Artist bio

My name is Emerson Ortíz, I'm from Homduras, currently living in Costa Rica. I have a Bachelor in Theology and I'm currently a Psychology student. In 2018 I started a project called Faithality, where I deal with existential questions and topics about faith and reality. It has been hard to get it running for a while for the lack of equipment (for the most part resolved now) and because of experimentation with the regular content of the project (still working on it). I love art, religion and science and hence my excitement for this competition.

Title

The Demon & The Self

Artist Statement

As I mentioned in the artist Bio, I have a fascination for the topics of faith and reality, also, I'm a psychology student (and a theology graduate). Therefore, I made a horror/psychological thriller that is both deep in its theology AND psychology.

I originally had a different concept for my work (slightly more light-hearted), but was not able to afford the costume that I needed (Armor). Also, my brother left and I only had myself to work with, specially because of the current Covid crisis.

How it fits into contest

The video is about the need to deny your carnal self before you can defeat any spiritual forces of evil. However, this is a battle you cant fight alone because as you get rid of the worst parts of yourself you need something (or more precisely Someone) to make a substitution for it, otherwise the demons will take hold of the empty space and destroy you from the inside out.
In the video, our protagonist is having a real life struggle with pornography and drugs. His identity is fractured between the acceptance of his addictions and the desire to overcome them. The conflict is presented in the black and white scenes with one character representing his carnal self (dark shirt) and his spiritual self (white shirt). They battle against each other and this affects the real life decisions of our main character. As the spiritual self "kills" the carnal self he overcomes his temptation for pornography. However, a demon (who is first seen as a reflection of his carnal self) influences a drug dealer to call our protagonist. Here we see the carnal self "killing" the spiritual self from behind because the attack was unexpected. We later find out in the video that our protagonist lost this battle with drugs in real life. After this defeat, we see a transition in the reflection, it is no longer the demon, but the carnal self.
As they battle each other (the identities) they shape little by little the true self of the protagonist. But only one can prevail (as a house divided against itself will fall C.f. Luke 11:17). We then find out that overcomed by his bad choices, our protagonist looses his spiritual self (now being nothing more but a reflection) while the demon has taken hold of his true identity (at the beginning of the video the spiritual self is his true identity, hence the similar clothing and his ability to overcome his carnal self).
This happens to be nothing but a nightmare from which our protagonist wakes up. He goes after the armor of God reading his Bible and praying (as well as fixing his attitude in line with the other parts of the armor).
In his study he learns that, in order to overcome the evil forces, he must not only get rid of his carnal self, but also create a new identity in Christ to destroy his carnal self for good and destroy all entrances to the evil spirits.
At the end we find out that he overcome his carnal and his identity is completely merged with the one of Christ... for now.

Credits

Writer, Director, Actor, Narrator and Editor: Emerson Ortíz
Music and SFX by Epidemic Sound
A small portion of the music is also made by Emerson Ortíz

Sorry, desperate times...

Transcript / Lyrics

THE DEMON & THE SELF

(Black Screen)

Main Character (v.o.)
How do you fight a fight that no one can see?

CUT TO:

INT. ROOM - NIGHT
The Main Character is private searching on his LAPTOP.

Main Character (v.o.)
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against the rulers of the darkness of this world or, in more common terms…demons

CUT TO:

INT. HOUSE - NIGHT
The Spiritual Self is seen loading a GUN and preparing himself mentally with his back against a door before facing his enemy.

Main Character (v.o.)
There’s one thing you need to understand before you can defeat any; a greater foe you must confront before you can deal them any damage…

CUT TO:

Black screen with the SOUND OF A GUN BEING LOADED

CUT TO:

The Spiritual Self is confronting the carnal self. Pointing their GUNS at each other

Main Character (v.o.)
…yourself.

CUT TO:

INT. HOUSE – CONTINUOUS

Carnal Self
Admit it, this is who you really are… you love doing this

CUT TO:

Spiritual Self
The things that I don’t want to do I do, therefore, it is not me, but the sin within me who does it!

(The Spiritual self looks into a wall near him and the Carnal self does too, but the latter is next to a MIRROR and sees a demon of himself in the reflection).

CUT TO:

Carnal Self
“C’mon! you’ve done it a thousand times before… what difference will it make now?”

CUT TO:

The Spiritual Self shoots the Carnal Self.

CUT TO:

INT. ROOM - NIGHT
The Main Character closes the laptop with an effort.

Main Character (v.o.)
Every day I die.

CUT TO:

The Spiritual Self is pointing his gun at the demon in the reflection after shooting the Carnal self.

CUT TO:

The Main Character receives a call and answers with slight discomfort and wonder.

Main Character (v.o.)
But sometimes…

CUT TO:

INT. HOUSE - NIGHT
The Spiritual Self comes out of the door again with GUN in hand searching for the Carnal Self.

Main Character (v.o.)
…I lose the battle against myself.

(The Carnal Self suddenly appears from behind with a similar pace and shoots the Spiritual Self with a SILENCED GUN)

CUT TO:

The Carnal self is now seen in the mirror’s reflection (not the Demon).

CUT TO:

INT. HOUSE – DAY

Main Character (v.o.)
With every battle that you win
(The Main Character is fixing his TIE in front of a MIRROR)

CUT TO:

INT. HOUSE – NIGHT

Main Character (v.o.)
and with every battle that you lose,

(The main character is preparing for an injection)

Main Character (v.o.)
your identity is made. If you lose too many that… horrible reflection…

CUT TO:

INT. HOUSE - NIGHT
(Scared)
The Spiritual Self is now the mirror reflection.

Main Character (v.o.)
eventually becomes your true self.

CUT TO:

The Demon is now outside of the mirror.

CUT TO:

INT. ROOM - MORNING
The Main Character wakes up scared.

CUT TO:

The Main Character is reading the BIBLE.

Main Character (v.o.)
You see, fighting against yourself is not enough. Jesus taught that when an unclean spirit is gone out of a man it looks for a place to stay, when it finds none it thinks about coming back to the place where he came from and when it finds that the place is clean and empty it seeks help from other demons and turns the life of that person into a bigger nightmare.

CUT TO:

INT. ROOM - NIGHT
The main character is drugging himself with an injection.

CROSS DISSOLVE TO:

The main character is crying in frustration.

Main Character (v.o.)
In other words, it is not enough to get rid of a demon or the worst parts of yourself…

CUT TO:

INT. ROOM - MORNING
The main character is praying and struggling.

CUT TO:

INT. HOUSE - NIGHT
The Spiritual Self is getting ready to confront his foe again.

Main Character (v.o.)
You need to fill yourself with something new… something more powerful…

(The Spiritual self stares at his GUN rethinking his strategy, then, with a bit of resignation throws the gun away)

Main Character (v.o.)
something more… effective.

(The Spiritual Self goes through the door barehanded)

CUT TO:

INT. HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
The feet of Jesus show up at the other side of the door.

CUT TO:

INT. HOUSE – MORNING
The main character is fixing his TIE in the MIRROR.

Main Character (v.o.)
I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.

CUT TO:

INT. HOUSE -CONTINUOUS
The main character is coming out of the room/bathroom and picking up his BIBLE walking towards the camera.

Main Character (v.o.)
and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God.

(UNSETTLING CAMERA MOVEMENT)

THE END

CREDITS

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