Film Matters: Please tell us about your article that is being published in Film Matters.
Ruby Ellen Hubbard: Verification of who we are and where we come from in films can be useful. However, for people who cope daily with mental illness such as psychosis, this visibility is often less than ideal and can be damaging both on an individual and societal level. My article explores how representation of psychosis may perpetuate stereotypes that negatively affect society’s attitude toward mental health.
FM: What research and/or methodologies do you incorporate in your article?
REH: I carried out an extensive literature review and sourced a wide range of secondary research from film, psychiatry, and psychology. I then applied this literature to a textual film analysis of Joker (2019). I used this textual analysis to explore how any representational branding of mental health defines society’s perceived boundaries of “us” (sane) and “them” (insane).
FM: Describe the original context for/when writing this article while an undergraduate student.
REH: In the third year of my BA (Hon’s) Film and Moving Image Production course, I was encouraged to explore an area of personal interest for my dissertation. This academic work has formed the basis of my article. Over the three years of the BA program, I had become increasingly interested in how as filmmakers we can inadvertently or purposefully stereotype individuals and I was keen to explore the potential impact of stereotyping in relation to mental health issues.
FM: What does your writing process look like?
REH: My writing is a very iterate process. Which usually starts with a broad theme or idea, for example, in this scenario, mental health. I then explore the contemporary issues related to the topic from as many perspectives as I can find. This process usually triggers deeper exploration of a particular issue, such as psychosis, as was the case for this article, which I then became enthused to write about.
FM: How have your personal experiences shaped and influenced your writing?
REH: I do not think there was any personal experiences that influenced my writing before I started out but, as I read wider, I began to think about friends and peers I knew who had suffered mental health issues and how difficult it was for them to be understood or receive treatment in a timely way. This led me to think about stereotyping and representation of mental health in films.
FM: What are your methods for finding diverse and relevant sources?
REH: In addition to exploring academic journals, I accessed mainstream media articles and newspapers to see how they represented mental health. I explored reporting styles relating to violence and mass shootings to examine how accurately the perpetrator was portrayed. Were we being influenced to think the perpetrators were mad rather than bad through all forms of media or were the perpetrators actually mentally ill?
FM: Why is including marginalized voices in research important to you?
REH: Accessing psychiatric academic journals enabled me to understand an individual’s experience of living with a mental health condition and how socially isolating this can be. The importance then is that as filmmakers we do not make this social isolation worse.
FM: What aspects of the writing process were most challenging? Why?
REH: The most challenging part of the process for me was thinking about the ordering of the material to have the most impact on the reader and get them hooked to read the entire article. So, whether to put the theories and social context first or the textual analysis first. I think on balance putting the textual analysis of the film first worked well because so many of us have seen Joker and hopefully readers are now encouraged to go back and watch Joker again with a new lens.
FM: What’s a resistance point you hit in your writing, and how did you move past it?
REH: I had way too much material and could not decide what to leave out of the article. I simply put the article down for a couple of weeks and worked on a practical film project. Returning to writing with fresh ideas allowed me to refine my thoughts to ensure the article was balanced and considered all perspectives, for example, the consequences of the film material on society/individual versus the director’s creative liberty.
FM: What do you enjoy most about your article?
REH: Sourcing and reading professional journals I may never have thought about accessing, for example, from the fields of psychiatry and psychology. Although not a central theme to this article, I also enjoyed learning about the cultural differences between England and America in relation to the right to bear arms.
FM: How has the Film Matters editorial and publication process impacted the development/evolution of your article?
REH: The editorial process has been like having a group of critical friends that have enabled me to improve, revise, and polish my arguments and discussion. Not always enjoyable at the time, but on reflection I have learnt so much.
FM: What audience do you hope to reach with your Film Matters article and/or what impact do you hope it has on the field of film studies?
REH: The purpose of the article was to get readers to think critically about what they are watching. So, film students can be mindful of representation as they prepare for working in the industry and current directors and editors can think about the consequences of how individuals are represented and the impact this representation may have in the “real world.”
FM: How has your department and/or institution supported your work in film and media?
REH: We are allocated an academic mentor with an interest in the topic we have chosen to support us through the writing process. I enjoyed being challenged to think creatively by my mentor and to read widely.
FM: How has your faculty mentor fostered your advancement as a film scholar?
REH: My academic mentor encouraged me to read extensively on a subject before committing pen to paper (so to speak). Consequently, now, when I read an article, I check out the original sources for myself to see if this changes or further enhances my understanding of the subject.
FM: What advice do you have for undergraduate film and media scholars?
REH: Watch a wide range of films, both fiction and documentary, and think about the impact. Is fiction following real life or vice versa?
FM: What are your plans?
REH: My future career ambition is to work as an offline editor in the genre of documentary filmmaking. Alongside the director, the editor is pivotal in deciding the final content and tone of the film, which constructs how an audience perceives contributors.
Author Biography
Ruby Ellen Hubbard graduated from Norwich University of the Arts, Norwich, in the fall of 2021. After graduating, Ruby worked freelance in various film industry roles such as third assistant director, costume assistant, and runner before finding her dream job in the editing department of Bumblebee Postproduction, London.
