Developing an Atmosphere

When discussing what we wanted to do with our short film with my group, a common consensus was to first develop an atmosphere. This is uncommon when it comes to a medium such as film where story typically takes charge, but our philosophy was that we wanted to feel out the space of where the production will exist in and foster it from there. 

A great way to develop atmosphere in film is through the use of music. I was watching this YouTube video on the subject and learned that music can be used as a texture to subtly convey a certain tone of a piece or even recontextualize a scene completely. The power music has in this art form is monumental, and is the same reason why the most acclaimed films have iconic soundtracks. 

While we're still too early to begin deciding the actual soundtrack for the short film, we decided to map out the vibe each of us had in mind by creating our own separate Spotify playlists. This was a fun way to brainstorm the mood of the production through songs that either spoke to us or were able to develop that an atmosphere that we wanted to explore in our project. My playlist was a combination of surreal beauty and dreamlike existence. There's also a sense of anticipation that I felt while listening back to it, which could definitely be an emotion to consider when it is time to start writing. My partner Edward's playlist was peaceful, calm, yet soulful. It definitely felt something at home for an indie film. Finally, my partner Oliver's playlist was a mix of nocturnal atmospheres and bright tunes. I enjoyed the fusion of these two moods on the same playlist and made me consider if we could maybe find a balance between them in our project. 

Listening to these songs were a great way to start getting into the headspace of the production. Without a doubt, there is a world we want to bring to life with our short film and I cannot wait to see how it takes shape.