Jania and I want to make sure we do a good job of conveying the typical characteristics in someone with major depressive disorder, so we've each been doing research on behaviors exhibited by depressed people. Based on that research, I've picked out specific symptoms that Jania and I want to directly convey to the audience in our film.
- Feelings of emptiness: We want to convey this through key moments of silence in our film. Silence is the sound of being alone, and based on personal experience, being alone is often when depression hits the hardest. I want to make sure to convey that empty, lonely feeling in this film through visual and auditory elements.
- Loss of interest or pleasure in activities/lack of energy, so even small tasks take extra effort: We want to convey this symptom in a specific flashback. Our main character loves sketching and creating art in his free time, but his depression is leaving him uninspired and unable to do even the thing he loves most. We want to have a scene where he is on a park bench with his sketchbook, clearly wanting to draw something, yet unable to do so.
- Anxiety, agitation, or restlessness: I want to include close up shots of our main character's hands fidgeting or his leg bouncing constantly when he's seated. These ticks are common in people with anxiety and depression, and it works as a visual cue to convey how the protagonist is feeling to the viewers without being completely overt.
- Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions, and remembering things: The whole point of our character drawing out his day for his therapist is because he struggles with vocalizing and getting his thoughts in order, so this symptom is vital to justifying our film's structure and concept.
No comments:
Post a Comment