"JACK INSOMNIAC"
3PRD : BACHELOR PROJECT PRODUCT DESIGN : 2021
For my bachelor project in Product Design I wrote, directed and filmed a psychological short film called “Jack Insomniac”. I designed and created 5 objects that reflected the storyline and formed the centre of the set. The emphasis was on the production design rather than the video itself. Red and blue lights were used as an allegory for insomnia; a common sleep disorder and the theme of the project. The red light is used in the rooms that are the protagonists “comfort zones” and the blue light refers to sleeplessness itself, following him around and gradually growing until it consumes him.
Despite the fact that 1/3 of Belgium has sleeping problems (including myself), there is too little general knowledge about this, especially with young people and students.
The red light in the living room creates a calming atmosphere, especially in contrast to the rest of the apartment where the lighting is cold and blue. This space feels warmer. After a long day at work or at night when he can't sleep, he sits on the couch, it's his comfort zone.
The main character is mostly present in the minimalist kitchen in the morning, after a bad night's sleep. This space is therefore linked to his mornings, just as the living room is linked to his evenings. The images of this space are very black and white with blue tones. There is a cold and empty feeling. The lid of the coffee package and the knob of the coffee machine are both red; this color is used throughout the story to refer to insomnia. The objects with red details have an adverse effect on insomnia; coffee, alcohol, energy drink, the blue light of a mobile phone, ...
The desk where he works during the day is a neutral space; not explicitly red or blue. This is the space where insomnia is least important. In the beginning of the story this is where he works and drinks coffee, but during the images in this room the insomnia is not so pronounced. Later in the video, he also begins to fall asleep at the desk. In this image, there is a blue glow cast on the main character; the desk is no longer a neutral zone, the insomnia has grown and is now everywhere throughout the apartment.
Jack has a routine; when he wakes up at night or can't sleep, he puts on a vinyl record, picks up a book and sits down on the couch. The shelf where he puts that record on every night and picks up that book is lit with warm light; it's part of his comfort zone. No red is present because there are no objects or elements that adversely affect insomnia. In the second photo, there is a visible contrast between the warm light of this spot in his apartment and the cold, blue allegory of insomnia that has grown so much towards the end it seems to consume him.
The bedroom is dominated by the blue allegory of insomnia. The room is very empty, there is only a mattress and a table. Although he goes to this room every night to sleep, every time he ends up in the couch, the red light.
At the end of the story, Jack realizes he has a problem; insomnia. He walks around the apartment and throws all objects with red details onto the floor (elements with adverse effects on insomnia).
When he enters the living room, his comfort zone, he throws the cushions from the sofa. The design of this furniture reflects Jack; when the cushions are in the seat it looks stable and perfect, when the cushions are removed the glass bottom is visible. This represents its hidden fragility.
Jack throws the cushions out of the sofa, leaving it incomplete or broken. This is symbolic of his own broken status, due to insomnia and ultimately his own actions.
