Of the Australian entrants into this year’s NYF Global Awards, Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness stands out, with six of our thirteen finalist entries, two of them for a striking film called Voices of Relapse, directed by Michele Aboud. Voices of Relapse was a finalist in Branded Content & Entertainment and Film Technique.
It presents a very new way of looking at schizophrenia, a mental illness that is crowded with myths and underpopulated with true understanding. Schizophrenia is a complex mental problem whose associated symptoms can change over time. It tends to present itself between late teens and early thirties, takes time to diagnose and requires ongoing regularly assessed and updated treatment. Sadly, the nature of schizophrenia often complicates treatment. Dealing with schizophrenia can be very confusing for the people around the victim.
Voices of Relapse presents a picture of schizophrenia through the eyes of the family members and friends it affects. It is told in episodes that reveal the progression of – or rather than regressions involved in – the illness.
Director, Michele Aboud, took The Stable behind the scenes of the film:
The Stable: What was the aim of the spot? What was your role?
Michele Aboud: The aim was to create real understanding about a family member suffering with schizophrenia and its effects on the rest of the family to life. My job was to bring a well-written script to life so that viewers also assimilate the emotional impact and the frustrations of dealing with illness. This was achieved by capturing the inner dialogues of the people involved in the life of a schizophrenic. As each family member starts to break under the strain, the confusion of their responses is reflected though a visual overlap of each member’s thoughts.
TS: What did you want to achieve?
MA: There had to be an understanding as to how far the performances should be pushed. The actors needed to be believable. The portrayal had to be real. Many of the people in the casting process had first-hand experience of someone they knew with a mental health condition. Empathy was high on the scale. My job was to support them, to bring quality crafting to the film and to work closely with the creative director, Craig Chester, to create the intentionally “confused” vision – the nature of dealing with schizophrenia – into all aspects.
TS: What were the main challenges in making the film?
MA: There are not that many examples in film showing what we were after technically. The superimposing of each family member was always to emphasise their confusion, frustration and helplessness.
There needed to be multi-layered versions of the performances to express the internal noise we can often hear within. A green screen was used to enable us to layer different characters over each other efficiently and to enable flexibility in composition. Matting enabled areas of the frame to be selectively masked and each overlap to be carefully considered. It was a great process with a great team.
TS: What do you think are its triumphs?
MA: We created a short film that is unique and stirs emotions. People either relate to it either because of personal experience or are shown scenarios that encourage a greater sense of empathy and understanding. Technically we presented an important mental health issue with awareness through a visual language. That language is symbolic, and that’s what visual creators can bring to the world.
TS: How important was setting the film’s mood. How did you achieve it?
MA: All visual aspects were considered when considering mood – wardrobe tones, quality of light, background depth, etc. I’m very thorough with detail. I’ve worked as a photographer for over 25 years. That will always hone your skills with art direction. My sensitivity around performance is paramount. You can see in one’s eyes when authenticity is reflected. That’s what you see through the lens and now for me, through a screen.
TS: How did you get the performances?
MA: The dialogue was pre-recorded then played back for the actors to react to as though they were hearing their inner thoughts, although they never utter a word. Guilt, for example, can be played out in so many ways. It’s the second guessing of how to react that adds another level of confusion. I love working with actors, their ability to “drop into” emotions, to explore “internal landscape” takes courage. The best I can offer is to give the actors space and support.
Credits:
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness
Executive Creative Director: Craig Chester
Head of Copy: Emily Knight-Kristoffersen
Senior Business Director: Danielle Morton
Director: Michele Aboud
Producer: Ash Weaver [Prodigious]
Casting Director: Antonia Murphy {Fountainhead Casting]
DOP: Anton Perry
Stylist: Lucia Ariaz-Martinez
Hair & Make-up:Danielle Butcher
Editor: Sam Bruce
Compositor & VFX Supervisor: Matt Brunner
Colourist: Matt Fezz
Sound Designer: Chris Colonna
Aboud seems to have found a niche in creating emotive campaigns around issues and causes. Her film, A Close Shave, in which she gets men to open up about their inner struggles was won a number of awards and been selected for film festival screenings throughout the world, including The Byron Bay International Film festival in October.
Through her documentary, Saiba, Aboud allows a young Chinese Australian woman to reveal how a difficult past fuelled her determination to build a powerful future.
https://youtu.be/yyPKza9wQs0