"When You Find Me" Review

Project Imagination

Project Imagination is a collaboration between Ron Howard and Canon combining the photography realm and the film realm into one. Participants submit photos that fit to defined themes, Unknown, Obstacle, Setting, Character, Backstory, Relationship, Goal, Time, and Mood, which are then rated by the community. Ron Howard picks his favorites and merges and conforms a short film based on those shots.

Mood and The Unknown

Using, or rather, using the lack of an IR filter in the camera creates the stunning image in the intro scene. This scene is based on a picture submitted to "The Unknown" theme, and its creamy textures and vast planes create peace in the viewer,as well as ostracize him: it feels like an alien, unfamiliar world to us. It's another world, and we can infer that it is heaven based of its light and pure feel. Infrared light is refracted into the camera sensor, rather than light which is visible. This itself is symbolic

for the scene: her mother is dead, in a world unseen.  The perfect white skin tones, stark blue eyes, and loose white dresses almost give the characters an angelic quality, and the sheer simplicity of the scene adds to its peace. Finally, the slight sound of a brisk breeze give us a final sense of calm.

Obstacle

Obstacle is defined as "something that stops the someone or something from accomplishing hi/its goals". The films main obstacle is Aurora trying to get over the death of her mother, something her sister has achieved long ago. The scene near the gate of the cemetery is symbolic of this plot line. We see that Aurora is unable to scale the fence, unable to face what is behind it. Lilly, the younger sister, can easily hop over and move into the metaphorical graveyard. Only with the help of others (her father) can she pass the gate. In the end we see her enter the graveyard with her sister, symbolizing how she has finally passed the obstacle, still with only the help of her sister. In the end. she passes not only the obstacle of facing her fears with her sister, but also facing the fear of her mother. We see her make amends with both and see her finally cross "the gate" obstacle of acceptance.

Relationship

Relationship is defined as "connection between people or things." The film is based primarily on the relationship between the two sisters and their mother. The relationship between the older sister and the mother is conflicted because the older daughter screamed at her mom while she was dying in the hospital. Her relationship with her sister is also eschewed because Lilly, the younger sister, fooled around before they were leaving 
to see their dying mother, and thus missing a chance to say goodbye. This motivates the entire plot and by the end of the film the sister rebuild their relationship and in the process, rebuild Aurora's relationship with her mother.  Aurora has also lost the relationship with herself, and she could never forgive what she said to her mother. Only after her sister's reveal can she finally reach her character arc of self discovery and find herself. The relationship between the father and daughter is pretty much flat, we see that the older sister gets punished for the younger on running away, etc. The relationship between the mother and father is also flat, and I feel this was a choice on the directors/ writers part in order to focus the narrative on the relationships with Lisle, The mother, Aurora, and the relationship with herself.

Time

Time is defined as "a moment in time". Time plays a large role in the story, as it sets the narrative in motion and involves the primary motivations in the film. In the intro, we see time has allowed her mother to die before they arrive, which motivates the Relationship break and thus the plot.  Time also plays a role in the sisters growing apart after their mothers death, evident in the dinner scene where they talk as almost strangers, initially. Time also plays a role in the time they spend together to grow back together, and their relationship rebonds in the falling action and climax of the film. We see that Time, besides relationship, is the primary thematic focus of the film. Time is symbolized by the tree in the dream sequences, because a tree can live a very long time yet takes a long time to grow, just  as Aurora has taken all these years to reconcile with her sister and her mother. 

Goal

Goal is defined as "something strived for".  The film relates to this theme through many motivations in the plot, one being Aurora's internal goal to make up with her mother and sister, and therefore at the same time forgiving herself. She doesn't externalize this goal however, but we can infer that she does in fact feel this way. Goal is also present in every action that humans do, everything has a reason or is motivated. They play to have fun. They rush to see their mother. They talk to make up. Simple motivations throughout film itself and all forms of storytelling media have motivation, goal, and thus plot.

Backstory

Backstory is something that is present before the actually film and adds deeper meaning and character to the narrative allowing us to get  a better understanding of the film. Back story is present in the scene with the dying mother, actions happen off screen which we can automatically infer when we see a single shot. For example, the shot with the father holding the dying mother shows us what has happened for the past few minutes without actually showing it to us. His eyes are wet and puffy, hes been crying. She is lifeless, she is dead. He hair is not shown, rather a head wrap, suggesting she has cancer and has been through alot of kimo therapeutic pain. The way he hugs her shows how much he loves her and that they have had quite a relationship together. Another scene with backstory is the scene of Auroura's apartment, its simple. but messy, which hives  a visual metaphor of her implied life in the time offscreeen: simple, in an apartment, but disorganized. Her small apartment suggests her not so wealthy-ness, and and the complicated railing outside gives us another visual metaphor of her simple life by contrast of the bare walls the colored intricate railing. She also lives in the city far away from her life on the farm, which suggests she is trying to forget the memories she had there.

Setting

Setting is defined as "the time and place a work is set in." Setting is important throughout the film, and it creates feeling in the viewer that aid in the storytelling by setting associated with emotions in the viewer. One such scene is the farm, it creates a simple, calm feeling that allows us to mellow and feel stark contrast with the hospital scene. Hospitals in this case are associated with death, loss, and pain, and it accentuates the sorrow and loss of relationships that aurora feels. You simply wouldn't get the same emotional response if this happened in a cornfield. Another setting that aids the storytelling is the graveyard. The gate creates a visual metaphor for Aurora's inability to "cross the threshold." The graveyard itself represents loss ad sorrow, which is what the story is secondarily about. It allows viewers to feel more emotionally connected because we all have lost someone and may feel emotional at the sight of a graveyard. This emotional sadness is also "cheated," yes cheated, by the filmmaker to create a more emotional ending to the film, during the climax where the sisters cry and make up. The crashed airplane also plays a role in the film because its broken and forgotten exterior and interior give a sense of loss of something that was once great, as well as the visual metaphor for flying and freedom, and thus dreams and clouds: heaven. 

Character

Character is defined as "can be anyone or anything." We see character all throughout the film, mainly in the three dimensional characters of Aurora and Lisle, as everyone in the film is a simple or flat character. We see more character in those two because of their dress, emotions, and to be quite honest, screen time. Their clothes are bright and colorful, playful and childish, where as the dad's and mom's are simple and neutral, efficient and minimal. The emotion we see in the children create our further perception of the character, and thus their character and traits.

Discovery

[Minor Update]

Discovery is defined as "finding something previously unknown." The film's interpretation of discovery is the ending of the film. We see that the older sister discovers the true nature of the relationship of her and her mother  while also finding herself, and making up with her sister after many years. 

10 Themes

Canon's "Project Imagination"

A Ron Howard Production

Using the story themes/elements we reviewed from the "Project Imagination", please identify the 9 elements used in the film. Include screen shots from the film as evidence. Describe how the film incorporates each element/ theme. 

Character

Canon defines character as a person, and that persons traits, virtues, etc: Anyone or anything. This picture expresses character because of its interesting composition and unique image of a moment of time. The crisp focus makes the viewer focused deeply on the kid. The boy himself, is interestingly wearing a suit and has a determined look in his step and forehead, this gives him a back story and thus a character, increasing the viewers interest and understanding. He also seems a bit sad from how his mouth and eyes look. The angle of the photo also adds character and story: the high angle suggests that it was taken by an adult, probably a parent. The grainy image adds to the grit of the cityscape, adding the realism and the viewers perception of reality, giving the character realistic depth. The grain/scratches and blue grade also add to the backstory: the use of photographic film actually creates both a sense of history and nostalgia for the viewer; The viewer can determine that this character existed in a long past time, and that we connect feeling from that time (the feeling of youth for example) with the photo. The visual vector also adds to the feeling of determination, as it hints that he might have walked down the far sidewalk from what artists call the "vanishing point"."

Relationship

Canon defines Relationship as A bond of knowing between anyone or anything. I had a special interest in this photo because I felt most people in the contest would submit simple relationships between people, which I found cliche. This photo depicts an old woman grasping a doll, and i chose it because of its nice composition. The constant of the soft skin of the doll and the wrinkled skin of the old woman accentuate the woman's age. Thus, we imply that she has had the doll since she was a child The ring on her finger suggests that we was quite well off, that she has been married, another example of relationship. The dolls face is dirtied, and we can assume that it has been used by the woman for a very long time.The tightness of the grasp by the woman also suggests that the woman really doesn't want the doll to fall, that sher really cares for it. We know that it is hers because if it were someone else, you would daintily grasp it to not damage it.

Setting 

Canon defines as a location or environment. This photograph showcases "Setting" because it not only encompasses location, but literal environment. This photo has a nice composition and it is one I can personally vouch for. In other words, its my picture, that i uploaded to the Canon Imagin8tion Project! Anyway, I like this setting because it sets us only in the rural landscape but also sets us in a time further back. The old rustic farm-looking house adds to the rural feel and the blurred out of focus background adds to the viewer's, well, focus on the house.

Goal

Canon defines goal as "something achievable" This photograph portrays a group of people making there way across a large span of water towards the Statue of Liberty. The flag that they fly is that of a revolution era flag. We can imply that these people are anti-large-government and that this might be a protest. It uses the rule of thirds and color to make us focus on the stark red flag and distant green Stature in the background, as well as the boat and its occupants. This photo maybe a modern representational of immigrants moving to the us during the interwar boom. The physical distance is very large between the people and the statue, however the long lens compresses that space to make it seem acheivable. Also, the contrast between the small row boat of a few people and the large sailboats exagerates how small the row boat is. Also, the wind powered sailboats contrast the human power and effort that it takes to operate a rowboat, thus symbolizing the hardship that change instills upon people. They are also moving away from the statue, which might represent government, and the industrial yards in the far background.

Back Story

The story behind a certain character or place, that makes us better understand something by contextual pre-history. In this photo we see a man who appears down on his luck: frowning, sitting in the bathtub waiting for something inevitable. The small duck in the tub is a police duck, which could be a visual metaphor for the man's woe's: he might be on the run from the law. He stares down at the duck, knowing what we can only assume. From his large belly, we can assume he might be someone who sits in a desk most of the day, maybe a banker; the glasses also add to the idea. From that we can hypothesize that he might be being chased for fraud or something similar. The fact that he is sitting in the bathtub with his suit on could mean that he knows that the suit doesn't matter anymore, or he has more important things to care about.

The Unknown

Canon defines the unknown as anything unexpected or a twist in the story.  In this photo, we see an man walking into the sunset, or in art terms "the vanishing point". His dress indicates that we is beyond caring for his fashion, and his slight slouch (as well as white hair) indicates that he is and elderly man. The man is walking towards a light, probably the sun, an unknown destination. We can assume that this is heaven or afterlife. The light rays provide a visual vector that, along with the selective focus, brings the viewers attention onto the man and the sun.

Mood

Canon defines mood as something that conveys tone atmosphere of emotion. In this image, we can see a girl in a decaying room. The tone of atmosphere in this image is that of decay and forget, forsaken. The crumpled wallpaper and the molded, rusted sink further imply this point.  The girl is in a goth like position; she is not in a pleasurable emotional state. She is slouched, another indicator that she is not in a positive state. The detail in this image is superb, its the entire collection of the little details that really make this image unique. The tall framing and wide lens ad to the depth of the image, and we feel more lonely as a viewer. The lighitng creates the dark contrasts that is associated with negative feeling.

Obstacle

Canon defines obstacle as "anyone or anything standing in the way of the character." On the surface, we can determine that the chair is used by someone to go down the stairs. The leather antiqueness of the chair and the many old photographs on the back wall suggests that it is an elderly person (or a hipster). Selective focus is used to focus the viewer, and thus of the chair's importance. The obstacle is not the chair itself, rather, it is the implied disability that is the cause for the need of the chair, and the stairs they must descend and ascend. The wide angle lens used creates depth, thus increasing the perceived distance between the viewer's standpoint and the distant door. This distance increases the implied difficulty of passage and thus the increasing need for the chair.

Time 

Canon defines time as something that represtent a time of day or story. This photo represents "time" because of its composition. The first metaphor for time is the butterfly. It has passed its time, not killed or smashed, but died when its time was up. The rule of thirds comes into play due to the small water droplet on its wing, which, along with the Instagram selective focus. helps us focus on what is important. The leaves are also a visual metaphor for the theme of time, as time is what kills and drops them. The the range of color in the photo is mainly earthy tones, and lighting is also that from the sun. This "natural" feel is akin to time itself, that all things in nature come to and end. The photo is taken from a higher angle to show that the butterfly is weak and is dead or dying.