Copper

I originally developed Copper as a concept depicting the unique relationship between a living statue and their interactive spectator. Once I met Rahui Lee, a nine-year-old Deaf boy, I was convinced he would be perfect for the role of the child observer in this film. It therefore seemed logical to bring in to the script some of the social issues surrounding the acceptance of Deaf people when they are born into New Zealand families.

Through strong visuals I used the filmic medium to help an audience understand what it is like to be Deaf, and also the fear and wonder one can have when approaching a Living Statue. With these two ideas, a main theme of communication, or lack thereof, became apparent. Deaf people have described watching hearing people speak as being like “chewing gum”, because they cannot comprehend what they are saying. We tried to emulate this through the soundtrack, by having periods of silence where we can only see what the hearing characters are saying, not hear. We also utilised NZ Sign to show what a beautiful language it is they communicate through.

By having three juxtaposing main characters in our story, therefore, we have tried to grasp the realities of how Deaf people grow up, how they can overcome their problems, and how they can bring families together. It has been a great privilege to direct this distinctive film and hope that its message and themes comes across to audiences.