Dictionary Project

ABSURDIUM

DICTIONARY

Y PROJECT | ADVANCED DESIGN 2 SOFIA R
ADVANCED DESIGN II1 | SOFIA REMBALSKY

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THE Featuring mood boards
designed to set the tone
for an array of episodes.

MOOD

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Absurdium is a late-night mini television series, where each
stand-alone episode is geared towards a specific topic. My
thesis will be a taste of what a series of this show would look
like. I will be creating short clips for three different episodes.
I have set a goal of one minute for each of the clips,
however, I will add onto that as time permits. These episodes
will be able to be viewed individually, as they will not build
from one to the next. Instead, they will each have their own
theme. Themes could include fantasy, patterns, doubles,
language, day vs. night, etc. The show will compile many
different art forms: motion graphics, stop-motion, storytelling,
photography, painting, dancing, singing, and more. The
possibilities are endless. There will be little boundaries
in this show, hence the title Absurdium. After a theme is
determined, the content of the episode will revolve around it.
This dictionary provides mood boards of possible themes,
A-Z. When a theme is selected, I will use the mood board
and my research on each topic to shape the motion graphic.

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DREAMS

I requested that people share their wildest
dreams with me and these were the results.

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1. This is ridiculously random, but when I saw your is broken and they can’t reach me. I drive to a clinic
post it reminded me. When I was a kid, I had this to fix not my phone but me. I’m in a doctors office
recurring nightmare at least a dozen times. In the sitting across from me is a disfigured woman she
dream, my entire family won tickets to some art his- has a slightly smaller than average head and a long
tory museum that just opened in my neighborhood. neck that collapses on its self and zs she is slightly
When we got there, there was nobody there at all. small and walk across the room and climbs in my
The rest of my family decided to stay and check out shirt she doesn’t speak English and kisses people on
the exhibits, but my mom and step dad went home. I the cheek. Her head shrinks I assume she needs my
walked home shortly after they left and found my front body for support so she leans on me I’m very uncom-
door wide open. When I walked in, I discovered that fortable. I kiss her on what I believe is her cheek she
this tiny old woman in a yellow pantsuit and a floral kisses me back. Weirded out I pull her out my shirt
hat had stabbed my dad to death and was in the but instead I pull out her bones i can’t tell what is leg
process of trying to find my mom. Apparently she was what’s neck chest and when I do that one part sepa-
the curator of the museum, and us winning tickets rates from the rest. Having just accidentally skinned
to visit was a ruse to get us out of the house so she a woman and fucking up her body which seemed like
could rob us. The dream always continued the same- she was trying to be better. She always smiled and
my mom coming out of her hiding spot to yell at me seemed positive about her condition which could
to run and the woman killing her before turning to me. have been body modification or adaptation she was
Sometimes I ran out of the house, and sometimes fixing herself but I judged her. I look to the normal
I grabbed a knife from the kitchen and tried to stop seeming woman next to me in shock. What do I do
her, but the dream always ended with her telling me ? She raises an eyebrow and shrugs. I pick up the
she would eventually get to the rest of my family bones and run up to the counter and leave them
there and run out. I begin to drive not mine but my
2. I had a nightmare when I was 17. I was having mothers car. It only speeds up when I hit the break
a short nap probably mid summer in school during I begin panicking and the car starts spinning out of
lunch break haha ( school nap is sweet- in korea control I’m able to stop long enough not to crash I
we do not move from class to class that why it was weave around the left side of a police car giving a
possible) Anyway, in the dream, I was in dark gray ticket to someone else. Scared of being pulled over I
cemetery feels like place. It was kind of spooky and know I’m just having a panic attack and the car isn’t
creepy. I think it was a winter because trees were not working with me so hopefully I won’t be arrested. I fi-
have leafs. There were a empty cabinet in the mid- nally am able to stop the car at an arcade. I enter and
dle of space I do not know why I knew it was empty, play with Legos I make a man with a cool mines tire
but it feels like empty and suddenly me and I think laser gun. I go up to. Video game and begin to play
my friend like creature start chasing by something it has to many remotes for one person and countless
or someone. We kept ran and ran and ran and then buttons. The game stresses me more I touch my
I woke up. Still I do not know what was chasing us, chest and it’s bleeding was it my phone that woman
but this is creepiest dream I ever had. My heart was something else? I have no idea.
pounding so fast and I need to take a deep breath…
6. Jumped out of a plane at 14000 feet and couldn’t
3. Last night I tried to spear a fish that was actually get my parachute to open kept pulling and pulling
Donald trump in a pool finally right before I hit the ground I woke up!

4. Once i dreamt that my motorcycle disintegrated 7. Had a dream that I picked up my cousin in a Lam-
while i was riding it borghini, drove to the airport, piloted my private jet to
England to have tea with my grandmother, the queen.
5. I’m in bed my phone is on my bed with me I go
to grab it and it cuts me. It’s been melting from over 8. Maybe a couple months ago; but I had a dream
heating it’s solidified part of my bed and the glass that Trump was a villain (which isn’t far off from real-
screen is splintering off. I go into Christine’s room it ity, actually, it is reality) and when I got to his super
no longer has a pool but is huge and full of work tom secret hideout it was the shriveled up Voldemort from
is there. We sit and talk briefly about how my iPhone the 8th Harry Potter film omg.

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STORY TIME
I plan on incorporating stories in the show. I read many
articles saying the most important thing is to have a strong
story line, “no story, no glory!” I will include my own stories
and some from others, as well. Here are two short excerpts
from a book I have been writing about my grandma’s story
from Romania, to Switzerland, to Paris, to Philadelphia. The
first excerpt is told by her, while the second is told by me.

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We came by boat, The Flander, as my father was not allowed
to fly due to his heart condition. The six-day trip was wonderful
except for a couple days of stormy weather. I had to stay locked
in my cabin because I was throwing up. Otherwise, the trip was
magical with exquisite French food and entertainment. The sixth
day, I was awoken at five o’clock in the morning as we were
entering the New York Harbor. My parents wanted me to see
the Statue of Liberty. They had tears in their eyes and said to
me, “This is America. This is Freedom.”

My grandmother’s brother, Pais, and his daughters were waiting
for us in the port. They loaded us into the cars, and off we went
to Philadelphia. My first impression of Philadelphia was when
I saw a group of boys and looked at them in disbelief. I said
to Pais, “My God! Look at all of those hunchback little boys.”
It shocked me that this many disabled children, hunchbacks,
were all together. He explained to me, laughing hysterically, that
they were little football players and were wearing padding. I will
never forget this first impression. We arrived in Philadelphia on
September 22, 1962.

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I always knew my grandma, Meme, was friends with many
famous and powerful people. I have met a number of them,
including many princes. I’ll never forget when I was around
ten years old and two princes, Prince Moño and Prince Paltin,
came to visit Meme. One night, we had a super fancy dinner
at the house I grew up in. I distinctly remember Moño yelling
at me because I had no boyfriend, when I should have had at
least three by that age. I was ten! My brother was eight at the
time. He was scolded for not having the appropriate number of
girlfriends, which Moño deemed to be nine.

I called my brother to remind him of these past events and what
he had to say about it had me rolling around, laughing on the
floor. Except not really, because I got it down verbatim. “The
man was 5’6 and was rounder than he was tall. He reeked of
Drakkar Noir; a smell that followed behind him for at least 50
feet. The room he stayed in would smell of his pungent musk
for a minimum of seven weeks after departure. We could never
quite find the formula to remove that smelly, smell, smell from
the wallpaper. We even put down three new layers of wallpaper
and that didn’t help in the slightest. It wasn’t until we burnt
down that wing of the house that, finally, we could rest.”

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TIME LINE

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Week 4 (Feb. 5)- Finish dictionary project.
Week 5 (Feb. 12)- Begin first episode.
Week 6 (Feb. 19)- Finish gathering content. Animate.
Week 7 (Feb. 28)- Update animation based on feedback.
Begin the second episode.
Week 8 (Mar. 5)- Finish gathering content. Animate.
Week 9 (Mar. 12)- Spring break! Finalize second episode
and gather more content while in Puerto Rico.
Week 10 (Mar. 19)- Begin the third episode.
Week 11 (Mar. 26)- Finish gathering content. Animate.
Week 12 (Apr. 2)- Finalize. Get feedback.
Week 13 (Apr. 9)- Update animation based on feedback.
Make and order stickers.
Week 14 (Apr. 16)- Get final feedback.
Week 15 (Apr. 23)- Edit! Edit! Edit! Final tweaks.

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