The Reality Clock

"Reality Clock" is an experimental animated portrait of an elderly watchmaker as he struggles to accept the influence of early-stage dementia on his identity and sense of time.

After confusing a simple memory evaluation, The Reality Comprehension Clock Test, the character misplaces his favorite pocket watch. As he embarks on a journey for the missing watch, memories overlap with present reality, distorting his sense of time and place. As he grasps for his identity, "Reality Clock" questions who and what the raw essence of a person is when stripped bare of new memories and rational lucidity.

Old Man

Shot in full stereoscopic 3D, using time-lapse photography, pixelation, live-action, and stop-motion animation, The Reality Clock immerses the viewer in the internal experience of the character, expressed through metaphors of a clock, house, and morphing landscapes.

The inspiration for The Reality Clock grew out of Amanda's conversations with elderly patients with Dementia, when she volunteered for a hospice organization from 2005 – 2007. Realizing that most films portray Dementia from the point-of-view of the caregiver, Amanda intended to explore what the experience might feel like for the patient.

Best Animated Short, San Pedro International Film Festival, 2012