OCD

In our opening we have considered giving the villan OCD. His OCD would give an explanation for the obbsessive thoughts he has about a woman and his OCD could play a major part in the meis-en-scene of the opening. Before shooting we have decided to research OCD so that we can undersatnd the condition better, which will hopefully help us create a charcter who you would believe to have OCD more. The more convincing his OCD is the more impact it has on the film. The research has also given us ideas on how to arrange the scenes and it gives us a greater insight into the antagonists mind.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

OCD is repetitive obsessions or compulsions, which cause anxiety.

Obsessions are thoughts and feelings which cause distreess. Examples of this include:

• Checking if doors are locked.
• Checking repeatedly weather appliances are switched on.
• Intrusive thoughts or images.
• Intense fear of making mistakes.
• Order and arrangement of objects.
• Repeating words and phrases.

Compulsion are compulsive behaviour which counter acts the anxiety which your obsessions cause. Examples of this include:

• Handwashing.
• Touching.
• Counting.
• Arranging objects.
• Doing things is a certain way all the time.
• Checking things are safe.
• Continuously making sure dangerous objects are put away i.e. kitchen knives.
• Hording objects.
• Asking others for reassurance.

OCD can cause people to feel stressed, anxious, guilty and even depressed. OCD is very time consuming and therefore takes you away from you away from a normal work and family life. OCD can out great emotional starin on your life.

The only way OCD sufferers can relieve themselves of anxiety is by carrying out their rituals. In most cases if people cannot carry out their rituals it just causes increased anxiety but in more extreme cases of OCD not being allowed to carry out their rituals can cause pyschotic episiodes.

The difference between someone with OCD and everyone else is that other people have the right and wrong way to do things, although they are open to changing their method, yet people with OCD are much more rigid in their methods of doing something. e.g. if a person with OCD loaded a dishwasher the 'wrong' way, an OCD suffer would have to reload the dishes in the 'right' way and wash them all over again, as they need things done in a certain way.

After all the research we have decided to use the different aspects that we have discovered to help build our OCD charcter and help build the mies-en-scene. In our opening we have paid perticular attention to the charcters obsessive thoughts, intrusive images (The stalker has a board full of pictures with the girl he loves). We have also focused on the fact he is obsessive with the idea he has a fear of making mistakes and rejection, which is the reason for him not asking the girl he has known for so long, out before this point. With the compulsions we have adopted the idea that the charcter has to check things a certain amount of time and the fact he has different images and belongings of the girl, shows he is a horder. We have taken inspiration from the film 'American Psycho' for this aspect of the film

By Chloe Barnham