Have someone holding a menu while sitting at a restaurant with a friend

1. Focus on the menu

   1. Show a calorie range on each food item - creates implicit uncertainty and lack of control (leaving calories of food item up to the restaurant, not the customer)

2. Have the laughing conversation between protagonist and friend be blurred and warped to create a dreamy vibe

   1. Shows that this lighthearted conversation is a facade - the protagonist in reality is going through deep implicit turmoil

3. Create juxtaposition between the subject and the background

   1. People in the background are not the focus but they aren’t warped - this is because their lightheartedness is genuine

   2. Creates this feeling of isolation for the protagonist - they are the only one going through this

Have someone looking at a bowl of cereal BUT ghost of their past self is looking over them

1. Use photoshop to create the ghost - scale it up to be larger than the protagonist to create a power imbalance

2. Have the box of cereal be in the background - have everything slightly blurred except for the sugar content (have this part glow to pop out more)

Have someone eat donuts while scrolling on their phone

1. Focus on the donut and eating - that is the subject

2. In the background - not the subject but still visible with a slight glow:

   1. Show tissues in the trash can from crying

   2. Show torn up letters on the ground and near the trash

3. Signify using food as a tool to cope - attempt to control feelings with pleasure over uncontrollable misery

Photograph people at Leonard Park interacting with each other

1. How kids interact with one another on the Playground - take close shots to zero-in on emotions, facial expressions

2. How parents interact on benches watching their kids - pay attention to body language

School cafeteria/library

1. Some wider shots of different tables/friend groups - for some, blur the others to zero in on one table and even more specifically one person

2. Close ups focusing on facial expressions, body language, etc - make this clearer through highlighting, etc

Younger sisters communicating virtually

1. Sending/waiting for texts

2. FaceTiming

3. Create sense of internal turmoil by editing subtle red highlights around their head - have them always checking their phone for notifications

4. Be careful not to cross the threshold into social media - this is purely interpersonal communication (one on one)

Have someone sitting alone on a bench at a train station after reaching their stop.

1. Framing: Wide angle with no other people in frame, potentially with the train leaving in the background.

2. Theme: Paints the feeling of being “in transit” or in a place of limbo, symbolizing how success can sometimes leave one feeling stranded between aspirations and true satisfaction.

3. Details: subject is dressed up as if coming back from an event; twilight setting, casting soft shadows that give a sense of stillness

Have someone standing in an empty parking lot under a streetlight holding a trophy

1. Framing: Wide shot, no one else in frame. Cars in the background (in or out of focus)

2. Theme: sense of isolation juxtaposes the celebratory nature of a trophy- winning but at what cost? Was it worth it?

3. Details: Maybe in normal clothes still to show that juxtaposition. Taken in the evening so streetlight is the main light sources. Big shadows.

Have someone standing at the edge of a lake, sketching in a notebook.

1. Framing: Wide shot, subject alone in frame with the lake stretching out in the background. The sketchbook is open, but the sketch remains unfinished or unclear, adding to the sense of uncertainty.

2. Themes: The solitude of the scene juxtaposes the idea of progress or achievement. The person is actively working (sketching), but the unclear or incomplete sketch reflects the internal questioning of whether all their effort and success have led to any real fulfillment.

3. Details: Casual clothes to emphasize the personal nature of the moment. Shot during early morning or dusk to create soft, reflective lighting from the water and sky. The calmness of the lake amplifies the person’s introspection.