The Boat’s Voyage

For my final project Evidence Process and I am thinking about working on a short stop-motion film about a boat on its journey. Since this semester started I have been toying with this story about a paper boat that escapes from a bottle to find the ocean. In short, this is what I have in mind:

There will be a glass bottle filled with strips of paper sitting on a wall. Pouring out of the bottle will be strips of paper (I’m not sure if I want the paper to have writing on it or if I should leave it blank) that will cascade down the wall. When the paper reaches the bottom it will start to form the boat. I’m thinking about using a sailboat style because I do not want the boat to be too large or symbolic, but I also do not want a modern boat. The sailboat is perfect Because it gives the sense of solidarity and intimacy. As the paper for The boat will build itself then the boat will start it’s journey to find the ocean.

There is such a cliché about a message in a bottle trying to find its way that I wanted to twist the story around. I also want to explore this narrative of imprisonment vs. freedom and how freedom can also come in many forms. My story of this little boat can be both simplistic and complex. On one hand, it is a story about breaking free from the confinements of the “souvenir” in search of a world space / where one belongs. On the other hand, this is a story of leaving the safety of the known for the freedom of an ideal. This paper boat finds freedom and a sense of belonging in the ocean while also disintegrating during it’s freedom.

I know the locations that I want to shoot in, but I’m still working out how far the boat will go. The river is close to the wall, the marina is too far away and I do not want the movie to get redundant , but neither are the actual ocean. So far this is the obstacle in my way. What form of the ocean will satisfy what I want. Does anyone have any suggestions?