Case Study: 3 Short Films for Hypersomnia Foundation
When we were approached to create video to raise awareness for idiopathic hypersomnia, we were given the directive and creative freedom to truly think outside of the box.
Our given goal was to communicate, portray, and truly understand the feeling and truth of living with IH (idiopathic hypersomnia).
As with so many others who have never heard of this disorder, it was up to us to learn and connect with people in this community before we ever set pen to paper, camera to subject, or pixel to hard-drive.
Beth Boyce, Hypersomnia Foundation Member and Documentary Subject Extraordinaire
We began our process of understanding through a series of interviews and meetings with all sorts of extraordinary people in the community of Hypersomnia Foundation. We met those diagnosed, undiagnosed, medical professionals, and foundation leadership. From a bedrock of human understanding, we began to craft our creative vision for the three videos.
Still from CAUGHT IN THIS RIPTIDE
Our plan was to raise awareness in three different styles of film — documentary, PSA, and narrative science fiction. We began with the documentary to give ourselves a personal and intimate understanding that could inform the other two videos. We loaded up our cameras, lights, crew, dog, and headed to Hood River, Oregon to meet our brave, wise, joyous, and inspiring, documentary participant, Beth.
We filmed for four days with Beth in the foggy and refreshing air of Pacific Northwest. Conducting interviews and getting to know her, we followed her to work, met her friends, explored her town and home, and gathered all the footage we needed so that Beth could express her story, her struggles, her joy, and her wisdom. The result became the award-winning documentary short, CAUGHT IN THIS RIPTIDE.
With our perspective and understanding deepened from our life-changing experience with Beth we were ready to express and portray the reality of idiopathic hypersomnia in a different way.
Talia Dillingham, star of HEY SLEEPYHEAD
Using a helmet-mounted camera, we wanted to portray to audiences what it would be like to be in-the-shoes and point of view of someone living with IH. We developed a screenplay that evoked true scenes and moments informed by those we interviewed.
From the multiple alarm clocks necessary in the morning to the countless cups of coffee, we explored the struggles of adapting to a normalized working environment without accommodations or understanding.
Using this filming technique, we set to evoke the feelings of embarrassment from those co-workers who judge and glance at our main character living with IH.
Actor Katie Hall in THE SPOON PROJECT
To complete our trilogy of awareness films, we set out on our most ambitious and audacious, THE SPOON PROJECT.
Using the sci-fi tropes and images, we set out of express the never-ending and not-so-fun game of living with a limited number of spoons.
Actor Jay Reeves, Katie Hall, and Deborah Apodaca in THE SPOON PROJECT
In this film, a character living with IH has brought her friend to a virtual world to show him what her life is like, and in turn, the audience as well.
Hypersomnia Foundation has screened these films at their Beyond Sleepy conferences and events to much acclaim and appreciation. We are proud to produce films that bring awareness, understanding, and representation.
To watch these films, visit the Hypersomnia Foundation YouTube channel using the links below: