Hey! Another cap hot off the presses! Feel's good to be saying that again. ^_^
When I set out to make this caption, I actually had more then I normally do, I had just the sort of story I wanted to tell. I usually have to let a picture speak to me before I have any idea, but this time I knew I wanted to tell the story of a slave being devastated by a promise/lie that she was willing to believe to keep her self going.
But that was really just the ending of the story; I still had to work it out and come up with a back story. This was going to be a bit more of a button pusher, but instead it came out a little more emotional and darker then I had first thought it up. I had pictured at first, finding a girl on her knee's with some sad look on her face and possibly having her master in the frame, so they could tell the whole story through spoken dialog.
Then I thought, an inner monologue would give the whole thing a different, more unsettling tone. It's been a while since I did just something a little more visceral and trying to capture a single moment in time. The thought immediately sent my creative juices flowing so I looked and looked until I found this picture, I knew it would be perfect for it.
I originally just threw up the white text boxes as a place holder; I was going to instead remove the color and just have floating text there. But, as I went along, It grew on me. I mostly write up in the moment though, with only knowing that i need to get from point a to point b in the cap with as much room I have to work with. So The story it self just sort of flowed out on to screen, instead of me plotting each and every new piece of the story, I just wrote what felt like was her inner thoughts on what had just happened that day.
it's getting late and I think I could probably keep discussing this for hours and still feel like I'm missing out some details. So, I hope you all enjoyed the cap and today's post. ^_^
Wow, a great caption Jennifer, I love the use of the internal monologue and the caption ends satisfyingly. Also it's intriguing to read about your creative processes. I think it works best the way you did it, with no one else in the frame.
ReplyDeleteGreat work!
Jennifer as always you seem to capture that punched in the gut feeling so smoothly and easily. I often read caps and even if it is humiliating and 'horrible' find myself thinking of me in that position. This may be one of the few caps that I really really like, but wouldn't want to be in. The emotional reality is just a bit... to much. And I don't think I've ever been able to say that before.
ReplyDeleteAnd I in no way mean that as a bad thing. In fact I would love to see more!
Hail Jennifer, Queen of the Internal Monologue!
ReplyDeleteThe weird thing for me is, it has a sort of vagueness to it ... that definitely is an internal construct. I mean, you can tell she's upset, but that she's almost at that point of acceptance (the five stages) and I'm not sure if the lack of hope for her is a good or bad thing.
The fact that I'm not sure if she is there or not is what makes this unsettling. Many of the "slave type captions" that Jennifer makes have a "happy ending" even if it doesn't seem like one to most outside observers. This one, in my mind at least, gives you no resolution.
Great job!
@ Evie
ReplyDeleteThanks Doll! I'm glad you enjoyed reading about my creative process as well. I'm never sure if I make any of that stuff interesting or not. heh. Happy to hear you enjoyed the cap! ^_^
@ Caitlyn
I would call this caption a success then! Glad that 'punched in the gut' feeling came through and that it was a little bit harder to read because of it. Once I settled on making it a inner monologue I knew it had have a emotional impact, something that stung.
@ Dee
Not sure if it's weird, because it's also what I was going for. It made her thoughts seem more natural and also just conveyed that she was practically at a loss for words. Trying to piece together the last five years of her life in the few moments she has to her self before she sleeps.
It should be a little ambiguous, I think it let's everyone just feel her pain and shock for a moment. There isn't much of a resolution because she her self isn't sure how to feel exactly.
Well everyone else has already said covered the cap so well that all I can do is agree. So what I'll do instead is say what I love about this cap in regards to your work as a whole.
ReplyDeleteCaps like this that push the darkness to a point where it's almost more uncomfortable than erotic are so wonderful to see. Not just because they can hit you in places you didn't know you had, but because they affect the way we see your work as a whole.
You go into a Jennifer cap a little unsure, a little shaky. You aren't promised a happy ending, heck you aren't even promised an happy "unhappy ending" where you are punished with a fate a lot of people might not mind to terribly. It lends an unsettling element to your caps that makes us more alert when we read them, and thus able to take in more of the little subtleties you put in there.
So keep making us uncomfortable in the best way possible.
I love how darkness is both extreme and subtle and yet it's so erotic and for some happy...for some a nightmare. For me it's just HOT.
ReplyDelete