My submission is about the common struggle within most teens, finding themselves living in their day to day life with constant stress and repetitive cycles. Most end up feeling trapped and forget all about their mental health resources available to help aid them when help is needed. This is to serve as a reminder that help is available, all around you and it is encouraged, not looked down upon.
Just One Person follows a young high school girl that is struggling with her mental health and is actively overwhelmed and overstimulated by everything happening in her life. Images and noise play over and over until her close friend reaches out to provide herself and other resources for support, knowing that they’re needed. This support from the friend and the kind words are enough to remind the protagonist that she is not completely alone and that she has people who want to listen and help her through rough times, something that everyone needs but can be easy to forget it exists too.
Our submission captures the internal struggle some feel from the reoccurring pressures in life. By reaching out for help, you are able to open up and break the internal cycle leading to change in your own life.
This film is about how a boy named Ethan locks himself away due to stress. His friend Emma consults and talks him through opening up and talking about his feelings.
Our submission relates to kids who experience anxiety through excessive pressure and fear. Our purpose of the video is show that kids around the world aren’t alone, trying to get the message of “Be the person who breaks the cycle. If you were judged, choose understanding. If you were rejected, choose acceptance. If you were shamed, choose compassion.” from Lori Deschene. When we mean “Break the Cycle,” we are saying don’t let fear dictate your life. Your mental health matters, and if you’re afraid, try to find the strength to gain that confidence.
The therapist represents the self talk one has with themselves when they are struggling with mental health. Something I’ve personally experienced is resorting to self talk when I struggle with my own issues but that isn’t always the answer. This PSA aims to encourage viewers to get out there own head space and reach out to other if they feel as though they are struggling with mental health issues.
Our entry follows the mental health journey of a girl, symbolized by a plant. With each neglectful action for her health, the plant begins to wither, and with each mental health prioritizing action, the plant is nourished. When a friend reaches out, she realizes that she hasn’t put enough care into her mental health and decides to make a change.
In the beginning scene, the camera focuses on the plant and then focuses back on the girl. This shows how easy it is to fall into temptation and compromise your mental health. The camera unfocuses when the leaf falls to represent how she is not yet aware of how she is hurting herself. In the fridge scene, there is a moment of hesitation before deciding to take the cookie, again demonstrating the common compromising of our health. When she closes the fridge, the scene is dark and the plant crumbles. This demonstrates, again, how she is not yet aware of what she is doing to herself and how it is deep down inside of her. In the first staying up late scene, the plant is behind the lamp and not in her direct view. However, after she starts to take care of herself, the plant is directly under the lamp light, representing how she has shed light on the issue that she has been neglecting. The green mental health ribbon is only visible and facing her after she makes the big realization. The ribbon is now visible because she is more aware of the meaning of this plant. This goes to show how we all have the capacity to shift priority if we are able to shift our perspectives.
Our film is inspiring and shows the battles of mental health that so many of us face on a daily basis. We want to show the struggle of making those decisions to engage in healthy behaviors. With our portrayal of common unhealthy actions, we hope our film encourages others to look at their own self and realize how critical nurturing mental health is to growing as an individual.
“What It’s Like†engages a larger audience by using a relatable classroom scenario to demonstrate the anxiety and otherness that is often felt when asking for help with mental health. By doing so, it encourages friends to remove friction involved in asking for help by starting the conversation themselves. It also offers ways to help reduce feelings of otherness, by removing shame from conversations about mental health and offering support instead.
The film “Taking the Wheel” is a story about a shared experience of mental health struggles between two sisters. Through vulnerability and courage they are able to find hope within each other within the safety of their car, ultimately taking back the wheel of their lives.
We want to show how depression affects our moods and actions.