A Detective’s Labyrinth
Joshua O.
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My process is influenced by my science background - a "method to the madness" per se. Using a methodological structure in a sense, typically coming up with an idea for a film by searching in my own life, outside circumstances, struggles, controversies, or a message I want to convey. I then use that idea as the foundation for the rest of the film: expanding with dialogue, locations, motifs, and characterization. One tendency that I have when writing screenplays for my films, similar to that of Wong Kar - Wai, I never write the ending. Going against screenwriting 101, I believe in Pablo Picasso’s theory that one must master the rules in order to break them meaningfully; it is in this way that beauty and art emerge. I enjoy directing up to the point I stopped in which I have developed a more profound sense of what the film has become and how it should end.
Similar to me, I don't want to put my films in a box or category and refrain from sticking to a particular genre. I want to challenge myself and see what I can create. This makes me want to create something I have never seen on screen - being the first to do it.
This particular short film was the first part of a two-part episodic I made for my school's news platform and I wanted to depict the perpetual cyberbullying in our school's past. I could have made this "preachy" almost like singing to the choir, but that would be derivative and not my style. I always enjoyed noirs from the likes of Alfred Hitchcock and it inspired me to take a different approach to illustrate this message.
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It gives me an outlet to encompass my thoughts and feelings. It is one of the only sure things since birth that sets me apart from others: how I interpret, how I communicate, and how I navigate. Creativity has provided solace to me when I drew, painted, photographed, played music, or filmed.
