The critique and the belief

The classes

Some of you might see me as a person with self-belief and in some areas, certainly yes. In other areas, acting, it’s growing

From the classes I’ve been doing at Brave Studio, I feel that slowly I’ve been building my confidence. It’s been a shift from blaming on the disability (processing speed) to nerves, now it’s remembering my lines, jeez, it frustrates me to no end but I feel more confident, and as long as you’ve got the context of the piece/script you can sometimes fill in the gaps.

The scales are shifting, you’ve just got to commit the time.

Imposter syndrome

‘the persistent inability to believe that one's success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one's own efforts or skills’

Mate! Let me tell you, I’ve felt like this…

Like the time I graduated with a diploma of fitness, that time I graduated with my bachelor's degree, the list goes on! 

If only humans had two options back yourself in or out, we are so much more than that though.

In regards to my acting career, it's more in terms of ‘sometimes’ “was that actually good or….”, we are our toughest critics after all.

With my Mock tape, (see below) I always seem to critique myself. However Mark, James, and Daniela all said, that when rewatching your takes, come into it with an open mind.

One of the teachers said right back at the start when I started ‘You might get 10 takes that are the same in terms of script, but the way they are conveyed, they will be different!’, and now seeing that with my own eyes, I believe it. ‘See it to believe it’, as they say!

You aren't going to get an Oscar winner take, the first time!

Representation

Disabling discourses: contemporary cinematic representations of acquired physical disability 2020

This paper explored how acquired physical disability is constructed within three contemporary mainstream fiction films.

They found:

• Films can communicate accurate knowledge as well as damaging stereotypes to the public. Disability has often been portrayed negatively in films and thus it is important to critically analyse films about disability.

• The paper discusses three contemporary films in which the main actors have an acquired physical disability. What is said about disability through the films’ dialogue, and how disability is shown through camera angles, music, and props was analysed.

• The research found that films about acquired physical disability continue to produce negative stereotypes about disability. Thus, discrimination against disabled people is continued.

• Encouragingly, some stereotypes about disability were seen to be challenged in the contemporary films.

• Future films need to be more inclusive of disability. Characters need to be complex, all-rounded individuals, with disability being only one facet of their personhood.

I think these are powerful points of interest.

Highlighting this is only one facet of a person. 

The ordinary abled human just needs to have an ordinary conversation with an ordinary differently-abled human and find out life, that’s my sole belief.

The same can be said for the advertising industry, a study said, “Market-mediated representations of disability often evoke feelings of pity or portray people with disabilities as inspiring, solely or in part on the basis of their disability.” Click here to read the full study.

The film industry needs to look beyond (or before) the disability.

Now having said that there are ‘some’ cool movies that I think break the stigma and I’m sure there are plenty more that I’m unaware of, The Peanut Butter Falcon is the one that comes to my mind.

Also, the shift20initiative movement is another great avenue. 

I think we need to be seen, heard, and represented more in everyday life as the study suggests.

My beliefs

My metacognitive position is, that the representation (environment) needs to be changed in the acting world, also the disability in general

Also, internally, I've got to ‘put in the work’ - I'm lazy when it comes to the academic writing side, I’ll admit it. 

However, I like to think that I am open to hearing other points of view in regard to representation.

As a study has implied biased beliefs or assumptions can be changed if you identify how the person is thinking.