On Loop – The Royal College of Art graduate film by Christine Hooper.
‘On Loop’ started life when Christine Hooper came across an interesting quote by film critic Bill Nichols who said: “Every film is a documentary”. He argues that every film, even the most whimsical of fictions, gives evidence of it’s director. From the culture they were brought up in to their personal experiences, it is played out within their work. So Christine Hooper decided to make a film drawing on her personal experiences – to give a feel of authenticity but not be restrained by the documentary format. One thing Christine had a lot of experience of was insomnia, so she chose that as the theme.
The aesthetic was inspired by David Hockney’s photomontages. Christine Hooper explored using split visuals within her BA work and wished to develop this technique further. She wanted to give a cubist feel, to have both a layering of time and to create a visual representation of fractured thoughts.
Susan Calman (BBC Have I Got News For You, QI, Channel 4 Fresh Meat) was her first choice for the voice over. Christine had read many articles Susan Calman had written about struggling with insomnia and knew she would give the film a sense of authenticity and much needed humour. Luckily she said yes and was happy to be paid in tea and biscuits.
