#week3.4

Goal/Purpose: 

To bring about awareness of what those with diagnosed anxiety go through and the difference between experiencing a little bit of anxiety in one situation and experiencing it every day.

Medium:

2D, TvPaint (probably)

Main points (subject to change):

·       You see a girl in the real world with people

·       There’s a transition to seeing her in her own mind.

·       There is a carnival/amusement park type environment in her mind.

·       Every ride/attraction that she interacts with is a metaphor for something someone with anxiety (GAD) could experience.

·       Examples: she’s stuck on a Ferris wheel that symbolizes a negative loop of thoughts; car racing simulator constantly crashes your car symbolizes unwanted worry about negative possibilities; water gun game where the target is moving erratically and there are a bunch of distractions which symbolizes the inability to focus.

·       The music and visuals gradually become more chaotic over time.

·       At the end she is very distraught and overwhelmed, showing physical signs of anxiety like sweating, shaking, etc.

·       She tries to leave (her own mind) but can’t. Maybe she tries to get on a train, only to find out it goes in a circle.

·       There’s a transition back to her in reality, completely out of it. The people around her try to bring her back and eventually are able to. The scene pulls out as they are comforting her. 

Challenges/possible solutions:

·       How do I help the audience understand that this is about anxiety?

o   Maybe have multiple transitions between her mind and reality to show how the events in her mind are affecting her in the real world.

o   Have nuanced visual metaphors to anxiety/mental illness (e.g. pills, prescription slips, etc.)

·       Do I want to use the anxiety I can relate to or something I need to do research on? (too personal vs. not familiar with)

o   I think it would be more effective for me to have the film be more personal, because I can then portray feelings more easily. It’s a lot easier to have a vision and direction for a shot or scene if I’ve gone through it myself, rather than reading about it online.

·       Positive or negative ending?

o   I want a positive ending, because a negative ending could send the wrong message.  If her friends walk away from her while she's out of it then what does that say? You shouldn't try to help someone with anxiety or there's nothing that can help them? I think that it’s much easier to misconstrue a negative ending.

·       What is the message I want to send? What do I want the audience to come away with?

o   If I’m going to have a positive ending with the set up that I have, I think it would be that the friends help bring the girl back to reality and comfort her. If that’s the ending, then the message and angle would be something along the lines of: coping mechanisms/how you can help someone who has anxiety or is going through a bout of anxiety.