You There?

_*You There?*_ Produced for JCCC course FMS-200 taught by Tonia Hughes October 17, 2024 *Credits* Director: Weston Whipkey Producer: Kalie Emma Cinematography: Weston Whipkey, Max Maxwell, Harrison Franklin, Kalie Emma Sound Design: Aidan Wycoff, Kelsie Stinson, Justice Roe, Julian Marquez *Context* We (Kalie, Max, Harrison, and myself) each had a week to make a soundscape (3-6 minute long culmination of many different sounds ex. footsteps, rain, etc. with no discernible talking or music allowed). After that, we trade soundscapes with a random group (which in this instance was Aidan, Justice, Kelsie, and Julian) and our group must make a short film only using that sound, unedited, unaltered, and not transformed to any degree. This is our group's result, with the creative vision and direction led by myself and the individual cinematography led by the respective subjects in each section. *Artist Statement* (Written by Kalie Emma with edits by Weston Whipkey) Denial. Anger. Bargaining. Sadness. Acceptance. These are the commonly accepted stages of grief. Each of us has experienced loss at some point in our lives and it can be overwhelming. Knowing the stages and process of loss can make the experience easier, and more manageable. Denial is when a person refuses to accept the situation. This can lead to refusing to acknowledge the death, saying the loss is not true, or questioning the reliability of the source. Following an acknowledgment of the death can lead to anger either with yourself, the person who died, fellow loved ones, or simply being short tempered. The bargaining phase is defined by the continuous “what if’s” and “if only’s”. The previous stages all try to protect you from the depression phase; depression is a natural reaction to grief but can lead to Prolonged Grief Disorder when depressive symptoms last longer than a year, in which the person should seek medical or therapeutic assistance. The final stage is acceptance; not just acceptance of loss and absence, but acceptance of the emotions that come with them. The project is broken into four parts, each representing a different stage of grief. As a group we felt as if there was more to loss than just these five feelings. They are alot messier and more confusing than simply five steps. How we react to these feelings is equally messy and confusing. Feeling grief can sometimes feel as if the person you lost is standing in the room with you. We used this tactic in each section. We hope the audience will feel as if they are not alone in their grieving process, if they have ever gone through it. There is no right or wrong way to go through the grieving process. The only way out is to embrace it.