Untitled

Int State Theater - Night

Main Event - Skylar finds the lead to the 8 Ball.

Objective - Skylar is trying to gain sympathy from Kyle.  Although she has come to the theater to get information, her real objective is to see whether or not Kyle is on her side and will continue being her friend.  This plays into her wanting love because now that she seems to have lost her two sources of love, it is unsure whether or not she has any platonic love left.  This is furthered by the fact that although Skylar and Kyle were on friendly terms, they were not friends outside the context of Ella, so Skylar does not know whether or not Kyle will still be on her side.

Int 8 Ball - Night

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Int Science Classroom - Later

Main Event - Ella is rushed to the hospital.

Objective - Skylar's objective here is to make sure her friend is okay. Her source of love is in danger of some sort and to her, that's all there is in that moment.  Skylar is not the person to let the momentary fight get in the way of her being there for Ella, especially when Ella is the main source of love for Skylar.  Especially in that moment of panic, nothing else matters. If Ella dies, in Skylar's mind she will be completely without love. Regardless of Evelyn, of Reese, of any of her other friends. It's all riding on Ella.

I feel like Elliot Stabler from Law and Order SVU is a good example of how Detective Parker interacts with Skylar.  Although he is not overly harsh or intimidating, as some detectives can be, he is very straight-talking and tells it how it is.  He isn't giving Skylar any slack just because she's a young girl. He is a very talented detective who knows how to talk to Skylar without completely shutting her down, and is able to use many tactics to get the response he wants out of Skylar.  He also isn't afraid to give the situation the time it needs to be played out properly. He isn't rushing to get the easiest answer, he's trying to get the truth in the best way possible.  What I also really like about Stabler in relation to Skylar is that he is a father and tends to tone down his anger when dealing with young people, like in this scene.  Detective Parker is also able to be kind with Skylar without coddling her.  

This picture really resonated with me as Skylar's room because I see SKylar's room as the one place she can really be herself, especially since no one in her popular friend group really spends time in it, so she does not need it to be a stylized girly teenage room like that of Ella's. It is really just an explosion of ideas and concepts and things that make Skylar happy, and although it may not be that large, and may seem messy because of the abundance of things going on inside it, it is a place that makes Skylar feel calm and comfortable being herself.

Ext Forest - Evening

Main Event - Kyle telling Ella he loves her (and the following reaction)

Objective - Reassure Skylar (in both what will happen after the next semester and in relation to her relationship with Kyle). This is challenging to Skylar because no matter how close she feels to Ella, there are still moments where Ella is a complete enigma to her, and this is one of those moments, which means it is difficult to reassure her. The idea of Ella leaving scares Skylar because Ella is Skylar's primary source of love, so in reassuring Ella Skylar is also able to keep her source of love stable in her mind for a little longer.  Ella's insistence on focusing on leaving and the negatives of her relationship make it much harder for Skylar to remain close to Ella and reassure her, playing the role of confidant.

Int High School - Morning

Main Event - Reese asking Skylar to the dance

Objective - Keep Reese at a distance.  This is difficult for Skylar because she does have feelings for Reese, but to pursue those feelings would mean the possibility of losing the love of Ella, and since being loved by Ella means the platonic love of many friends, trading that for the romantic love of one person is a difficult decision for Skylar, and a leap she is not prepared to make. 

Int Science Classroom - Day

Main Event - Telling Ella that Reese asked her to the dance

Objective - Gauge Ella's reaction to determine the next steps she is allowed to take.  This is important because no matter how blasé Skylar acts about the matter, it is important to her, and Ella's reaction will guide her through how she will deal with Reese in the future.  If possible Skylar would love to have both the love of Ella and the love of Reese, but due to past events and reactions to Reese Skylar already knows this is highly unlikely.  Not so unlikely that she won't try, however.

Int Darkroom 

Main Event - Skylar finds out about Reese and Ella

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Skylar’s main objective throughout the script is to be loved. This is something she has struggled with for most of her life, which means even when she is shown love she has a hard time internalizing it.  The objective of being loved extends into every relationship and decision Skylar encounters throughout the script.

The first relationship where Skylar deals with her desire to be loved is her relationship with Ella.  To be loved by Ella opens up a lot of doors of being loved by other people, although this love might not be deep or long-lasting.  Many people love Ella, which means being loved by Ella is sufficient for other peers to love Skylar.  This love, however, means that Skylar may not necessarily be loved for who she is individually but rather who she is in relation to Ella.  This stands in contrast to the love given to Skylar by Ella, which is deep, real friendship.  This creates a conflict because the first person who loves Skylar unconditionally (outside of her mom) also creates circumstances in which Skylar is not loved in an authentic way by others, and she does not have the autonomy to seek that love.

One love she might seek, if given the opportunity, is that of Reese.  Reese may be one of the only people that loves Skylar for herself as an individual rather than a “popular” girl, but since he is not a popular student himself, accepting this love could possibly have the consequence of losing the shallow love of the “many”.  This presents Skylar with a conflict - the tradeoff of individual but deep and real love, or love of many people that is shallow and of questioning sincerity.  Accepting this love could also throw into question the love Skylar receives from Ella, which has been the most important platonic love she has received as an adolescent.  

Through the original script, as well as with the more I'm learning about Skylar's personal style, I have gleaned or perhaps imagined some aspects of Skylar's possible backstory. 

Skylar grew up just outside of the suburbs in a lower income neighborhood.  These circumstances arose due to the fact that Skylar's mom, Evelyn, raised her without the help of Skylar's father.  Skylar's father left them when Skylar was 6, an event which Skylar initially blamed her mother for, especially due to the absence of any explosive (aka visible to Skylar) problems in their relationship.  Eventually, however, Skylar and her mom reconciled, creating a strong supportive bond between the two. However, the struggles of raising Skylar alone meant that Evelyn did not have much extra money or time to enroll Skylar in many after school activities or give her many of the tokens that signify "cool" throughout the early stages of adolescence.  This meant that Skylar was not considered cool and was somewhat of an outsider with no real close friends to speak of (no one to exchange "best friends forever" memorabilia with) until Ella came along.

With the friendship of Ella, who was indisputably cool without trying (although her family's money and status did help), Skylar also became cool. She followed the conventions of "cool" to the best of her ability, but retained the habit of observing people rather than being the center of attention that she developed before she met Ella.  Although Skylar followed the cool crowd and participated in their idea of "fun", she has never really felt comfortable with any of them besides Ella, who she views as the only person her age who really understands her.  Throughout high school she has begun to feel able to embrace interests that do not completely conform with what is seen as "cool", such as an affinity for the punk aesthetic and music other than pop, as well as an interest in the rebellious Reese.  However, this growing sense of agency does not permit her to actually act outside the norm of her social group in high school, and her loyalty to Ella would not permit her to explore other paths through adolescence either.

Skylar enjoys a wide variety of music that is not canon within a high school environment including harder rock as well as indie and experimental music.  She is interested in art, specifically drawing, and the power of color or lack thereof in various places (painting, graffiti, store displays, films, etc).  She enjoys being called Sky because it makes her feel special to warrant a nickname.