Turning Grief into a Creative Project: Anonymous 360 Film
Anonymous is a 360 narrative film that I created during 2019. Due to events being cancelled I have decided to pause the UK tour of the film and upload my talk onto YouTube. That way those who missed it can see it and for more people across the UK can hear about the film.
I have done a quick break down of the talk and listed 5 main points from the talk below;
- Story behind why the film was created: Turning grief into a creative project.
In 2018 I lost my mother from stage four liver disease. Through the early stages of grief, I wanted to do something positive and help raise awareness for alcoholism and being a child of alcoholic in the UK. I started writing a script for an anonymous and it turned into a open letter to my mum.
2. Reason for using 360
After 5 years of working in the immersive industry I have experienced the real human impact that immersive content can offer. I wanted to use 360 for this story, as I felt that this was the best way I could tell the story, without any distractions and leave a feeling. A real experience instead of reading about it online. It’s easy to ignore a hard story.
On a side note I felt inspired by pieces such as Grenfell: Our Home, In My Shoes and more. These pieces gave me the confidence to start writing my script.
3. Challenges of creating the film
Main challenge of creating Anonymous was funding the project. I did approach a few places for funding but was not successful, especially as this was my first piece I had no proof of concepts. We ended up raising some money through Crowdfunder; total amount of £2000 which went towards editing and audio.
Having such a tight budget was an interesting challenge to see what could be made with the amount. Cost were cut with not using a actor and others in the industry lending equipment and expertise.
4. Importance of testing, bringing in a charity, creating safe spaces
When telling a story it’s important to make sure that you can bring people into the project to give you some clarity and opinions. It can be hard to be objective when you are really close to the project. I also knew how important it was to have the correct support to go alongside this project; I always knew I wanted to approach charities working in this sector, to 1. let them know I was working on the project, 2. let them have the film and use as another way to raise awareness.
NACOA have been a fantastic support throughout the entire process. It’s also great to be able to share their information with others that come along to watch the film or who are in need of support.
When watching the film, I wanted to create a very safe space for people to watch it. A space that’s quiet, big enough for you to sit and feel no pressure to leave and also have the opportunity to chat with me. Ask questions, ask for support or just to know you are not alone. This might be the first time or the only opportunity people have to speak to someone in a similar position and that’s really important.
After the testing and first couple of events, I have realised that the film and I are a package deal. I will be present whenever the film is being showcased.
5. Importance of raising awareness
There are 2.5 million children in the UK who live with an alcohol-dependent parent or guardian. This is an incredibly taboo subject and it can be hard to talk about it openly. Anonymous is not only a way to heal grief but to help continue the conversation. Open an opportunity for people to not feel alone in this situation and to be able to find someone to talk too or find the right information for support.
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