White Rose

White roses are traditionally associated with marriages and new beginnings, but their quiet beauty has also made them a gesture of remembrance. When the occasion calls for reverence, whether stately or somber, a bouquet of white rose is a perfect way to say, “I’m thinking of you.”

Links
http://www.proflowers.com/blog/rose-colors-and-meanings

Lavender

I just had to put a post about Lavender, because I thought about its symbolism and how it could work with the story.

Symbolism of Lavender

Lavender is recommended for any faintness or trembling of the emotional body, and can be applied to the temples or sniffed.
Lavender's tranquil properties make it an excellent mild sedative and painkiller...lavender works wonders with skin problems, rheumatic aches, insomnia, and depression...helpful to the head and brain, for Mercury rules thinking and the mind.
"Look in the flowers and perfumes of nature for peace of mind and joy of life."
It is helpful for all disorders that trouble the head and spirit, for its scent is calming.
One of the oldest and most revered is lavender, whose symbol is devotion.

Another website offers more explanations:

One of the most common uses of lavender essential oil is for calming and rest, promoting peaceful sleep and a feeling of happiness.Does lavender have special magical properties? It has been used for centuries in the area of love, used to scent love letters, or used as a perfume to attract the opposite sex. Back in the Renaissance days lavender would be combined with rosemary and used to secure the chastity of a woman.

Links
http://www.souledout.org/healing/secretgarden/lavender/lavender.html
http://intuitivemeaning.com/2010/08/the-spiritual-meaning-of-lavender/

Ghosts, Spirits and Purgatory

(March)

At the end of my film, I wanted to smoothly transition into death, where Aidan, unaware that he is already dead, begins to talk to Sky. The style of the scene will be gradual, almost as if Aidan's body is going into Rigamortis, where the scenery slowly gets brighter as he and Sky move into Heaven.

I looked into styles of Afterlife and Purgatory. One thing I found out was that Purgatory was a negative thing, and that was something I didn't want the characters to go through. I wanted them to feel at peace, so the almost ghost-like feel of the scene would increase as they talked. 

Looking at the Afterlife, there is a notion of a ghost having unfinished business. So what could transpire is Aidan and Sky talking about what happened and saying goodbye to each other before they go to Heaven, which would resolve their unfinished business.

Links

http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/what-do-christians-believe-about-purgatory-what-does-the-bible-teach/
http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/afterlife/ghost-buster1.htm
Lorry Driver Manslaughter

Dying Young of a Broken Heart
http://www.mentalhealthy.co.uk/news/1455-broken-heart-syndrome-and-stress.html
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/you-actually-can-die-of-a-broken-heart-66606700/?no-ist

http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~ina22/splaylib/Screenplay-Single_Man,%20A.pdf

Story Development

I have had a while to think about this, and I think it's best that I decide against going for a story that tries to focus on BHS. Instead I will focus more about how grief affects the spiritual emotions and when the deceased loved one appears to them. I researched into how people can see, hear and feel the deceased person, and it lead me to ADC, 'After Death Communication', which works better for the title as well as the story as a whole. I will still consider including the BHS in there subtly, but it may not lead to Aidan's death, just him accepting that Sky is dead and has to move on.

There is an episode of Being Human (Series 2 Ep. 6) where Annie (the Ghost), communicates with her mother about letting go. This has helped me in understanding how to make a communication between two characters work.

Link

After Death Communication

From the website after-death.com, it explains the different ways in which the dead can communicate to those living.

DefinitionAn After-Death Communication, or ADC, is a spiritual experience that occurs when someone is contacted directly and spontaneously by a family member or friend who has died. An ADC is a direct experience because no psychics, mediums, therapists, rituals, or devices are involved. And an ADC is a spontaneous event because our deceased loved ones always choose when, where, and how they will contact us.

Types of ADCs
Based upon our research, the following are brief descriptions of the twelve most frequent types of after-death communication people report having with their deceased loved ones. These may occur individually or in combination with other types of ADCs. They can happen in a home, at work, at a funeral, in a car, aboard a boat or airplane, in a department store, and virtually anywhere else – and at any time of the day or night.

• Sensing a Presence: Sentient ADCs This is the most common form of contact. But many people discount their experiences, thinking, "Oh, I’m just imagining this." It’s a distinct feeling that your loved one is nearby, though he or she can’t be seen or heard. Though most often felt during the days and weeks immediately after the death, you may sense or intuit his or her presence months or even years later – which is true of all other types of ADCs as well.

• Hearing a Voice: Auditory ADCs Some people state they hear an external, audible voice with their ears, the same as when a living person is speaking to them. The majority of communications are by telepathy, however – you hear the voice of your relative or friend in your mind. When you have two-way communication, it’s usually by telepathy, which is also called mind-to-mind contact or thought transference. A large percentage of the messages received are brief and to the point, like telegrams of 25 words or less. On the other hand, a few experiencers are able to have entire conversations by telepathy.

• Feeling a Touch: Tactile ADCs People who have a very close physical and emotional relationship recognize the distinctive and familiar touch of their family member or friend. You may feel your loved one touch you with his or her hand, or place an arm around your shoulders or back or waist, for comfort and reassurance. You may feel a tap, a pat, a caress, a stroke, a kiss, or even a hug. These are all forms of affection, nurturing, and love.

• Smelling a Fragrance: Olfactory ADCs You may smell your relative’s or friend’s favorite cologne, after shave, or perfume. Other common aromas are: flowers, bath products, favorite foods, tobacco smoke, and his or her personal scent. Two or more people who are together at the same place – and at the same time – may share this type of ADC experience.

• Partial Appearances: Visual ADCs 1 There are a wide variety of visual appearances, which are divided into two general categories: partial visual and full visual ADCs. Appearances range from a "transparent mist" to "absolutely solid," with many gradations in between. Partial appearances include seeing only a colored light, an outline of their body, or just the head and shoulders of your relative or friend. And he or she may be transparent, translucent, or almost completely solid. Quite a few visual ADCs occur in the bedroom, next to or at the foot of the bed.

• Full Appearances: Visual ADCs 2 Someone you love may make a full appearance to you, and you will see his or her entire body, from head to foot, and that person will look and feel fully solid and lifelike to you. Typically he or she will be expressing love, well being, and happiness with a radiant smile. They virtually always appear healed and whole regardless of their form of death. It’s quite common to see people who died in their later years return at a much younger age – often in the prime of their life. Verbal communication may take place, but not always. They are trying to assure you they are okay, and you don’t need to be concerned about them. Visual ADCs provide a great deal of comfort and relief.

• A Glimpse Beyond: ADC Visions You may see an image of a deceased loved one in a "picture" that is either two-dimensional and flat, or three-dimensional like a hologram. It’s like seeing a 35 mm slide or a movie suspended in the air. These are usually in radiant colors and may be seen externally, with your eyes open – or internally in your mind, while your eyes are closed. You’re seeing your loved one in heaven, and communication may occur, especially during meditation or prayer.

• Encounters at Alpha: Twilight ADCs This type of ADC takes place in the "alpha state" of consciousness, when you are very relaxed – like when you’re falling asleep, waking up, meditating, or praying. And when you open your eyes, your deceased love one may be standing nearby.

• More Than A Dream: Sleep-State ADCs These are much more vivid, intense, colorful, and real than ordinary dreams. They are extremely common. Both one-way and two-way communications are typical. You usually feel your loved one is with you in person and that you’re having an actual visit together. These may happen in a familiar place or one that is foreign to you. Sleep-State ADCs are not jumbled, filled with symbols, or fragmented the way dreams usually are. There are endless possibilities of what may occur during this type of contact. These are also called "visitation dreams."

• Sleep-State ADCs are similar to other types of after-death communication that occur while you are wide awake. Your friend or relative can come to you more easily, however, when you are relaxed, open, and receptive, like when you are in the alpha state or asleep.

• Homeward Bound: Out-Of-Body ADCs OBE ADCs happen while you are asleep or in a deep meditative state. They are very dramatic experiences during which you leave your physical body and visit your loved one in a place nearby, at another location on Earth or within the physical universe, or in the spiritual dimension called "heaven." The latter contains beautiful flowers, birds, and butterflies; lovely gardens and stately trees; sparkling water, radiant lighting, and other magnificent aspects of nature; and it’s filled with love, happiness, peace, and joy. Out-of-body travel is accomplished at the speed of thought. Many of these accounts read like near-death experiences, but those who have them are in good physical health at the time.

• Person-to-Person: Telephone ADCs This type of ADC can occur during sleep or when you are fully awake. You will hear a phone ringing, and when you answer it, your deceased loved one will give you a short message. Two-way conversations are also possible. His or her voice will usually be clear, but may sound far away. If you are awake when the call on a physical phone is completed, it will seem that the line has been severed, for you won’t hear a hang-up sound, a disconnect click, or a dial tone.

• Material Matters: ADCs of Physical Phenomena Those who are bereaved often report receiving a wide variety of physical signs from their deceased relative or friend, such as: lights or lamps blinking on and off; radios, televisions, stereos, mechanical objects, and toys being activated; photographs, pictures, and various other items being turned over or moved; and a very long list of "things that go bump in the night." Messages are sometimes left on computers, telephone answering machines, and other electronic devices.

• Butterflies and Rainbows: Symbolic ADCs People frequently ask a Higher Power, a religious figure, the universe, or their deceased loved one for a sign that he or she still exists. Many receive such a sign, though it may take a while to arrive. Occasionally these signs are so subtle they may be missed, or they may be discounted as mere "coincidences." Common signs include: butterflies, rainbows, many species of birds and animals, flowers, and finding numerous kinds of inanimate objects, such as coins, feathers, and pictures.

This gave me an idea to use objects as well. I have already used the idea of wind as an element for Sky's presence (unless the day is very windy).

The one I'm more interested in is the Full Appearance Visual ADC's 2, as this allows both characters to full interact with each other.

Link
http://www.after-death.com/Pages/About/ADC.aspx

Grief and Loneliness Part 2

Here are a couple of Downton Abbey fan-made videos showing examples of how Aidan's grief will be portrayed:

Eating Too Little

As I mentioned in the last post, I felt that Aidan would lose his appetite, and so he would try to eat but little of what he had would be eaten, meaning that there are plenty of left overs on the counter tops in the kitchen.

“Food isn’t as appealing when you’re anxious, worried, or feel hopeless,”

It also means that because there are left overs, any food that is left has gone off, and if Aidan does feel some need to eat, he is likely to eat anything available, even if that means the food he eats has gone out of date.

“Depressed people often wind up eating fast food or whatever they have on hand in their kitchen – such as their last box of cookies,”

Or he will simply result in having cereal, perhaps just picking at the pieces in a bowl without actually willing himself to eat them.

“This can make simple tasks seem overwhelming, so they might eat a bowl of the same type of cereal for three meals a day,”

Depression

With this, he is expressing symptoms of depression, which include:

• moving or speaking more slowly than usual 
• change in appetite or weight (usually decreased, but sometimes increased) 
• constipation 
• unexplained aches and pains
• disturbed sleep (for example, finding it hard to fall asleep at night or waking up very early in the morning)

Isolation

Shutting himself from the world is something that I wanted to express as well, as this is something he has prior to meeting Sky been accustomed to. He is by nature, introverted, but introverts go outside and do things they enjoy, so by having him in solitude because of grief, he not only becomes lonelier, but he also develops the sense of having to forget to move on.

In his isolation he grieves alone, not necessarily the only one grieving for Sky, but he is alone. One of the ways in which coping with grief aside from crying (or not as some people find they can't), is talking. As Aidan is alone, he has no one to talk to, and so doesn't express what he wants to say. 

"You may be too embarrassed or ashamed to let your emotions show in front of others. You may feel isolated, different and apart from everyone else, convinced that no one understands and you must grieve alone...Find time with others to talk, to touch, to receive support. Be honest with others about what you’re feeling. Allow yourself to express your sadness rather than masking it."

However, without anyone to talk to, he ends up suppressing his grief, turning it inwards,

"Suppressing it, avoiding it, or medicating it can all delay and subvert your process...if we are just stuck in bed and not getting on with our lives, or feeling depressed, we may need help from others."

"You are truly stuck when you avoid your sadness. When you avoid its pain and suppress it, grief just goes below your awareness and comes out in other forms...as depression, anger, anxiety and other feelings." 

This is where Sky comes in. In showing Aidan that he is still there, he tries to help Aidan move on, however, it is only when Aidan starts to feel pains in his chest that it becomes clear Aidan is not coping. Sky realises that his health has declined and notices the pain and suffering Aidan is putting himself through. As such, Sky tries to communicate with Aidan by moving items (such as the coat and scarf), without trying to scare him.

However, this causes somewhat of a backlash, as Aidan feels that this activity is causing him to be reminded of Sky more, and so Aidan removes any trace that Sky left behind. Yet this makes the house they lived in very empty, and Aidan finds his emotions worsen, leading to him breaking down. This in itself, where nothing seems left of Sky (apart from the photo), that Aidan can finally let out his crying. But it appears too late, when he suffers a terrible chest pain later on which causes his death.

http://www.webmd.com/depression/features/depression-food-traps?page=2
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Depression/Pages/Symptoms.aspx
http://www.griefhealingblog.com/2012/02/loneliness-and-solitude-in-grief.html
http://www.awakenment-wellness.com/extreme-grief.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prolonged_grief_disorder
http://www.surviveyourgrief.com/
http://www.experienceproject.com/stories/Am-A-Widow/1537812

Shock and Forcing Emotions

Initial Shock of Grief

For Aidan, I wanted there to be this feeling that he was trying too hard to stay in control and not cry, because even when Sky was alive, he was composed and never cried, and because of his childhood, he toughened up.

So I looked first into how I could incorporate this by showing the symptoms of initial shock, by having him standing over a sink after having vomited. He won't be seen vomiting, but he will be trying to keep himself composed. (This will also set up the bathroom for later scenes).

"Sudden loss may put the body into shock. You will feel numb and disoriented. Some individuals go into denial, pretend the loss did not happen or may want to see proof that the loss did in fact occur. Nausea, vomiting, shaking, chills and fainting are all symptoms of shock. After the initial shock of the event, it is common for depression to begin. Excessive fatigue, laziness, isolation, loss of appetite and sadness are signs of depression. Depression is a normal feeling during the grieving process, but in the extreme, the individual might experience suicidal thoughts or the inability to move on and function. This is complicated grief because the individual is stuck in the beginning stage of grief."

With this there is also this element of denial, and for the later scene, Aidan tries to forget Sky by removing anything that reminds Aidan of him.

Forcing Youself Not To Cry

In response to this, I looked into what happens when someone who is grieving tries to fight the feelings they really want to express, such as crying and trying not to do so.

"My concern is not whether you ever cry, but whether you try to force feelings to stay inside of you. We personally have known thousands of people who made themselves sick because they didn't tell the truth about how they felt – with or without crying."

Alongside forcing himself not to cry, he eventually tries to move on too soon through the spiritual events where a blue scarf appears and a coat keeps dropping to the floor. With these events, Aidan is reminded of Sky, whereas everything else was blended in to the background at this stage and he hadn't noticed. But it is the blue scarf that does it, as Aidan knows this was Sky's favourite scarf, and if this reminds him of Sky, then everything else will as well.

"When you lose someone you love, and try to “move on” too soon, you end up hurting yourself because the above transformations don’t have a chance to take place."

And because of him trying too quickly to forget, he ends up causing himself a breakdown. Of course the film would work much more if there was a longer time limit, but with the restrictions, time jumps are an option.

Links:
http://www.ehow.co.uk/list_7646581_signs-complicated-grief.html
http://www.tributes.com/grief_recovery_center/featured_answer/124
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110825182936AAQi5pm
http://mindfulconstruct.com/2008/12/11/moving-on-from-loss-through-grief/
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=plMxKFs7QhYC&pg=PA8&lpg=PA8&dq=forcing+yourself+not+to+cry+grief&source=bl&ots=oYBJXP9c9J&sig=K7oTC6X5WQQVJABNs5n6srmvkEc&hl=en&sa=X&ei=L4kZVd3QFszeOMClgdAI&ved=0CFUQ6AEwDDgK#v=onepage&q=forcing%20yourself%20not%20to%20cry%20grief&f=false

Colour Symbolism

A theme that I had in mind was to use a colour to express the character and the behaviour of that character. One colour that has always struck me, and is one of the reasons I'm using it, is Teal (or Turquoise). The symbolism of teal is that of:

"The color turquoise helps opening lines of communication between the heart and the spoken word. It is a friendly and happy color that is enjoying life. In color psychology, it controls and heals the emotions, creating emotional balance and stability. In this process, it can feel like an emotional rollercoaster that goes up and down, until it balances itself. Overusing the effect of turquoise color meaning can lead to emotional stress."

From this, I thought I would start with a minimal amount of teal, then slowly increase its appearance through the film, leading to a build up of stress. The description works well with how Aidan would feel during grief, where he bottles up his emotions to a point where he serves to have a breakdown.

http://www.functionalcolour.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/education-spectrum-teal.jpg

In a broader spectrum, the colour Blue would also be a good symbolism presence in the film.

In terms of complementary colours, I looked at how the colour teal would work against opposing colours, or colours that would work well with it.

Here are a few examples:

https://thestylenote.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/screen-shot-2014-05-27-at-6-16-57-pm.png

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/20/0f/d4/200fd4172568231236ef4fe87deba438.jpg

http://www.belleandsebastien.ca/img/tealcoral.jpg

The one colour that stands out as being the most complementary colour to teal is an orange peach colour.

http://www.rattanfurnitureinc.net/Onlinecommerce.jpg

One website described this type of orange colour as:

"Different shade, tints, and hues of orange have meanings. For example, dark orange may represent deceit and distrust, while red-orange relates to passion, pleasure, desire, aggression, domination, and action, and a golden orange often stands for prestige, wisdom, illumination, wealth, and quality. A light orange or peach color tend to be more friendly and soothing."

Another website describes 'peach':

"The meanings of Peach tell us that we might be relying too heavily on others to help us with our life and problems even to the point of manipulating them to take care of us because we are afraid we won't get our needs met. Use the Energy Healing Properties of the Color Peach when you have lost your kind, true self and need to restore your sparkle...Pride keeps us fighting even when there is no cause. Sometimes when in Peach, we assume a stance."

When you apply Teal and Peach together, as complementary colours, we see that Sky's 'teal' is a reassurance on the fear to Aidan's 'peach'. Because also the calming influence of teal is a heavy colour throughout the film, when they are taken away (as Sky brought many things in teal), we start to see Aidan's fear coming through, and he realises that by taking Sky out of his life, he is essentially bringing himself to breaking point. Through his grief he believed that by getting rid of anything that would remind him of Sky meant that he could move on. However, the 'Impression' that Sky left behind meant that Aidan was left emptier, and he inevitably felt worse.

Links:

http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html

Blue
http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-blue.html
http://www.colormatters.com/blue

Turquoise/Teal
http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-turquoise.html
http://www.color-meanings.com/turquoise-color-meaning-the-color-turquoise/

Peach/Orange
http://www.bourncreative.com/meaning-of-the-color-orange/
http://www.old-earth.com/chapter-peach.html