This would of course be a challenge not only for the character, but also for us from a narrative point of view - how would we show it? Then we came to the realisation, why should we show it? Why not keep the audience guessing? - Why are they working so hard? What drives them? Why go through all this? Then, at the very end, through a reveal of her not hearing someone, or having to put on hearing aids etc, the audience would see why she tries so hard - she's attempting the impossible. It would be an emotional and impactful moment of revelation, and then the audience are rewarded with the dancer having pushed through her hardships and made it to the show/recital that they'd been practicing for.
None of us however were very familiar with being deaf, seeing as neither we nor the people we know suffer from being deaf, so we decided to research into it, and more specifically, those working in the arts who are deaf and came across some interesting finds. One of which came in the form of a video on YouTube about a deaf dancer called Shaheem Sanchez, and how he 'feels' the music to counter the fact that he cant hear it when he dances.
This video, among others, showed us how people such as Shaheem can push against what society and people tell them they can and can't do, and succeed in inspiring and wonderful ways. Therefore, using this and other sources, such as the video below, we started working on the script.
However, this is where we found an issue. Elliot, who was in charge of writing the script, found it exceedingly challenging to come to grips with the 'Deaf' concept, and therefore was struggling to come up with a plot for the dancer when we see them in the flash-back sequences. After much deliberation, we came to terms with the fact that this idea, although interesting, may have been too ambitious with the limitations we had on the film. So we sat down and tried to rethink it, and decided upon a simpler, albeit more cliché, idea - rather than being deaf, the dancer has to deal with a less than ideal home life. They live in a down-trodden area with parents that constantly argue. They have little to no money, and so can't afford to go to a fancy dance school, buy decent equipment or use a real rehearsal space - and yet they work hard and keep dancing, due to it being their passion. This plot is somewhat similar to that of 'Billy Elliot' (S. Daldry | 2000), and we realise this, and so will choose to embrace it, and use it for inspiration.
In order to further grasp our plot, we decided to try and outline the scenes, a synopsis if you will, not in the form of an official script - at least not for now - but just in a way that helps us to understand what it is we're doing.
Scene 1 - Opening Scene - (Jarman)
~ 50 Secs
Open with black, fade in sounds of heavy breathing,
shuffling, “tinny” headphones can be heard etc., occasional flash of close up
shots of dancer - teasing her/him. Dancer is practicing in front of mirror,
trying to get a move right but can’t. Sequence goes on. A plethora of intimate
close up shots are shown as she dances, attempting to perfect her movements,
revealed to be in full costume/makeup, clearly preparing for something. Hard
Cut to her on the floor, panting, taking a drink. She looks up at the clock,
see’s the time, puts headphones back in - starting the music of the piece - and
gets up to get back to practice.
Scene 2 - First ‘Life’
Section - (Various Places) ~ 20 Secs
Dancing on way home in different dingy, downtrodden
looking places - behind buildings, parks, near bins etc.
Scene 3 - First ‘Rehearsal’
Section - (Jarman) ~ 20 Secs
More shots of them practicing, slowly building up
the tension and intensity.
Scene 4 - Second ‘Life’
Section - (Parkwood Home) ~ 20 Secs
Disorderly parents homelife. Tracking shot through
house as she walks in, it's a hovel, tv on in background out of focus as she
walks upstairs. Lots of empty beer cans, dirty clothes, rubbish.
Scene 5 - Second ‘Rehearsal’
Section - (Jarman) ~ 20 Secs
More shots of them practicing, slowly building up
the tension and intensity.
Scene 6 - Third ‘Life’
Section - (Parkwood Home) ~ 20 Secs
Crying in dingy looking bedroom, maybe yelling
coming from downstairs (father?) starts to trash room. Ends with them slamming
door and leaving home.
Scene 7 - Third ‘Rehearsal’
Section - (Jarman) ~ 20 Secs
Cut to them mid practice, tear rolls down and they
shake off the past determined to move forward. More shots of them practicing,
slowly building up the tension and intensity.
Scene 8 - Fourth ‘Life’
Section - (The Vortex - Aphra) ~ 20 Secs
Dancing in store cupboard.
Scene 9 - End Scene - (Aphra
Backstage + On stage) ~ 50 Secs
Having practiced hard and having fought through
her/his past experiences, the dancer is finally shown to have overcome their
difficulties with both her/his life and her dance - showing her in a triumphant
manner - the music stops. As she/he finishes,breathing heavily, she realises
that someone has entered the room, she/he turns to them in time for them to
tell her that it’s time. She/he takes a deep breath, composes herself and follows
them. Tracking shot of them walking backstage, and onto stage, into the
spotlight. The audience is shown, cut to three official looking members of the
audience, each with clipboards and stern faces. Cut to a close up of the
dancer, she/he lifts her/his head up and opens her eyes, shown to be
smiling/determined, titles appear, cut to black, credits roll.
Bibliography
- YouTube. (2017). How This DEAF Dancer HEARS the Music | The Happiness Stories. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0IYSKpADMM&feature=youtu.be [Accessed 4 Dec. 2018].
- YouTube. (2013). Physically Being Me - Six Stories from Deaf and Disabled Dancers by Foundation for Community Dance. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FevlnDRrWSU [Accessed 4 Dec. 2018].
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