Definitive is an experimental video project shot on 16mm film meant to illustrate the anxieties of being labeled, typecast, and imprinted with an identity that doesn't belong to you.
This is a trailer for the finished product, which I am still in the process of gathering images for in addition to what we shot to create a fuller picture of our theme.
Inspiration
How often do we find ourselves being shaped by others words? Succumbing to the perceptions of others and abandoning our self view, listening to the viewer, whether or close or far, and judging your entirety and character by those words alone, whether it is an actually truth, heightened truth, or not even truth at all.
even if the viewers 'critiques' or comments of you are shaped from their own perception of themselves.
I've seen too many people in my life take what others think or say about them too seriously so, in response, a few friends and I created a series of visuals to evoke the anxiety one feels when being labeled, typecast or defined by others.
The Response
To illustrate this, we created 12 masks which would serve as the 'external penetration' of others words, that we labeled with a 'defining characteristic' and shot in stop motion.
Our secondary visual was a scenography piece where, instead of writing the definitive characteristic on the mask, we applied the word right onto our actors faces, showing that the characteristic is starting to sink in, and they don't know whether or not they should take it in as truth or treat it as a stain on ones face.
The third image is the consumption, the cloaking of the label and therefore the succumbing to judgement and definition, and falling into submission and self loathing because of it.
In combination with these images we created a chalkboard stop motion of the actual definition of these words and an overlay of lips articulating these words in a hurtful context.
In conclusion, we need to be more careful of the words we share with one another, taking compassion, kindness, and understanding into consideration before categorizing, labeling, and typecasting one another. Words are so powerful and should be treated as beacons of positivity, not judgement and negativity.
Asthetic
Making the Masks
For the mask aesthetic, I wanted to communicated the wounded minds of women. To do that, I made very elementary plaster gauze masks, and painted them a nude, fleshy tone, which I thought would pair well with the gauze costumes
Making the Costumes
For the costumes, I bought medical gauze and created these garments directly on our actors. I made a few sketches beforehand to establish a general flow, but during the actual 'construction' I played some music and the actors and I small talked as I improvised these designs. I'm so grateful to have been blessed with such open, collaborative, receptive actors to work on this project with me.
Color Scheme
Textures
unit stills
