Film Sleepy: Where Anything Can Happen But Usually Doesn't

Dec. 6, 2010 — -- Sondra Lowell, CEO of Film Sleepy Inc and inventor of the film sleepy genre, didn't do so well in her film classes at UCLA.

"I decided that I was going to be a screenwriter because I lost my job as a tap dancing newscaster on the radio – I sang and tap-danced the news – so I decided to take some screenwriting classes. I decided I'd become a screenwriter because in LA that's pretty much what you do when you lose your job and you don't know what else to do," said Lowell.

But according to her teachers, Lowell wasn't destined to become a screenwriter. "I thought I was coming up with some great plots but the teacher would say, 'No, that's not a story,'" said Lowell. "I wrote my stories and took them to screen writing clubs, but no matter what I did, I was getting the same reviews – my stories were putting everyone to sleep. At first I took this as bad thing, but then I realized I have this unique ability. If you can't do the right thing, then maybe if you go whole hog for what you can do and what you're good at, you can be the best at what you do."

Lowell began making movies with the intention of putting people to sleep. It took only eight days to shoot her first film, Webcammurder.com, in 2001. But "for some reason, it took me five years to edit this boring movie," Lowell said. Four years after it came out, it has finally gotten the attention she believes it deserves.

In the "About Us" section of Webcammurder.com, Sondra explains the website's goal: "We feel your boredom. And we want to do something about it. Like force you to sit through our movie. Well, not force. More like make you sit through it for your own good. You know you need a rest. That's why we don't want to stress you out with a lot of action. Or a plot. Or character arcs or any of that other stuff you learned in film school. That's our mission. Not to disturb your sleep."

But doctors do not agree with Lowell's approach, pointing out that there is to be no outside stimulation to interfere with your sleep, assuming a person is healthy. "UNREAL!" wrote Dr. Joyce Walsleben, an associate professor of medicine at NYU and a leading expert in the field, in an email."Off the top of my head it's NO, NO NO - No TV, No sound, No interference....close your eyes in the dark and you will sleep." But Lowell believes her invention is not only an artform, but one with health benefits.

"It's definitely a sleep aid. It's non-chemical, non-addictive; it's something that is going to benefit society," said Lowell. "It benefits people's health because people are not getting enough sleep. You're connected to everyone all the time, this is supposed to take you out of the 24/7 connection." Ironically, it's accessed through the internet.