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I want to make a video about social anxiety among young adults. The purpose of the video would be to entertain, but also to inspire people to try and break free from the pressures of social anxiety. The video would start off in a party where this guy (Lets call him David) got invited by his friends to go to the party and David really did not want to go because of his social anxiety but his friends convince him anyways. When he gets to the party he sees people drinking, eating, and having fun. David is surrounded by all these people and he is having an anxiety attack. The video zooms in David’s body and it shows his heart beating fast and his brain is also beating fast. There is also a knot being tied inside his stomach because of how anxious he is. The video also zooms in to David’s palms which can be seen that they are very sweaty and the sweat is even dripping down to the ground. The video could also show an inner monologue happening inside David’s head. He could be saying to himself “Oh my god, what am I doing here”, “They’re probably thinking I’m an idiot and a loser”, “They know I’m super anxious”, “I’m definitely going to humiliate myself.” Then David starts telling himself that he needs to get out of the party as quick as he can or hide in one of the bathrooms. All he knows is that he cannot stay there. David then runs to the bathroom and splashes water on his face. He keeps telling himself “I’m not in danger, I’m not in danger.” Then David begins to think about dangerous situations and events that he perceives as real danger, and these scenarios can be shown in the video. He starts thinking about getting robbed at gunpoint, a house burning down with people inside of it, and many people experiencing car accidents. “I am not in anyone one of these scenarios” David repeats to himself. “I’m safe, I’m not in danger, I’m safe” he repeats to himself repeatedly. Keep in mind that all this is happening in the video while some very tense music plays in the background. So, after a while of David convincing himself that he is in safe situation the tense music stops playing and everything goes silent. The video zooms back in David’s body and his heart and brain is not beating fast anymore, and the knot in his stomach is being untied. There is now a calming music playing in the background and David goes back into the party and relaxes, and he even starts talking to some people. Then there is a rewind moment when David enters the bathroom. In this alternative scene he starts taking drugs by swallowing these weird looking pills. Then I would do another alternative scene where David decides to go to the bathroom and he can’t convince himself that he is safe. Then in the video there is a voice speaking out which talks about how people who have social anxiety, often lead them to depression, which leads to drugs, and suicidal thoughts. The voice then speaks about how imagining yourself in a safe place can make the social anxiety go away at least temporarily. If you imagine yourself in a safe space it’s going to be okay because someone with social anxiety believes that they are in a state of danger. They can either fight it, run away, or hide from this danger, but ultimately a choice must be made. The video then concludes with the voice telling everyone that these are the types of things that happen to people with social anxiety daily. Every day they must remind themselves that they are in no danger, but sometimes they fail in doing this, and there are people that fail more than others. That’s why people decide to do drugs, drink alcohol, hurt themselves, and in worst case scenarios end their lives. The root of depression begins from social anxiety and it can be prevented.
Dear Gio,
ReplyDeleteThis could be a very powerful video, and one that could entertain but also educate the viewers, which is really important around topics like this. First, keep in mind that you have a choice about how you present your thoughts. In the limited time we have left in class, I don't expect you to create an entire fictionalized video and become a professional filmmaker. You can shoot video if you want, but you can also use still images and narration to illustrate your piece. Think of this more as a non-fiction essay. So, that would mean that you might have to speak about your own experiences with social anxiety. It could be that you struggle with this, or you are close to someone who does. You don't necessarily have to speak about your own experiences, but your personal understanding of this very important issue could illuminate what it's really like to be close to this challenge. I think too that many more people struggle with social anxiety than we may realize, but have a fear of exposing themselves. If you are courageous enough to take this on and talk honestly about how one deals with social anxiety, I believe you will have a very impactful video project. As you have done here, you will want to lay out your scenes and think about how you might represent them visually if you are not able to film them. There are some cool effects tat can be done with still images and voice over narration that you can use to make the piece dynamic. As with the other projects, the key to success here will be the writing. The more you can spend time writing through this idea, the better shape your final project will take. A great idea and I am so glad that you're interested in exploring this topic.