The panic of turning 18

So I really wanted to make sure I was well familiarized with this feeling of panic that I wanted to reproduce in my short film. So I decided to dig deep into myself and also into others to see how they felt when they turned 18. With this research, I want to make sure my purpose for this short film is clear so therefore I can make all future decisions with this in mind. So first I started with writing down all the feelings I had and the fears that I felt.

The overdramatic synthesis of my feelings

The only reasonable next step was to look into how others felt. One of my concerns is that I won't be able to use up all the time that is available so I want to make sure I can include as much feeling and power into the short film as I can. I went on Quora and I found some responses from different people. They basically expressed the same fears and went on to say that 18 can feel like a lot of pressure because there are many new responsibilities. One person was able to explain it perfectly through the use of a metaphor by stating "Till now, you've been playing the game at normal mode. Now the difficulty is cranked up to high." I also read many people comment on how they felt terrified and felt extreme nostalgia.

After reading these responses I am able to affirm that it is definitely a feeling many people experience when they are about to turn 18. I have gathered that some of the main feelings I want to express are: fear, anxiousness, and nostalgia. I also found that many people felt no different when they turned 18. Which is probably true as I have felt the same way every time I reach a supposedly large milestone in my life. So possibly I could also express the idea that age is just a number. However, I am not sure if this will take away from the main feeling of panic that I am trying to express.