Alexandra Capper – Page 3 – Experimental Film Piece

05/04/15 Location/exhibition space

Alexandra Capper / April 5, 2015April 5, 2015 / Location research

Following the change of idea, I have recently spent time thinking about how I will now present my work. Now that I will only be using one screen, it has made it much easier to plan the exhibition. It was suggested that I consider a tent, or booth, so I can design the surroundings of the screen/s and further influence how the audience feels during the piece.

I began looking into pods, sheds, tents and domes. The two pictures below are from Shelter Solutions and Pacific Domes respectively. The first has an art installation inside it, and the second is an art studio.

These are the kind of structures I was researching to begin with, but I soon realised they were not what I was after. Both are probably the smallest size you can get, and I would like something a lot smaller, preferably only fitting one person at a time. This led me to start researching smaller pods and sheds (mainly sheds, Googling variations of ‘pods’ wasn’t that helpful), and I came across small outdoor storage boxes for garden equipment.

I’m not sure I would submit the viewer to crawling into a tiny box and not having a proper seat to sit on, but I would like a similar experience. However, they were just what I was after: isolating, cramped, dark and uncomfortable. Additionally, it would have the extra feeling of being isolated whilst surrounded by people, a very common feeling for those with mental health problems. If no one understands what you’re going through or how you feel, it can feel very lonely despite having a lot of friends around you, even if they’re offering help.

If I could find a slightly bigger space, I could line it inside, make sure as little light as possible was coming in and have a TV, iMac or screen of some sort in there.

These are some of the other options I found, which are a bit more like what I’m after, but they still might not be tall enough.

This one above is a lot taller, but not as wide. Having a taller space would allow people to walk into it normally, and would have plenty of headroom for taller folks sitting down. I could also hang some kind of drape from the ceiling to surround the viewer, which would cut out any light coming through the wood. This would have to be attached to the wall in several places so it didn’t pull the screen off it’s surface, but I can’t see that being a problem.

02/04/15 Change of characters, script and focus

Alexandra Capper / April 4, 2015April 4, 2015 / Project Overview

I have recently seen several articles, posts and advertising campaigns about students and mental health, and I have been talking to a couple of my friends who are students or graduates who currently suffer, or did suffer, with mental health problems which were worsened at University.

A degree is incredibly stressful for anyone, but even more so when dealing with anxiety, depression, as well as the less common but often more severe types of conditions. Whilst there is a fair amount of knowledge about this, and it has been increasing recently, there is not enough, and that is what I would like to produce my project on.

There will still be several characters, and the format will hopefully be the same, but all of the characters will be student age, and the dialogue will be more generalised. I have also decided, as it won’t be following three or four specific characters, to have all the visuals on one screen. It will cut regularly and frequently between characters, and might have more than one character on the screen at any one time. This will be advantageous in terms of the video editing, so I won’t be spending as much time on the visuals and more time on the audio recording.

I will be making amendments/additions to the technical and script posts soon.

14/03/15 “I Have OCD” video

Alexandra Capper / March 24, 2015March 24, 2015 / Mental Health research, Script Research

I came across this video today, re-posted by a friend who suffers from depression (and was expressing her delight at something created so close to the truth, even though she does not suffer from anxiety herself), which was a POV film piece of the life of an OCD sufferer. The camera filmed the morning routine of the character – a factual ‘script’ from the person who created the film – while a chaotic dialogue played over the top.

I really like this piece, not only because I found a lot of truth in it myself, but also because it wasn’t trying ‘too hard’. The clip is realistic, it used simple overlaying of dialogue rather than delay to create a sense of chaos and panic, and it successfully made the audience feel as though they were in the shoes of the character. It has influenced my thoughts for this project, and it will come across in my scripting as well as editing.

Although I found this post on my Facebook wall, it comes from a site called The Mighty, which is a base for people to blog, discuss, share experiences, create content for and learn about all sorts of mental health. I will be looking at more of this website in the next few days.

Anxiety/OCD Script

Alexandra Capper / March 24, 2015March 24, 2015 / Script WIP

This was influenced by my own experiences with anxiety, and the OCD video on The Mighty. The script is based around small, seemingly insignificant obsessions that crop up on a daily basis for some suffering with an anxiety disorder, and recurring problems that often set off the small issues and feelings of worry and panic.

MAN: (choatic, overlapping) I’m tired. That wasn’t a good sleep. Was it? Did I sleep well last night? I’m going to be really tired today. What if it affects my day today? The meeting is today. Will Sharon know I’m tired? I look tired. My eyes are really heavy. She’ll know I’m tired. How many hours did I sleep? Seven, I think, or eight. No less than usual. Maybe it was less? Was it six? Or five? My clock might be wrong. I’m going to mess up the meeting. I’ll buy a new one today. I need a new clock. How long has it been wrong? Let’s see, I went to bed at 12… What if I’ve been to work late before, but no one told me? That’s why not many people speak to me. I slept until 7.30, that’s seven and a half hours. Is it? I need a new clock. I’ll go and check it. I hope it’s not broken. It’s probably broken. I’m going to mess up the meeting.

(pause)

MAN: It’s not broken. But it’s late. I’ll be late. I’m going to be late. Everyone will look at me. I’m going to mess up the meeting. Got to shave. Must shave. I’ll do it now. Got to make sure the clock is in the right place first.

(pause)

MAN: Right, lather pumps… One, two, three. Oh no, that’s too much. That’s far too much. Too much. Better wash it off and start again. I’m going to mess up the meeting. One, two, three. That’s better. It’s ok. It’s all ok. Lather up. Now with the razor… One, two, three, four, five. Rinse. One, two, three, four, five. Rinse. One, two, three, four, five. Rinse. One, two, three, four, five. Rinse. Towel. I’ve missed a bit. How could I miss it? I did everything right. I don’t understand. It always works. It always works. What am I going to do? I’ll have to start again. I’m going to mess up the meeting. Must start again.

(pause)

MAN: I’ve got my keys. Have I? I’ll just check. Yes, they’re in my pocket. Better get them out to be sure. Great, time to go. Switched the light off, door locked. Did I leave the TV on? I didn’t watch TV this morning. What if it switched itself on? I’ll check. It’s off. I’ll press some buttons to check. Definitely off. Good to go. Door is locked. Try it to be sure. Locked. I’ll just unlock it and lock it again, then I’ll know for certain. Check again. Once more. More force this time. Right, that door is locked. I can go now.

To be continued?

Miscarriage Script

Alexandra Capper / March 8, 2015 / Script WIP

Based on research, blogs, case studies, articles and other information.

SCRIPT:

MAN and WOMAN sat side by side in plain surroundings, about 1 foot apart. Both smiling into the camera for the entire film, acting natural. Mostly looking into the camera, but occasionally fidgeting. Sitting nicely.

[Beginning focusing more on the event, needs more research]

WOMAN: He doesn’t understand. No one understands.

MAN: I don’t know what she wants. She said she’d like to talk about it, but she keeps avoiding me.

WOMAN: For as long as I’ve been with him, he’s wanted kids. I feel like I’ve failed him. What could I possibly say that can change that?

MAN: Why won’t she look at me?

WOMAN: Am I a bad mother? There must be something wrong with me.

MAN: It’s affected me too. I know she’s hurting, but everyone is looking after her. What about me?

WOMAN: My Mum was looking excited at the thought of being a Grandmother

MAN: Will we be able to try again? I don’t want to give up.

WOMAN: Will it happen again?

[Flashback/development]

MAN: I know we can get through this, we’re strong together.

WOMAN: I spoke to someone about it today. He said it was ok to grieve.

MAN: She was so much better today. I caught her smiling out of the window.

[Further development]

MAN: My sister brought her kids around today. It has been 5 months. I thought it might be ok, but I should have let her go at her own pace. I’ve just made it worse.

WOMAN: Why can she have kids and I can’t? What makes her so special? She doesn’t need three.