Franz (Film) – Short text

Franz is a short film about a speculative therapy set in the near future. The film explores themes and topics which are relevant to how mental illness is diagnosed and treated today through a conversation between a patient and clinician.
The film follows this dialogue as the guiding story, with the visuals filling in the larger world surrounding the issue, from the thought process of the patient, as he converses with the clinician about his diagnosis, life and the upcoming treatment.

Franz (Machine) – Short text

Franz is a speculative therapy machine that uses a mixture of meditation, audio therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and hypnagogic light therapy. Speculating around the topic of the diagnosis and treatment of depression, it aims to invite the viewer to experience this fictional future therapy, whilst also raising questions about popular practices, ideas, and beliefs with regards to depression.

Franz (project overview)

The Franz project has taken a few different forms and outcomes, some planned and some unplanned. Initially the project was to be a performative and interactive installation that invited the viewer to step into the world of this speculative therapy, and experience first hand some parallels with the treatment and diagnosis of depression, and other mental illness, today.

Due to corona however, this was not to be, as an inclusive and interactive environment doesn’t fit well with the rules incurred through this pandemic. Therefore this developed first into a fully speculative therapy machine brought to life through semi-realistic 3D renders. This then developed fully into a story surrounding this treatment and the near-future world where it is based.

Both of these fit into a larger project/collection that I will continue developing called Zoo for You, which will continue to ask questions about the world in which we have created for ourselves and the mental issues that may have arisen as a result of this.

Franz (Film) film

Franz (Machine) 3D renders