If I'd Only Known

The stories I am interested in telling center on women, family, mental health, and mankind’s complicated relationship with the divine. My capstone short film, "If I’d Only Known", contains all these elements. This project sits very close to my heart, and I am so excited to make it a reality.​

"If I’d Only Known" follows the protagonist Isabel as she seeks help for her daughter from a crystal shopkeeper and is suddenly thrown back in time to confront her major moments of regret. This story will explore themes of self-acceptance and regret. I hope to draw people in who are interested in time-bending stories and the spiritualist tones of the film, and I hope that my audience will be left with encouragement to recognize any anger they have toward their past and how that might be hurting them and those around them.​

In the film, we will use pink to represent the character’s journey toward self-acceptance. The set design will be mostly eclectic and cluttered since this character struggles to keep her life organized, besides one key moment when set and color will more monotone at a time when Isabel was in a very bad marriage. We will also use set and sound design to quickly orient the audience in the various time periods that Isabel travels to.​

The visual design of the crystal shop is meant to make it feel separate from the world, a magical place. The cinematography will be smooth, slightly hazy, and use longer lenses to slow down movement and focus very directly on where the audience’s eye should be. The visuals of Isabel’s past will be higher contrast, use lots of camera movement, and wider lenses to distort faces and emphasize the disorientation that Isabel experiences.

The sound design of this film will also support the magical quality of the crystal shop by using samples of sound healing instruments, and chanting voices during the transportation through time. The music when Isabel is in her past will be used to subtly induce panic, representing how Isabel feels.

Some films and TV shows that are an inspiration for this one are "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe" with its use of lighting and music to convey the magic of the wardrobe, and "The Haunting of Hillhouse" because of the expertise with which they prioritize the characters’ journeys, only using supernatural elements to support rather than distract. A director I am inspired by is Emerald Fenell, who directed "Promising Young Woman" and "Saltburn." She uses heavy-handed symbolism and symmetry, as well as brightly colored set and costume design to represent and support her characters’ journeys.

I am so excited to work together with my entire team and build this story into something beyond what I could do alone. My goal is always to create a story that prioritizes its themes and characters above all, and to create in collaboration with others.