Private Project

Ask me how I am

A story of self-harm from those living through it - this uniquely co-produced animated documentary aims to bust a few myths while offering positive advice to loved-ones.

  • Zan Barberton
    Director
    Dropped, London City Farms, Child of Bethlehem
  • Joseph Clark
    Director
  • Zan Barberton
    Writer
    The Enchanted Day of the Erês,
  • Henna Begum
    Writer
  • Jake Thompson
    Writer
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    5 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    March 31, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    20,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Zan Barberton, Joseph Clark

Zan is a documentary filmmaker and journalist interested in themes of stigma, belonging and mental health. She worked with children in Kosovo and Palestine at a young age and was one of the first filmmakers to work in a participatory way with vulnerable groups.
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Joseph Clark is an award-winning director of animation, designer and writer. He likes to make big bold films and imagery using a variety of methods to suit the needs of each project. He studied at Kingston University and the Royal College of Art.

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Director Statement

As with all the best creative projects, both Zan and Joe got to try new stuff out and learned loads - Joe in the realm of working directly with young people, Zan got to try out lots of fun animation ideas. We started by talking to the young people and recording audio, then experimented with a unique visual approach to structuring the edit, before moving on to some creative visual workshops - led by artist Nina Gebauer - from which the animation was built.

We were lucky that the people who commissioned the film - The Fullscope Collaboration and the NHS - gave us loads of creative freedom and shared our vision for the project as ultimately creatively driven. The very talented Skillbard came on board with a creative score and sound design incorporating some of the audio recorded by the young people in the sessions.

The young people engaged wonderfully with the project, and we feel that as a result this film offers a fresh perspective on both self-harm and on the mental health crisis for young people in British schools.