Posted Tue, 11/05/1996 - 12:26pm
by Nesreen Khashan
Since Jan Millsapps couldn't single-handedly transform how the media covers domestic violence issues, she decided that the next best thing would be to use the tools of the media to create her own coverage.
Millsapps, the chair of SF State's cinema department, is the producer of "Episodes," an interactive CD-ROM that portrays survivors of domestic violence, offers advice to victims and their friends, and explains the dynamics of the violence.
The project, which began in January, is a collaboration between Millsapps and La Casa de las Madres, a San Francisco-based non-profit organization that assists victims of domestic violence.
"Domestic violence is a topic with so much support and so much giving that survivors really feel like they want to give something back," Millsapps said. "I guess that's where I was."
Five years ago Millsapps went to La Casa for help dealing with an abusive relationship. Although she is reluctant to speak about the details, she said that her own experience with domestic violence prompted her desire to help other women who were trying to escape from abusive relationships.
When Millsapps received a $25,000 grant from The HAAS Foundation, she asked La Casa to collaborate with her on the project. The HAAS Foundation awards five grants a year to artists working on projects that benefit the community.
While the production took place at SF State, the material was provided by real-life survivors who agreed to tell their experiences at the La Casa-sponsored support group sessions.
Once the individual stories were selected by Millsapps, they were integrated into the "Episodes" script.
"Every woman had a choice in how she wanted to be represented," Millsapps said. "Whether she wanted to play herself or have actresses represent her was up to her."
The associate director of La Casa, Sandra Camacho, co-produced "Episodes" with Millsapps. She said approximately half of the 10 participating women survivors chose to depict themselves for the project. Those who didn't usually thought that doing so would jeopardize their safety.
Camacho said that La Casa has worked on previous videos addressing domestic violence, but this is the first time that it has worked with this medium.
"What I want the CD-ROM to convey is a more personal view of the situation," Camacho said. "Because it's interactive it takes you through the process of how a woman might feel and how she resolves or doesn't resolve the issue."
Millsapps and Camacho will decide where the CD-ROM will be distributed as the March 1997 release date approaches. Early plans call for distribution to other women's shelters, and the creation of a mobile interactive kiosk that will travel to selected locations such as schools and community centers.
Both women would like to market the product to the general public, but Camacho's primary concern remains keeping the CD-ROM affordable enough to give communities access to it.
Camacho added that the "Episodes" stories represent various communities including women from African-American, Latino, Asian-American and Middle Eastern backgrounds, as well as a story about a lesbian couple. The CD-ROM will also be available in a Spanish speaking version, in an effort to give the issue broad-based appeal that women from different walks of life can identify with.
The interface screen that Millsapps and Inter-Arts major Julie Betts designed reflects that effort. The screen shows the hallway of a home with a collage of doors scanned in from magazine pictures.
There are 11 doors that take the user into the rooms where a survivor's story awaits them. The l1th door, called a "Room of her own" can only be accessed after the 10 doors preceding it have been viewed. It is here that all the women gather one last time to summarize their experiences. The stories use metaphorical or symbolic images to express each woman's ordeal.
Cinema major Stacey Marbrey played the role of the woman in the living room. Her part consisted of keeping the living room tidy or huddling in the corner of the room. She didn't speak a single word to her abuser.
"I was there fixing pillows on the couch," Marbrey said. "Everything that he did wrong, I was there to correct. And I was scared if I didn't fix it something bad was going to happen."
Marbrey was asked to play the part after the woman who was originally cast had another incident of violence that forced her to leave the production.
The cinematographer for the production, Andre DeCastilho, said that this project varies from other ones because many of the cast members were not professional actors.
"We were dealing with people who actually experienced the real thing," DeCastilho said. "This project was different; it's hard for people to perform without past experience."
DeCastilho said the shooting, which took place this year from June 1 to June 5, went smoothly. Millsapps clearly expressed the images she wanted on the screen which made it easier for him to help produce.
Millsapps is considering an online version of "Episodes" next, which would include voices from men abusers and survivors as well as voices from women.
