Affliction – Experimentation, References, & Research
Final Year Project ResearchExperimentation
Story
A key area for experimentation in Affliction was presenting specific plot and story elements. This included Blair’s condition and how it manifests (physical appearance, symptoms), the method used to identify witches (marks on the body, torture methods), and how we would end the story. Mark-Antony and I debated each of these and experimented with different approaches between drafts to see what resonated and worked and what didn’t for the story.
Blair’s Condition
Blair’s condition was one of the most critical decisions for Affliction. We wanted to choose a physically observable condition, one with symptoms that were thought to resemble witchcraft. Through research and various suggestions, we decided upon epilepsy, as there was – and still is – a stigma surrounding those who experience epileptic fits or seizures. Although film and television are partially responsible for the continued stigmatisation of epilepsy, we wanted to lean into and play against that stigma with Blair.
Blair saves Mavis from the witch hunt at the end of Affliction because she uses the stigma that the townsfolk have against her condition to convince them that she is the witch they accuse her of being. Blair is not presented as a victim of her epilepsy. Through her defiance and will to protect Mavis, Blair takes action to preserve the person that matters most to her.
Identification of Witches
Another aspect that needed historical research was the method of identification of witches. Several methods from the witch trials of varying degrees of extremity and violence exist – these included drowning, stoning, marks on the eye, looking for a third nipple, or demonic marks on the body. Still, ultimately, I thought the more haunting, scarier method was the one we do not see but only hear from the perspective of Blair/Mavis.
This decision was also made with practicality and production logistics in mind. Given a much larger budget and crew, Affliction could lean into these historically accurate and documented procedures. Still, on a graduate film level, it is mainly impractical and poses a risk to the cast and crew.
Ending of Affliction
There were many proposed endings for Affliction, each drastically changing the emotional beat and majorly affecting characterisation. The initial intention was for Blair to die at the end as an acknowledgement of what realistically would have happened to her during that historical period. In our latest draft, Blair’s demise is implied as a sacrifice for Mavis to escape to the Highlands with her aunt. This made the most sense for Blair’s character as everything she does is motivated by a desire to protect and shield Mavis from their father, the reverend, and the witch-hunts.
References
The Witch
The Witch is a reference for a film depicting themes similar to Affliction. It covers themes of exile, hysteria, religious fervour, and the persecution of witches, which are vital plot themes for Affliction. Although The Witch is a folk and religious horror film, I appreciate several elements from it that I intend to incorporate into Affliction.
The forest is treated like a character and has a foreboding presence throughout the film, containing the source of darkness and horror within. The forest in The Witch kills one of the children and, from that point on, is feared by the characters. In Affliction, the forest is similarly mistrusted and is where Reverend Sherman and Andrew believe the source of evil witchcraft emanates from, demanding Blair take them to find it.
Little Women
Little Women is a reference for character studies and sibling/sister dynamics through Jo and Amy for Blair and Mavis, respectively.
Little Women depicts the lives of four sisters, alike yet different, as they grow into young women and experience similar cultural and societal pressures as Blair and Mavis, who lived centuries before the 1860s setting of Little Women. Jo and Amy share an unshakeable sisterly love for each other, tested throughout the film by their different worldviews and ambitions, the same as Blair and Mavis. The conflict and tension between Jo and Amy regarding their opposing perspectives was precisely what I wanted to achieve with Blair and Mavis.
The First Omen
The First Omen was a reference suggested by Mark-Antony for the cinematography of Affliction. The First Omen expertly utilises religious iconography as a source of horror in the frame, which I wanted to emulate in Affliction during church scenes. Below are some examples from The First Omen.
Research
A lot of different research went into Affliction. As Affliction is a historical drama, we had to research the 16th and 17th centuries in Scotland and what culture and society were like during that period. A fundamental discovery was the domination of Protestantism over Catholicism in Scotland during the witch trials. We researched identification methods for witches, chronic illnesses that we could realistically depict on-screen (and how they were perceived historically), and collated information about the 16th century and infamous witch-hunts from 1563 to 1736.
The Scottish Witch Trial Museum
The first museum dedicated to the Scottish witch trials opened in Leven, Fife, in September 2024. I wanted us to take a group trip to visit the museum, learn about local histories, and create an authentic story representing lived experiences.
Above are some of the contraptions used on women persecuted as witches, which I would’ve liked to incorporate into Affliction through our costume and production design.
Erica Monde – “There’s Not Much We Can Do” (SDI Bridging the Gap)
At ShortScape Film Festival, I watched Erica Monde’s “There’s Not Much We Can Do” documentary, documenting her diagnosis experience with endometriosis through a visual exploration of the invasive Japanese knotweed.
The imagery moved me in tandem with the voiceover talking about endometriosis. I wanted to reach out to Erica to discuss her filmmaking process and how she represents a chronic illness through non-traditional, metaphorical visuals.
Witch – BBC Sounds
My friend Eva recommended the BBC Sounds Witch podcast by India Rakusen. This podcast covers a wide range of topics related to historical and modern witchcraft. It is a fantastic resource for a film like Affliction, which I wanted to resonate with modern audiences even though it was a period drama set in the 16th century.
Episode 3 focuses on misconceptions about witchcraft that still exist in Edinburgh.
