Piecing the Puzzle Together - Worldbuilding

    Originally, I mentioned how I wanted to finalize the plot of my short film (A Work in Progress: Short Film Concept), however, I realized that my story has many moving parts, including an entire dystopic society that I have to establish, especially since the setting plays a major role in the progression of the main character. Therefore, I now want to focus my research on writing this story, and how exactly I can worldbuild effectively while unraveling my plot. 

Where and When Does My Short Film Take Place?

    I want the world to replicate modern times, yet there is a sense of eerieness to it. In order to provide that weirdness, I want to have the characters dress with a retro/vintage aesthetic, yet be surrounded by modern items, buildings, technology, etc. Despite the modern surroundings of the characters, the retro feel to their clothing, way of interacting with each other, etc., is what makes their society strange and uncomfortable. I wanted to create a false sense of perfection through this aesthetic, so that the main character is easier to spot, since they will dress slightly more normal (representative of current styles) and act more modern than those around them. Therefore, the short film takes place during the modern era, but the inhabitants of this society dress vintage/tweed in order to present a dramatic idea of perfection/simplicity (kinda of like they were trapped in a bubble). 

Below are examples of how the people inhabiting this world would dress: 

This is Town Center, which is an area located in my hometown, Weston. I felt that the colorful buildings and surroundings of this location best matched the aesthetic for the "outer-world" since it's quaint, vibrant, and fits the idea of perfection due to how simple and happy it appears. 

Setting Overview - Interrogation/Interview Scenes vs. Outer-World (The Show)

    During the interrogation scenes, the environment will be much darker and frightening in order to replicate how sketchy this universe truly is. It will contrast with the bright and vibrant retro/tweed exterior, since it will be revealing the "behind the scenes" of this world. The main character will be the only one in view, therefore they will look more dirty, imperfect, and most importantly, vulnerable. In order to match how the main character will look, the setting will be plain and lack color. I'm planning on using dim lighting/lack of saturation to fit this vibe and contrast with the vibrant outer-world or facade. Hence, the outer-world, so the environment that is being watched, will be eerily happy and vibrant, while the interrogation scenes, which is meant to depict reality, will be dreary and dull, symbolizing the comfort in fantasy versus facing reality. 

These two photos roughly depict what the "reality" or interrogation scenes would look like. I want it to contain neutral tones in order to present a sense of dullness, and I also want it to have an eerie/abandoned feel so that it represents how reality is often ignored and replaced with an alternate truth, in this case the outer-world/surveilled world.