Documentary Treatment

The initial treatment of this documentary is a rough draft. As filming begins changes may be made depending on the direction in which the film takes and events that arise and are filmed. With each change I will update the treatment through the filming process. 

Overview:

This documentary is about the life of the modern American teenage girl; her life inside and outside of school, extracurriculars, relationships and concerns with identity, the materialistic and other social concerns faced during this period of a young girl’s life. 

Purpose of the Film:

The goal of the documentary is to document the period of a girl’s life just before she enters young adulthood and to shine a light on the concerns and pressures faced by the modern girl. It is my hope that the documentary will create an honest portrait of the present generation of teenage girls and open up a new consideration of this girl by those who perhaps have not considered her fully before. 

Outline:

This documentary will begin with an introduction to each of the four girls that we will be following. Personal interviews used to introduce themselves will be intercut with footage of their lives at home and school. Filming at their home will showcase their room (personal style/materialistic aspects) and their relationships with their family members. The footage of their school life will document their interactions with their peers (relationships with friends) as well as their academic standing (focus/interests). The artistic elements of their lives will be documented extensively as the base for which everything else will surround. 

As filming progresses and comfortability and trust has grown the personal interview will place a more prominent role. Individual consideration of every aspect of their lives will be discussed. An expert interview with a psychiatrist/counselor will compliment/contrast the girl’s musings. The connection between their artistic identity and personal identity will begin to take form with the coupling of the footage we have compiled to this point. Their social lives will also be documented with the girls together as a group as well as with other friends.  

The base of their artistic lives will help to conclude the documentary with the filming of an art show where each girl’s work will be featured. All elements of the girl’s lives will commence as they give their final consideration of themselves and their hopes/desires for the future.