Video: Silent Sob

Stimuli:

The concept for this video came about from a conversation I had with one of my MA tutors about pain, and how physically painful it was for me to cry. I never learned to cry out loud. I silently sob, my body absorbing all the impact of this unique expression of sadness. Silent sobbing fitted well with the loneliness of pain that the project was conveying overall.

I came up with a rough narrative to help me edit: I am this fragile being getting ready to go out from my private door to the world that judges me. I feel like a warrior, putting on a facade of a strong me, inevitably running back to my private space to calm my hidden insecurities. I silently sob, most times not knowing why. The cycle starts again the next morning.

The Design:

Since this was the last video shot, I had some time to think of the setting. Silhouette as the primary look, I designed the character to feel like a feminine warrior who never wants to reveal to the scrutinizing world herself in exhausting pain she cannot describe.

Here is a collage and quick sketches I did, trying to see what sort of environment I could create that would utilize the silhouette of the performer.

Using the silhouette and feeling of the character that my performer achieved, I came up with a new design for the costume.

Since the main design idea was to utilize silhouette, the look of the performer is not important. I did this color sketch based on the atmosphere Rachel achieved and the look of Chanel's make up and hair for my reference. Having a clear image of a character helps me think of the whole look!

Following is the costume idea for this character.