INTERACTIVE PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER - THE INSPIRATION
I have always found that as a writer and artist in general, I store away ideas or reflections of other art/media I see around me in my daily life and it often resurfaces subconsciously through my own work. To me, this is one of the amazing ways that artists inspire one another, even without realizing it. When I found out this project would be interactive, I was immediately influenced by multiple things in my life in order to form a story that was still uniquely my own.
A quote from director Quentin Tarantino sums this idea up pretty well.
"I steal from every single movie ever made"
Despite his distinct film style recognizable by audiences all over the world, artists are always absorbing inspiration from other people's art as well as their own, which is something I find myself doing. That being said, I want to dive a bit deeper into the inspirations behind my script.
1. FIRST PERSON INTERACTIVE VIDEO GAMES
Even just the word interactive was enough to bring back memories of watching hours of YouTube gameplay as a kid where someone would play games in which the player can interact directly with the storyline through either choice of dialogue or action. I always enjoyed this concept in video games because it develops a deeper connection with the story and characters, and reflects the real world in the sense that every word and action has consequences. This was a heavy influence on my story because I want the audience to be able to interact with my film in the same way.
2. VR
VR has been a major new advancement in media over the past year or so, and I think that this subconsciously influenced the visual filming style I would like to achieve, such as the first person point of view shots.
3. INTERACTIVE YOUTUBE VIDEOS
Continuing with the theme of nostalgia, another thing I remember from my childhood were interactive YouTube videos. I distinctly remember watching videos where the viewer could determine the events of the story or its ending by clicking on links to other videos. This gave me the idea for using YouTube as a way to format my interactive segments.
4. THE ISOLATION INDUCED BY OUR OVERWHELMINGLY ONLINE WORLD
There's no ignoring the state of our world right now, as much as we may try. Something I and pretty much anyone actually following CDC guidelines have all been struggling with is isolation. Isolation because of quarantine, classes being primarily online, etc., we are all missing the human contact and interaction we once took for granted right now. This is something that, at times, weighs very heavily on my mental health regardless of adapting to these changes. It feels so strange and unusual to be so isolated from others and even stranger to have what feels like our whole lives be transferred to the internet. I like to draw inspiration for thrillers and horror scripts from my own experiences and the things that frighten me. That being said, I decided to include small details of the pandemic in this film both to make it feel current, but also to mess with the viewer's mindset through POV and interactive style by simulating this isolation.
