'Jane'

Jane

This was the first video that I filmed for the Memory Series. In ‘Jane’ I wanted Jane to talk about her memories of suffering with alopecia and to include memories that included a site that related to the memories. So this included:

Talking about when and where she first got it.

Problems (if any) that have occurred due to it.

How it has affected her.

I gave Jane a very brief outline of what I wanted her talk about as I wanted it to seem natural and not structured. Therefore I just asked her to talk bout her memories of alopecia. The rest she talked about herself and it ticked all the boxes I wanted of it to include memories and a site. The reason I chose Jane to talk about her alopecia was that I wanted her to talk about a serious subject and one that has affected her most her adult life. With all the films I wanted to capture the emotions of the people faces talking about their subject. Jane has accepted her alopecia and I knew she would be comfortable to talk about it.

The reason I wanted to film in her home was so that she was surrounding by an environment personal to her. I was able to film her going about everyday business, and showing her normal day to day activity. I think this linked well with the film as it shows her progression of suffering with alopecia. She no longer lets it affect her and leads a normal life.

‘Jane’ was the film I first used to subtitle. With the first edit I subtitled only parts that I thought summed up the recital. But I didn’t like this as I felt I was missing out too many of her memories. I then subtitled all the film, but again I wasn’t happy with the final piece. The video is about personal memories and is shot very close up to try to create a very intimate atmosphere. By excluding the sound it somehow seemed to push the viewer away. They were concentrating on the text rather than the emotions that came across Jane’s face. With the sound, the viewer is able to hear what the person speaks like, and any tones in the voice. I think this made it a better film, as the viewer is able to relate to it better and fully hear and see the emotions and memories.

As I thought it would be a silent film I had problems when filming the shots of the surrounding environment as, especially with ‘Jane’, we were talking in the background. Although I managed to edit some of the shots, I wasn’t able to do it with all of them so some of the shots had to be silent. I didn’t want some of the shots to have sound and some to be silent as I thought it made the film unequal. I then decided to make all the shots silent.

I like the ‘Jane’ film, as she talks about a very serious subject that has affected her and yet she still talks about other people in it. She recites quite bad memories but also how she has progressed from it. You can see just from the film that she’s come to accept it, yet there are also times when it gets her down. I think all these emotions of pain and acceptance are reflected in the film. Even though she suffers in it, she feels sorry for younger children that have it, and goes on to feel guilty. I think this film shows all the emotions she experiences in her facial expression and by what she says.

Jane Transcript

I’ve had this since I was about 12. First started. First with a little patch and it came back and it was ok for a few years and then in grew back and it was fine. Then a few years later it came back again. And it’s been like this for the last 20 years now, I’ve had it on and off. My daughters have never seen me with hair so…they’re in their 20’s.

Its not a life threatening condition buts its one that affects you in different ways. Body image issues, lose your confidence, doesn’t make you feel very good most of the time. People tend to forget and you still might be feeling down but they don’t realise it coz you look ok, you got your wig on or your hate on. So they don’t really realise what is going on in you head.

Most people when they know are supportive, few people look. I’m sure they probably think I’ve got something much worse. Few people have asked me about it when I’ve been out and about. Because they know people or one of their family’s suffering. I don’t mind talking about it with anybody. If it’ll help somebody then that’s fine.

I haven’t got any, well certainly not a lot of hair at the moment. I wear a wig all the time when I go out. It’s not very nice because it’s not very comfortable. Makes your head itch, makes it sore. They’re hot in the summer. Can’t wear it when you go to the beach. Can’t wear it when you go to the swimming pool. Still go to the beach, but you have to wear a hat. That’s when people look the most, and then of course they see you without your hair, then they see you maybe a couple hours later with your hair and they think “woah what’s that?” and then they obviously realise or they don’t know you.

It’s not bad for me I’m 50, but got to feel sorry for little kids that have it because little kids do have it. There are different forms of alopecia. It’s just the little kids I feel for, not the little little kids. I think little kids cope with everything very well. It’s the teenagers, the ones who get bullied in school. Got to feel sorry for them. It’s a lot to be putting up with anytime, leave alone when you’re an adolescent and a teenager and you got all the other problems that go along with it, and then to have that landed on you as well it must be, must be pretty awful. So I do feel for those people so I suppose I’m lucky in a way. I had it when I was a teenager but it was never visible. I was always able to hide it. So I suppose I shouldn’t really complain about it. But I do. It’s just one of those things.

Nobody knows what causes it. Try all lotions and potions and all manner of things to try and do something but nothing works. You spend a lot of money on it, a lot of people out there prey on you, your vulnerable side and get you to spend a lot of money promising this lotion potion, whatever, will work, and it doesn’t. I think you have to accept that, and until you do accept that then you don’t really accept your alopecia.