Te-GRS

Develop from Project That May or May Not Be Made (Y1)

WHAT?

A short film called ‘To My Motherland‘ (working title) explores Thailand’s deep-rooted superstitions and rituals. Blending documentary and fiction, the narrative reveals ritual performances that shed light on issues of social inequality, capitalism, and sexism.

HOW?

I will take full charge of all pre-production and post-production processes; meaning I will do research, write the fictional script, edit, and color-grading by myself. However, in the production process, I plan to collaborate with my fellow performers. Even though I plan to be the director of photography for the project, I will need some assistance in shooting in a site-specific location.

WORKFLOW

Firstly, gathering and researching Thailand’s deep-rooted superstitions and rituals. Then, I will select beliefs that reflect on social inequality, capitalism, and sexism issues. I plan to write a fictional script based on the selected beliefs. In the editing process, I will find the archive footage related to those beliefs and edit it with the footage I shot.

TIMETABLE

September - October 2023 — Research and Finalise the beliefs that reflect on social inequality, capitalism, and sexism issues. October 2023 — Writing the fictional script, finding performers to collaborate with, and shooting. November 2023 — December 2023 Shooting and Editing. January - March 2024 — Editing and sound mixing. (Shooting more if needed) March - April 2024 —Color-grading. And fixing according to the feedback. May - July 2024 — Feedback and Fixing.

PREVIOUS PRACTICE

‘To My Motherland‘ will be presented as a hybrid of documentary and fiction which is similar to my previous mockumentary film titled ‘The Holy Sponge’. Both films speak about the deep-rooted beliefs/cliché stories in Thailand. I will mainly focus on using a sarcastic voice narration as well as explore the spiritual connection to my motherland.

CHOICE MADE

In this MA, I have chosen to create work based on political issues and focus on ironic and fictional narration. Simultaneously, I continue to find different ways/structures to create work.

RAPID PROTOTYPES

Pick a (Thai) superstitious belief/ritual and make up a short fictional story based on that ritual. (could be free writing)

1. RUBBING TREE BARK FOR LUCKY NUMBER.

There is a vast flower tattoo on my right leg. It started as a fun idea in a strange place with buzzing machines. The person doing it was mysterious, and they asked what I wanted. I saw it: a unique flower, not like any other. It covers my leg with pink petals like two of 3 facing one another.

2. RUBBING TREE BARK FOR LUCKY NUMBER.

A woman in a white dress lay down on the grass next to a massive tree with colorful mesh wrapping around it. She is not conscious but seems comfortable in that position.

3. PLANTING LEMONGRASS UPSIDE DOWN TO STOP THE RAIN.

I woke up in the middle of the night. It was still dark and cloudy outside, and through my big window, I saw a flock of birds, their shadows dancing in the moonlight. I lay in bed, shivering from a haunting nightmare.

In my dream, a female ghost appeared. Her sad eyes pierced my soul as her spooky voice whispered, "Can you show me the society I could take these lemongrasses to?" I nodded, and the ghost's face softened, gratitude in her eyes.