Devil The Room: An Exploration of Sleep Paralysis. (360G-Wellcome-100367_Z_12_Z)

Experienced by around 40-50% of people at some point in their lives, for some people sleep paralysis is a regular occurrence. The sensation of waking to a state of consciousness but complete paralysis of the body can be frightening enough, but is often accompanied by terrifying hypnogogic hallucinations. Historically the experience has been attributed to paranormal phenomena and the legacy from this remains today, despite scientific discovery disproving these mistaken interpretations. This p roject (working title: Devil In The Room) is focused around the production and distribution of a short mixed-media film exploring sleep the phenomenon of sleep paralysis. The film will be the result of the collaboration between an artist-filmmaker, a collective of creative technologists and two scientists. The theme will be further explored through a public event and a permanent web resource. The film will be a poetic documentary, combining scientific and cultural information with a potent and c hanging atmosphere. Innovative set design and animation techniques will be mixed with traditional live action filmmaking to create an eerie, effective mood. In this way the film will move smoothly and subtly between different representations of reality - echoing the eerie realness of a sleep paralysis experience. Tropes from horror and paranormal genre films will also be introduced and critiqued, exploring the theory that sleep paralysis is responsible for many seemingly paranormal experiences.