So for this short film I chose to do an interpretation of "The Grand Inquisitor."
In the following short essay I will be attempting to elucidate my ideas about the story itself, my interpretation and performance of the material, the visual aspects of the short film and the soundtrack.
So, without further ado, let's dive in!
The Grand Inquisitor:
A Powerful Idea
The human spirit is a complex construction that is filled with a tension. This tension can be seen as a result of opposite forces interacting with the soul. These forces can take many forms, though a reduction to base ideas can be helpful for the act of analysis. There is the good and upward spirit. It's opposite is the evil and downward spirit. Both of these aspects are striving to use the human form as a means of expression.
Now, when the human being is unaware of these forces that are seeking expression, that human is in possession of a simplicity of conscience.
However, should a person become aware of their spiritual nature, they will come face to face with the capacity to act in the ways of good, as well as acting in the way of evil.
This knowledge of good and evil is a heavy weight to carry and it is not for the faint of heart. Many people will face the choice to carry this weight, or to pass it on to another person willing to carry it for them.
In my view, The Grand Inquisitor has taken this weight - the knowledge of good and evil - off of the backs of the people. However, by doing this, he has willing accepted the responsibility of knowing true evil into his life. It is a complicated act to be sure. He has taken the suffering of evil from the population, which would inherently be a good thing. He has also corrupted his own soul by his act of kindness.
Our Grand Inquisitor then comes face to face with the godhead - in the human form - that has given him this knowledge and power.
Overall, it's a powerful story about the human experience. It touches on many profound ideas that, if taken away from the overt Christian symbolism, can provide a glimpse into a general function of humanity that is present in many people.
An Interpretation and Performance
My interpretation of the story takes place in a holographic construction of reality that spirits pass into and out of.
The Grand Inquisitor is shown as a three dimensional representation of a human, in some scenes his eyes are black voids, in other scenes they are like embers. He is also representing the holographic reality in an anthropomorphic way.
The unnamed character that I play is a soul that is passing through the holographic construction and who retells The Grand Inquisitor the story that was written about him in Russia, all those years ago.
As far as the performance is concerned, I was focusing on my speech as well as subtle movements of my facial muscles.
Visual Aspects
This was a fun bit of creativity.
I took advantage of the freedom that virtual sets provide. There are camera movements that I would not have been able to execute without that freedom. The street scenes were especially fun to work with.
I have a tendency to use low lighting in my videos, I use this as a means of creating mystery and foreboding.
Soundtrack
The majority of the music for this short film was composed over the summer months, usually at night due to working the night shift at that point. I taught myself how to use music notation software and it opened up many new avenues of creativity.
The main aim for the soundtrack was to utilize sparse violins and simple rhythmic drumming.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.