Upon conducting further research and engaging in insightful discussions, our group was able to refine and elevate our project concept. In a highly productive face-to-face meeting, we delved into various states of consciousness, ultimately selecting the realms of ‘dreaming’ and ‘flow state’ as our focal points. Our team is currently exploring ways to amplify the five senses by implementing a variety of visual and auditory stimuli. Our main question we hope to explore and answer is “Can a Dream-like state be manufactured through a multimedia experience?” 

We have drawn inspiration from ‘‘Matrix trance style music’, real world locations such as train stations and tunnels; and assigned ourselves the task to revisit films such as Divergent (2014), In Time (2011), The Matrix (2001), Inception (2010), Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), Don’t Worry Darling (2022)  which explore sci-fi specific genres particularly around the idea of alternate universes/ metaverse.

We have also started to explore different types of camera shots and the themes we want to evoke. 

For Example:

  • Teeth falling out (anxiety, fear)
  • Meeting a celebrity (happiness)
  • A timelapse of the blue sky & clouds (mellow and dissociated) 
  • Missing the train (anxiety, fear)
  • Someone yelling at you (anxiety)
  • Whispers in the library (anxiety & paranoia)

Additionally we have arranged a timeline to assure accountability and enough time to refine and make adjustments based on feedback from our peers and others. 

Key pointers from our reading this week explore the concept that our dreams are heavily influenced by society’s perception of  ‘The American Dream’ and that ultimately our dreams are heightened based on ‘what we see during the day’ (Best, 2018).

Best, J. (2018) American nightmares: Social problems in an anxious world. University of California Press. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/j.ctv1wxrw1 [Accessed: May 2, 2023].

Caracciolo, M. (2014) ‘Those Insane Dream Sequences: Experientiality and Distorted Experience in Literature and Video Game’, in M-L Ryan & J-N Thon (eds), Storyworlds across Media: Toward a Media-Conscious Narratology. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, pp. 185-199.