L’ÉCHO SOURD

“Echoing emotions: the lingering effect of unpacked emotions”.

A 55-year-old man, isolated in his bedroom during the COVID-19 pandemic, confronts deep emotional barriers following devastating news. Struggling with intense grief, he grapples with a critical decision: to either open up to his suppressed emotions, symbolized by a deafening internal echo, or continue his life of emotional numbness and isolation. The story, rooted in surrealism and symbolism, explores his internal conflict.

The aesthetic strategy for the film was guided by the concept of Echoing Emotions, conveying the message that emotional numbness is detrimental to humanity. The expressive decisions included the style of Uncanny Beauty, the tone of Nostalgic, Raw, and Bizarre, and the genre of Psychological Thriller. Visual aesthetics aimed to blend familiar elements with surreal twists, evoke nostalgia with 90s Italian-designed Parisian settings, portray raw emotional expressions, and introduce bizarre elements like the surreal spread of plastic. Lighting, reminiscent of David Lynch's style, was utilized to create atmospheric tension and highlight surreal aspects of the film.
The visual representation of plastic in Jean-Luc's apartment starts subtly but grows to cover walls and furniture as his emotional turmoil intensifies. Symbolizing his emotional suppression, the plastic hinders him as it spreads, reacting to his inner turmoil. Its rustling adds to the oppressive atmosphere, contributing to his sensory overload. In a pivotal scene, the plastic envelops Jean-Luc, symbolizing his consumption by repressed emotions. Ultimately, the plastic encapsulates his inability to break free from emotional barriers, leading to a tragic resolution.
The auditory manifestation of emotion in Jean-Luc's apartment begins as ordinary sounds but intensifies as his emotional turmoil deepens, symbolizing suppressed feelings and memories. Initially ignored, these sounds progressively intrude upon Jean-Luc's consciousness, reflecting his growing emotional turmoil. The film's sound design creates tension, with echoing effects highlighting moments of emotional revelation. Ultimately, the cessation of these sounds in the tragic conclusion signifies Jean-Luc's surrender to his emotions.
The creative book contains the backstory of the slippery slope that was the creation of the trailer for the short film L’Ècho Sourd. The film revolves around the inner world, and was a representation not only of our references and inspiration, but profoundly of the creators — our — emotional journey.

In the project, AI tools such as Mid Journey, Runway, and ChatGPT were utilized systematically, with each tool feeding input to the others. ChatGPT was primarily employed to construct the story, develop characters, and find theoretical references. Additionally, it aided in articulating visual references by describing interior design concepts, which in turn prompted Mid Journey for further development. This collaborative approach facilitated various scenarios throughout the project, enhancing creativity and efficiency.
L’Écho Sourd is an oxymoron, reflecting our film’s contrast between the exterior world and our character’s inner world.
In the project, AI tools such as MidJourney, Runway, and ChatGPT were utilized systematically, with each tool feeding input to the others. ChatGPT was primarily employed to construct the story, develop characters, and find theoretical references. Additionally, it aided in articulating visual references by describing interior design concepts, which in turn prompted Mid Journey for further development. This collaborative approach facilitated various scenarios throughout the project, enhancing creativity and efficiency.