assigns humanity to acrylics. In English we create a short story that tests are ability to visually convey details. In Design we create a beautiful illustration that combines the stories and characteristics of a plethora of contrasting creatures. Most importantly, in film we create a fully fledged short film. Below you will find all of these projects that I have worked so hard on. Enjoy.
The flash fiction is an incredibly short story that sacrifice quantity for intensely packed quality. Every sentence is the epitome of show don’t tell and inspiration is gained from the golden standard of visual narrative: 1984, by George Orwell. I hope you like it!
“Even The Losers”
The echoing sound of footsteps filled the long hallway. Kace carried himself as if he were also carrying a weight on his neck, his head drooped low while also managing to bob to a beat, and an iconic popstar grin was plastered onto his face. However, his facade of a smile was given away easily by a dreadfully diffident posture and apprehensive ability to hold the beat of his favorite song. The bell had rung loudly about ten minutes ago, but he pretended not to hear with his earbuds snug and blasting a classic rock tune. The unusual amount of noise and activity in the halls would have been immediately clear had he heard anything aside from the ensnaring melodies of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
Suddenly, the floor rushed to meet his plummeting body as the wind seemingly sent him hurtling into the tile floor. Kace scrambled to find footing as a blend of panic and confusion overtook him and quickly was replaced once again with soothing vocals and daring chords. He, for the first time, noticed the boys in front of him. There were two of them and they possessed all of the stereotypes of a school bully: massive, strong, and sporting military haircuts to boot. They appeared to be laughing at Kace. However, in contrast to what might have been an endangering scenario, It appeared as if they were mouthing the words to Free Falling, as such was the perfect syncing of the laughter to the music.
Kace couldn’t help it. A rare, genuine smile crept over his previously unadorned features.
The two accidental rockstars didn’t understand the comedy, nor did they reserve a tolerance for it. They said something, which only made it increasingly hilarious as it seemed to magically match the lyrics of the newest song in his favorite rock playlist. Kace was being flung from wall, to floor, and even head first into lockers. Somehow, the laughter only managed to rush forth more aggressively. The two boys stood over him, perplexed at what this kid could possibly find so amusing.
Kace sat looking up at the two kids, blood streaming from his nose and his left eye badly bruised. He just sat there with a toothy grin spread from ear to ear. The aggressors glanced at one another, puzzled, and proceeded to yell something inaudible – presumably at Kace – but, ultimately, discovered the source of Kace’s bizarre confidence. The bully on the left quickly snatched the headphones out of his ears and dangled them far above his head. A sensation of pain replaced the previous adornment of confidence as his facade cracked. His smile, for once genuine, washed away.
Trying to reach for the earbuds would be pointless, so he sat, slouched and legs trembling, as the bullies taunted him. And yet, Kace found himself slowly nodding to an unheard beat once more. The soft, mental metronome turned to an echo. The echo quickly transformed into a symphony, ascending to blot out the low pitched taunts and screams that invaded his world. Although laughter remained stifled, a grin that reached his eyes returned to his face as he ignored the resumed assault.
The two boys then stood, completely dumbfounded, wondering how this helpless child remained unaffected by their efforts to bring misery. Having tried everything, their shoulders lowered, and they walked away with eyes scrunched in confusion. Kace, left completely alone, is accompanied by “Jammin’ Me,” another classic, as it begins to play its familiar tune in Kace’s head. The unheard sound of echoing footsteps moved away to somewhere new along the stretch of hallway. Kace sits, back to wall, with his shoulders slightly back and head nodding confidently to an imaginary beat. A familiar popstar grin remained authentically plastered onto his battered face.
The character inspired illustration is an exploration of strange and conceptual storytelling through the creation of characters. Characters are key to a story and sometimes even the focus of a story structure. As a result of this truth, we didn’t just create a character – we got to know our character. Get to know the character I created below.
For Film, the narrative unit for junior and senior year is the assignment that will tear you apart and test everything you know about filmmaking and organization. The junior year project is a narrative short-film with the constraint of no dialogue. It is a silent film that was storyboarded, filmed, and edited in just a few months. Mine is a comedy which exaggerates the dismal reality of being a student at high school that was not assigned a parking permit and cannot park in the student parking lot. I encourage you to watch below.