part 6

part 6 of many...

Since my film opening will be talking about such heavy topics like school shootings, anxiety, and PTSD, I want to do accurate research so that whatever I portray stays true and doesn't misconstrue the reality of these topics are. I've decided that the storyline of my film is going to follow the life of a student who survived a school shooting, and how that has affected her life, and her relationship with the world.
In the US, an estimated 3 million children are exposed to shootings every year, and about 3,000 children are actually shot and killed. On average that means that 43 young Americans are directly affected by gun violence every day. Being involved with any form of gun violence can lead to a detriment in mental health and can affect the way the victim lives the rest of their life. A mental health disorder that can be developed due to school shootings, or gun violence in general is post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. This disorder is characterized by a difficulty in recovering after a traumatic event. Depending on the traumatic event that the victim has experienced, different triggers could set off reactions or memories, making it difficult to live daily life without being affected. About 28% of shooting victims develop PTSD and 12% reported that they experienced persistent PTSD, to the point where it affected their every day life.
I want my opening to focus on the lasting effects that gun violence can have on a person, more specifically a high school student. As a high school student, school shootings are unfortunately a real fear and possibility, and we are trained to know how to react if one ever happens, which speaks volumes in terms of the world we live in today. I want to address the fact that once a student has an experience with gun violence, they are never the same. That experience will stay with them forever, and I feel like portraying that aspect of gun violence could be powerful.



29, May. “The Impact of Gun Violence on Children and Teens.” EverytownResearch.org, 30 Jan. 2020, everytownresearch.org/impact-gun-violence-american-children-teens/.

Monitor on Psychology, American Psychological Association, www.apa.org/monitor/2018/09/survivors.