New Character

Sadly our original character James is unable to be a part of our film. So we have a new character Lucy Abbott.

All characters are now female which is annoying as i feel this is quite generic, however, with the time limitations, we just want to start filming and move on

Audience Research Responses

Mental Health Survey - 29 responses

Below are the results we collected from friends and family. Under particular questions I have written a summary to explain what the data shows.

Audience Research

To cover all areas, we need to ask the audiences opinion on mental health
Concerned with:

• How people view such illnesses
• Whether they think they are genuine or for 'attention'
• Unsure of who they affect
• How much help is received
• How they can be treated
• Who is affected
• What influences illnesses
• How we stop it or reduce likelihood of it

Generic simple questions about mental health

Age: 13-25, 26-35, 36+
- These ages are significant, research shows that the majority of mental health issues occur in young teens to the mid twenties, so we need to target those who may have friends suffering, or even sufferers themselves

- Ages 35+ for parents- adults aren't always aware what happens with their children's lives and so they need to be informed of what young people can go through

Gender: Male, Female
- There is no overall gender pattern in mental health, but anorexia is affected by majority female

Is their enough help for young people: Yes, No, (Explain)
- It'd be interesting to see whether people think their is enough help there for suffers, or whether sufferers feel as if they need more

Is their enough awareness: Yes, No, (Explain)
- How can awareness be improved? Through schools etc

Do you think the health systems tailers to specific needs? (Explain)
- Friends/ family have felt they are categorised simply as being depressed etc, but not investigated in terms of where their condition stemmed from. Does their need to be more attention paid to the individual? Complaints of different doctors every session, no personal relationship or interest

Do you people with mental health issues treated as different? (Explain)
- In the playground, during work force, clubs etc- do we avoid those because we feel awkward? Do we not want to give people the time?

Do you think people feel awkward talking about it? (Explain)
- Any illness or struggle can appear to be the 'taboo' topic, people feel uncomfortable discussing it, but why? 

Should young people have more education on it? (Explain)
- I can't remember ever having lessons or sessions, being informed by mental health, it was always ignored- I only learnt because of the interest my self through programmed on BBC or Channel 4/5 (suggesting how the media do a lot to inform and yet schools/ family do little?)

(anorexia)
Do you think media has influence on young people?


What do you think the representation of  'curvier' women is one with negative connotations?


Describe what you think is a healthy body?
How has the media shaped peoples opinions?
If majority of answers are 'thin, not fat, not stretch marks, no cellulite etc' then surely we have been completely consumed by the media?
My opinion of a healthy body is a healthy mind- idea of being happy, not judgemental, positive and comfortable in self

Storyboard

• Start with split screen of glass half empty
• Each split screen will continue to each individual story
• OCD
• ANXIETY
• EATING DISORDER
• OCD screen stretches forward
• See the feet touch the floor straight into slippers
• Then a trio of sounds
• toilet - face on shot of feet
• flushing chain - shot of chain
• tap - combination of hand washing shops - extreme close ups and close ups- addition of editing for speed up - vigorous hand washing

•  ANXIETY
• main shot here is 360 pan - idea of isolation, distress, loneliness
• head circulation and moving
• similar to alt-j fitzpleasure - part of the video has a reversed moment where the subject looks under a spell???
• another 360 pan of them on way to lecture- subject is still and yet everyone around is moving- speed up time lapse- loneliness
• low depth of field here is key- only subject is in focus every one is blurred

• EATING DISORDER
• pajames or trousers just fall off when she stands
• steps on scale
• looks at self in mirror, sees a larger person from what she really 
• different close ups of bodies

Anxiety Statistics

Anxiety Statistics

Sources:

http://www.adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/statistics

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/prevalence/any-anxiety-disorder-among-adults.shtml

Anxiety

• We had planned on looking into OCD, Trans and Eating Disorders however we are now changing trans to anxiety
• Anxiety is something that has affected lots of our groups friends and families and so because we have seen its affect, we wanted to focus on that particular mental health issue
• Being transgender isn't a mental health issue, but there are struggles that surround it such as anxiety and depression
• Also, the short film is based on university students and their struggles and anxiety is something that affects so many of us so by focusing on this, hopefully it will be an insight for viewers to stop judgment

Need to look into anxiety- facts and statistics

Location

• Deciding where to shoot has been a dilemma so far... We know we definitely want to film in Turing College- it has big windows, big rooms and has white light
• Below is my bedroom- it would be a good place to film because it has desk space next to the bed where we could play the 'half empty' glass BUT I have been OTT with my wall decorations so filming here would mean I would have to strip the walls bare
• Also the long mirror here would be useful for when Emma looks at herself in the mirror

•  Another option is Lucys room, which is also in Turing but has a different layout
• Lucy doesn't have a table next to the bed but instead it is behind the bed- visually we don't think that will look correct in the came
• But the layout of the room is more convenient to film in, plus her walls are bare and the style of room is gender neutral so easy to film each character in

Storyline

Current Narrative

• Starts off with a split screen divided into 3- each representing a different life
• 1) Eating Disorder
• 2) OCD
• 3) Trans
• Each person is asleep when their alarm goes off- they go to turn it off and by the alarm is a glass of water - currently half EMPTY
• the idea here is to have each shot very similar so that the shot of the glass is the same- needs to be carefully planned out- so a possible pan from bed to alarm to glass
• We then go into the individual narrative
• So the first split screen will continue its story
• The narrative idea is that each student is on their way to a lecture
• get up
• get dressed
• walk to lecture
• sit down in lecture
• BUT each person has different conditions and so what happens after getting up and arriving at the lecture will vary
• The order of the narrative isn't final yet but we would like to mix all of the 3 narratives up so it is fragmented
• For example: Eating Disorder gets up and goes straight to mirror or bathroom (several shots taken) but then we might cut to OCD making their bed or washing their hands and then cut to Trans who is binding their breasts 
• Then we start again creating a fragmented yet continuous narrative
• Ideally the narrative will be a circular narrative where we start with the cup being seen as HALF EMPTY but then we feel it is HALF FULL
• This narrative involves the audience
• What are our initial impressions of mental health?
• Are we unnecessarily pessimistic?
• Are we naive?
• Are we judgmental?
• We would like thoughts to change through the short film- an understanding of the difficulties at the start and then an understanding of equality and acceptance at the end
• We want to include statistics and facts about mental health so we are incorporating the documentary style- we are producing to inform- we want people to learn from this
• When considering sound- we wanting the majority to be non-diegetic
• voice over
• possibility of us talking- or someone talking who has experience such struggles
• a conversation between people
• with soft music underneath the voices as there will be pauses from the voices at points
• the main focus here is the effects of mental health, dialogue and too much acting can distract from the point we are making

Characters

Characters

We have three characters in our short film; Jessica who suffers with OCD, Jamie who suffers with Anxiety, and Sophie who suffers with an Eating Disorder. All three are students at the University of Kent and study Psychology.

Jessica (19) will be played by Stacey Symons
Contact: 07904272332 

Jamie (21) will be played by James Unsworth
Contact: 07784695353

Sophie (19) will be played by both Emma O'Brien and Izzy Cooper (myself)
Contact: 07435146566 (Emma)
Contact: 07522953810 (Myself)

OCD Statistics

OCD Statistics

Sources:

http://www.ocduk.org/how-common-ocd

http://understanding_ocd.tripod.com/ocd_facts_statistics.html

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/prevalence/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-among-adults.shtml

Eating Disorder Statistics

Eating Disorder Statistics

Sources:

https://www.b-eat.co.uk/about-beat/media-centre/information-and-statistics-about-eating-disorders

http://www.anad.org/get-information/about-eating-disorders/eating-disorders-statistics/

Eating Disorders

Eating Disorder

This particular still is from an anorexia campaign shown on TV, it shows the illusion of how people with anorexia think of them selves.

Yes family and friends can see she isn't overweight but all she sees is someone 'obese'- dysmorphic disorder - idea that her body is flawed and imperfect.

Christina Aguilera

Similarly in these too shots from 'Beautiful' by Christina Aguilera, you see how a young girl looks at her self in disgusts, feeling uncomfortable in her body.

I really like the angle and lighting of these- attracts eye to the ribs with use of shadows

- shadows is something I really want to work with when filming shots of the ribs or hip bones- adds an arty feel to it but also an appreciation to the body and how each one is different.

Below are some websites that help suffers:

http://www.eatingdisorderssupport.co.uk/help/helpline

https://www.b-eat.co.uk/

Roles

Alex McDowell will be the Director

Emma O'Brien will be the Producer

I will be the Cinematographer

Lucy Abbot will manage Lighting and Sound

Miley Cyrus' #instapride campaign

Miley Cyrus' #instapride campaign

 

Focuses on embracing individuals, no matter what gender or lack of gender they apply to.

Focuses on pressure of gender stereotypes e.g:
If I am a woman does that make me a 'damsel'?
If I am a man does that make me macho?
Do I have to identify with one particular gender?
Do I have to be attracted to someone?
Am I allowed to experiment without being judged?

The main point here is why do we feel that we have to bow down to social norms, we should embrace creativity and individualism

- An idea that could be explored through our short film BUT how can we link to idea of glass being half full/ half empty?

Shots could include:
- Hormone tablets/ shots
- Binding of breasts
- Padding trousers
- Short hair
- Long hair

Group Discussion

Group Discussion

The group and I chose three disorders/ struggles that we wanted to involve in our film.

1) Transgender

• When looking at transgender people, we are by no means saying this is a mental health issue, we are concentrating on the possible health issues from this brought on by society and stereotypes (depression, anxiety)
• Sadly today, a large amount of society doesn't count LGBTQIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual) as equals to those who are heterosexual and it's this lack of social acceptance that enhances the likeliness of mental health problems for people in those groups.

2) Eating disorders- anorexia or bulimia

• People are quick to judge on such disorders, feelings that its just for attention, but such disorders are life threatening and affect people both physically and mentally.
• Its a common disorder within schools and university that people tend to turn their backs on, assuming they will just 'get over it' or its 'just a phase'. Eating disorders are an illness provoked by the media with their ideas of the 'perfect body'- deciding whether some celebrity is too thin or too fat

3) OCD - obsessive compulsive disorder

• Again, another disorder people ignore. You can obsessive over particular things, whether that be organisation of objects, cleanliness, counting etc. 

Need to explore each of these three struggles/ issues, do research from how represented in the media, how society views them.

The Tab Birmingham

The Tab- It's time to end the stigma surrounding anti-depressants

• I came across this article on Facebook written by a student at University of Birmingham. This shows more proof of the negativity surrounding mental health and anti-depressants
• People think once you are on anti-depressants, you won't be able to get off them- idea that you become "dependant"
• But to student Megan, they are clearly something that have improved her life
• She said she would skip school and smoke too many cigarettes
• Whether they are something that you can become dependant on or not- they improve peoples state of mind and make their lives more manageable
• Maybe not strictly relevant but interested to see students perception on anti- depressants- comments show a wide range of reactions both positive and negative
• Mental health still divides people

http://thetab.com/uk/birmingham/2016/02/10/time-end-stigma-surrounding-anti-depressants-26713

Mental Health Research

Mental Health- Research:

Looked into which mental health problems could be expressed easily through film:
- Bipolar : showing moments of anger and moments of happiness
- Anxiety : biting nails, sweating, twitching
- Anorexia or bulimia disorders : thin self but sees image of larger self, ribs and spine vs curve, stretch marks etc, toilet shots
- OCD : things are clean and organised e.g. pens, posters, shoes, clothes
- Despression : feeling down, unable to find positivity

Silver Linings Playbook:

This film is about two characters who both suffer from bipolar disorder
It explores the effects it has on their family members and members of society
For example- society appears scared and distant from him when he is released from a mental institution. Reactions appear premeditated- as if they have prejudged those with bipolar and collectively act difficult and unforgiving to them.
What is interesting is how the bipolar characters act together- they complement each other's personalities, and act as one figure with an understanding of what the other has gone through.

Possible Influence:

• idea that those who suffer with mental illness unite- have a better understanding of each other than outsiders do
• sufferers don't hold judgement
• so in our short film, those who are portrayed to have an illness have common ground, they represent those who are misunderstood, those who people, at times, give up on
• those suffering will be portrayed in a positive light with a message to society that they should not be judged, that they are equals

Camera/ Editing/ Sound/ Mis en Scene/ Narrative

• Shown to keep self busy, see him running frequently and doing exercise - sense of escapism, fighting reality?
• Hand held shots- shows frustration, panic and anger of disorder
• Dark shots- lack of light suggests this disorder leaves him in a lonely place, metaphorically symbolises negativity and pessimism
• Appears very aggressive and frantic with use of low angle shots- shows his dominance and how he can appear threatening to other people