Celluloid Autism

A blog about autism on screen, written by and for autistics. Sometimes there will be writings on living with autism. All autistic people, including self-diagnosed, are welcome. If you would like to become a member of Celluloid Autism, or submit your own writing, please send an ask, or send me a private message. Neurotypicals are also welcome to this blog.

[celluloidautism]

Hey there, I’m a diagnosed autistic female. I am also a cinema studies student. I discovered your blog today and absolutely love it.

Thanks! Your blog is really awesome too! You can message me anytime you want to talk

[celluloidautism]

Please Stand By: Dakota Fanning Plays an Autistic Aspiring Screenwriter

This trailer was just published on December 4th, about a Trekkie who is writing an screenplay for a Star Trek writing competition. No where in the trailer is it ever said that Dakota Fanning is autistic, but my autism radar was going off like crazy as we watch her meet with her therapist (played by Toni Collette), explain her daily schedule, and try to communicate with the customers that come into the Cinnabon that she works at. 

After doing a bit a research on the film, I discovered that Dakota Fanning plays Wendy, who is described as having autism. She runs away from her care home in order to deliver her script in LA. 

I don’t want to judge the film before I have seen it, but despite the Hallmark feel of the trailer, there are a few things in there that I really liked. For example, we don’t see any family for Wendy outside of a sister, which means that the tired and overused trope of the autistic person being a burden on their family will probably be limited in the film (heres to hoping anyway). Also, throughout the trailer, it seems like the people that Wendy encounters are trying to understand her on her level. We see the therapist trying to understand Star Trek in order to better understand Wendy, we see a cop talk to Wendy in Klingon in order to help her. At least on the surface, this movie seems like it is more about Wendy and her journey, and the people around her helping her rather than trying to change her. Her therapist even says that she is one of the most brilliant and creative minds she has ever seen, which I also really love because we are getting an autistic character that is creative! Again, the movie seems to be side-stepping the tired trope of the autistic computer or science genius. 

I am cautiously optimistic about this movie. I will try to do some more research on if autistic people were involved in the writing or acting process. 

[celluloidautism]

Update: I checked Michael Golamco’s Twitter (the screenwriter of Please Stand By) and found this tweet and reply:

While the response is kind of vague, it does give me hope. Many times a writer won’t even reply, or will reply by saying they spoke to many autism parents or families, instead of autistic people themselves. I’m not sure how involved autistic people were in the writing process however. I’ll keep updating as I get more information.

[cmtothemc]

Hmm. On one hand, I always enjoyed Dakota as an actress. I related to a lot of the characters she played on screen, so I really don’t know how to feel about an allistic white woman playing an Autistic woman (is she Allistic? I don’t wanna assume she’s neurotypical but I don’t think she’s Autistic). I guess, but there are actual Autistic actresses they could have cast. Eh. I think Dakota has exhibited characteristics in films that I pinpointed to my own mannerisms. I just want more Autistic female representation. 

[celluloidautism]

I definitely want more female autistic representation and the representation of the diversity in autism, including both racial diversity, gender and lgbt diversity as well as the diversity in skills and interests. At this point, I have watched so many autistic white male computer nerd stories, and despite being autistic I just cannot relate, because it's written by allistics and it's just a walking stereotype on screen. So, I am cautiously optimistic, because it's an autistic woman and she is creative rather than the stereotypical computer nerd, but there are definitely still potential problems here.

[celluloidautism]

Please Stand By: Dakota Fanning Plays an Autistic Aspiring Screenwriter

This trailer was just published on December 4th, about a Trekkie who is writing an screenplay for a Star Trek writing competition. No where in the trailer is it ever said that Dakota Fanning is autistic, but my autism radar was going off like crazy as we watch her meet with her therapist (played by Toni Collette), explain her daily schedule, and try to communicate with the customers that come into the Cinnabon that she works at. 

After doing a bit a research on the film, I discovered that Dakota Fanning plays Wendy, who is described as having autism. She runs away from her care home in order to deliver her script in LA. 

I don’t want to judge the film before I have seen it, but despite the Hallmark feel of the trailer, there are a few things in there that I really liked. For example, we don’t see any family for Wendy outside of a sister, which means that the tired and overused trope of the autistic person being a burden on their family will probably be limited in the film (heres to hoping anyway). Also, throughout the trailer, it seems like the people that Wendy encounters are trying to understand her on her level. We see the therapist trying to understand Star Trek in order to better understand Wendy, we see a cop talk to Wendy in Klingon in order to help her. At least on the surface, this movie seems like it is more about Wendy and her journey, and the people around her helping her rather than trying to change her. Her therapist even says that she is one of the most brilliant and creative minds she has ever seen, which I also really love because we are getting an autistic character that is creative! Again, the movie seems to be side-stepping the tired trope of the autistic computer or science genius. 

I am cautiously optimistic about this movie. I will try to do some more research on if autistic people were involved in the writing or acting process. 

[celluloidautism]

Update: I checked Michael Golamco’s Twitter (the screenwriter of Please Stand By) and found this tweet and reply:

While the response is kind of vague, it does give me hope. Many times a writer won’t even reply, or will reply by saying they spoke to many autism parents or families, instead of autistic people themselves. I’m not sure how involved autistic people were in the writing process however. I’ll keep updating as I get more information.

[lavender-sprinkles]

Neurodiversity Pride & Custom Wood Art Made-to-Order!

Hello! I’ve been an artist and crafter since I was very little and in the last four years I discovered I could combine art and crafting into one by wood burning and coloring on wood.

Also last year, I discovered I was autistic after many, many years of knowing I was different and out of place. I also have many other neurodivergencies including diagnoses for ptsd and anxiety.

I decided to use my talents for arts & crafts (it’s one of my special interests!) and use it to make neurodivergent pride/acceptance wood art that you can buy to own yourself and gift to friends & family.

Each design will be wood burned and then colored in with quality Prismacolor pencils and art stixes. The options for background colors are as pictured below with numbers corresponding to each color:

There are four design options:

Neurodiversity Symbol

The classic infinity symbol design in vibrant rainbow. The lines are wood burned and the inside is colored.

Cutesy Neurodiversity Symbol

This is a design of the neurodiversity symbol I came up with! You can see the original version in this post. It has rainbow stitching marks with a kawaii face in the middle.

Autisticat

This is an icon designed by @strangerdarkerbetter and they gave me permission to use it so you can have the cat you’ve come to recognize with autistic pride on your wood art pieces.

Custom Orders (Add $2 extra to the price of any type of wood base)

I of course am offering any custom design you like with a few perimeters!

It must have a simplistic design. Anything too detailed or with too many lines is too difficult to transfer onto wood and color properly. It would turn out looking like a indistinguishable blob if I tried otherwise.

No gore, nsfw, or anti-symbolism. I will not promote anything for a hate group. I will not make anything explicit or sexual in nature.

No more than a single word. Because of the nature of wood burning and coloring on wood, I cannot do words on small pieces and I can only do one word, if any, on bigger pieces.

I reserve the right to turn down any order before I receive payment that I don’t feel like I can do or to communicate possible alternatives to your order that will pend your approval.

There are three types of wood bases available:

4 Inch Round Hanging Ornaments/Tags $6

These wood circles are perfect to hang on your holiday tree or hang anywhere all year long. You can put ribbon, a wire hook, or string through the 1/8 inch hole in the top. These circles are 1/8 inch thick, but very sturdy. You have the option of an unfinished background or colored background using any of the colors specified above. Each piece will be lacquered front and back so it is smooth, glossy, and protected. The edges are laser cut and the back will be left unfinished unless otherwise requested (extra charges may apply).

5 Inch Small Round Wood Plaques $10

These are simple and charming wood plaques. Each one will feature a hanging hook on the back so you can hang it up on your wall or any suitable place you have. The front will have the design and the colored background and the beveled edges will be painted, as per your choice, with white, black, or brown acrylic paint. If you do not specify, I will pick one I think is most suitable. The plaques are 1-1.25 inches thick. The front and beveled edges will be lacquered until glossy and smooth and the back will be left completely unfinished.

1 ¼ Inch Round Keychains $4

These keychains are 1/8 inch thick and come with a secure clip-on keychain that you can attach to your purse, backpack, or other accessory. They are perfect for neurodivergent pride on the go and keeping a reminder of your favorite things with you when you’re out. These keychains will have a design on the front and have both the background and the back of the piece colored in with the color you chose from the ones specified above. Each one will be lacquered for protection from scratches and dings.

All payments will be made through Paypal only. Make sure your shipping address is on file with Paypal and up to date or you might not receive your package. I require your email address and will send you an invoice. As soon as you pay, the item(s) will be made up and shipped to you within 7-8 business days or sooner through USPS.  Note: There will be a $2 shipping charge on top of the purchase price. It will not increase even if you buy more pieces.

If you are interested in ordering any wood art pieces please contact me here through Tumblr messenger or through email at [email protected]. If there is any issue with your order, please contact me and I will try to resolve it. I can show you a picture of an in-progress shot before it is finished to make sure it is turning out to how you want it to. Thank you so much!

Please signal boost this post even if you aren’t interested in buying. It will help so much and be very appreciated. Click read more to see why!

Keep reading

[celluloidautism]

Please Stand By: Dakota Fanning Plays an Autistic Aspiring Screenwriter

This trailer was just published on December 4th, about a Trekkie who is writing an screenplay for a Star Trek writing competition. No where in the trailer is it ever said that Dakota Fanning is autistic, but my autism radar was going off like crazy as we watch her meet with her therapist (played by Toni Collette), explain her daily schedule, and try to communicate with the customers that come into the Cinnabon that she works at. 

After doing a bit a research on the film, I discovered that Dakota Fanning plays Wendy, who is described as having autism. She runs away from her care home in order to deliver her script in LA. 

I don’t want to judge the film before I have seen it, but despite the Hallmark feel of the trailer, there are a few things in there that I really liked. For example, we don’t see any family for Wendy outside of a sister, which means that the tired and overused trope of the autistic person being a burden on their family will probably be limited in the film (heres to hoping anyway). Also, throughout the trailer, it seems like the people that Wendy encounters are trying to understand her on her level. We see the therapist trying to understand Star Trek in order to better understand Wendy, we see a cop talk to Wendy in Klingon in order to help her. At least on the surface, this movie seems like it is more about Wendy and her journey, and the people around her helping her rather than trying to change her. Her therapist even says that she is one of the most brilliant and creative minds she has ever seen, which I also really love because we are getting an autistic character that is creative! Again, the movie seems to be side-stepping the tired trope of the autistic computer or science genius. 

I am cautiously optimistic about this movie. I will try to do some more research on if autistic people were involved in the writing or acting process. 

[autistic-culture-is]

autistic culture is compulsively sniffing anything you’re about to eat or drink

[autistic-culture-is]

wearing only hoodies is autistic culture

[jigglypuffsvevo]

my kink is closing doors so that i am in complete solitude

[autistic-culture-is]

autistic culture is contorting yourself into the most bizarre sitting positions for optimal pressure stimming

[metapianycist]

light roast autism: the kind with the highest level of caffeine.

! not to be confused with light autism, which is the opposite of dark autism.

[toadistic]

Or Lite Autism, which is low fat.

[autistic-culture-is]

autistic culture is re-reading, re-watching, re-playing the same familiar thing instead of starting something new

[autistic-culture-is]

autistic culture is constantly cracking every part of your body for the release of tension and the satisfying pops.

[celluloidautism]

Autistic Voices, Community Members, And Experts Look Back (And Forward) At Autism Representation On TV

Television has largely excluded autistic people from their own stories for years – and it’s about time we put an end to that.

[clozedoff]

MY SUN.

[celluloidautism]

I feel like I could write an entire thesis on Abed from an autistic point of view.

[celluloidautism]

Most Community fans assume Abed has Asperger’s syndrome. Many of the signs are there: His inability to pick up on others’ feelings, his tendency to relate more to film and TV than to actual people, his obsessive analyzing and categorizing of events. From the beginning, Harmon didn’t want to specify the character’s pathology, but out of curiosity he eventually started looking into Asperger’s. “So, in a very naive way—and I’ve never told anybody this before—I started researching the disorder,” Harmon says. “I started looking up these symptoms, just to know what they are. And the more I looked them up, the more familiar they started to seem. Then I started taking these Internet tests.” The tests came up positive." When he began writing Community, Harmon thought the character he related to most was Winger, who had “all the defense mechanisms that I acquired,” Harmon says. But the more online tests for Asperger’s he took, the more he began to wonder if he was just as similar to Abed. It had never occurred to him before, he says, because he has always been so oversensitive. Eventually, Harmon met with a doctor and came to understand that symptoms of the disorder lie on a spectrum, and that in fact there is a place on it for people with inappropriate emotional reactions and deep empathy. Harmon now sees that he may fit somewhere on that spectrum, though figuring out exactly where could take years. When he created a TV character who relates to the world through television, Harmon didn’t realize that he was, in a sense, inserting himself into his show. Ever since he recognized this, writing in Abed’s voice has gotten much easier; all Harmon has to do, he says, is “open up my memory.” And he has learned to understand himself a bit better, including why—like Abed—he sometimes unintentionally hurts those around him. At the end of “Film Studies,” Abed offers Jeff an apology-slash-explanation for the Andre stunt. He wasn’t trying to manipulate or fool him. Instead, he’d picked a movie about two distant friends because it was the only way he could convey to Jeff how he felt about their own friendship. Abed, like the guy who created him, was simply trying to connect.

Dan Harmon, on Writing Abed

Source: https://www.wired.com/2011/09/mf_harmon/

[autistic-queer]

On Netflix's "Atypical"

From what I saw in the trailer, the writers for “Atypical” are playing pretty hard into autistic stereotypes. To show he’s autistic, they portray a socially-awkward and sexually-repressed straight white boy in high school who Doesn’t Know How To Talk To Girls. His hope is to see boobs one day!!!

It just feels…demeaning. I don’t know how the show itself will be, but from the trailer, it feels like they’re portraying autism as this one-dimensional disorder that boils down to just general awkwardness that can be Overcome By Going to a Strip Club Somehow.