LOCATION By Jessica Doran

THE RIVER/GRASSY AREA/WOOD. The reasons for choosing this location surround the concept that this is my female character's mind space and where she goes to feel free and think. Situated in Earlham Park, I have used this location with the purpose to create the uncharted area of imagination, suggesting intertextual references between the grassy/wooded areas in fairy tales and the natural yet almost mythical space that sets the perfect setting for a dreamlike state of a mind. The symbol of the fairy-tale forest traditionally ends in tragedy or a problematic situation. As for Little Red Riding Hood, straying from the path and into the woods is similarly dangerous and filled with treachery. Symbolically, those who lose their way in the uncharted forest are losing their way in life, losing touch with their conscious selves and voyaging into the realms of the subconscious. By using a similar location as the re-occuring motif of my female character's mind, I intend to demonstrate her also 'losing her way in life'. Like Little Red Riding Hood, or Beauty in Beauty in the Beast, the uncharted mythical surroundings are leading my main female into her doom as this is where as an audience we will notice her insanity. It will be the first location the audience sees and will be revisited to throughout the video, evolving each time into something far from 'normality'. In addition, the forest offers an antithesis to the town. In ancient times when Europe was greatly covered by woodland, the forest represented the boundary of civilisation. This theory will demonstrate my female antagonist's separation from the 'real' world. She is convinced the outside world is out to get her. Moreover, the representation of the forest as civilisation will only enhance an almost crazed and paranoid state.

In his book The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning And Importance of Fairy Tales, Bruno Bettelheim explores the significance of the forest in fairy tales. He writes:

‘Since ancient times the near impenetrable forest in which we get lost has symbolized the dark, hidden, near-impenetrable world of our unconscious. If we have lost the framework which gave structure to our past life and must now find our way to become ourselves, and have entered this wilderness with an as yet undeveloped personality, when we succeed in finding our way out we shall emerge with a much more highly developed humanity.’

http://www.woodlands.co.uk/blog/flora-and-fauna/the-fairytale-forest-%E2%80%93-a-source-of-symbolism/

THE RIVER/GRASSY AREA/WOOD. Similarly, the music video entitled 'You Belong' featuring Casey McPherson of the band, Alpha Rev, discusses the element of mental illness. Within the video, the same symbolic representation of the forest is represented to feature the main character in what appears a lonesome state. It is only when he reaches the clearing that he is surrounded by a band, suggesting the danger ridden connotations of the forest and it's quite lost atmosphere. In similarity, I intend to use the idea of the clearing in the wooded area as the space where my main character is surrounded. She will also be surrounded by her friends, but what she truly believes are the sins of her life. Furthermore, whilst this video demonstrates the help that can be given to someone suffering from mental illness, my own will explore the idea that it perhaps isn't as easy as that and sometimes the sufferer will refuse the help . This will be evident in how Freya's character is constantly surrounded by people, but always feels distant to them. In the location of her mind, the people she sees are motionless to her, she doesn't view them as offering help. ( Add shot of my video so far ).https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeJL9F-4rNA

THE FLASHBACKS The concept for each flashback's location is for them to each be individually and specifically dark in lighting. This contrast of lighting between the female antagonists mind (river location) and the dark flashbacks, offers the audience an insight into the nightmare and reality. As the river/wood location will represent her thinking space and essentially the present day, the lighting will remain light. This suggests to the audience that this is the location of reality. Although representative of the antagonists mind, the idea that the locations madness and intensity evolves as she grows more paranoid, suggests more of a realist state. The dark lighting contrast of the flashbacks therefore presents the connotations of the wrong and the unrealistic. This offers the suggestion to the audience that the flashbacks that the female is giving us is actually not real - darkness also being representative of the idea that the world is closing in around her and the confusion between reality and what her schizophrenic illness is creating for her is too much. The darkness will additionally offer the connotations of a nightmarish state. This references the song's title 'The Forest of Sin', and develops upon the idea that the men she is close to are her sins. Hence when they feature in the flashbacks, her mind relates them with darkness, sin and betrayal.

Anonymous Men: Each flashback location will also feature in a small space. This small space demonstrates the idea that the female antagonist is suffocating from what she believes to be the sins that surround her. She cannot escape from these small spaces, and this leads her to believe that she is trapped and that the men are essentially the one's attempting to trap her.

1. DRUG DEALER LOCATION: The location for this flashback I plan to be situated in a basement or small spaced bedroom of some sort. Ideally, the location will be grunge like and won't look particularly nice. However, I also have the idea to just feature the dealer's face (Frank) and the female antagonists (Freya) faces, by shining a light. This way the scene appears more intimate and therefore to Freya's character, suffocating.

Claustrophobic space fuels the female antagonists paranoid and fear.

Idea of danger, sin that suffocates the main female.

2. LOVER: Location will be in what appears to be just a living room, perhaps a bedroom. It is important that the location for this flashback creates irony to emphasise that the schizophrenia is forcing Freya's character to believe even the one she loves is a sin and consequently out to hurt her. The location will contradict the scene, which will hopefully either be an argument or with the lover manipulating the female in some form. Once more, although looking more homely, the location will be dark with perhaps only a television screen creating the only source of light in the room. The room will be cramped still and with the door shut to ensure the space is enclosed and demonstrates a trapped feeling in the mind of my female antagonist.

These bedrooms are only similar to the location I have in mind for this seen. I intend to use a television light as the only source of light, projecting onto the couple as if watching them like an audience on the screen.

3. NEIGHBOUR/ STALKER: Location will be inside a shop of some sort and will demonstrate the close proximity of isles and trapped spaces that are difficult to escape from. I hope to film at night for this scene. This way, the dark lighting motif remains outside, and the source of light is coming from inside the shop to place emphasis again on the 'sinful' situation of which Freya's character believes to be her stalker, also attempting to hurt her.