An Exclusive Interview with The Connected Baby Filmmaker
Exclusive Interview with The Connected Baby Filmmaker
Lisa Reagan was privileged to interview Dr. Suzanne Zeedyk, a neuroscientist from the University of Dundee, on her new documentary film, The Connected Baby. The film shows the magnificent and overlooked nuanced ways babies are constantly communicating and trying to connect with caretakers. The neuroscience presented in the film shows that this need for interaction in the first three years is the basis for proper brain development. The consequences of babies not getting their need for connection to grow and thrive are well documented in the skyrocketing rates of depression and dysfunction in industrialized cultures. As Dr. Zeedyk shares, The Connected Baby has been used as the basis for communities to rethink their approach to child development, childcare and social violence prevention, as well as for mothers in post-partum recovery groups. Visit the film at www.theconnectedbaby.org.
Life Through a Lens: The Making of The Connected Baby
Three years ago, Jonathan Robertson, a Scottish-based independent film-maker, and I embarked on a little journey. We had been successful in gaining funding from the British Psychological Society’s Public Engagement Fund. The plan was to make a small film that disseminated some of the findings of developmental science about babies’ innate capacity to relate to other people. We envisioned demonstrating these insights by filming activities that are part of the every-day lives of babies and their carers, including nappy changing, building block towers, becoming separated in different rooms, teasing and waving goodbye.
“The emphasis from the beginning was on intimacy, watching the everyday behaviour of infants,” recalls Jonathan. “But I had filmed it in such a way that Suzanne could comment in detail on the interaction. Suddenly potentially banal, everyday footage came alive. My filming, combined with Suzanne’s narrative, somehow became partners in an extraordinary ‘conversation’.”
From my own perspective, it was Jonathan’s penchant for slowing down, and even freeze-framing, the exchanges between babies and their partners – parents, grandparents, siblings, strangers – that gave me time and space in my narration to draw attention to the many nuances of interaction that so often go overlooked.
The DVD is now set for distribution during October, and we have already been overwhelmed with requests. The original funding allowed us to distribute a set number for free. Thanks to the Scottish Launch in June, and some short pieces in a few publications, those copies may well be gone before we even reach distribution date! So we’ve decided that, very soon, we will have a version of the film available for purchase, and we’re planning for it to available in NTSC as well as PAL formats.
So what impact do we hope the connected baby will have? The main hope is that the film will help to make viewers more aware – and a little bit more curious – about babies’ experience. On a wider scale, we hope the film will contribute to the growing political awareness of the importance of the early years. The economics are now clear: nurturing the young saves society money – in both the short term and the long term.
Colwyn Trevarthen, Emeritus Professor of Child Psychology and Psychobiology at the University of Edinburgh, puts it this way in his interview for the film: “Any community that focuses on its children is going to solve other problems.” He then takes it a step further, laughing as he adds: “Treating babies sensitively and appreciatively is good for prime ministers.”
We also hope that everyone who engages with young children will take heart when they see the significance of their every day role illuminated on the Big Screen. Sara Watkin, mother of Noah and Sandy, said, after she saw the film at its Scottish Launch: “Western Society has devalued women’s role as carers but the film shows you that the ability to connect to your baby and respond to his needs brings pleasure, identity and self-worth. It’s a wonderful depiction of how we can grow to love and trust one another.”
You can now find information on how to order future copies and details of forthcoming screenings at www.theconnectedbaby.org.
The Connected Baby Trailer
Article by Lisa Reagan
Lisa Reagan is the Executive Editor for Kindred Community, and the co-founder and past president of Families for Conscious Living. She is currently the associate editor for Pathways to Family Wellness magazine and the parent representative on the board of di... read more
Article by Suzanne Zeedyk, PhD
For the past 25 years, I’ve been an academic researcher, studying babies’ innate ability to communicate and connect with other people. I have loved what the field of Developmental Psychology has taught me – why it is that a child’s earliest years have such a profound effect on their later years, including their emotional security, their trust in other... read more
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