Creative Foundations – Show Reel
For this blog, My topic is “Fragmented Self”.
This blog will revolve around the multiplicity of identities and self-fragmentation in the era of social media
Video Production-《 Puzzle Girl》
Video Production Self-Evaluation
Strengths:
- Visual Metaphor Execution – Successfully translated the “fragmented self” concept through compelling imagery like the broken mirror and polarized color treatments. The new ending’s warm lighting shift effectively symbolizes self-acceptance.
- Clear Emotional Transitions – Achieved distinct mood shifts between personas through deliberate acting choices: bright smiles for social scenes, slumped posture for private moments, and tense facial expressions during digital interactions. This builds on “Physical Characterization” techniques.
- Effective Music Cues – Implemented a dynamic soundtrack that mirrors emotional states:Upbeat pop for social self .Somber piano for family scenes.Electronic glitches for alone,This applies”Music as Emotional Guide” principles.
Disadvantages：
- Transition Fluidity – While the concept of shifting identities was clear, the technical execution of transitions could be more polished. The jump cuts between different selves sometimes feel jarring rather than intentional.
- Diversity – The video relies heavily on direct character shots without enough environmental context. Incorporating more “daily life” cutaways (like how I check my phone) for each persona） would reinforce the theme through mundane actions, as suggested in Week 2’s “Show Don’t Tell” exercise.
- Audio&Visual Balance – The background music occasionally overpowered key voiceovers and environmental sounds, particularly during emotional moments.
《404 Identity: A User Manual》
Creative writing
At home, I’m the “good girl.”
The one who nods obediently when Mom lectures me about my future, even though her words press down on my chest like bricks. “Study harder,” she says, and I whisper, “Yes, Mom,” while my fingers secretly curl into fists under the dinner table. Dad’s usually traveling for work, but when he’s home, he asks the same three questions: “How’s school?” “Do you need anything?” “Be good for your mother.” I answer politely, but we both know this is just our tired routine.
When my bedroom door clicks shut, the performance ends. Here, I can finally breathe. Posters of bands Mom calls “noise” cover my walls, and my desk is cluttered with sketchbooks full of drawings I’d never show her. Sometimes I press my ear against the door, listening for footsteps, before letting myself slump onto the bed with a sigh that’s been waiting all day to escape.
With my friends, I’m someone else entirely – the “human sunshine.” as Chloe calls me.
At lunch, I’m the one doing ridiculous impressions of our teachers, making milk come out of Alice’s nose from laughing. They think I’m always this confident, this quick with a joke. What they don’t see is how I practice funny stories in my head beforehand, or how my hands shake before I join a group conversation. But when Sarah squeezes my shoulder and says, “You always know how to cheer us up,” I almost believe this version of me is real too.
Our group chat buzzes constantly with memes and inside jokes. When we’re together sprawled across someone’s living room, eating terrible microwave popcorn and talking over each other, I feel lighter. These are the only people who’ve seen me cry over bad grades or family drama. They know about the B I hid from my parents, about how I sometimes pretend to be sick to avoid family dinners.
Alone in my room on weekends, I become my third self – the “hermit.”
I can spend entire Sundays in the same oversized hoodie, alternating between video games, homework, and scrolling through TikTok until my eyes burn. There’s comfort in these solitary rhythms: the click of my controller buttons, the scratch of my pencil, the familiar creak of my desk chair.
But nights are harder. When the house is silent except for the hum of the refrigerator, my thoughts get loud. That’s when I stare at my ceiling, tracing cracks in the plaster while wondering why I feel like three different people. The clock ticks toward 3 AM as I ask myself: Am I the dutiful daughter? The fun friend? The lonely girl hugging her knees in the dark?
Sometimes I open my notes app and type out all the things I can’t say to anyone: “Today Mom said my skirt was too short, and I wanted to scream.” “I made three people laugh at lunch but still felt empty after.” “Why does being myself feel like acting?” I always delete these by morning.
The strangest part? All these versions are me.
The quiet good girl wiping down kitchen counters after dinner. The loud friend who starts impromptu dance parties. The overthinker who cries at sad commercials at 2 AM. Maybe I’m not broken into pieces – maybe I’m just learning how all these selves fit together.
When my alarm goes off on Monday morning, I’ll paste on my good daughter smile for Mom. I’ll crack jokes with my friends at lunch. I’ll come home and lose myself in video game worlds. And if sometimes the mask slips, if sometimes the pieces don’t quite match up… well, that’s okay too. Because I’m still figuring out which of these faces is really mine.
- Creative Writing Self-Evaluation
- Strengths:
- Authentic Voice & Relatability – Effectively captured teenage emotional complexity through honest, conversational language (“milk come out of Jake’s nose”) while avoiding clichés, as emphasized in our personal narrative workshops.
- Show-Don’t-Tell Execution – Applied sensory details (the hum of the refrigerator, TikTok eye strain) to convey mood, implementing descriptive techniques from our “Writing with Five Senses” module.
- Structural Innovation – Created a triptych format mirroring the fragmentation theme, adapting the multi-perspective storytelling method we studied in nonlinear fiction.
- Areas for Growth:
- Subtlety in Transitions – Could better employ the “emotional bridge” technique from our screenplay unit (e.g., adding a recurring object like a cracked phone screen to connect sections).
- Deeper Symbolism – Would enhance the “good girl” section using food metaphors from our poetry unit (e.g., “swallowing complaints like cold rice”).
- Interactive Potential – Missed opportunity to apply digital storytelling skills by designing the text with intentional white space/fragmentation on the blog page
Mood board
Key word extension:
Division | Multiple Identities | Disguise | Digital Life | Private Space
Mood Board Creative Intent
This mood board visually represents my fragmented identity through three key elements. First, the cheerful texts (“Beina ur hilarious!!”) with star emojis show my social, energetic side when with friends. Second, the handwritten “why am I like this” notes reveal my private moments of self-doubt, especially with the 1 AM timestamp emphasizing late-night overthinking. Third, the mixed-up phrases and languages demonstrate my confused mental state when these identities clash.
I created this by combining real digital messages with handwritten notes to show authenticity. The repetition of certain phrases creates rhythm, while the messy arrangement mirrors my scattered thoughts. The different text sizes help emphasize emotional weight – larger texts for my social persona, smaller writing for private worries.
The strongest aspect is how clearly it shows my contrasting personalities. However, it could be improved by adding actual photos of my chat screens and journal pages to make it more personal. Using colored backgrounds (like yellow for happy moments, blue for sad ones) would better separate the different moods.
Next time, I’ll include more physical elements like ticket stubs or printed Instagram posts to make the emotions feel even more real and tangible.
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Mood Board Self-Review
What Worked Well:
✔ The happy and sad texts side by side show my mood swings clearly
✔ The timestamps (1 AM vs daytime) help tell a story
✔ The messy background looks like my cluttered thoughtsWhat Could Be Better:
✖ Should have used colors (like pink for happy texts)
✖ Need to add phone screenshots to show social media life
✖ Handwriting should look more real (will scan my actual notebook next time)
Audio
What Worked Well: