Hi my name is Rachel Hutchings. I wrote a short film called Fugue that I am in the process of making and shooting in January. This is my first self-funded project that I'm completing, so any support you would be willing to give would be appreciated. Your support would go towards booking locations, acquiring props, and helping in the post-production process through editing software and marketing to film festivals. Let me explain the film so you have a better idea of what I'm making. 

When I first came up with the idea for Fugue, a short film wasn’t even on my radar. I was in college in a creative writing class and was minoring in psychology at the time. When we got the assignment to write a short story, we had just talked about the fugue state phenomenon in my abnormal psychology class, and I thought it was fascinating. A fugue state is a rare psychological occurrence that often comes after immense trauma. It can cause a person to forget who they are and create an entirely new persona, essentially escaping the trauma that has affected them. These states can last anywhere from hours to months. When I found out about it, I had to write about it. I’ve always loved that short story, and as I moved forward into my Master’s degree at Pace University with a focus in film and digital communication, I thought it would be captivating on screen. So I adapted my short story into a short film script to entertain but also to look at the very real emotional ripple effects that come after someone “wakes up” from a fugue state. 

It follows Jonathan, a man who's been living in Cleveland, who is coming to Nashville for a business meeting, but once he gets to Nashville we suddenly start encountering people who are running up to him freaking out  calling him Roger. As the story progresses we find out that  a man named Roger went missing 6 months ago and left his wife and daughter behind. The second act is Jonathan finding out he is in fact  Roger and coming to terms with that and all that encompasses with the help of a therapist Dr. Palmer.

Mental health advocacy is something I have been a voice for since college. I started a blog called Pasted On Smiles to talk about my own experience with anxiety and OCD. Talking about therapy and our own struggles is how we take away stigma that surrounds the space. Therefore, most creative works coming from me have mental health topics woven in. This fugue phenomenon is something that real people experience. Grief and trauma is something that happens to people every day. Working through issues in therapy is a lifeline for a lot of people. I wanted to highlight that in my script while packaging it in a way that keeps the audience engaged and on their toes. Tonally there is a shift as you read the screenplay. It starts with almost a Twin Peaks bent, the audience and the main character trying to figure out the odd occurrences happening in the city as he is being recognized as someone different than who we meet him as. As the script continues and he starts to come to terms with his fugue state, it transforms into an emotional look at a man working through trauma and the wins and setbacks that happen along the way.

I have been passionate about storytelling in all forms my entire life. Growing up with a dad as a chaplain in the Army meant every two or three years I would move to another town. There were not a lot of constants in my life. One thing was always there as a source of comfort or connection to new friends: storytelling. My love of books, TV, film, and music (I kill at trivia nights) started young. The way words on a page, lyrics in a song, or scenes on a screen can cause genuine emotion is crazy when you stop to think about it.  Creativity is the life blood of our lives whether we are the creators or the consumers. I plan to hold tightly to my own imagination in hopes it impacts just one other person on the planet. This short film is my first step in really backing myself and reaching for that goal. I will be forever grateful for any support you are willing to give as I realize this dream!