Writer and director Topaz Adizes created "The Skin Deep" in the last two years. The interactive documentary style project "The And", run by "The Skin Deep" explores relationships and connections in the modern age. In 2015 "The And" series won both an Emmy and a World Press Photo Award.
'The Skin Deep' creates momentary relationships between strangers through 'The And'
One of the most interesting aspects of the project "The Skin Deep" is the raw and intimate exchanges between absolute strangers. This is facilitated through "The And: Blind Dates" the interactive documentary style videos released on "The Skin Deep" platform.
Two strangers sit across from one another blindfolded. This is to ensure that the viewer can capture their reactions as they remove their blindfolds and witness each other for the first time. Everything about "The And: Blind Dates" is to do with connecting with a stranger. This allows the audience to see the process of first encounters and engages the watcher through the questions the two people ask one another. Questions can range from "what's the first thing you notice about me" to "what do you think you'd teach me?" This open vulnerability is a magnetizing factor that keeps one coming back for more.
'The And' offers insight into broken up couples, ex-prisoners, and partners through personal questions
"The Skin Deep" does not stray away from the hard-hitting issues. Through the collection of documentary-style videos in "The And" the series explores people's relationships in all of their stages from ex's to married couples to parents and their children.
Questions such as "why did you cheat on me so many times?" immediately set the tone of the video and one finds themselves personally involved in the conversation between familiar faces. From ex-prisoners to new partners, old partners, divorced couples, brothers, and sisters "The Skin Deep" has it all. Every connection one could possibly imagine is explored in "The And" series.
Some answer similar questions for example, "what is the pain in me you'd like to heal" and others questions are more tailored to their situations, "why are you proud of me?" The range of personal questions allows the audience insights into the lives of these people and often makes one evaluate the relationships in their own lives.
"The Skin Deep" has gone global and is now traveling the world to capture intimate exchanges between all kinds of people. "The And" videos offer subtitles as people speaking different languages converse with one another. Adizes is also working on a new project called "The Dig". New videos of "The And" are released weekly offering continuous and entertaining content for their audience.
