Narrative: My Friend Martina

Introduction

In the Narrative Unit, students learned to tell structured stories through a number of different mediums. In English, we wrote Flash Fictions, short narrative essays of less than a thousand words. In Digital Meda, we learned how to use HTML and CSS to enhance our wordpress websites, and we used Pro Tools to create audio recordings of our Flash Fictions complete with sound effects and background music to create an immersive experience. In Film, students created a story for a film, storyboarded and restoryboarded until it flowed smoothly on paper, and then casted, filmed and edited a Narrative Short Film.

Throughout this unit, I learned… I value these skills… I have improved as a storyteller and a digital artist both in visual and audio art.

Story

English Process:

Character Questionannaire

One of the first exercises we did in the process of

She wears nice clothes and puts effort into her appearance out of a desire for acceptance and fear of judgment. Putting together her appearance allows her to control how others perceive her, giving her a sense of control over her life.

Martina:

• Empty your pockets. What’s there?:

Gum wrappers. Mints. Stolen chocolate.

• Where do you live now? (give a location and type of living space, for ex: renting a room in a mansion in Los Altos Hills):

With her parents. In a townhouse with two floors. A small house with too much furniture.

• Did you have a happy childhood? Explain:

Her childhood was happy and full of good memories, but as she ages, she feels more restrained and limited by her parents. 

• What is your most prized possession?

Her most prized possessions are things she has stolen and tokens from her rebellious adventures.

• What is your greatest achievement?

Her greatest achievements are times where she stole things and got away with it, and where she manipulated people and controlled situations without people tracing it back to her.

• What kind of friends do you have?

She likes to manipulate people into being her friends and trick them into doing things that benefit her. Her friends are usually people who are suggestible, modest, dull, and who avoid confrontation. She believes herself to be superior, and that by manipulating and controlling them without them realizing, she is helping them to understand the nature of the world.

• Name your best friend. Why is he/she/them your best friend?

Her best friend is Anna, who is sweet and gullible, Martina adores her, but doesn’t know it. Anna is two years older than her, but Martina sees her as her apprentice. 

• Name the friend with who you are the least satisfied. What’s the problem?

Martina’s friends come and go. She sees herself doing great things, and sometimes she leaves people behind to get what she wants. She believes its okay to step on people to get to higher places.

• Do you have enemies / rivals? Name them, and briefly indicate the conflict you have with them.

She often dislikes people immediately and once she decides, her mind is made up. She likes to act friendly to the people she dislikes but takes actions that display her hatred. She is careful about her image and remains courteous to even her greatest enemies. She is often rude to strangers. 

• What don’t you want others to know about you? (This could be a painful or embarrassing secret):

She is afraid that people will find out how she lies and tries to control people. She worries that her parents will discover her true character. She thinks of herself as a bad person. She worries that people will see through the facade and realize who she truly is.

• What’s your greatest fear – what’s terrifying to you?

She is afraid of not amounting to anything. She thinks she will be something big, and she is afraid of not reaching her expectations.

• When have you let yourself down? Explain: 

She never reaches her expectations. She is always unhappy with herself. Though she is self-obsessed, she also has deeper feelings of self-hatred. Her surface-level feelings conflict with her deeper, true feelings.

• Who do you need to stand up to? Have you ever stood up to anyone, or have you tried to stand up to this person? How’d it go? 

Martina needs to stand up to her parents. She feels powerless under them and seeks to feel powerful in other, unhealthy ways. She has tried to stand up to them, but it has only made things worse and caused conflict, which they responded to with more pressure/control.

• What do you want most this year? 

To win over other people, manipulate people, to have control over her life.

• Choose at least 2 of the last 4 questions and explain: What’s stopping you from getting what you want?

She believes her weaknesses stop her from getting what she wants. She believes the only way to get where she wants is to take advantage of people. She’s willing to do whatever it takes.

• How do others think you need to change? 

Others think she needs to slow down and learn to live. They think she is caught up in unimportant things and that she needs to learn to be considerate.

• How do you feel about at least one of those people who thinks you need to change?

Martina knows they think she needs to change, but she sees them as trying to hold her back from greatness. She believes she will be great if she distances herself from people and ignores their opinions.

Plot Map

1. Status Quo
   • Martina is selfish
     • Cheats, lies, steals, 
     • It started just once in a while, she would tell white lies. Now, she hurts people every day. She enjoys it. She finds it thrilling to do things she knows are wrong. She doesn’t give thought to the consequences or what happens to the people she hurts.
2. Inciting incident
   • Uses Anna, who thought they were best friends, for self-gain, and discards and replaces her. 
   • Anna was strung along for months, and Martina was biding her time to cut ties with her.
3. Raise the stakes
   • Anna is hurt, but Martina doesn’t care.
   • The next week, Anna doesn’t show up to school.
     1. Now, Martina misses her. She is lonely.
4. Turning point
   • Martina has an epiphany. She realizes how close-minded she has been.
     • She goes to visit Anna.
5. Denouement/The final act
   • She begs for Anna’s forgiveness, she needs it badly because, to her, Anna’s forgiveness represents the forgiveness of all the people she’s wronged.
   • Anna doesn’t forgive her
     • Martina has lost her only friend, someone who was deeply important to her, and whom she never appreciated.
6. Outcome/New Status Quo
   • Martina decides that she must right every wrong she has committed. She sets out to investigate how people may have been affected by her misdoings.

The assignment in English was to write a Flash Fiction Narrative Story of no more than one thousand words. I wrote a story about two young girls, Anya and Martina, who have a strange friendship. Anya is invited to Martina’s house one evening, and they have fun at first, but things take a turn when a prized vase is accidentally broken.

I produced an audio version of the story with music and sound effects. I recorded myself reading the narrative in one of the ISO Booths, and edited the pieces together in Protools. I found that everytime I took a breath, or shifted in my seat, the microphone would pick up the sound. This means that between every sentence I spoke I had to cut out unnessecary noises and piece the tiny individal clips together.

Creating an audio narrative helped my to see my story in a new light. Using the story I had written, I explored an entirely new medium, and another way for an audience to take in the story. I now had one story expressed in two ways: writing and audio.

Narrative: My Friend Martina

Anya stared through the wrought iron gates, into the valley where the house lay. Even from afar, Anya felt the building’s presence. It gleamed as sunlight reflected off the marble, forcing her to squint her eyes. The building contrasted with the surrounding greenery so harshly that it looked like it had been pasted there, collaged on top of the rest of the scene.

It was Martina’s house. The invitation today had not come entirely out of the blue. The two had become close and would play often at school. 

The gates swung inward, allowing Anya to make her way down the driveway to the white steps. The bushes were neatly trimmed, the windows were unstained, and the floor outside was oddly clean. There were no leaves beneath the foliage, no spider webs, no dirt smudges, no flecks of mud. Everything was pristine.

The cleaning lady opened the door. Her kind wrinkled face put Anya at ease. The lady nodded at her respectfully, picked up her blue supply basket and mop, and shuffled away down the hall. 

The entrance was beautiful but sterile, and eerily silent. As Anya slipped off her shoes, the cold from the tile floor seeped through her socks and chilled her skin. 

A swooping staircase cascaded down the back wall, and intricate carvings made their way from the center of the ceiling down to the baseboards. Light refracted through the chandelier crystals and scattered around the room.

Anya heard Martina’s shoes click-clacking on the hard floor, quietly at first, then louder as she got closer. 

Her voice pierced the air, as she greeted Anya. The silence had taken up residence in the room, and by breaking it, she forced it to retreat. 

She led Anya up the stairs, and through a dark hallway, where they passed a sizable pink vase, half hidden in the ebony shadows. The hall debouched into a spacious playroom filled with toys. Anya recognized many she had walked past in storefront windows. She remembered how she had begged for new playthings, only for her parents to state firmly that they couldn’t afford them.

They played for hours, winding up frogs, pushing tiny cars around the room, and even hosting a tea party for the dolls. 

Their games progressed into the unlit hallway. They raced their cars along the carpet, down to where light from the door frame illuminated the end of the hall. They ran back and forth, never tiring.

On the last round, as they were getting back to the end of the hallway, a loud crash exploded behind them.

Both skidding to a halt, they turned to see what had caused the noise. It was too dark to make out what had fallen, but a shadowy outline slumped across the floor.

Martina flicked on the lights. She was starchy white, eyes wide, and afraid. She approached the crumbled pile in the middle of the carpet. Anya followed, kneeling beside the rosy ceramic shards which looked like they had once been a pink vase.

To Anya’s surprise, Martina was crying. The joy was gone. She stood next to the rubble, tear-streaked, her face full of anger, and desperation.

She jabbed her finger into Anya’s face. “Yo-You!” Her finger shook accusingly between Anya’s eyes. “You broke it!” She shrieked. 

Anya stood up in defense, sure of her innocence. The little table, which she assumed the vase had been placed on, was on the side that Martina had been playing on. 

Martina continued, sobbing in despair. “My Mother can’t know about this. She can’t!” Martina howled dramatically, wishing for the incident to not be true. 

Anya stood awkwardly, feeling that the situation was out of her hands. They stood silently for a minute, wishing they could leave the pieces there, and forget it ever happened. 

Finally, Martina turned towards Anya, her eyes boring into Anya’s with newfound bitterness. “Since you broke it, you have to clean it up.” Anya stepped back in dismay, but Martina folded her arms like she had seen her mother do many times. 

Though Anya felt certain of her guiltlessness, she didn’t want to risk Martina’s friendship. 

Martina left without saying anything and reappeared with a broom and dustpan. She stood and watched as Anya swept the remains into a paper bag. Anya, a criminal, forced to labor. 

When she finished cleaning Martina grabbed her arm, refusing to look at her, and dragged her down the staircase. Anya stumbled after her, clutching the bag of rubble. They went back through the front doors and around the back of the house. A shabby garbage shed was precariously leaning to one side, almost collapsing. 

Martina opened the door. Reeking garbage barrels were crammed into the hut. Martina roughly shoved Anya amongst the trash. The door slammed behind her, and Martina click-clacked back to the house. 

The shed was devoid of light and stunk of rotting eggs and a dead animal. Overwhelmed with fear, Anya ran back and yanked at the door handle. She jolted it every way, but it refused to open.

“Martina!” she called. 

No answer.

“Martina! Please!”

 The old wood of the door splintered her hands. She hit and kicked it, and threw herself into it, but it didn’t budge. 

Anya began to bawl. She wished the vase had never broken, that she was still up in the playroom with Martina. She thought of what her mother would think when she never returned home. Surely her family would worry, surely they would search for her. 

The minimal light that filtered into the shack was rapidly diminishing. A chilly breeze found its way through the cracks of the decrepit shed. Her pants had become soiled and grimy in the filth. As she breathed harder, panicking, the stench grew stronger, filling her lungs. Anya sat in the dirt for a while. She wondered how she had gotten here, and if she would ever make it back home.

I learned how to record my voice, edit the pieces together and merge them into one clip, and then decorate it with SFXs and Royalty-free music. I enjoyed the freedom that we had with this project. I could tell my story exactly the way I intended it to be told. I used music that I thought fit best, and searched for sound effects that matched the story. I learned how difficult and time-consuming creating audio stories is. I have more respect for people who create podcasts, audiobooks, and meditation audio.

I struggled with deleting all of the extra sounds that were recorded when I first recorded myself. Every time I moved or took a breath, the sound was very loud, so I had to cut all of that out. I also had trouble finding the right music and sounds for the story, because I had to choose the one that fit the vision that I had for the listening experience. I overcame this by putting time into the project and being decisive.

I would have spent more time looking for sound effects that fit the idea I originally had. I also would add music that fits the emotion of the story. For example, guilt and sadness in the parts where the character is feeling those emotions.

I am most proud of creating an audio version of my narrative story that I can show to my family. I am proud that I was able to add music and sound effects to enhance the listening experience. I was able to cut out parts, and string together many small clips to create a smooth-flowing story.

I will use the skills I learned in audio production, audio editing, and the use of SFXs in future audio projects. I feel very comfortable using Pro Tools now. I will be able to create audio for other classes as well.

This project made me realise how much work audio production takes. I value and respect the audio that I consume on a daily basis, more than I did before this project.

Illustration

Provide viewers with some introductory text about the custom illustrations – section banners and other graphics you may have created

Exquisite Corpse group image

Explanatory text

Illustration Project Choice

Title: Beach Scene

For the Illustrator Media Project, students were given creative freedom to create what they wanted using Adobe Illustrator. I decided to create a Tumbler that I could gift to my father. I printed a beach scene onto my tumbler. First, I drew out my design on Illustrator, then I heat pressed it onto the tumbler. I was inspired by symbols from childhood: a bucket, a shovel, flip flops, a small flower. I was reminded of the memories I had when my father would take my brothers and I to the beach. I also included objects that you often find or bring to the beach: an umbrella, a beach towel, sunglasses, rocks, a crab, and bits of grass. My father loves the beach. Hopefully, he will be able to use my tumbler for his morning smoothies.

This project is different from our previous projects for other classes because we created a physical object that can be used in our day to day lives. The tumbler I made will be used by my family, and it will continue to be seen by other people. In my other classes at Freestyle, we communicate ideas through writing or video production and film. In Digital Media, students learn how to express ideas through digital art, design, audio production, and photography. This project mainly focuses on digital art.

I became very familiar with Adobe Illustrator during this project. I primarily used the pen tool, but also the brush tool, and shape tool. I learned how to make gradient designs and create groups and compound paths in the layers. I became more confident in my digital drawing skills. In the future, I hope to become more familiar with the Wacom tablet. I think this could help me to improve my ability to create art digitally. I am proud that I was able to create a design and turn it into a final physical product that will serve a purpose. The tumbler will be useful to my family and will display my artwork. I will use the digital skills I learned from this project in the future. I will be able to create digital art for projects in the future and use Illustrator recreationally. This project helped me to see the value in digital art and appreciate the time and effort that artists put into digital works.

Finally, honestly reflect back and write a paragraph or two about being creative specifically with Illustrator vs Photoshop or any other digital drawing application.

Music

Junior Experimental MIDI Music in DM

Provide background context introducing the Experimental Music Project. I chose to do Experimental Interstitials.

What was your process in producing your Experimental Music in Pro Tools?

Title: Windy Journey

When I was creating this music, I thought of the four different sections as different parts of a journey. Some of the sections are darker, and slower, and other parts are brighter, and with more energy. I was inspired by the different natural sceneries that one would see when they go on a journey, like a hike or a trip.

I am most proud of creating a piece of music with contrasting sections, and making each part portray a different feeling. Though I am not experienced in music production, I am proud that I was able to make a musical piece that I may be able to use or come back to later in my time at Freestyle.

I value learning music production because it encouraged me to be creative, and pushed me to make music despite not knowing anything about music theory. This was my first time creating music using virtual instruments. I hope to continue to learn about and explore music production, and use the skills I learned in this project in future endeavors.

Finally, honestly reflect back and write a paragraph or two about your main takeaways from using MIDI and production music in Pro Tools.

Film

Context about work in Film Class.

What were you challenged to produce? What did you value from the specific process and production in your elective class? Anyone you wish to thank?

Griffith’s Pattern

Griffith’s Pattern Explanation

Suspense Scene

EMBED SUSPENSE SCENE VIDEO

Suspense scene explanation

Chase Scene

EMBED CHASE SCENE VIDEO

Chase scene explanation

Narrative Film

Synopsis

Character Arc (Tim):
Beginning: Tim is shy, nerdy and unconfident. He has a crush on his neighbor Laura, though he doesn’t think she feels the same way.
End: Tim has gained self-confidence and feels accepted/liked by the girl he admires.

Story:
In the beginning of the story, Tim goes out to get the mail. When opening his mailbox, he looks over to his neighbors house and sees Laura standing with her dog in hand. Laura waves and smiles at Tim, though he is surprised to be noticed by her. Tim smiles nervously and waves timidly, grabs the mail and quickly runs inside, trying to avoid any longer of an interaction with Laura. When he gets inside, he goes to his bathroom. He stares at himself in the mirror, disappointed in a missed opportunity to have a conversation with someone he admires. Moments later, the doorbell rings. He looks through the window by the door, realizing Laura is at his doorstep. His heart begins to race and he takes a deep breath. He opens the door and Laura smiles with his dog in hand, indicating she needs him to babysit. Laura hands the dog over to Tim and gives the dog a kiss on the head goodbye.

In the middle of the story, Tim is now alone with the dog Fred. Tim rests the dog on the ground and watches as the dog explores his house. Tim continues to follow the dog. As the dog enters the living room, it begins to speed up. Tim picks up his pace as well. The dog starts heading towards the open side door. Tims stomach drops, and his eyes open wide. He begins to run at the door, hoping to close it before Fred reaches it. During Tims effort to reach the door, he hits a coffee table and knocks over his face. Tim looks back up, and the dog is out the door. Tims mouth opens wide in shock, he begins to panic and starts running after the dog. The dog runs through the backyard, in the neighborhood, and towards downtown. Tim chases after Fred. The dog is fast and Tim is putting in all his effort to keep up. Fred enters downtown and runs towards the library where Laura is being tutored. Tim begins to freak out. Tim tries to run fast, hoping to catch up to Fred before he reaches the library and possibly gets Laura’s attention. Fred runs past the window of the library where Laura is, and moments later so does Tim. Tim glances in the window quickly, checking to see if Laura saw them. Tim continues to run after Fred, hoping to get control of him. Moments later Tim finds Fred rolling in a pile of leaves and mud. Tim reaches down while Fred is distracted and grabs him. Tim glaces back into the library and sees Laura beginning to back up. Tim panics. He starts to run back home with the dirty dog in his hands. He goes as fast as he can, hoping to make it back before Laura. They pass through downtown, the neighborhood, and return back to the driveway of Tims house.

In the end of the story, Tim carries Fred through the backyard and the open side door. They get inside, and Fred closes the door to prevent Fred from running away again. Tim takes a deep breath, relieved to have Fred back inside. With Fred still in Tim’s arms, Tim’s eyes are drawn to the bathroom. He begins to hurry towards the bathtub in the hope to clean up Fred before Laura returns. Before stepping into the bathroom, the doorbell rings. Tim pauses. He walks towards the door with muddy Fred, and opens it. Laura is standing there. Fred stands there with the dog and raises his shoulders and smiles, almost laughing. Laura begins to laugh at them. At this moment they are bonding over the state of Fred and Tim b feels relieved that Laura isn’t upset. They continue to smile and laugh. The End!

STORYBOARD AND EXPLANATION

EMBED NARRATIVE FILM TRAILER

EMBED NARRATIVE FILM VIDEO

Narrative Film Explanation

Honestly reflect back and write a paragraph or two about your experience creating all of the above productions in Film