Boulevard : a short film aimed to address and end the stigma surrounding mental illness and suicide

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Authors
Holiday, Jeff S.
Advisor
Flook, Chris
Issue Date
2015-12-19
Keyword
Degree
Thesis (M.A.)
Department
Department of Telecommunications
Other Identifiers
Abstract

This paper supports Boulevard, a 32-minute fictional narrative that follows a man named Nathan during his journey to make sense of his wife’s sudden self-inflicted death. In his battle to understand a society that condemns and vilif ies this type of behavior and action, he comes to terms with a death he feels he could have prevented. This paper examines how an application of a fictional narrative to address a societal concern can persuade change, while still remaining educational. Through t he psychological theory of transportation, this paper examines the powerful impact of persuasive fictional narratives. In this document, I will give a general overview as to why attention needs to be paid to mental health issues, turn to a review of film literature to argue why film is a great medium for understanding these issues, and, finally, talk about my methodology and procedures.