Narrative 1

Throughout the second semester, the Visual Narrative Unit has been a prominent focus, extending back to the initial drafting stages of my films and stories in the preceding semester. This period involved extensive crafting of narratives and characters, significantly enhancing the depth of my storytelling. Across all three classes, I acquired valuable skills: English provided vivid imagery techniques, Digital Media enabled the transformation of stories through design, and Film facilitated the creation of immersive scenes and worlds. This year’s Visual Narrative unit across Freestyle classes emphasized both technical and organizational skills. Through Film and English, I honed the art of crafting and presenting engaging original stories. Digital Media taught me to translate these narratives into audio recordings accompanied by album covers. By its conclusion, I had mastered the creation of cohesive narratives paired with artwork, written flash fiction, and produced complete narrative films.

In English class this year we learned writing techniques that will help in our fictional writing practices. Focusing mainly on English class, we crafted flash fiction with the aid of sample pieces for inspiration. We began by fleshing out our characters, ensuring they were compelling and captivating. Once our characters were developed, we brainstormed original story ideas. Using a plot map exercise, we explored their desires and needs and mapped out their journey using Freytag’s Pyramid. Finally, with our groundwork laid, we wrote our flash fiction. My Flash Fiction was about a coffee shop employee who was super unhappy with his life, as he is a perfectionist and thinks very highly of himself. But during one of his closing shifts a customer makes him question his previously held ideologies.

Someone’s Black Books

5 pm, closing shift. le café générique, the coffee shop at the corner of Lincoln. 5-minute commute, I’ll drive today, although a short walk it minimizes human interaction. I leave the house at 5:45, clock in at 5:50, shift starts at 6. I walk out from the back and get bombarded by music blaring from the speakers, the ringing of the bell to signal a drink is ready, and the endless string of words being thrown around from customer to customer. As I prepare to make a drink my thoughts drown out the boisterous cafe. One cup of water, two tablespoons of ground coffee, brew, pour, one cup of ice, a teaspoon of sweetened condensed milk, half a tablespoon of vanilla extract, stir, pour, serve. A month ago I applied for the role of Barista and was hired as a cashier, but due to a “lack of people skills” I’m a barista. My “lack of people skills” stems from the fact that they’re not worth my time. If anything they just get in my way, like a flea pestering a dog, they lack purpose. I do not give them any attention as it’ll prevent me from working. 

The average cafe attendee doesn’t understand art, they probably can’t even distinguish between a Rubens and a Delacroix. They don’t appreciate art and as a barista I create art. I make beautiful combinations of ingredients perfectly mixed for the most satisfying taste, all topped with a gorgeous foam design floating above my magnificent creation. Yet these uncultured peasants have yet to express their gratitude to me, for every day I bless them with an entire Van Gogh in a cup. In the end, I make the drinks, they drink them, I get paid, and everyone is happy. 

7:32, customers make their way to the door. Only after they trash the seating area. More work to do before closing should set me back 10 minutes. 7:43 a young woman walks in, one more nuisance before we close. My eyes glowered as I studied her, ballet flats, blue jeans, beige peacoat, white long-sleeve undershirt, round-rimmed glasses, and chestnut brown hair in a messy bun. I could already tell what she would order, most likely something basic like a frappuccino, maybe even an iced mocha. “Can I just get a coffee? Black please.” 

Straight black coffee… This woman is MAD. Straight black coffee, I will not make that I refuse, leaves no artistic interpretations. For me to create this order would be for me to sin. No, instead I’ll make one of my heavenly creations. I’ll make her an Irish black coffee cocktail, something far more ambrosial than a straight black coffee. 1 cup of brewed black coffee, 1 ½ ounces of Irish Whiskey, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, Stir, top with heavy cream, prep for serving. 

After I ameliorated her drink I rang the bell and awaited her arrival. I look across the cafe where she is seated, legs crossed, book in hand and computer in lap. She doesn’t move. I ring again, harder, assuming she just did not hear. Yet again I’m met with no reaction. I begin to get aggravated, I ring again, No. Reaction. I lurch towards her. As I approach her, our eyes meet and a sense of confusion can be seen in her eyes. She snaps into a more upright position. A conflagration of anger expels from my eyes. I place her drink on the table and await a thank you. She inspects skeptically. She sips a look of grimace stretches across her face. “This is not what I ordered.”

“Excuse me?” I scoff at her thankless statement.

“I didn’t order this.” 

“I wasn’t going to make you just a black coffee.”

“And why’s that? That’s what I ordered?”

How could this woman be so ungrateful, I just blessed her with one of my many great creations yet I am met with disdain. “Ma’am I am an artist, and something as simple as a black coffee would be a misspend of my time.”

“I understand sir, but I had ordered a black coffee as that is what I wanted. If I wanted whatever this is I would’ve ordered it.”

Silence falls onto us, she starts to fiddle with her book, The Story of Art, Written by E.H. Gombrich. I have the same copy. No chance this degenerate is indulging in something as prestigious as the arts. I highly doubt she’s reading it, possibly a prop for her to look sophisticated. 

“I see through your blatant conversation starter that is your book. Think twice before you use something as distinguished as the arts for your benefit. Because as an artist myself I am deeply offended.”

She tilts her head in confusion.

“Not that it’s any of your business but I’m an art major at Berkeley. My professor assigned us this book, and I have a paper on it”

My jaw dropped, had I been this foolish to assume that this woman wasn’t near the same intellect as me?

“I apologize, but as an artist, you must see where I am coming from?”

She pauses.

“I get how a black coffee is similar to a blank canvas, the temptation to just do whatever you want to it must’ve been very overwhelming. I respect your art.” 

She… recognized my work.

“I… I can go get you your order.” 

“It’s ok, it’s almost closing it’s not worth your time.”

I can’t believe it, it’s like she… Understands me.

 “Sorry for getting off on the wrong foot, I’m Leo.”

“Mary, it’s ok I get it we artists aren’t appreciated.”

I smile and walk back to the counter. I check the clock, a quarter past 8. The cafe was supposed to be closed by now. I turned around to look at Mary but she was gone. I lock up and head home.

8:00, I wake up for my early morning shift, and as I prepare to leave the house I look at my desk and see my copy of The Story of Art.

 I’ll walk today. 

During our Illustrations unit, we were introduced to Adobe Illustrator by Mr. Flo via DM-Zoom. Through practice sessions, we learned fundamental techniques such as tracing and coloring images. Our initial assignment involved creating an Exquisite Corpse, where three individuals draw separate images that merge into one. Below is the Exquisite Corpse, which was made by myself, Charlie S, and James K.

Following our introduction to Illustrator with the Exquisite Corpse exercise, we were assigned to design album covers for the short stories crafted in English class.

Illustration Choice Project

The Parody Project, a collaboration with Charlie, involved adapting Pop Smoke’s “Element” to reflect our Freestyle experience. We wrote and performed our lyrics, added sound effects, and produced the music using Adobe Audition. Recording in the studio provided access to high-quality instruments and microphones, enriching the process.

Throughout the latter half of the first semester and the majority of the second, we focused on crafting our narrative films. This involved extensive pre-production work, including story development and storyboarding of each scene. Moving into production, we cast actors and filmed our scenes, followed by multiple rounds of dailies. Post-production encompassed editing, scene assembly, color correction, and adding music and audio. These tasks constituted the bulk of our film class assignment, with a few smaller assignments leading up to the major project. Among these smaller tasks, we engaged in exercises to familiarize ourselves with film language, such as practicing Griffith’s pattern for scene-setting and filming suspenseful scenes or a chase scene.




Our story will follow a male high schooler who is addicted to his cell phone. Our story will begin with the start of his day. We’ll observe his daily routine of getting ready in the morning. Brushing his teeth, putting on his clothes, and making breakfast. But as he is getting ready in the morning his entire routine will include him on his phone. As he walks into the kitchen to make breakfast he completely ignores his mother’s premade breakfast for him as he is too distracted by his phone. As he is about to leave the house he completely neglects his younger sister. He walks to his car and starts to drive to school. As he is driving he is still distracted by his phone and in the process almost hits a kid, but he is emotionless to this event. He arrives at school and sits at his desk while scrolling through his phone. The bell rings and the teacher starts lecturing, while he’s still on his phone. Bell rings, lunchtime. He eats alone in the corner on his phone. The bell rings again, PE. He must run a mile, but he walks it while he’s on his phone. The bell rings again, Science class. While working on an important lab he is distracted by his phone. The bell rings one last time and he goes home for the day. He walks into the house brushing off his sister’s requests to play together. He opts to lie on the couch and scroll on his phone while his sister plays by herself. He does homework on his phone, eats dinner on his phone, and gets ready for bed on his phone. As he’s lying there in bed the camera switches to a POV of his phone starting at his exhausted emotionless face. He then proceeds to put his phone on his bedside table and go to sleep

The next day he reaches for his phone and is met with an empty desk. He’s shot into a frenzy and tears up his room looking for it, he rips out his desk shelves, flings his pillow and blanket across the room, and flips his mattress over. He checks in with his sister asking if she knows where his phone is. She doesn’t know. He checks the clock and realizes he’s late for school. Before he leaves he notices his mother has made him breakfast, he appreciates the sentiment and eats it before leaving the house. He drives to school more aware of his surroundings. He walks into class and acknowledges his classmates, and as the teacher is teaching he attentively listens. He walks out of class, clearly having withdrawals from not having his phone for the day. He walks into his second class and as he sits down his classmate immediately asks a question, a look of confusion can be seen on his face. He and his classmate then have a conversation. The bell rings and he’s in PE and is actually running the mile, he’s winded afterward. The final bell rings, and instead of going home, he decides he’ll check out a club meeting. He walks in and is immediately overwhelmed by the welcoming remarks from the other club members. But he slowly gets comfortable in his new surroundings. As the club meeting comes to an end he decides to invite a couple of people over to his house for dinner. He drives home deep in conversation with his clubmates. When they arrive at his house he cooks them up a meal and they eat while conversing. Soon after he walks them to the door and they share goodbyes and leave. He walks by his sister who is visibly upset, he remembers her expressing she wanted to play together so he suggests they do so. They play together for a bit and share some good quality time. Afterwards, as he’s getting ready for bed he reflects on the day and realizes how good life is if he takes a moment and appreciates his surroundings. He lays in bed content with how his day went and he closes his eyes as he drifts off into sleep. He wakes up to his phone being back on his bedside table, he contemplates going on it but ultimately leaves the room.

Initially, my partner Charlie and I created the original narrative synopsis as a foundation for our film concept. Following discussions with the class and Mr. Taylor, significant changes were made, shifting the setting from school to home and the focus from classmates to the protagonist’s relationship with his sister. We proceeded to develop storyboards, illustrating each shot and scene on post-it cards. After presenting them to Mr. Taylor for revision, we underwent extensive refinement. Eventually, we finalized a storyboard closely resembling the film’s content.