Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello!
I've been a long supporter of The National Autistic Society, but first time registered user on these forums!
I wanted to share my Writer and Directorial debut Snapshot, a semi-autobiographical account of my lived experiences as an Autistic adult.
Funded by BFI Network as part of Film Hub North, it's screened at Film Festivals up and down the country, as well as being featured in the Your Autism Magazine last Summer.
It's finally online currently streaming on Omeleto, and can be viewed below.
I'm hoping to spread this film and its messages as far and wide as possible, and I would love to hear your thoughts, and if you had any questions related to the film production process.
Congratulations on the production. Probably a silly question, but did much of it reflect your own experience?
Thankyou very much JD. It's not a silly question at all.
A fair part of it did. I've struggled with unemployment since graduating from University, and am no stranger to the irony of the success that has come from the literal mantra often used in Scriptwriting; "Write what you know."
Scenes such as The Job Centre and The Bus sequence all draw from my experiences of such when under a lot of pressure and stress. The expectation that you can just find a job on Friday, and start at that workplace the following Monday morning.My negative experiences with terrible job interviews too, and interviewers that lack the compassion and understanding was the initial backbone of the story. Those tired and tested remarks we are all no strangers to. I've genuinely had interviewers say those things to me, as well as the likes of; "You don't look Autistic", and "Oh, I'm pretty clued up, my Sister's Uncle's Nephew has it!"
Contrastingly, Sandra is based on the few people in my life (my Mother included) who have shown; genuine compassion, empathy and understanding, wanting to reach for a reasonable adjustment or similar solution to help. Giving me time to process, or allowing for a Fidget Cube or similar stimming without judgement.I used a previous self-made documentary short as reference for describing sensory overloads, as is seen in Snapshot. Especially with the heavy burden of stress and anxiety, the intrusive thoughts often rush faster and faster around my head, until I reach a breaking point of a shutdown or meltdown, both displayed in the film. This is why it was important to have subjective storytelling, so it puts you in Ian's shoes. What he's thinking and how he's reacting to the surrounding words and actions.
Ian's speech at the end was also one of the first things I wrote remaining in each draft of the script, and it was just my personal, unfiltered thoughts. Raw and confessional. His insecurities surrounding the trauma and painful memory, are often how I've dealt with similar in the past. Thinking you can skirt around it or sweep it under the carpet, but for me, the opposite happens, creating a pressure cooker of overwhelming emotions and thoughts, something that's also prevalent from the off within the film.
My solace is often writing and filmmaking, but photography was chosen, as it was easier to craft a visual story around it. Ian's further comfort in the countryside reflects my rural desires. I've never been one for city living!
So, in nutshell, a lot of myself and experiences are in the character of Ian. The stutters, mannerisms and body language. But also the lead actor Josh Ward, put a lot of himself into the character. Also Autistic, he wholeheartedly identified with the role, so channeled a lot of himself into it as well.
Hope the waffle helps!
Thank you. That’s really interesting to hear and well done again for the production
No worries, and thankyou again for your kind words.