Film, The Conference and Liminal Space
Guest Blogger: Andrew Gaines
It’s so exciting to see how many workshops this year include the use of film and video! I have been using video in my drama therapy groups every week for about 7 years now, starting when Fred Landers supervised my internship at Interfaith Medical Center. I’m actually in the midst of writing a paper on the topic, and wanted to share some thoughts…
One intriguing aspect of applying video in therapy is the wide array of options. Some practitioners are harnessing the media’s power to document their work and raise public awareness, while others are enrolling clients as the filmmakers themselves. The content can be purely autobiographical and psychodramatic or wildly projective and fictional…or some liminal space between. For example, I have had clients speak directly to their own image. Indeed, when clients watch and hear their own messages, the experience can be a most profound form of reality testing. And then there is Cinematherapy, which some might think is akin to: “Watch these 2 videos and call me in the morning.” But as we all know, the healing impact of stories can be dramatic through the power of cinema.
I prefer to have clients participate in the entire filmmaking process from brainstorming to videography. These adults with chronic and persistent mental illness with whom I work crave a sense productivity and success. The presence of a camera demands “Action,” and I can easily enroll my groups into realizing our collective vision together. Regardless of the experience they will have watching our movie played back, the satisfaction of successfully performing for the camera delivers enormous rewards, such as building self-esteem and developing self-efficacy.
When I think about the 300 video shorts that I’ve helped clients create, I am often stumped with the paradox of how ethereal the medium can be. While those moments are captured forever on tape, 90% of them will probably never be seen again. I show a select few to my students at NYU, and have a few more on hand to play for the clients. There are just too many!
There is a lot more on this topic I’d love to dialogue about here, but this’ll do for a start.
From the Jason Frydman of the Program Committee:
Thanks Andrew for a great blog!
Fortunately, we have plenty of opportunities to investigate the various uses of video this weekend. Whether it be as a therapeutic tool, an art form, or a platform for social justice, many presentations utilize video. Here are just a few:
Out of Bounds: New Technology with Depth Psychology in Drama Therapy? (Brandy Brawner, MA, RDT, Thu, 9:30am-5:00pm)
Multi-Cultural Suicide Awareness and the Arts Project (Mary Burns, MA/Jessica Bleuer, MA, M.Ed, CCC, Sat, 2:30pm-4:00pm)
Participatory Film Making and Social Justice, With a Dash of Drama Therapy (Michelle Baer, MA/Pamela Snell, MA, Sun, 9:00am-12:00pm)
Looking forward to seeing you all soon!
All the best,
Jason Frydman
Program Committee Member
