Test shots

Tomorrow we have a room booked out for the morning to project and potentially build our piece. In preparation for this I've done a few more test shots- this time full length and potentially the correct size.

We are meeting with Gaya on thursday to run through our idea with her and we plan on filming from next tuesday onwards.

Friday we are going to the 3D workshop to create our layers & maybe some frames

TEST SHOTS:


Stop motion Alex test shot from Jess Nicholas on Vimeo.


I just wanted to get any idea of how stop motion would look and what kind of framing we could use, I plan on projecting this tomorrow.

Me, Myself & Irene

As part of my research I was looking for films about D.I.D or split personality, one that caught my eye was 'Me, Myself & Irene'. This film is a comedy film starring Rene Zellweger and Jim Carey. Me, Myself & Irene is about 'A nice-guy cop with dissociative identity disorder must protect a woman on the run from a corrupt ex-boyfriend and his associates.' (IMDB)

The main character is called Charlie and his other personality is called Hank. Charlie is a state police man and a genuinely nice guy - bit of a pushover. Hank is a cocky, arrogant jerk. Charlie seems to get pushed around a lot but is too polite to say anything, so it seems as if Hank expresses all of Charlie's suppressed emotions. Hank is extremely confrontational whereas Charlie tends to shy away from conflict.
Charlie's wife cheats on him and leaves him, perhaps this trauma is what started the D.I.D. Instead of dealing with the anger and sadness he ignores it and tries to carry on with his normal life.

Throughout the film it becomes more apparent that Hank is extremely aware of Charlie, but Charlie doesn't seem to understand Hank very much, at one point in the film Hank says 'I stay out of his business and he stays out of mine', showing the understanding they have towards each other.
Towards the end of the film Charlie is extremely aware of Hank and even has a physical fight against him (even though he is punching himself). Charlie manages to gain control over Hank and make him disappear. 

After watching this film I thought about showing how my characters/personalities in my project are aware of each other? perhaps with some side ways glances or conflict between them, I thought it could be interesting - as if they were battling each other for the 'main' personalities attention.

24/11/16 Gallery visits

Today we spent the day going round London and visiting galleries for inspiration. We went to the Tate Modern & The Wellcome Collection at Euston Square. We were supposed to see Donna Huanca's work but couldn't find the place so didn't end up going.

Reflection from today:

• After visiting Bedlam: the asylum and beyond, we thought it could be cool to use masks to represent the different emotions rather than facial expressions. - I really like this idea, I think it would work perfectly with multiple personality.
• At the Tate we found lots of possible ways to suspend our piece (check pictures below), and different types of materials we could potentially use.
• Recorded a sound effect we could use to represent the projector opening and shutting (found at Marina Abromovic 'Rhythm 0') - its the audio of the projector changing each image.
• We found a piece of work that was suspended perfectly from the ceiling (pics below). So I think we should star experimenting with wire & materials.

I really liked the way this piece by Cristina Iglesias was set up. It's hung using really thin pieces of wire coming from the ceiling. I think we should use very thin pieces of wire for our piece so that it isn't obvious. I want our piece to feel as if its floating in the room.

 I really like this please interact sign and I think we should put one next to our piece, but one that says please look around, but don't touch, just in case someone breaks our construction.

We found a room full of suspended projections, I took some pictures of how they were hung but the flash ruined the pictures. There were a few different ways of projecting/ suspending. I really like the way the artwork in the first image is presented. It was hung with wires from above and there was also wires underneath. It has speakers either side to project the sound. This piece was projected onto glass, which we talk about potentially using, but we realised how difficult it would be to use for multiple screens. The simplest form of projection was the bottom piece, it was just projecting straight onto the wall. Our piece will require something more complex than this.

I found a piece of art work that was painted onto material (silk screen print on canvas), which I thought was interesting to look at for potential material. The material was very thick and heavy, which means it probably wouldn't work for our piece, I don't think you would be able to see the projection through it.

Primary Research - Lydia

I put a Facebook statues asking if anyone knew anyone or was willing to openly talk about split personality disorder and a girl I went to school with messaged me saying she is living with it.

Here's what she said:

• Conversation started today
• 

  18:40
  

  Lydia 
  

  
  

  
  

  Surprising enough I actually suffer with split personality disorder!!
• 

  18:41
  

  Jess 
  

  
  

  
  

  yeah?

  
  

  that's interesting!! so basically i'm doing a project on it for uni, do u think you'd maybe be able to explain it? like how it works etc? x
• 

  18:56
  

  Lydia 
  

  
  

  
  

  You know what it's actually really bloody difficult too live with, I never really understood it until a few years ago when I was actually diagnosed, it's pretty hard to control also, Like some days I'll be completely fine like no one will know, but for me when I have been triggered which could be anything from like an argument or just waking up and being completely different, Like when I swap over I turn into a very very spaced out person, it makes me feel like everything I'm living is fake nothing really seems real, it feels like I'm living in a dream world and from what mum has said she notices when I've changed but I don't always realise I'm doing it, I get really on edge, very violent and also my voice changes, in my head I feel younger and also act childish without realise as too the way I don't understand people's emotions one day but the next day I'll understand completely, even some days it's gets SO bad that I can sometimes forget the existence of my real self, it makes me depressed and also feel lonely because I feel like I'm not myself, and it also triggered my eating disorder because I focus so bad in trying to come back too the reality. It's affected me in holding a job because one day I'm really on point and can focus and then next day I swap back too the side of a younger girl with a majority of problems and end up failing and walking out, which has made me loose 3 jobs infact, then the next day I'll be back too normal, it's kind of a hard things to explain without seeing me one day and seeing me when I switch, but the 2 sides of me seem too be the normal me who can hold down a job can cope with everyday situation and the other side of me is very very young and can't cope with anything, it's caused me too take 15 overdoses in the space of 2 years due too the stress it's caused not only too me but also my family, im starting too too do counselling too help me cope, but honestly itnlike the worst thing ever, I can't even explain the shit that goes on in my head, but I can say it makes me perceive life very very differently, But idk what sorta questions you wanna ask but go ahead I'm willing to answering anything :) it's a difficult thing too basically write down what it does too me x
• 

  19:01
  

  Jess 
  

  
  

  
  

  wow that explanation was amazing, will you be okay with me using it as research? i'm so sorry to hear how badly it's been effecting you 😞 i really hope counselling helps you and helps you feel more in control that must be terrifying. I'm just wondering like when u change do u feel like a completely different person, or deep down do you know it's still you?
• 

  19:19
  

  Lydia 
  

  
  

  
  

  Yes thats absolutely fine :) I hope it's helped I do too:( it's been a really difficult few years If I'm honest not just for me but people around me, Like when I change I don't realise it until I'm coming out of it, I feel like a completely different person, it takes a while too come back too reality, then when I'm back to normal it all feels as if I've been in a dream, just repeats and repeats over and over and it makes me feel so confused!! X

  
  

  
  

  I asked Lydia if she would be happy to answer more questions and she said she'd be more than willing, so I am going to make her the subject for my primary research. Its interesting that Lydia has split personality, she had a pretty traumatic time when we were in school - which is usually one of the leading causes of split personality. Her father died when she was around11/12 and she's battled an eating disorder for as long as I can remember, I wonder if these factors have contributed to her multiple personalities? Knowing Lydia personally and being a similar age to her is exactly what I need for this project. Instead of researching online and finding points of view from mainly adults, I want to have an understanding of how its affecting somebody my audiences age. This will give the piece more depth and potentially make it more relatable.