Towards the final stages of my Creative Media Productions course, I have been asked to write a proposal for my extended project. This extended project, also gives me an extra qualification alongside my Level 3 diploma.
This project has given me the opportunity to be as creative as possible and will give me the chance to express myself as a video artist; since the name of the project is 'My voice as a video artist' I will be able to experiment using personal resources such as my:
- Personality
- Identity
- And Interests
I have come to the conclusion, that my extended project will revolve around the 'Metamorphosis of Narcissus' this is a fine art surreal oil-on-canvas painting by Salvador Dali, which I have used as inspiration for my finalized idea.
I arrived at this idea, when I was researching paintings by my favorite surrealist: Salvador Dali, since he has been an inspiration for my past projects in Photography (Art & Design) and for many other assignments.
However, this time I was in search for a painting, which related to my high interests in both Psychology and in Media. As a result of this keen interest, Film Studies/ Theory has been the most appealing besides factual program studies.
The psychoanalysis of why spectators gain pleasure from viewing films, was a topic, which I found to be very intriguing and is now the topic, which I am going to use as an influence for my experimental production.
During the unit of feminist film theory, I had learned about the theories suggested by both Sigmund Freud and Jaques Lacan, as to why individuals gained a pleasure from viewing observations, which perhaps they should not gain pleasure from and the discussions that took place as to what might lead somebody to want to gain pleasure from viewing certain materials.
Each theorist had their own form of theory; Freud had an assumption that any individual to have an "abnormal" sense of gaining pleasure was the result of being imprisoned within the oral and anal stages of their Life, unable to develop any further. These transfiguration stages were known to be a developmental period in a childs life, where they would experience the world through feel, taste and biting (the oral stage) and gaining a sense of privacy and what is seen as right in their culture and society, so this would be a sense of wearing clothes in public, or where to go for the bathroom etc. these were the anal stages. In other words, Freud believed that anybody to gain an unusual sense of pleasure, meant they were sexually obsessive.
Lacan on the other hand, had a theory, which I agree with more than Freuds theory.
Lacan had an idea, which was named 'The Mirror Stage' Theory.
And this was the time in a human toddlers life where they would realize they are a unique individual, separate from their Mother.
After this recognition, a person will realize that their reflection is in fact better in appearance than what they actually look like to others. This then delivers a sense of narcissism since what we see in the mirror is better than what we actually are, but we know that we will never meet the same standards, which our Reflection has.
In some ways, this can lead to becoming increasingly egocentric and narcissistic. So, to refrain from being surgically attached to a Mirror- we watch Films!
So, I propose to create an experimental video production based around what we know as 'The Mirror Stage' of our lives and the struggle, which a higher (mentally) evolved being would feel: knowing that they are never to accomplish gaining the same appearance, which we see to be ourselves in the Mirror.
There will be some narrative, since the linear growth of a Humans life will be included. And this will be shown through the Art of Choreography: from Life, to finding the mirror, the struggle and death.
