14 Lost for Words - United Kingdom

Entering Institute: Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow
Contact / Supervising teacher: John Calcutt
Author/s: Maayke Schurer
Length: 1 min.

The player will show in this paragraph

A backpacker sits by a fire in the woods. He is joined by a number of dolls representing various nations.
One of them begins to tell a story. It is a very typical story, which will be obvious to viewers: A princess, a prince and a monster. Another interrupts in a different language and takes over. As the story unfolds between the different languages, we see how their different perspectives contribute to a dramatic, compelling narrative. However, during this whole time the English camper has stayed silent. He cannot understand what is being said in these different languages.

The dolls argue amongst themselves about the ending of the story. Does the princess get eaten? Does the prince get killed?
They look at the camper hoping that he will settle the argument. However, he merely shrugs. He does not speak any language apart from his own, and he does not know what they are talking about. The monster approaches the terrified princess: will the prince save her? This moment of dramatic tension is suspended like a skipping DVD, but as the camper remains speechless, the outcome remains unresolved. The others look on with urgency and panic. Cut.

‘Learn Languages.’