My Body Is the Land A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Renée Crown University Honors Program at Syracuse University Greer Fawcett Candidate for Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree and Renée Crown University Honors Spring 2020 Honors Thesis in Film Thesis Advisor: Vasilios Andrea Papioannou, As- sistant Teaching Professor Thesis Reader: Kelly Gallagher, Assistant Teaching Professor Honors Director: Dr. Danielle Smith, Director
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My Body Is the Land
A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Renée Crown University Honors Program at
Syracuse University
Greer Fawcett
Candidate for Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree and Renée Crown University Honors
Spring 2020
Honors Thesis in Film
Thesis Advisor: Vasilios Andrea Papioannou, As-sistant Teaching Professor
Thesis Reader: Kelly Gallagher, Assistant Teaching Professor
Abstract Mother Nature is a feminine ideology that is present in almost every corner of the world; her sto-ry is marked by her ability to overcome tragedy and to provide and nurture without resentment. My Body Is the Land is inspired by the ancient legends of Mother Nature and is a short, experi-mental film about the connectedness of women to women, and women to nature. The story re-volves around four main characters that serve as archetypes for these natural legends: an inno-cent Baby Girl, a lost Mother, a nurturing Grandmother, and the all-knowing Ocean. The film aims to inspire the respect of women and nature on-screen through associative editing and off-screen through a commitment to service.
The film itself relies on an all-female cast and crew to empower women in the film industry and to promote the film’s themes of femininity. The film also acknowledges that it was created on San Gabrielino tribal lands and follows sustainability guidelines put forth by the Center for Me-dia and Social Impact. This demonstrates the film’s commitment to the preservation and respect for the environment and respect for its people.
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Executive Summary
Mother Nature has many names; in Western cultures she is Mother Nature, in Greco Ro-
man culture she is Venus, in American indigenous culture she is Nokomis, in South American
culture she is Pachamama, in Southeast Asian culture she is Phra Mae Thorani, in East Indian
culture she is Dewi Sri, and in African culture she is Ala. All of these women are bound by their 1
common holiness, depicted beauty, extreme generosity, life-bearing bodies, and the ability to
overcome harsh adversities. These stories led to the creation of My Body Is the Land which is a
10 minute short, experimental film inspired by these legends of Mother Nature.
As the director of this film I was originally motivated to tell a story based on my deep
connection to the environment. I discovered that I have associated feminine traits with the natur-
al world through my past experiences as a woman. This connection between femininity and na-
ture inspired my research on the topic of Mother Nature. I discovered that the natural world is
consistently identified as feminine across different cultures, periods, and places. The legends of
Mother Nature highlighted the cyclical aspects of life, the power of women, and the power of
nature. These stories provided a reference point for the film as each character represents a gener-
ational archetype and associates them to the natural world.
and the Ocean, an obstacle and destination for each woman, and representative of Mother Na-
ture.
Each woman represents a different stage of life that corresponds with the cycles observed in the
natural world. With this foundation, I began to structure other aspects of the film to highlight the
themes of connection between women and women, and women to nature.
The film itself is structured with a concrete beginning, middle, and end that is representa-
tive of a life cycle or a day cycle. The beginning is in the morning, which signifies birth and in-
troduces each character, their environment, and their conflict. The middle is mid-day and the
climax of the film. It shows each woman overcoming their conflict and beginning to connect.
The ending is at sunset and signifies death and rebirth; one woman’s life cycle has finished,
which allows for the others to be re-born.
In the film, the ocean serves as a segue between each character, location, and time-space.
The ocean is personified through the use of voice and close ups, symbolizing Mother Nature.
Similarly to the day's cycle, the ocean also works in cycles; starting with stillness, then building
up to a climax, then crashing, and then dissipating only to begin again. In each scene, the ocean's
rhythm and flow are used to pace emotional beats within each character’s journey.
These story elements emphasize the experimental narrative approach of the film. This
means the film follows a story, but the story is non-linear and each moment serves an emotional
purpose rather than a narrative purpose. Instead of major plot points being exposed through dia-
logue the film relies on the use of glance, gesture, layered sound design, and montage. This em-
v
phasizes the experimental nature of the film. Taking this approach, I am better able to highlight
the feminine aspects of nature through its ability to nurture, connect, overcome, and re-cycle.
The film has a deep tie to the natural world and to femininity which prompted several
non-traditional aspects in the filmmaking process. As a result, the film was created with an all
women-identifying cast and crew, created 100% sustainably, and created with the support of the
San Gabrielino tribe.
According to Women in Hollywood, only 33% of onscreen roles were women, only 4%
of films were directed by women, and only 15% of films were written by women. My Body Is 2
the Land aims to make a difference in these statistics by employing and empowering women to
work on the project. During the production of the film this created challenges with labor and led
to the training of women in new positions. However, it was worth it, as I created a safe space for
female filmmakers.
The environment plays another significant role in the filmmaking process because of our
story and because of our shooting location at the beach. As a small local project shot in my
hometown of Laguna Beach, CA, the film can focus on preserving and enhancing the beauty of
the natural world. All of the waste we generated was compostable or recyclable, we carpooled to
and from location, we conducted beach cleanups, and we filmed using natural lighting. The US
film industry generates around 15 million tons of carbon dioxide and this project aims to set a
precedent for future films to preserve, respect, and care for the environment.
“2018 Statistics.” Women and Hollywood, womenandhollywood.com/resources/statistics/2
2018-statistics/.
vi
This ideology inspired the reaching out to the San Gabrielino tribe of the Los Angeles
and Orange County area. Working with the tribe I importantly acknowledged that the land we
filmed on was originally theirs. I was inspired by the stories of tribal leaders that shaped the land
as we know it today. Throughout the filmmaking process I worked with the San Gabrielino tribe
closely in aspects of representation and through community service.
As a whole, this project is not just a film; it is an effort to build a community. Upon
completion the film is being submitted to festivals and art galleries to spread the themes of re-
spect for women and the environment. This message is seen through the film’s story, employ-
ment of women, care for the environment, and respect to native culture. The topics throughout
the film include the glorification of women and the environment which led to a chain reaction of
off-screen film principles. This ideology included the film’s production crew of over 14 intelli-
gent, hard-working women. We also made sure to leave the earth in a better condition than we
found it by doing beach clean-ups and having a sustainable production. Climate change is a re-
sult of human interaction and demonstrates a disrespect of the environment which directly corre-
sponds to the neglect of women. To show my respect as a filmmaker, this fostered my relation-
ship with the San Gabrielino tribe and helped me understand their values regarding women and
the land. The film also acknowledges it was filmed on tribal land and promotes the tribe’s mes-
sages of love, unity, and respect for women and the natural world.
With the degradation and exploitation of the environment and women this film serves as
a call to action to unify all people back to our natural roots. Film serves as a great communicator
that transcends cultural, linguistic, and ideological barriers. My Body Is the Land was created
vii
with this in mind. The film aims to spread a message of positivity and to spark a conversation
about the state of the environment through a feminine lens.
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Table of Contents
Abstract……………………………………….……………….………….. iii Executive Summary………………………….……………….………….. iv Preface……………………………………….……………….…………… x Acknowledgments ………….…………………………………………….. xi Advice to Future Honors Students …………..………………………….. xii
Chapter 1: Ideology Behind the Film .…………………………………… 1
Chapter 2: The Filmmaking Process .……………………………………. 5
Chapter 4: Praxis and Scope of the Film ……………………….…….…. 14
Works Cited.……………………………………………………………….. 17 Appendices…………………………………………………………………. 18
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Preface
The burden of creation is placed upon me as a filmmaker, woman, and as a human. This project serves as a celebration of life and as an indicator of social progress meeting the filmic process.
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Acknowledgments (Optional)
“And when you want something all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it”
Vasilios Andrea Papaioannu
Kelly Gallagher
Kappa Alpha Theta MC’17
My Family
All of My Professors Through the Years
The Kelly Fan Club
My Tribe from Home
Thank you all for your honesty, bravery, empathy, kindness, time, and laughter.
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Advice to Future Honors Students
“Time is all you have and you may find one day that you have less than you think.” This is true in filmmaking and life.
While working on my honors thesis I held a sort of resentment to the creative side of my life. This manifested itself in many ways but particularly through self-doubt. As an artist, it is difficult to create all the time, it can be difficult to find enjoyment in the process, and you may feel that your endeavors aren’t strong enough. My commitment to honors demonstrates my ability to succeed academically and is not an indicator of my creative ability. Throughout my senior year, self-doubt began to creep in as I felt like my academic success was a better indicator of who I am and what I should do in my life. This is something I must battle every day because, at the end of it, creating is what makes me happy. Find what brings you joy and fulfillment, not what brings you suc-cess.
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1
Chapter 1
Ideology Behind the Film
My Body Is the Land is a short experimental film that explores themes of motherhood,
connectivity, and love for nature. These topics manifest themselves in the film’s emotional narra-
tive and through the following of ethical, off-screen principles. The filmmaking process is
marked by three distinct phases that include pre-production, production, and post-production.
The pre-production process laid out an ideological framework for the film that included the sto-
ry’s plot, the hiring of an all-female cast and crew, the following of sustainability guidelines, and
the collaboration with the San Gabrielino tribe. The film was inspired by my connection to the
natural world which caused me to research the concept of Mother Nature. Throughout the film-
making process, I gleaned information from my research on Mother Nature and drew inspiration
from the work of trailblazing female filmmakers like Ava Duvernay, Greta Gerwig, and Andrea
Arnold.
In my culture, the idea of Mother Nature is a “Greco Roman personification of nature
that focuses on the life-giving and nurturing aspects of nature by embodying it, in the form of
the mother." My research also explored other cultures around the world and their ideas of Moth3 -
er Nature and I began to see patterns in these stories. In Western cultures she is known as Mother
Nature, Greco Roman as Venus, American indigenous as Nokomis, South American as
Pachamama, Southeast Asian as Phra Mae Thorani, East Indian as Dewi Sri, and Africa as Ala.
The women in the stories seemed to be bound by their common holiness, depicted beauty, ex-
treme generosity, life-bearing bodies, and the ability to overcome harsh adversities.
women to each other and then to connect the women to nature through associative editing. The
film heavily relies on themes and connections to the natural world, land, and sea that provide a
bounty for us humans.
As the topic was shaped and inspired by my feminine connection to the land I felt it was
necessary to reach out to the San Gabrielino tribe. They are the original inhibitors of the land at
our filming location in Orange County, California, although it is not publicly acknowledged. The
tribal leaders explained to me that the beaches I would be filming on were originally used as rit-
ual sites to worship their sun god which controlled important aspects of their life. At the filming
location, the sun sets over the ocean’s horizon. This plays a large part in the film as it signifies
death and rebirth. This notion was re-affirmed by the stories from the Gabrielino tribe as their
mornings began when the sun would rise in the East and finish when it would set the West.
With the ideology and the symbolism of the film solidified, I began to notice further dis-
parities between my story and the filmmaking industry and process. Two barriers in creating this
project to its full capacity was the lack of a feminine presence in the film industry and the degra-
dation of the environment.
According to Women and Hollywood, only 33% of onscreen roles are women, only 4%
of films were directed by women, only 15% of films were written by women, only 11% of lead-
ing roles were women of color. When choosing to direct a film that is so heavily reliant on 9
women, the lack of women in the film industry could lead to a less authentic version of the story
being told. This led me to look into feminist film theory which has the “aim of understanding
cinema as a cultural practice that represents and reproduces myths about women and
“2018 Statistics.” Women and Hollywood, womenandhollywood.com/resources/statistics/9
2018-statistics/.
4
femininity.” Feminist film theory allowed for my criticisms of the way women are portrayed in 10
cinema on and off-screen. This resulted in having an all women-identifying cast and crew for the
film, which can be seen as a feminist critique of the industry as a whole. A similar stance was
taken when considering the environmental aspect of the film.
Respect and love for the environment is a central theme of the film. Yet how could this
theme be carried out effectively when the film industry is a large polluter? It is estimated that the
average feature film produces 500 tons of CO2 emissions which is equivalent to 108 vehicles
driven in one year. To combat this, the film relies on a commitment to service to protect and 11
respect the environment. The production did beach clean-ups while location scouting, carpooled
to location, reduced waste, recycled, educated crew members, and followed guidelines put forth
by the Green Production Guide.
The pre-production process was marked by the creation of the film’s central messages
which led to the implementation of guidelines for production. The motivation behind creating
this film was my feminine connection to the land. This triggered my research on the history of
Mother Nature and also into my personal history as a female filmmaker. Prominent female film-
makers served as a source of inspiration moving forward and helped develop the storytelling po-
tential through visual and narrative ways. Moving into further stages of development, the script
was written and the production execution was planned out.
Smelik, Anneke. (2016). Feminist Film Theory. 10.1002/9781118663219.wbegss148. 10
Hoad, Phil. “Vegan Food, Recycled Tuxedos – and Billions of Tonnes of CO2: Can Hollywood 11
Ever Go Green?” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 9 Jan. 2020, www.theguardian.-com/film/2020/jan/09/vegan-food-recycled-tuxedos-and-billions-of-tonnes-of-co2-can-holly-wood-ever-go-green.
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Chapter 2
The Filmmaking Process
From pre-production, to production, to post-production the creation of this film was cen-
tered around the idea of embracing nature and women. Pre-production refers to the process from
the initial concept of the idea to the film's actual recording process. As the creator of this work, I
was responsible for the research, writing, development, and visual conceptualization of the film.
Coming up with the initial idea was relatively easy for me as I have made films about the
environment and films that highlight feminist issues before. The jump to connect the two felt
natural as I grew up in Orange County, CA and spent my days exploring the beauty of the natural
world. For me, nature became highly personal and intertwined with my feminist identity. This
personal anecdote paired with my inspirations and four years of film school led to the creation of
this story.
The beginning of the film signifies birth with the opening shots of a sunrise and with the
introduction of the Baby Girl character. Her struggle throughout the film is to connect with her
mother who can provide for her. The Mother is introduced at midday and her story serves as the
main conflict throughout the film. Her story is marked by her ability to overcome adversity, and
in this case, how she survives a near-death drowning. The next character appears at sunset and is
the wise Grandmother who represents wisdom and letting go. Her wisdom is showcased by her
descending the stairs to the beach, physically allowing herself to observe the other character's
journey of discovery and connection. The final character is the ocean or the embodiment of
Mother Nature herself. This is the element that connects the entire story from the sunrise of the
Baby Girl to the sunset of the Grandmother.
6
The character of the Ocean is presented throughout the entirety of the film to emphasize
the story’s pacing and to offer important narrative details. Throughout the film, there is no dia-
logue except for the voice of the Ocean speaking to the characters. This dialogue was created in
the post-production process, but manifested itself in the script through phrases like “the Ocean
whispered to the Mother.” The personification of the Ocean was an important piece to the film-
making process as it engages directly with each character and their conflicts. It also serves as a
pacing device because as the waves grow more frequent the Ocean communicates more. As a
result, the suspense of the film grows.
The final scene of the film deals with the physical connection of the characters and the
death of the Grandmother. For me, this ending is bittersweet and nostalgic because it is the first
time we see the women altogether. It also emphasizes the themes of connectedness through asso-
ciative montage which visually connects the women to nature. With the script drafted, I began to
move into various critique sessions with my peers to ensure the structure and themes of the piece
would come across. Then I began to move into production planning which included casting the
actors, costumes, locations, crew, and budget.
I applied for a multitude of grants for this film and I was a fortunate recipient of an Hon-
ors Source Grant. I also raised additional funds to solidify my budget and then I reached out to
crew members. Filming in California was a major challenge because I didn’t know many people
who would be willing to work on my film for a low fee. Fortunately, I was able to find a group of
hard-working, dedicated women to work on the film solely because they believed in the idea.
From there, my Co-Producer, Director of Photography (DP), Cast, and Costumer were the key
roles that impacted this production the most.
7
The producer and I worked tirelessly to secure location permits, talent, and gear for the
film. After many hardships, we were able to secure the permits for a beach in San Clemente for
free. We were not able to obtain permits for filming in Laguna Beach. However, we still filmed
the underwater scenes and Grandmother scenes there. Then the gear had to be rented and took up
a majority of our budget. We rented most of the gear through the DP and through an online rental
program called Sharegrid. The DP and I also worked for weeks on the shot list to convey the
themes visually. Sources of visual inspiration included female filmmakers such as Andrea Arnold
and Ashley Connors. Around the same time, the costumer and I worked to create a wardrobe with
an ethereal and timeless feel. The costumes were also supplied from a second-hand store, fitting
into our sustainability plan.
Next was the casting process which was long and arduous as we auditioned over 100
people for the three roles and it took a majority of three weeks. We decided on our actors based
on their connection to the subject matter, their skills as actors, and their willingness to work in
the harsh outdoor conditions. The audition process was unique because as a director I had each
person come in with an improvised monologue about someone they love in their life. It was
amazing to hear such personal stories and to then move forward in the process with group audi-
tions. The group auditions aimed to see the physical chemistry between actors; for example, see-
ing how they hugged one another or cried together. In the end, our actors were cast because
demonstrated a real physical and emotional connection to one another.
The entire pre-production process took four months from start to finish. Moving into the
production process, a schedule was created that included all the dates, times, carpools, meals,
and logistics. Fortunately, we were able to get free food from local vendors in Orange County to
8
support our long 8 hour filming days. It took us three weekends to shoot the film. Weekend one
we focused on all the women together on land, weekend two was all the underwater videography,
and weekend three was pickup shots of the natural world. The process of filming was excruciat-
ing as we filmed outside wet at the beach in the California winter. Luckily my cast and crew
were prepared for this, but we still had our struggles to stay warm and safe. Our preparations in-
cluded having a lifeguard, divemaster, and studio teacher present to help with safety and perfor-
mance of the actors and crew. One disappointment I had during production was I felt like the
camera department wasn’t as prepared as they should have been. As a result, I had to focus on
camera work rather than the actor’s performance. However my actors were very talented and
able to carry themselves. After each day of filming, we were able to reflect on the day's chal-
lenges to remedy them for the next day.
The third weekend of filming came about during the post-production process as we real-
ized we needed more coverage of the ocean to solidify its personification. This was done remote-
ly and I sent the DP a list of shots to film back in California. I then brought a Sound Designer,
Composer, Editor, and Colorist onto the post-production team. The first step was editing the film
to a picture lock meaning the visuals of the piece are locked to work on the sound design. Our
editing strategy was to use associative and emotional techniques to create a rhythm and flow to
the piece. This was the most challenging part for myself as I prefer the pre-production and pro-
duction phases much more. In the first few edits, my peers said they were confused by the intent
and message of the film. My editor and I had to revisit our theoretical techniques to establish the
women as being separate, then the women to be connected, and then the women to be connected
9
to nature. Once the edit was locked the rest of the process moved very quickly into sound design
and coloring.
The sound design relied on the voices of many talented individuals to create the personi-
fication and dreaminess of the ocean. The goal was to use sounds design to accompany and guide
the visuals rather than overpower them. The narration of whispers heard throughout the piece
weas inspired by reading feminist transcendentalist works and by my work with the San
Gabrielino tribe. Finally, we sent the film to a colorist to make the visuals cohesive in terms of
their color palette, temperature, and time of day. Then the credits were added and the film ex-
ported to its final form.
The result as a 10-minute film which I am proud of because I took a theoretical frame-
work and applied it to a piece of work I am truly passionate about. However, none of this would
have been possible without strong sources of inspiration provided by female filmmakers. Their
work inspired me to tell a story that I am passionate about and that can make an impact on the
entertainment industry.
10
Chapter 3
Filmmaking Inspiration
I celebrate the work of many female filmmakers who have created movies I admire. Their
work often serves as emotional and visual inspiration. Andrea Arnold, Ava Duvernay, and Greta
Gerwig are some of my favorite female filmmakers that have helped inspire and shape me as an
artist today. Other filmmakers and cinematographers helped solidify the translation of My Body
Is the Land’s themes and messages into a visual language. It is important to acknowledge these
filmmakers impact on the filmmaking process because they affected the ways I communicate as
a storyteller. These filmmakers inspired the films activism, editing strategies, and visual lan-
guage.
Greta Gerwig’s films Frances Ha and Lady Bird signified the first time I felt I could re-
late to female characters in a movie. I had never seen women portrayed in a light that empowered
them outside of the male gaze. Gerwig is an Oscar-nominated director which would have made
her the second woman in history to win the award. To me, her films prove that movies made by 12
women can be funny, sad, inspirational, commercially successful, and can transcend traditional
film barriers placed by the male-dominated industry. Greta was the first female filmmaker I
could identify with and her work inspired me to tell a story made for women by a woman.
Another significant inspiration is Ava Duvernay; her work educates people about social
justice issues in an entertaining way. She was the first African American woman to win or be
nominated for a multitude of awards including best director at Sundance, best director at the
“List of Awards and Nominations Received by Greta Gerwig.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Founda12 -tion, 8 Apr. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_awards_and_nominations_received_by_Gre-ta_Gerwig.
11
Golden Globes, best picture at the Oscars, and for multiple Emmy’s for one series. Her social 13
presence has led to amazing speeches, social media posts, and activism centered around the en-
abling and empowering of women and people of color. Her works Selma, 13th, and When They
See Us demonstrate the importance of representation on and off-screen through activism. What I
admire about her filmography is that it proves social-justice-oriented work can be entertaining
and commercially successful. With Ava’s work as inspiration I knew how important diversity and
inclusion was to me. This led me to reach out to the San Gabrielino tribe. She also inspired me to
be the change I wish to see in the world which manifested itself in the application of sustainabili-
ty guidelines for my set.
Another inspiration is Andrea Arnold who inspires me both through her work as a female
filmmaker, but also because of her powerful visual storytelling. She directed American Honey
and the hit series Big Little Lies which are two of my favorite shows ever created. I admire her
highly visual films and storytelling ability as she delves into the untold lives of her characters.
Big Little Lies served as an important inspiration for my film through the use of the ocean, super-
imposition, and montage.
In Big Little Lies the ocean serves as a truth holding symbol and it is portrayed in a
dreamlike way. This served as a primary aesthetic choice to piece my story’s loose narrative to-
gether. Superimposition was used in this series and my film and it refers to the layering of im-
ages to create a single, more complex image. This is best demonstrated in two specific points
throughout my film; when the Grandmother’s face is superimposed over the sea and when the
Grandmother appears twice in the same frame towards the end of the film. This visual tool aims