GENERATIONAL DANCE
GENERATIONAL DANCE INSPIRED BY ALBERT EINSTEIN
TREATMENT BY
TIFFANY FRANCES
1
“Our death is not an end if we have lived on in our children and the younger generation. For they are us; our bodies are only wilted leaves on the tree of life.” - Albert Einstein
2
INTRODUCTION I love this quote. It really hit home for me. I’ve been wanting to explore the topic of being a second generation Taiwanese American since my father passed away last year. Right after he died, my mother and I were looking through his belongings, and it made me look at him in a different light. He had this stack of paperwork dedicated to dancing - lyrics, steps, specific movements. His handwriting was all graphed out so he could practice at home. I was in awe of his devotion. It also made me reflect upon his life, and how my parents re-found love through dancing. My mom has been a dancer her whole life. My father’s recent obsession connected them in a new way. I thought it would be interesting to play with the idea of discovery after someone dies. My father may not be here on Earth physically, but his work and love for his family lives on through me and my sisters. I was born and raised in America, but certainly his values and so much of who he was in Taiwan is instilled within me. The story I present to you is about how death is relative to life, and it truly is never an end.
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CONCEPT This film is a hybrid of narrative / dance / celebration of life. Dance is a universal language, and featuring a Taiwanese American family will give it a unique take. The story is set in the suburbs of Los Angeles. Joyce is a mother who performs a slow, mourning dance. She grieves the death of her husband, Carl, as the suburb is still waking up at dawn. Later, Joyce and her daughter Christy are looking through his belongings, and they discover his notes, all handwritten for each dance number he used to practice. Christy is struck by her now late father’s ultimate commitment to learning dance. As she decides to start learning these dance moves as a way to remember him, her dancing takes on a life of its own. Her grief turns from sadness to self-empowerment. Joyce joins her, and eventually Carl, symbollically in his afterlife, also does too.
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VISUAL MOOD My approach for the aesthetic of this film is to feel very grounded in its narrative course. Visually, the story will be brought out with cinematic and natural imagery. It is important for the characters to have an authenticity to them, so the lighting and depth of field should really feel human. I love shooting with gorgeous, natural light when possible. Also, shooting with a shallow depth of field during emotional moments or close-up would bring out the intimacy of the story. As the dance sequences start to take over, the locations and lighting can start to take a slightly fantastical mood, but never veering so far as to feel over the top. In general, I think the piece can feel really poetic. Using a steadicam operator during the dance sequences would really bring out movement and emphasize emotion. Cutaways to location and surrounding objects and people would also build a sense of context. Time of day is really important for the exterior scenes, so we’ll be mindful of how to schedule the shoot accordingly.
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CASTING The most important part of casting would be to find three characters who truly feel like a family. While they each are individuals and possess their own sense of style, they should have a ‘lived in’ feel with each other. Chemistry is really the glue for this family. For Joyce’s character, she should have a strong connection to dance and familial values. To find an actor who plays Carl, it is less pivotal to find a strong dancer and more vital to find a natural, honest actor. I really liked the idea of Einstein’s wrinkles and eyes being an inspiration for Yoda’s character. I would love to find an actor who possesses wise eyes that you can really feel has many layers of life and stories. For Christy, it would be great to find an actress who can really express emotion through her dancing.
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ARC The story’s arc goes through the process of mourning after a loved one’s death. To me, it’s almost like a second chance in life. At first it is grief. The next is discovery. Self-reflection follows, so then grief turns to acceptance. And when the characters truly believe that death is not an end, they take comfort in knowing their lost one is actually always with them. And that is the beautiful part: continuing to grow and always moving forward.
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17
Thank you for the opportunity to let me pitch for this amazing, inspiring project. I’m really excited to be able share my personal vision for this great series, and look forward to collaborating with you.
TIFFANY FRANCES tiffanyfrances.com
18
TREATMENT BY
TIFFANY FRANCES
1
“Our death is not an end if we have lived on in our children and the younger generation. For they are us; our bodies are only wilted leaves on the tree of life.” - Albert Einstein
2
INTRODUCTION I love this quote. It really hit home for me. I’ve been wanting to explore the topic of being a second generation Taiwanese American since my father passed away last year. Right after he died, my mother and I were looking through his belongings, and it made me look at him in a different light. He had this stack of paperwork dedicated to dancing - lyrics, steps, specific movements. His handwriting was all graphed out so he could practice at home. I was in awe of his devotion. It also made me reflect upon his life, and how my parents re-found love through dancing. My mom has been a dancer her whole life. My father’s recent obsession connected them in a new way. I thought it would be interesting to play with the idea of discovery after someone dies. My father may not be here on Earth physically, but his work and love for his family lives on through me and my sisters. I was born and raised in America, but certainly his values and so much of who he was in Taiwan is instilled within me. The story I present to you is about how death is relative to life, and it truly is never an end.
3
4
CONCEPT This film is a hybrid of narrative / dance / celebration of life. Dance is a universal language, and featuring a Taiwanese American family will give it a unique take. The story is set in the suburbs of Los Angeles. Joyce is a mother who performs a slow, mourning dance. She grieves the death of her husband, Carl, as the suburb is still waking up at dawn. Later, Joyce and her daughter Christy are looking through his belongings, and they discover his notes, all handwritten for each dance number he used to practice. Christy is struck by her now late father’s ultimate commitment to learning dance. As she decides to start learning these dance moves as a way to remember him, her dancing takes on a life of its own. Her grief turns from sadness to self-empowerment. Joyce joins her, and eventually Carl, symbollically in his afterlife, also does too.
5
6
VISUAL MOOD My approach for the aesthetic of this film is to feel very grounded in its narrative course. Visually, the story will be brought out with cinematic and natural imagery. It is important for the characters to have an authenticity to them, so the lighting and depth of field should really feel human. I love shooting with gorgeous, natural light when possible. Also, shooting with a shallow depth of field during emotional moments or close-up would bring out the intimacy of the story. As the dance sequences start to take over, the locations and lighting can start to take a slightly fantastical mood, but never veering so far as to feel over the top. In general, I think the piece can feel really poetic. Using a steadicam operator during the dance sequences would really bring out movement and emphasize emotion. Cutaways to location and surrounding objects and people would also build a sense of context. Time of day is really important for the exterior scenes, so we’ll be mindful of how to schedule the shoot accordingly.
7
8
9
CASTING The most important part of casting would be to find three characters who truly feel like a family. While they each are individuals and possess their own sense of style, they should have a ‘lived in’ feel with each other. Chemistry is really the glue for this family. For Joyce’s character, she should have a strong connection to dance and familial values. To find an actor who plays Carl, it is less pivotal to find a strong dancer and more vital to find a natural, honest actor. I really liked the idea of Einstein’s wrinkles and eyes being an inspiration for Yoda’s character. I would love to find an actor who possesses wise eyes that you can really feel has many layers of life and stories. For Christy, it would be great to find an actress who can really express emotion through her dancing.
10
11
12
13
14
ARC The story’s arc goes through the process of mourning after a loved one’s death. To me, it’s almost like a second chance in life. At first it is grief. The next is discovery. Self-reflection follows, so then grief turns to acceptance. And when the characters truly believe that death is not an end, they take comfort in knowing their lost one is actually always with them. And that is the beautiful part: continuing to grow and always moving forward.
15
16
17
Thank you for the opportunity to let me pitch for this amazing, inspiring project. I’m really excited to be able share my personal vision for this great series, and look forward to collaborating with you.
TIFFANY FRANCES tiffanyfrances.com
18
