Back in September I wrote a post regarding how ideas evolve over time, and what you initially intend to create ends up being something different entirely at later stages. The focus of the ‘TIME AND PLACE’ script shifted from the effects of time, to morality and ethics, specifically the reasons we choose to do good or bad on a daily basis. Now that we’ve come to the end of the shoot I’ve realised that during filming, the focus became something else, yet again. Though morality and consequence are still a key focus, the main character became more about a questioning and rejection of society and its values, and the resulting loneliness that would be expected. Having to play by a society’s rules is the only way to be accepted in it. Although he pushes as far away as possible from accepted norms throughout, regret plays a huge part in the flawed nature of the character. During one scene we shot, it suddenly dawned on me that I’d cornered the character into wanting nothing more than acceptance. Hearing “You are loved. Don’t throw it all away” – a line which I had obviously written myself, it slowly clicked. Here is someone rejecting everything, pushing in completely the opposite direction, and getting closer to what he wanted.
It’s got me questioning what the final idea will be. In roughly six months time the film will be edited and people will be able to experience it. Will I think it’s about something else by this point? Will I have found something else in there that I didn’t know existed until we reached the end point. More interestingly, will audience members have a completely different interpretation? This is what’s most important once post-production is complete. Inspiring debate and getting people talking, questioning, the lives of those on screen and themselves. That’s what I strive for with each finished film. Production may be exploration, but in the end it’s all about questioning and affecting others.
So, why does the idea keep changing? Am I just indecisive? Is the final idea, the one which I was reaching for originally? I still don’t know. I just know that this one of the reasons I love making films. I see cinema as exploration, a search, and it still continues.
