Since the script has been set in stone now that production has been completed, I feel that it is necessary to inform viewers of the significance of the theme. 

In literature, an analogue “is an individual motif, character, scene, event or phrase that resembles one found in another work.” (Miller, 2011)  Etymologically, the word “analogue” is derived from the root word “analogy”, which in Greek philosophy, is a study of similarity and shared abstractions.  Analogia is used commonly by Medieval and Roman lawyers in the practices of reasoning.  To this day, analogical reasoning is a common way for people to grasp new ideas and understand the world around them.  These connections, be it thematic or deductive; in which one object compared to another creates deeper meaning and greater truth, are manifested in discourse and rhetoric in the form of similes and metaphors.  An analogue therefore is an abstract thematic bridge that drops all pretense of time, space, and objectivity, allowing it to connect any two objects together (no matter how different or contradictory they may appear) through thematic similarity.  A keen example is Harper Lee’s 1960 novel, To Kill a Mockingbird: the titular mockingbird, a symbol of innocence, is used again and again to thematically unite the novel’s diverse range of characters.

The design of the art piece is based off the idea of hypertext and hypermedia, in which the story is conveyed through a jumbled amalgam of text, pictures, and video, putting it in the near-same category of interactive fiction (the sequence or omission of certain storylines will alter the viewer's perception of the work).  

Red Ribbon is short film/trailer that delves into the backstory of a minor (but critical) character in one of my larger literary works.  Torn between her estranged husband and her childhood love, the story focuses on her personal struggle to gain independence and find her own way. 

The other parts of the story (currently still in progress) can be found here:

The High Speed Rail Project: http://www.shyguysworld.com/index.php/topic,7636.0.html

The Story of Wulin Pass: http://www.shyguysworld.com/index.php/topic,5629.0.html

The film deliberately avoids explicit mention of any analogies or references; instead, it permeats the theme and presentation in subtle ways.  I am not content with comparing mere abstractions together to get the point across; instead, the film is designed to be an embodiment of the concept in general.   Overall, there are three different “levels” of analogue within the artwork. 

-          A recurring image; that of Agnes walking down a railway track is a symbol of life as a linear journey.  This is the only explicit example of an analogue that remains in the script. 

o   An older version of the script called for a reference of Agnes’ suffering to that of the Wenzhou train derailment, but this idea was scrapped because it was 1) deemed too cliché and 2) overextended the film’s scope. 

-          The structure of the film’s mis-en-scene is heavily based on the concept of analogue.  Instead of presenting the chain of events in a linear sequence, time and space are distorted and rearranged in a way that allows the viewer to immediately see the thematic connections between widely divergent events. 

o   For example, there is no technical correlation between Agnes’ running away from home and her accident: it is only apparent by the way the sequence is presented that one sees that both scenarios are the consequences of her actions.   

-          An analogue is a synthesis of multiple different sources, implicitly stated.  The film itself does not make extensive references to the larger literary work as a whole: it is fully capable of standing on its own, but its effects are greatly amplified if one is exposed to the other relevant segments as well.

o   The title of the installation may initially confuse some viewers in that the film does not reference any ribbon at all.  However, the ribbon is part of the installation, and viewers will see that the ribbon holds the installation together.  This fulfills a much larger analogy that this film (and the character Agnes) is what really unites the larger story together.

Citations:

Miller, Frederic P., Agnes F. Vandome, and John McBrewster. Analogue (Literature). N.p.: VDM, 2011.