A Close(r) Read: Fantasy as Escape
Book TrailersMar 30
A quick survey of popular culture makes it clear that fantasy as a genre has come to mean fantasy ‘the fantastical.’ Tales of boy wizards and dragon-princesses and jewelry-obsessed small men take up the bulk of our big-budget blockbusters in the category. Yet fantasy in its truest form is an escape, a dream, a fiction, at times divorced from reality, but often spawned by it.Author Jane Alvey Harris’ My Myth trilogy explores this intersection between the real and the fantastic, specifically that which is anchored by trauma. Her book, Riven, explicitly links Emily’s trauma to her construction of the Fae Realm.With the release of the second volume, Secret Keeper, Harris continues to explore how we as humans have the immense capacity to construct hidden internal worlds, and how — under pressure of fear and stress — we can teeter on the brink of being consumed by them.Interestingly enough, Harris defines her novel not as ‘Fantasy’ but as ‘Psychological Thriller,’ as she reveals in an exclusive interview with Film 14. This is exemplified by the trailer’s choice of aesthetic — clean, sans-serif font. No swirly script or gilded crowns here — this type of fantasy has a place in the modern consciousness, and is perfectly at home in the here and now.
Behind The Scenes: On the set of SECRET KEEPER by Jane Alvey Harris.Director Nell Teare and Editor Max Rozen purposefully kept the presence of Secret Keeper’s faerie world to a minimum, focusing instead on Emily’s mental struggle, with scenes of hospitalization and therapy interspersed with evidence of self-harm.
However, accompanying these objective depictions of reality are brief abstractions — black ink runs down Emily’s face, her love interest Gabe cuts through a faceless crowd, bridging the sterile, outward-facing world of clinical mental health to the invisible (but not unreal) problems it seeks to treat…and exposing the discrepancy and tension between the two.
And then, in stark contrast, we see the power and mystery of Emily’s imagination.
Fiction provides distance (and therefore, space) to reflect on reality. At the same time, it is a mirror that distorts when seen up close. How have you used fantasy and internal worlds in your writing? Or characters who struggle with trauma? What about any pieces of lore you’ve repurposed lately? Let us know!Secret Keeper is now available to buy on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. To find out more about the My Myth Trilogy, visit Jane’s website here.Questions, comments, or just want to chat? Tweet us at @Film14Tweets or hit us up at film-14.com for more insights into our author services, trailer making, and the trailer creator process.
A quick survey of popular culture makes it clear that fantasy as a genre has come to mean fantasy ‘the fantastical.’ Tales of boy wizards and dragon-princesses and jewelry-obsessed small men take up the bulk of our big-budget blockbusters in the category. Yet fantasy in its truest form is an escape, a dream, a fiction, at times divorced from reality, but often spawned by it.Author Jane Alvey Harris’ My Myth trilogy explores this intersection between the real and the fantastic, specifically that which is anchored by trauma. Her book, Riven, explicitly links Emily’s trauma to her construction of the Fae Realm.With the release of the second volume, Secret Keeper, Harris continues to explore how we as humans have the immense capacity to construct hidden internal worlds, and how — under pressure of fear and stress — we can teeter on the brink of being consumed by them.Interestingly enough, Harris defines her novel not as ‘Fantasy’ but as ‘Psychological Thriller,’ as she reveals in an exclusive interview with Film 14. This is exemplified by the trailer’s choice of aesthetic — clean, sans-serif font. No swirly script or gilded crowns here — this type of fantasy has a place in the modern consciousness, and is perfectly at home in the here and now.Behind The Scenes: On the set of SECRET KEEPER by Jane Alvey Harris.Director Nell Teare and Editor Max Rozen purposefully kept the presence of Secret Keeper’s faerie world to a minimum, focusing instead on Emily’s mental struggle, with scenes of hospitalization and therapy interspersed with evidence of self-harm.However, accompanying these objective depictions of reality are brief abstractions — black ink runs down Emily’s face, her love interest Gabe cuts through a faceless crowd, bridging the sterile, outward-facing world of clinical mental health to the invisible (but not unreal) problems it seeks to treat…and exposing the discrepancy and tension between the two.And then, in stark contrast, we see the power and mystery of Emily’s imagination.Fiction provides distance (and therefore, space) to reflect on reality. At the same time, it is a mirror that distorts when seen up close. How have you used fantasy and internal worlds in your writing? Or characters who struggle with trauma? What about any pieces of lore you’ve repurposed lately? Let us know!Secret Keeper is now available to buy on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. To find out more about the My Myth Trilogy, visit Jane’s website here.Questions, comments, or just want to chat? Tweet us at @Film14Tweets or hit us up at film-14.com for more insights into our author services, trailer making, and the trailer creator process.
No comments have been added yet.
