[Anti]socialized
A short film about sex and socialization
[Anti]socialized is a short film that uses visual metaphor and storytelling to explore how gendered socialization impacts our sexual interactions. The film examines popular notions of masculinity and femininity, and proposes ways in which we can challenge these norms and transform our interactions with each other. [Anti]socialized aims to dig deep into the question of why problematic sexual encounters seem to be so common in our society, and it does so by providing validation and compassion to both male and female identifying individuals.
Target Audience
The film is for individuals of any gender or sexual orientation who ever has or ever will engage sexually with another person. The film focuses on heterosexual interactions, but the messages can be applied to any sort of sexual interaction or relationship between individuals of any gender or orientation.
Strategy
I faced three key challenges in bringing this film to life. First, I wanted to ensure the film was accessible despite the challenging subject matter. Second, I wanted to make the audience feel validated in their own experiences, regardless of gender. Finally, I aimed to evoke compassion amongst the audience, both for themselves, as well as for others.
Accessibility
Playful visual metaphors and bright colours make the film enjoyable to watch, despite the challenging subject matter. Simple language makes the film easy to understand, and real examples bring theory to life.
Validation
Both female and male perspectives are depicted using both female and male narrators. Male input was sought and incorporated during the script writing process to ensure that the perspective depicted was relevant and relatable.
Compassion
The film shows how gendered socialization negatively impacts both female and male identifying individuals, and instead of pointing blame on specific people, it looks at how society sets us up for problematic sexual encounters. The film concludes by portraying a positive and healthy sexual encounter between a man and woman in order to demonstrate that this sort of interaction is fully possible and realistic.
To view a full case study on this project, visit http://daniellesheahan.com/antisocialized.html.
