Eve & Mae
Storyboard Text
- Our Family Differences
- By Eden Niebrugge
- At school, Eve was the one to use her voice loudly. She felt in control of her environment there.
- Growing up, Eve enjoyed school because it gave her time away from home. Her parents were always shouting and slamming doors, which kept her up at night.
- !!!!!
- Unlike Eve, Mae begrudgingly stomped her way to her classroom, not wanting to be there at all. School was out of her control, and the other kids were noisy and mean. Her desk mate would prevent her from receiving candy until she got moved next to Eve.
- Eve had a different outlook than others since the adults in her life never acted like adults. She was mature but angry that she had to be. So, when she sat next to Eve, she was comforted that someone else matched her intelligence.
- For a class assignment, they watcheda documentary called “Umbilical.” It was about another little girl who was afraid like them; her name was Danski Tang.
- “I know! But red isn’t the only thing,” Eve replied. “The blue, gray, black, and purple show how Tang feels: trapped in nostalgia about past problems. I feel like that at home.”
- Eve and Mae discussed what caught their attention in the video, but they were relating back to their lives differently.
- “Dark colors make the atmosphere disturbing, but the red highlights emphasize creepier parts that are important to the audience,” Mae told Eve one time.
- Eve’s observation made Mae realize she felt the same way at school! Unlike the video, Eve never had a heartfelt conversation with her mother. While Danski shows the two perspectives of their relationship, Eve has never really listened to her mom.
- The way Tang's mother cuts her off is exactly how Mae feels at school: everyone is talking over her!The two girls go on to compare their experiences with Tang, just like Tang compares her mother’s experiences with herself.
- “Because she’s talking about her childhood, the drawn visuals are fitting, even if they show grown-up things,” Mae explains.“You’re right! It shows how she had to grow up when she was young,” Eve responds, thinking about her situation.
- Alongside the muffled voices speaking in Chinese in “Umbilical,” the girls heard unique sounds. A humming piano is heard at the beginning, but it turns into white noise near the end like she’s on a bus. Both girls agreed that the sounds were the most unsettling parts.
- Altogether, the elements of the documentary create a disorienting story that somewhat follows the audio. The personal story, audio in her native language, dark colors, and drawn video effectively work together.
- Eve believes that Tang effectively portrayed the differences in all of our families, but she could make it more effective by cutting out silent parts that draw attention away. Mae agreed and wanted to know more about Eve’s home life too.
- The story of Tang reminded the girls that every kid doesn’t have the same family or act like a kid. Some have to grow up quickly because their parents won’t. Because of “Umbilical,” adults can understand their influence on their kids through the eyes of a kid.
Over 30 Million Storyboards Created