Work in Progress
The weather plays a big part in this story world since it will create a conflict with the characters. I initially thought of the place to be cold and snowing. Nothing more than that but a sudden thought to add the snow storm to the world changes the world and the impact on the other elements. It affects the characters greatly and it creates a whole new level of tension in the story world. The snow storm will cause a disruption to the daily lives of the characters in the city. It will also affect the protagonist since the protagonist is unable to leave the city anymore.
The world is set in a contemporary society because I want the world to be rich and modern. It was very hard to find a small city looking modern. The tall and high looking skyscrapers give off a big city vibe where there will be a lot of people. I really want to show a modern city where everyone knows each other. However, it is hard to convince the audience that it is a small city. Thus, I will need to reconsider how I want the city to look like and maybe focusing a particular street or town where everyone knows each other.
The apartment in the city is a place where we will look into the daily life of the protagonist. I want to show that the character is well off by having a nice apartment in the city. Also, I imagined the place to be like this with the big glass window facing the city. This is where she looks at the city and contemplates about her next victims.
The hospital is in the city where the protagonist works. She is a psychotherapist who treats outpatients and patients. The hospital looks new and modern. It is a nice, clean and fresh room. I did not want the room to look dark, gloomy, intimidating and suspicious. I want it to reflect the weather where everything looks pure and white. I want the character to have this flawless facade that she is hiding from anybody around her. This is also the place where some of her patients become victims.
The family house is located outside the city. It will be an hour drive from the city to the family house. The family house looks friendly on the outside but the basement of the house is a whole new world. It is opposite of what is above. The place is dark and grim where victims are being tortured and killed. I used the family house as a place for the protagonist to do her murderous acts is because the house is vacant and the hour drive will allow us to peek into the protagonist mind or behaviour. Also, not many people come in and out the city. So when the snow storm occurs, the protagonist is unable to leave the city thus she is trapped in the city. This just reminded me that I will need to flash out the basement world as it will allow me to understand the kind of character I have created.
The dumping ground is the place where she dumps her victims. The place changes but it will all look similarly alike. There is snow and a stream of the river so that the contrast of blood on white and how it slowly spreads creates a vivid image in the story world.
The character’s background:
Anna “Protagonist”:
- Only child
- Innocent look
- Grew up together with her boyfriend- neighbours
- No close friends
- Live in the city
- Psychotherapist
- Serial Killer
Boyfriend:
- “Lived” with Anna
- Police Officer
- On suspension
- Dead but spiritually alive in Anna’s mind
- Encourages her to kill more people
Parents:
- Busy
- Checks up on their daughter once in awhile
Police:
- Anna’s boyfriend police partner
- Serial killer case
- Interviews/ interrogation
Anna’s colleagues:
- Oblivious
- Goes about doing their own job
City community:
- Disruption to their daily lives
- First case they heard in a while
News Reporter:
- Reporting on the cases
- Interviewing people on the streets about the case
Victims
- Patients
- Random people on the street
I have given the characters some background story and job scope. This will allow me to place the characters to the location and how they will encounter with the protagonist. It helps me see a clearer relationship between the protagonist and the other characters.
The characters who belong in this world are the protagonist and boyfriend while the police, colleagues, victims and city community can go in and out of the world. This is because it depends if they chance upon the protagonist and if the protagonist does not target them as victims. The news reporter and the parents do not belong to the world. The news reporters are at the sideline interviewing people and reporting the news. While the parents are away though I am starting to consider if I should let the parents into the world and which it will change some parts of the world.
I have yet to set the theme but I am considering obliviousness and greed. This world is a place where everyone just takes care of themselves so when this tragedy happens everyone starts to panic.
The images I researched was a great help in helping me imagine the world and how the mood or atmosphere will be like. It has helped me create what I can have or do in that space. The elements of weather, locations, year and characters has allowed me to create this big world where every element affect each other. However, I feel that I am lacking in showing the protagonist world and the boyfriend world to better understand the logic of the world. Thus, my next step is to focus on these worlds since it may affect the other elements in the story world.
