Camp House hosting 'Chaos Theory' debut

In his new work, "Chaos Theory," videographer Josh McCausland tells the story of a faltering relationship through music and dance. Performers include Q Harper and Erika Leeds, in foreground, with McCausland on keyboard in back.

A recent relationship was so filled with drama, Josh McCausland, a videographer and graphic designer, felt the need to exorcise his demons in order to move on. He decided to write about it, and those writings turned into songs, which he then used to make a multimedia presentation.

The result is "Chaos Theory," a 37-minute film that "tells the story of a difficult relationship through the medium of song and dance." McCausland says the storyline is based on his experience, but it is not a total actual retelling. The ending, for example, doesn't match his own experience.

"He's stuck in this loop," he says of the story's protagonist. "He has these random repetitive cycles that keep happening. It's like watching your friend in a bad relationship that you know he should get out of, but he doesn't."

The film, produced by IQ Flicks, will premiere Wednesday at The Camp House.

McCausland says he called his film "Chaos Theory" after reading a mathematical definition of the term, which describes it as "a branch of mathematics that is focused on the behavior of systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions. 'Chaos' is an interdisciplinary theory stating that within the apparent randomness of chaotic complex systems, there are underlying patterns, constant feedback loops, repetition, self-similarity, fractals, self-organization and reliance on programming at the initial point known as sensitive dependence on initial conditions."

"When I read this," McCausland says, "I was taken aback due to how well it described my situation. It's a 'behavior of systems that are highly sensitive to an initial condition.' That says it all right there. The character in the film is caught up in this chaos due to an initial condition. And within that condition there are underlying patters, loops, repetitions and cycles of fear, anger, love and deep sadness."

McCausland says he plans to share the video online and that he might submit it to some film festivals this summer, but for him, the main thing is to present it and get feedback from people he knows and respects.

"This is one project where just having it released is cathartic. This part of my life is now over, and I can move on. I am interested to see how local people I'm close to react to it, though. I don't plan to talk about it or explain it because I want people to have their own reactions."

Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.