Set Design Process

I'm not an interior designer but by adding factors from my dad's office, these are some of the elements that will be shown throughout the opening. 

The Chair 

The yellow bright chair shows elements of happiness and the therapist wants the patient, Lilly, to be comfortable. When we first see them in a room together, Lilly will be feeling uneasy because of the adjustments to the outside environment. We'll see the relationship evolving as Lilly gets out of her comfort zone and makes conversation with the therapist.

Plant

The plant brings zen vibes as I have been seeing in therapist rooms as I look up "therapist rooms" on Google. It enhances the overall appearance to light up the room and helps reduce stress. Additionally, it can make us feel good too as it eliminates air pollutants and boost moods. 

 

Casting

Let me introduce the cast to you. The therapist, Lilly, the protagonist, and Valerie are the key characters that are portrayed throughout the scene. I'm happy to say that I have discovered my ideal casting while having to consider factors outside my control and other people's schedules.

Lilly = Yael Mendelson

I'd like to utilize myself as Lilly's main character since I've given her some of my own personality qualities, and over time I've grown to love her and be her friend if she were real. Lilly will be shown as being quite lonely and down on herself in the opening, which requires a lot of skill to perform because it involves evoking a lot of emotion. Despite Lilly's insecurities, the masks are useful because they essentially hide half of your face. In addition to playing the lead role, I think I can produce the opening as I envision it.

Therapist = Karina Gonzalez

Karina Gonzalez is a family friend member from my mom who is overall the sweetest person to me. She treats me well and acts as if I am her daughter. She is coming from Mexico to Florida to visit me and  I thought this was a perfect way to bond with her and she said she'll gladly help me with the opening during spring break.

Valerie = Ana Paola Gonzalez 

Ana Paola Gonzalez is the daughter of Karina Gonzalez. Ana is the same age as me and we just get along so well. We've known each other since we were little because our moms were best friends. I love when Ana visits me from Mexico and I visit her from Florida. It's nice to see her once a year and she is also interested in the film industry so she was excited to be apart of this cast because she wants to learn more about it for her future career.

Title Fonts

I discovered font space, which has free fonts when looking for some free fonts for my title. I wanted my title, "Beautiful Disruption," to be sophisticated but not overly attractive. These are the three that I chose to focus on:

Font #1

Font #2

Font #3

I particularly like font #1 since it is organized and well-spaced, although it appears a touch too straightforward. Although I prefer font #2's cursive style, coming-of-age movies rarely contain titles in cursive. Finally, Font #3 is fairly bold, but it would look best in a vampire film like the Twilight series.

Overall, I believe that font #2 is the greatest option because it best suits my goals. Although I am a little bit behind schedule, my main objective for the coming week is to begin filming for the project.

Costume Options

Now here's my favorite part. Personally, I love clothes and kind of have a shopping addiction, but besides the point. Today we are going to play dress up for Lilly! Costume design is a  crucial component because it aids in character development, conveys the play's setting, and complements the production's aesthetic.

I plan on sticking with a budget of no more than $30.

It took some thinking and I have come down to a specific color: blue. Blue represents calm, passivity, isolation, and melancholy. I want Lilly to wear and be connected with that color as her primary hue. I've discovered some clothing on the H&M website, that has caught my eye on a few clothes.

This is a baby blue rib-knit cardigan from H&M. I advise going the sweater-type route since I want her to appear at ease. But, I believe that baby blue is too vibrant for Lilly's taste, therefore I'm willing to consider other colors.

This is a sweatshirt also from H&M. Because I believe Lilly's clothing lacks vibrant colors, I favor this navy hue over a light blue. I'd like to think that she favors deep hues like navy, forest green, and black. As a result, I believe I will buy this sweater to demonstrate Lilly's sense of style.

As for the bottoms, black leggings would be the best option because it is comfortable and it is the type of style young girls wear on an everyday basis. Yes, Lilly likes to wear jeans as well, but only for special occasions. 

Prop Samples

There are various objects that I would like us to use to build the scene and define the specific cultural environment because the setting is in places like a school and a therapy room. A bracelet will be shown to see the relationship she has with her childhood dog. I'd also like to include a set of Apple cable headphones to illustrate Lilly's reliance on music as an independent person.

Sample 1: Apple Wired Headphones

Lilly's introverted and introverted traits are demonstrated by the fact that she is wearing a set of wired headphones. We can tell when someone is using headphones that they do not care to talk to others and do not want to be bothered. During the scenes where Lilly enters school, she will be wearing headphones. Furthermore, because they are affordable, it is typical to find these headphones in classrooms, and most students probably own at least one pair of them.

Sample 2: Bracelet

Lilly will be shown throughout the opening by wearing this bracelet. She explains why she is wearing it as she views it as an attachment towards her dog. Her dog has been like her emotional support animal as she goes through mental problems such as depression and sometimes feeling in isolation. The bracelet remembers that her best friend will always be with her no matter where she goes.

These, in my opinion, were the greatest options to convey Lilly's situation as well as the way she expresses herself personally.

One of Sam Levinson's Best Work

 Award-winning show from HBO Max, Euphoria (2019), directed by Sam Levinson has caught my eye from one of their special episodes: Jules.  When Euphoria's production was over, they had some extra segments that didn't make it on the show. As a result, the show included special episodes from their characters such as Jules and Rue. These episodes follow mainly their add-on of the show.

The special episode follows one of the characters, Jules played by Hunter Schafer, who shows her first therapy session with her therapist, Dr. Mardy Nichols played by Lauren Weedman. Jules, who is just in her first therapy session, opens up to her therapist about her difficulties, her past, and the secret she has been keeping from her lover Rue. Jules keeps talking about her life while showing scenes of the actual occurrences. She discusses the transitional issues and how she feels more at ease with online friends than with real-life ones. Jules is now having disagreements with Rue, her partner, leading her to turn to her online buddies, who she hasn't even met. Jules' body behavior and emotions are depicted in multiple shots, including an extreme close-up and a medium shot, while she expresses her thoughts to her therapist.

Furthermore, because Jules did not grow up in a conventional, loving home, her therapist encourages her to talk about her family troubles. In addition to sending Jule to a psychiatric hospital, Jule's mother also abandoned her because of her issues with addiction. Since that time, Jules has continued to live with her father, relocating from one house to the next. Her mother returned during the special episode, but Jules was having none of it. Jules felt betrayed by her father for giving her mother an opportunity to confront her when he was aware of what she had done.

This special episode was a lot to take in and overall quite profound. Yet, I relished watching it as I observed Jules' personal growth and how, as a result of all she has experienced, her viewpoint on things is different from others. The therapy session gave me an idea of what I would like to include for my therapy scene in my film's opening, therefore that scene was the most helpful to me. This episode's props and costumes served as further inspiration for me.

Representation: Depression

Children's mental health is a crucial component of their general well-being. Children's thoughts and behaviors are impacted. Also, it affects how kids deal with stress, interact with others, and make wise decisions. One of the various diseases marked by ongoing melancholy and a lack of interest in once-enjoyable activities is depression.

How depression affects teenagers

Teenagers who are depressed may shun their friends and family and isolate themselves, which can lead to a larger problem. Since it's all that matters to you, this qualifies as perfectionism as well. You start to overextend yourself and "criticize yourself" for it. You may avoid social events because you fear rejection or shame. This is also linked to low self-esteem. Going to gatherings outside of your house may be daunting if you don't always feel good about yourself.

Statistics from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

As shown in this graph, we see young teenagers from ages 12 to 17 having depression. Unfortunately, it is sad to see young adolescence having to deal with these types of disorders. The article states, citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Among children aged 6–17 years increased from 5.4% in 2003 to 8% in 2007 and to 8.4% in 2011–2012." Although it is treatable, depression can always recur at unforeseen moments.

Depression is one of the many disorders teenagers go through during their years of education. School may not be the reason for it, but it sure is a factor in it. Lilly was diagnosed with depression recently from the academic stress of trying to help her family as well as balancing her mental health. Her parents seek to get her a therapist to help with her condition.

Citations

Stevens, T. (2020, October 16). How to deal with school when you're a depressed or anxious teen? Talkspace. Retrieved from https://www.talkspace.com/blog/depressed-anxious-teens-school/ 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, June 3). Data and statistics on children's Mental Health. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/data.html