Long time no talk! I am so excited to start blogging again with our new upcoming projects for the A level of AICE Media Studies. For the next several weeks, I will be working on the production of two trailers, a website, and a movie poster for a brand new film. Woohooo! To begin with, you might have noticed how the background of my blog is no longer clouds and blue skies. I have replaced it with darker tones and city light to go with the mood of my film. The look I am going for is very different from my magazine which is really positive and happy. My film is about the foster care program, which is a place filled with distraught kids who want to be wanted. I originally got this idea when I began reflecting on the types of movies I like to watch. I tend to gravitate toward Chick flicks but also have been interested in psychological movies, kidkappings, and ones about struggling teens.
Some further insight: a couple of years ago,I went on a trip to Haiti where I volunteered at an orphanage. Seeing those kids and being able to interact with them made me realize how much I wanted to do something like this is in my life. I will be majoring in Family and Children Sciences at my college and hopefully will go in the direction of Social Working or just helping the victims of kids taken away from their families. One thing I learned about this is that in the past, once a child turned 18 and they are not adopted, they basically get kicked out of the system. This to me is unreal because now they are by themselves on the streets with nobody. I have tried to find movies about the foster care system, and there are not very many. One movie that closely resembles what I had in mind is Short Term 12. This movie features Bri Larson from the popular movie Room. In Short Term 12, she plays “A 20-something supervising staff member of a residential treatment facility navigates the troubled waters of that world alongside her co-worker and longtime boyfriend.” She develops these close relations with these kids and they look up to her for care, advice, and support. While my film is not focused on a group home, the characteristics these kids embrace are ones I might pull influence from for my character.
I have researched the facts about what happens to kids who age out of the system and this is what I have found.
This old article shows that the foster care system in New York is supposed to provide training for apartment hunting, finances, etc. but many don’t. Also there are some shelters available but the kids end up in in unfitted environments such as vacant buildings, public terminals, and the city’s streets. The shelters are overcrowded as well.
In this article, they mention that some kids end up “more likely to drop out of school, become parents before they are ready, experience homelessness, fall victim to human trafficking, be unemployed or be incarcerated – costly consequences that affect us all.” These are effects I will consider incorporating as a possible plot detail especially the homeless part. Later the article tells us that most states have extended the age from 18 to 21 thankfully , so to create an accurate film, my time period will have to be a couple years back. Sometimes there are certain standards the children have to reach in order to receive extensive care after 18. However, those who choose to leave because they believe they can, are not able to support themselves and end up homeless. So this is something I will be keeping in mind and will have to further research. As of now, my film will probably take place in around 2009, where the legislation that provided extended care was not passed or not really enforced yet.
Be sure to check back weekly for updates on my progress!
Until next time,
-Carli
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