robertmannma

Hi Tarantamom, I have just sent you an email about the documentary. I look forward to hearing from you regarding it. Thanks.

If anyone else would like to be a part of my documentary there is still time to do so. I am hoping to get as much footage as possible in by the end of January so that I can get started on the editing process. So if you're interested please let me know as soon as possible. Thank you.

I didn't know that actually. I didn't even realise that all email addresses a group email is sent to could be viewed by everyone receiving the message. I will have to be sure to do that in the future.

I went to Bangor University in North Wales and found that they had a very good disability support team. I had considerable help and support throughout my entire time there with a mentor being provided to me and also equipment i needed to do my work being provided as well. The lecturers were all very understanding and supportive too. From my experience it was a very Autism friendly university.

Afraid not. In fact I've never been on a single date in my life

The project I am doing is a non profit one being in conjunction with a local community project hence I don't really have a budget and thus, unless the interviewee is local to me, I am unable to interview them in person because I don't have funding to pay for the travel costs. I am aware about needing the permission to film in places but thanks for pointing that out. Were you on 'The Autistic Me'?

Hi everyone, I am currently working on a documentary about the experiences of people on the Autistic Spectrum and am looking for more people to be a part of the project. If you are on the spectrum yourself, are related to someone who is or work with those who are I would very much like to hear from you. Currently, there are two ways in which you can contribute. These are as follows: 1) You can record your own footage (feel free to be creative and apply your own personal style) and send it in. 2) You can allow me to interview you over Skype. Detailed information about what I am aiming to do can be found in the information below. If any of you are interested please don't hesitate to get in touch. Thanks, Robert Mann MA The Differences That Define Us Project Description/Synopsis In 2010 I completed the final touches on ‘Alien to the World’, a film about my personal experiences with Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of Autism. Now I am looking to give other people with Autistic Spectrum Disorders the opportunity to share their personal experiences and stories, giving the world a glimpse into how Autism affects their lives, both positively and negatively, in order to help increase awareness of Autism and what it really means to be Autistic and go some way towards educating the masses about what Autism really is and hopefully cast aside the misconceptions that many still seem to have about the condition. This will be a feature length project that will tell many different stories and show many different perspectives, the intention being to portray not only the many difficulties that people with Autism face but also the many gifts that they have to offer the world, demonstrating that people with the condition have much to offer the world if only they are afforded the means to do so. I don’t simply want to tell stories though, I also want to show the unique talents that many people with Autism possess, whether it be in the form of an uncanny musical or singing ability, an incredible knowledge of a favourite subject or anything else besides. The overall project will consist of footage of many different people, potentially from different countries around the world and will serve to show the incredible diversity that exists within the Autistic community, illustrating that not everyone conforms to the established stereotypes as to what Autism is. Format The format for this project will be that of a feature length documentary featuring many different people speaking about their experiences with Autism. However, it will not be a case of one person’s story being presented as one block of footage with the next person’s following and so on but rather the stories will be intercut together with the film subdivided into varying themes, e.g. the difficulties that the interviewees face in their day to day life as a result of their Autism, the gifts that they possess as a result of being Autistic, the talents and interests that make them unique and special individuals and what they feel about the world in which they live (these are just a sample of the themes that will be covered). I do not wish for this film to be simply a collection of people speaking to camera from start to finish, however. What I would like is for contributors to, in addition to telling us their stories, also record footage of them going about their day to day lives and showing off their talents, e.g. if the person is a talented musician/singer they could record footage of themselves performing as well as perhaps even contributing some of their music to be used on the soundtrack for the film. What Is Asked of Contributors In the case of people living in the county of Conwy, North Wales (and other surrounding counties), it may be possible for us to film the interviews, etc. in person (whether it be by them coming to TAPE for the recording or me coming to them) but for those living further afield and in other countries particularly it would be necessary for you to either record the footage for yourself then send it in or allow me to interview you over Skype. Thanks to the company Fusion Universal I have an online platform set up with which you can upload footage easily and effortlessly. If you decide to be a part of the project you will be provided with login details so that you can do this. What I ask of anyone who contributes to this project is the following: That they tell us about their lives and experiences with Autism, with the themes/questions in the section below being covered (please bare in mind though that these are merely a guide and not something I would expect you to strictly adhere to; part of what I want to show is how individual people with Autism can be after all) That, if possible, they record some footage of them going about their day to day lives. That, again if possible, they record some footage for the purposes of cutaways in the form of shots of their home or places or things that mean something to them personally. Any artistic license in what is portrayed and the manner in which it is portrayed would most definitely be welcomed, e.g. creative photography or cinematography (something that could also tie in with the next point). That they show off any unique talents that they possess, e.g. demonstrating an incredible memory or knowledge of a particular subject, recording footage of a musical performance if they have a musical ability or even sending in some photos or film footage if your talent happens to be in the field of photography or filmmaking. Additionally, it would be greatly welcomed if any contributors with musical ability contribute a piece of music or two (or even more if you so wish) to put on the film’s soundtrack. Also, anyone who doesn’t want to feature in the film but who would like to contribute music would also be greatly welcomed. One more thing, if you do choose to take part, can you please do your best to speak clearly and precisely, or to your best ability, and leave a brief gap between speaking about each topic or theme you discuss so as to help me in the editing process. Full credit will of course be given for all contributions with any footage provided being used only with the full consent of the contributor and it will likely be necessary for contributors to sign a release confirming that they are okay with everything they have contributed towards the film being used for public exhibition for the purpose of raising awareness about Autism. Themes/Questions Below is a list of themes, topics and questions you may like to talk about for your part in the film (please bare in mind that I want your opinions to show through and that all of these are merely a guide to get you started): Talk about what the word ‘Autism’ means to you. Explain how you feel Autism affects and defines you. Explain whether you consider Autism to be a disability or just a difference. Describe the difficulties and struggles that you face in your daily life. Discuss how you cope with socialisation and relationships, your understanding of the social rules that play such a major part in society and whether you feel as though you are likely to be taken advantage of by others. Discuss how you cope with reading body language and detecting the emotions and feelings of other people around you. Discuss how you deal with expressing how you are feeling emotionally. Discuss how you feel you fit into the world and how the world views you in return. Discuss any routines or structures that you depend upon in your life and how you cope in a world that is lacking order and organisation. Talk about any sensory sensitivities that you have, e.g. sensitivity to sounds, lights or textures. Discuss how you cope with work and money, e.g. employment, paying bills, managing finances and keeping out of debt. Describe what you view as the positive attributes of being Autistic. Talk about any advantages that you feel come with your Autism, e.g. a unique ability or skill or an incredible memory. Talk about any obsessions or special interests that you have and the positives that you feel come from these. Discuss whether you are or have ever been under any medical, psychological or spiritual treatment for your Autism and whether you think it has helped you to feel better in any way. Discuss your opinion of the theory that Autism might be the next stage in human evolution and may be something that is beneficial for humanity as a whole. Explain your opinion on the idea put forward by some who completely misunderstand what it means to be Autistic that Autism is something that needs to be eradicated from humanity through eugenics. Additionally, if there is anything else related to your experiences with Autism and life in general that you would like to talk about, please feel free to do so. As I said, the above is intended as a guide. If you are willing it would also be helpful if you could say the following (with the blank space substituted for your name of course): “My name is ____________ and I am proud to be Autistic/have Autism/have Asperger’s Syndrome” (delete as appropriate there) or something to that effect. Means of Exhibition Initial means of exhibition for the film will likely be in the form of internet streaming on the website of TAPE, the community project with which I am producing this project, and also my own YouTube channel Autistic Ambition Productions. Further down the line, however, there are other possible means of exhibition that could be utilized, including private screenings for Autism support groups and schools, screenings at Autism conferences and possibly even cinema screenings. Even further down the line there is also the possibility of sponsorship, with any money generated either going towards widening the exhibition of the film or being donated to Autism charities. Contact Details Email address: autisticambitionproductions@hotmail.co.uk YouTube channel for Autistic Ambition Productions: http://www.youtube.com/user/AutisticAmbition (my previous film can be viewed here)

I absolutely love fireworks personally although I do find the noise they produce to be too loud if I am too close of them. I love the bright colours and the way they sparkle and light up the sky. They are so beautiful to look that and I also love taking photographs of them. I've taken some absolutely beautiful photos of the local fireworks displays the last few years. I even have a fireworks projector at home that I bought off eBay. It's nowhere near as good as the real thing but it's still lovely to look at and great for when there aren't any real fireworks displays going on.

I think there are many benefits to glow in the dark products (as well as other kinds of sensory lights). From my experience, they can be a great help with the sensory side of Asperger's and Autism. For two years running I have attended an Autism conference where they had a sensory room full of a whole range of sensory toys and many attendees got some benefit from them and I now even have my own makeshift sensory room full of a range of different items that I use every night. They really help me to relax and escape when I am feeling stressed and generally make me feel happier.

I have difficulty recalling much more than just fragments of memories from when I was very young. Unfortunately, my most vivid memories from when I was younger are actually of the nightmares I frequently experienced and I have some rather terrifying ones that have really stuck with me (although they have at least given me some good ideas for films). I often wish I could recall some happier memories but they don't come that easily to me unfortunately

I sometimes worry that I might come across lazy to others. I really try my best at everything I do but I often feel as though I'm not as capable as others around me when it comes to the amount of work I can do within a certain period of time. It doesn't help that I have a somewhat limited concentration span (something which isn't helped by the fact that I suffer from tension headaches) and, as a result, quite often find myself procrastinating, putting tasks off because I'm struggling to get in the right mind set to actually do them.

Fortunately, Fringe has been managing to avoid making the same mistakes that Lost did. They have actually provided answers to many of the questions they have raised and the answers have been pretty satisfying.

I can agree with that. And to top it all off they failed to answer most of the questions they had raised and the few answers they did give were complete cop outs. The ending really ruined it all for me.

These two shows were from one of the creators of Fringe: Lost (which doesn't have much of a theme really) Alias http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvtyd59s7VY Anyone seen either of these?

The openings for Fringe are pretty simple but very effective I think. The show is really one of those ones that needs to be watched straight through from the beginning if it's going to make any sense.