My film represents the large amount of teenagers who face abuse or neglect. Although not particularly stated, many elements in my opening insinuate that Birdie has abusive/neglecting parents. I tried to communicate this idea without words-there will be no stated words in my opening, it relies heavily on mise-en-scene and actions. This could symbolize the way many of these teenagers feel restricted to speak.
When researching, I found that at least one in five youth in the US, UK, and other developed countries experience neglect, or exposure to abuse. This can seriously affect their development, and put them at risk for mental health issues. Specifically, it can more than double the risk of depression in later childhood and adulthood (the upcoming ages of Birdie). Emotional neglect is severely understudied in todays society-the lack of social support, like what Birdie faces later in the film, will impact her health.
Birdie faces physical abuse as well, implied by the bruise on her face. Each year approximately three million cases of child abuse are reported. For every incident of reported child abuse, approximately two incidents go unreported. This further supports my decision to make my entire opening without dialogue.
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Doing research on the signs of physical/emotional abuse of teenagers greatly helped me for this project. Having divorced parents also helped me capture some of the emotions Birdie feels.
I had a best friend when I was younger who often told me that she wanted to run away. Her parents would fight and try to belittle her. I would often try to support her emotionally, which coincidentally is shown to be the best method to help those who are emotionally abused.
This research will be included in my CCR questions dealing with representation. Here are my sources!:
https://www.childhelp.org/child-abuse-statistics/
http://www.sardelichcounseling.com/abuse-of-children-and-teens-emotional-physical-and-sexual.html
https://hr.mit.edu/static/worklife/raising-teens/abuse-of-teens.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/education-38132401
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.681176/full
https://www.childprotect.org/facts-about-child-abuse.html
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