Process of Props

      I put together a short stop motion to display the process of putting together Lily's journal prop using DJI editing software. Enjoy!

Music & Audio

    Hey again, Cambridge! Today's focus for the blog is what on Earth I'm going to do when it comes to music and audio. The music in a movie is such an underestimated tool to create the mood desired for a scene, and most people don't realize how much consideration goes into it. I know I want the music in the background of my opening to be classical music to make clear the time period in which I want my opening to take place. The only thing I don't know is how to find the right piece.

    I'm aware of all the copyright-free music out there that I could easily use, but they're usually not very well made. I am also aware that if I want to use anything else, I have to obtain written approval to use a song. THAT would be even more difficult. My plan is to just find a song I want and then I'll figure out if I need permission (and how to get it).

    First thing I did was simply search for "classical music to use in my own film." I then came across this website where you can pay to use artist's songs and get the rights to use it immediately instead of having to wait for a written reply. 

www.musicbed.com

   

    I thought I just stumbled across the greatest thing ever. The solution to all my problems! Then, I checked the pricing.

    $349 for a single song? Yeah, I don't think that's really in my budget.

    However, I subsequently found out about the public domain. The public domain is music that is no longer protected by copyright. As in the owner or creator of the music has been dead for a very, very long time. You know what kind of musicians have been dead for a very, very long time? Ones who made classical music. Jackpot!

Songs I liked most as options:

• Debussy-Arabesque No. 1
• Sibelius-Andante Festivo
• Consolations, S. 172: No. 3, Lento placido

Preparing Props

    In my movie opening, I'll be filming with 4 key props: the journal, the feather pen, the noose, and the earring. I have to figure out how to arrange and make these props realistic and accurate by their wear and look.

Prop #1: Lily's Journal

    In the 19th century, journals were hardly seen wrapped in paper but instead in materials like leather or wool. This was because most people carried their journals with them to many places, and their covers had to be durable and long-lasting since they weren't just sitting pretty on a shelf for eternity. I would also like for Lily's journal to have a kind of strap to close it shut for her to be able to tuck her feather pen into. Since she actually needs to write in the journal and it can't just be a prop to look at on the outside, I'd have to actually purchase one. I don't have much of a budget, though, so the next best choice is to find something cheap and inaccurate but film from angles where it looks fitting for Lily. Also, the wool journals I've looked into have ranged $10-$30, while the leather ones ranged $20-$50, so there's clearly a better option here.

Prop #2: Her Quill Pen

    It would be way too complicated for me to obtain and learn how to write with an actual quill and its ink in time for the filming, but after a bit of research, I found that today's ballpoint pen idea was actually patented in 1888, which is in the time frame of my story and would allow me to use it. To break it down, the way quill pens work is that one would take a feather (usually goose), hollow out the middle with a long needle, and sharpen the end into a point to be able to store ink up there and write smoothly. At the time of its invention, this pen was revolutionary because the previous solutions either smudged too easily or took eons to dry. However, quill pens had the pitfall of not being exactly portable because of the ink they had to be dipped in. How to fix it? Keep the ink permanently in the pen. For its nostalgia and the feeling it adds to my scene, I'll use a quill that is simply a disguised ballpoint pen. These are very easy to obtain, and I shouldn't have a problem with the budget since they're popular and overall cheap.

Prop #3: Rose's Noose

    This is the easiest part of the props. While it has the most impact in the opening, the hangman's knot is a simple tie of rope hung around a tree that I could easily make. The above pictures display modern nooses, but in the 19th century, the knots were much simpler. Nowadays, when tying a noose, one must tie the rope around itself 13 times for the 13 colonies when used in protest and then perform an elaborate twist at the bottom. In the Regency Era, they didn't have knowledge of this yet, and a simple double knot would do even if they were protesting. When used in my film opening, I'm planning on making it very short and cutting off the middle to show that somebody was cut out of it. I have rope in my garage, so this prop is simple and free!

Prop #4: Rose's Earring

    The earring in the grass is a clue that it belonged to a woman, and it lying directly beneath the noose is a clue that it belonged to whoever hung themselves there. The earring shot isn't very complicated, and I don't need to purchase or research it since the scene is something of my own imagination. I'll be using one of mine or my mom's earrings and ensuring the sun shines on it at just the right angle so it sparkles and Lily notices it. I'm likely going to edit the shine to exaggerate it and make it more noticeable.

Final Note:

It's more than likely I already have rope in my garage and I definitely already own a fitting earring, so all I have to purchase is Lily's journal and pen. I'm going to the mall later today and will hopefully find these props. See you tomorrow, Cambridge!

Fabric Snap Closure Lined Journal Gray - Gartner Studios: Lay-Flat Ruled Notebook, 120 Pages, Flexible Cover, Teen & Adult. (2020). Target.com. https://www.target.com/p/fabric-snap-closure-lined-journal-gray-gartner-studios/-/A-54158639#lnk=sametab

Konig, D. T. (2020, January 16). The Deliberate Knot - Common Reader. Common Reader. https://commonreader.wustl.edu/c/the-deliberate-knot/

Leavey, T. C. (2020). 19th Century (1800s) paper and journals. Ushist.com. https://www.ushist.com/props/writing-equipment_paper-journals.shtml

Quill – Facts and History of Quill Pen. (2024). Historyofpencils.com. https://www.historyofpencils.com/writing-instruments-history/history-of-quill-pens/

Redirect Notice. (2025). Google.com. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FTraveler-Vintage-Handmade-Notebook-Himalayas%2Fdp%2FB01MTJ24JR&psig=AOvVaw36cnAAYg4BhU_sulRBvzvp&ust=1740417028357000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBQQjRxqFwoTCPDSruqk2osDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE

Wilson, A. (2023, March 16). The History of Pens. Executive Pens Direct. https://www.executivepensdirect.com/en-us/blogs/help-advice/the-history-of-pens

Set Possibilities

     I know I want it to be set in a park/field setting with lots of trees and tall grasses. These are options going from closest to furthest from me!

1. Peace Mound Park

This location is great because of the abundance of tall trees. I've previously been there, and, especially when the sun is bright, there's a beautiful shine of light through the treetops. The grass isn't overgrown enough to seem like a beautiful, unknown field, though. Also, I don't think the trees' branches are horizontal enough for someone to hang from them.

        2. Regional Park

This park is the absolute perfect for filming because there's plenty of overgrown grass, trees, and a perfect view of the beautiful sky. No notes! Most likely will be my final choice.

      3. Markham Park

When it comes to lighting and trees, it's the exact thing I envision. The way the light shines through the branches would have the perfect reflection when filming. The tall trees provide a dreamy magical forest vibe, which I LOVE.

The Busch Family

    After coming up with the title Falling Through the Rose Bush and deciding that the dead twin sister's name is going to be Rose, I thought it would be even more clever if the family's last name sounded like the word bush. That's when I started researching and came across Busch, which sounds identical to "bush" spoken aloud and reads pretty similarly. It originates in Yorkshire, Northern England, and was developed in England's Anglo-Saxon culture, so it's perfect for the English setting I was planning.

Lily Busch:

    Lily Busch is the main character in my story and the twin who goes through it all. A lobotomy is a procedure done to fix disorders of mood, not disorders of thought. For this reason, they're unsuccessful when attempting to get rid of schizophrenia but work for depression and insanity. After witnessing her sister's death, Lily had C-PTSD, or complex PTSD, which is classified as a disorder of mood, and was successful in being "cured" by the lobotomy. This was until she found everything out, but that's beside the point. Lily was always the more put-together of the twins on the outside and always had her hair done nicely, blush on her cheeks, and an ironed dress draped on her body. After being lobotomized, patients often lose a large part of their intellect and aren't capable of forming as intelligent thoughts as they could before. Because of this, Lily's hair was more messy, and her clothes were always a bit more wrinkled after the lobotomy. Overall, she behaves innocently and curiously, similar to a younger version of herself. 

Rose Busch:

    Rose was the more rebellious of the twins; while her personality was sweet and caring, she was never afraid to stand up for what she thought was right and go against what she believed was wrong. She was always extremely close with her sister and would rarely hide things from Lily. That's why when she found out what she did about her family and couldn't tell Lily for her own good, Rose had no choice but to end it all. She was more rough-looking, as in she would refuse to curl her hair and put pretty bows in it when courting season came around, which, by the way, was her least favorite time of the year. 

Ada and Edmund Busch:

    Ada Busch is the girls' mom, and she absolutely adores them. Though she didn't come from much, throughout her entire motherhood, she has appreciated them and spoiled them to bits since she never gave birth to a boy and has been shamed for it. Because of this, she has always wanted to raise women of class so that they can marry into an even higher class, and she is just obsessed with learning about anything and everything she can to teach her daughters. She is a very elegant woman, never missing a graceful entrance or canceling a social event for her family. She also spends most nights missing her husband, Edmund, because though they once had a beautiful love, he's been holding a grudge. Edmund Busch came from a very high-class family and went against her family's wishes to marry Ada because he loved her so much. He was never cold or distant until his wife was unable to provide a boy to carry the Busch name. That then became his life's mission to fix, which is where the messed up stuff they did comes in and the reason Rose commits suicide.

Sources:

Ahmed, A. (2016, September 12). 133 Mesmerizing Victorian Baby Names For Girls And Boys. MomJunction. https://www.momjunction.com/articles/victorian-baby-names-for-girls-boys_00408299/

HouseofNames.com. (2000). HouseOfNames. https://www.houseofnames.com/busch-family-crest/english

https://www.howstuffworks.com/about-author.htm. (2008, October 27). How Lobotomies Work. HowStuffWorks. https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/lobotomy2.htm

Mind. (2021, January). What is complex PTSD? Www.mind.org.uk; Mind. https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd-and-complex-ptsd/complex-ptsd/

Waterhouse, E. (2024, August 22). 181 Victorian Girl Names. Nameberry. https://nameberry.com/list/774/victorian-girl-names

Pictures:

Redirect Notice. (2025). Google.com. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Ffliphtml5.com%2Flearning-center%2Ffashion-mood-board-examples%2F&psig=AOvVaw3Xmj2ee2C90EX6CpaGLrAN&ust=1740277946693000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBQQjRxqFwoTCJi2odye1osDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAh

Redirect Notice. (2025b). Google.com. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Faesthetics.fandom.com%2Fwiki%2FVictorian&psig=AOvVaw2k3sTAOZWpW5ccYhyyH9A8&ust=1740277782313000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBQQjRxqFwoTCPj-oYue1osDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAh

Storyboard

Summary of Idea & Plot

     Following weeks of research, brainstorming, asking for and getting advice, I finally have an accomplishable and clear plan for my movie plot and opening scene. The only aspects I'm missing are the movie's name, and my actress or videographer, but I'm otherwise fully decided on what I want to do.

    The general plot of my movie is about a girl in the mid 19th century who witnessed her own twin sister's suicide and started going insane. Because she's of high class though, her family forced her to get lobotomized so that it didn't tarnish the family image. This all happens before the film starts, so the progression of the film itself is her narrative of slowly finding out what her family's been hiding from her but returning to her state of insanity as she finds more out because the lack of memory from the lobotomy makes her also forget how much her family loves her. For this reason, she believes they have the worse intentions in all their actions. The entire film is from her journal's perspective and her own narration of it. Because of this she qualifies as an unreliable narrator, which was exactly my goal.

This psychological period drama's opening scene will play out the following way:

    She is laying face up in a beautiful field, looking at the clouds and there is no other sound but the typical ones of a beautiful sunny day. The soft classical music then begins, and she starts speaking what she's writing down in her journal out loud. She's shown laying in the grass writing, and she speaks of her morning, her dull life, and her "naturally flawed" memory. The entire opening consists of her confusion and wanting to know more about the world. We're shown different cuts of her running in the field, flowers, her pen tangled in the grass, leaves, trees with rays of sun shining through, and overall warm, beautiful, light editing. Once her mom calls her to come back inside, she sighs and rolls her eyes but picks up her things and starts walking when she passes a tree. When's she's walking past said tree, the editing becomes darker and gloomier and the music shifts slightly in a negative light. She's looking around when she notices and stops to notice some rope tied around one of the branches and an earring on the grass directly below it reflecting the sunshine. She hears the laughs of two young girls playing near her. Then her mom calls for her again and she immediately starts running towards the house, but the camera stays on the tree and the title is displayed while she's running. The continuation of her moving off stage is going to limit the title from looking like the ending and more like the entrance.

    After laying out my plan, I have to decide on a title which I think would have to do with either falling (into madness) or hanging on to something (like noose on a tree branch). Something adorable sounding that will sound completely different after you've watched the movie. Maybe "Falling Through the Rose Bush" and the main character's name could be Lily and her twin was named Rose (both flower names), but that isn't revealed to the very end. Yeah, I think Falling Through the Rose Bush is a perfect title.

Assault (1970)