Strawberry Week

SUMMARY: Focusing on two women’s experiences of menstruation, this documentary highlights periods as they are in society: natural, uncomfortable and taboo. Titled ‘Strawberry Week’, a common replacement name for periods in Europe.

PROCESS: In creating ‘Strawberry Week’, I first sourced inspiration from films like ‘Period. End of Sentence’ (2018) and ’20th Century Women’ (2016), looking at how both films looked at mentions of menstruation. As well as this, a lot of my inspiration was sourced from what I already knew: that periods were not represented much in media and were a shameful, uncomfortable topic. This was the driver in making this project. The filming process included a Zoom call with my interviewee/friend, in which I directed her and my friend’s sister recorded and sent me the clips, and last-minute filming outdoors following the easing of restrictions. I also added an animation-style sequence and stop-motion sequence, as well as sourced archival footage that could relate to my topic. When it came to editing my final project, taking on feedback given from a one-minute draft, I was able to add some colourisation to my clips; video transitions and audio effects.

WHAT I GOT OUT OF IT: What I got out of creating ‘Strawberry Week’ was to think outside the box. I’m still learning and refining my filmmaking skills, though I’m satisfied with what I have created. I would say the most important thing I learnt was how important it is to be inspired by others’ works, as I feel I was throughout the course and from watching classmates and course material films.