Backdated Post - PoS Draft 001 - Thursday 08 October 2009

The following is my first draft of the Programme of Study, prepared and submitted on the 8th October.

Study Title:

Visions of the Repressed; Creating the Uncanny (WORKING TITLE DRAFT 001)

Rationale:

The Uncanny is a fundamental part of storytelling. It was first discussed by psychologists in the early 1900s (see Jentsch 1906 and Freud 1919), although it has been a part of our culture and our storytelling for far longer (Royle 2003). The early work of Freud and Jentsch was limited by their own beliefs and knowledge of the topic (Royle 2003) but provided a spectacular starting point for discussion of the topic.

The Uncanny itself proves tricky to tie down. It has been referred to as the return of the repressed (Freud 1919), and the illumination of things that were once, and should have remained, hidden. It causes a range of feelings in different people, ranging from a mild unease to sheer morbid terror, and on to the experience of madness. The Uncanny is the blurring of the lines between internal and external reality, dreams and the waking mind, the conscious self and the unconscious self. It is a field ripe for exploration.

A lot of the work published on the Uncanny is psychoanalytic, or theory based upon the analysis of works created by authors or film makers. This Study seeks to explore not only the Uncanny as it is found in the works of film makers such as David Lynch and Satoshi Kon, and the nature of the Uncanny as debated by psycologists and scholars of literature. This Study seeks to explore how a creative can set about developing Uncanny projects.

Aims:

1. To research the nature of the Uncanny (das Unheimlich), and its relevance to storytelling and cinema.
2. To investigate the relationship between reality and dreaming (or the blurring of the boundary between reality and fantasy), and their portrayal in cinema and the arts.
3. To explore how both of the aforementioned topics influence my work as an artist.

Objectives:

1. Research the Uncanny (das Unheimlich) both as a psychological phenomena and as a cinematic device (narrative and audiovisual).
2. Research dreaming and fantasy both from a psychological and folkloric perspective, and how they are used as a cinematic device (narrative and audiovisual).
3. Reflect upon how dreaming, fantasy and the Uncanny coexist and interweave in storytelling and cinema.
4. Reflect upon how the aforementioned research and reflection impacts upon my work as an artist and storyteller.

Research Methodologies:

1. Text led research
2. Film studies
3. Creation of work
1. Animated short inspired by research themes
2. Exploratory Sketchbooks / Journals
3. Thematic Artworks

Expected Outcomes:

1. Masters Report
1. The report will examine how the Uncanny, Dreams, and Fantasy relate to narrative and cinema. It will also examine how elements of these subjects can be used thematically as well as utilized as a cinematographic device through narrative and audiovisual metaphor and control. Finally, the report will discuss how these elements guide my work as an artist and storyteller.
2. Animated Short
1. The animated short will utilize the subjects of the research in order to explore thematically the devices aforementioned through narrative use and also cinematographic expression.
3. Exploratory Sketchbooks / Journals
1. These Sketchbooks / Journals will be a practice based exploration of the subjects of the research. They will allow for a more personal examination and reflection of the topics and how they relate to the artist.
4. Thematic Artworks
1. Thematic Artwork will be a further exploration of the nature of the Uncanny, Dreaming, and Fantasy.

Schedule:

The working schedule still needs to be sorted out. It will be determined by exactly what projects I end up doing. For the moment though, I can say the following:

• Research and Development on the Masters Report will be ongoing. At least two hours a day (whilst travelling) are dedicated entirely to reading work to best utilize my time.
• The Exploratory Sketchbooks / Journals will be ongoing throughout the year. Work from these will filter into the other projects.
• The Thematic Artworks will be in development throughout the year, starting out in the sketchbooks and journals. Full production should be completed by the end of Semester 2.
• The animated short will be in preproduction throughout semester 1 and 2, and will be in full production in semester 3 at the latest.

Reference Materials:

• Literature
• On the Psychology of the Uncanny – Ernst Jentsch 1906
• http://www.cpmg.org.br/artigos/on_the_psychology_of_the_uncanny.pdf
• The Uncanny – Sigmund Freud (1^st Published 1919 in Imago 5 (5-6)
• Screen Memories (Über Deckerinnerungen) – Sigmund Freud (1^st Published 1899 in Minatsschrift für Psychiatrie und Neurologie 6)
• The Creative Writer and Daydreaming (Der Dichter und das Phantasieren) – Sigmund Freud (1^stPublished 1908 in Neue Revue 1(10))
• The Uncanny – Sigmund Freud (Translation published 2003)
• Translation & Editorial matter Copyright – David McLintoch 2003
• Introduction Copyright – Hugh Haughton 2003
• Penguin Classics
• Penguin Books Ltd, London England
• ISBN: 978-0-14-118237-7
• The Interpretation of Dreams – Sigmund Freud (1^st Published 1900)
• This edition published 1997
• Wordsworth Editions Limited 1997
• Introduction Copyright – Stephen Wilson 1997
• Text from 3^rd Edition (1932) Translation by A.A. Brill, authorised from 1^st Edition German (1900)
• ISBN: 978-1-85326-484-9
• The Uncanny – Nicholas Royle 2003
• Manchester University Press, England
• ISBN: 978-0-7190-5561-4
• The Terror that Comes in the Night; An Experience-Centered Study of Supernatural Assault Traditions – David J. Hufford 1982
• University of Pennsylvania Press, USA
• ISBN: 0-8122-1305-X
• Lynch on Lynch – Edited by Chris Rodley 1999 (1^st Published 1997)
• Faber and Faber Limited, England
• ISBN: 0-571-19548-2
• Film
• David Lynch
• Twin Peaks
• Eraserhead
• Elephant Man
• Mulholland Drive
• Blue Velvet
• Inland Empire
• David Cronenberg
• Dead Ringers
• Stanley Kubrick
• Eyes Wide Shut
• The Shining
• Jan Svankmejer
• The Complete Shorts
• Satoshi Kon
• Perfect Blue
• Alex Proyas
• Dark City