Joshua Solis : Abbot Elementary

         Abbot Elementary, an Emmy-winning sitcom mockumentary created by Quinta Brunson, has connected many people with smart concepts and keen storytelling and its visual elemental storytelling. The show following the story of teachers navigating through the obstacles of a poorly funded school has been able to draw out well-drawn characters, design,  costumes, and cinematography that play a crucial role. 

       Furthermore, the setting of Abbot Elementary is a public school, and its interior design is meticulously crafted to feel authentic. Its disappearing wallpaper, outdated posters, and mismatched furniture feed the school's need to be better funded.  For example,  in episode 3 titled "Wishing List".  the principal tasks the staff to make a list of supplies they need for their classroom.  We see a bareback classroom that has broken chairs, textbooks that are falling apart, and computers that don't work properly. When Janine is going to borrow a projector, she comments on the disappearance of his interior decorations. 

"Wishing List"

    Janine, a second-grade teacher despite her classroom having such supplies, can keep an engaging learning environment. Her furniture is mismatched and at the beginning of the  "Wishing List" episode she disposes of a printer. However, finds innovations with social media to gain support for her wish-list, and puts used decorations to use. 

Lastly, The mise-en-scene helps establish the conditions are a reflection of the elementary school's funding and how the teachers 

scrounge whatever resources are available. 

    As mentioned, characters serve a crucial role when delivering elements that appease visual aesthetics. Importantly when the elements connect to the story or the deliverance to the core message. A character that is mentioned frequently in this column is Janine Teagues who is played by Quinta Brunson. Janine is characterized by her relentless optimism and wishful thinking despite the continuous challenges in teaching at Abbot Elementary. In a visual sense, this is communicated with her costume design usually being in bright colors that is a major contrast to the school. Her interactions with teachers and students continuously reflect the positivity she spreads within classrooms and staff. 

"Zoo Balloon" 

 

     For example, in the finale episode of Abbot Elementary titled "Zoo Balloon", we are shown an interaction between her and a student named Kenny who is nervous about going to 2nd grade. In this conversation, again we are reminded of the support Janine when she attempts to comfort Kenny about moving up a grade.  Her costume is a bright red dress with pink flowers, and over it is a cardigan. 

Janine's clothing compares to the other teachers who came to the Zoo Trip. Many wear plain colors such as blue or green, however, one of the teachers named Ava Coleman decided to wear a leopard pattern dress not for the reflection of her being but to her high interest of the Zoo. Such visual elements are a continuous factor in the reflection of Janine's personality and how such elements are an extent to her character. Nonetheless, character development and costume design are good ways Abbot Elementary has portrayed how such elements have an impact, but other factors such as comedic timing and cinematography. 

Abbot Elementary's cinematography captivates the use of zoom-ins and the style of a mockumentary, which helps establish character development and comedy. An example would be a character that is a counterpoint to Janine Teague's own personality. Barbara Howard has a grounded sense of realism, however, her own wisdom and determination to her students are shown in subtle ways.  The cinematography surrounding Barbara often highlights their control, authority, and then her softer, nurturing side. 

"Desking"

An example would be in Episode 10 titled "Desking",  where she is having an argument with Taylor ( Barbaras Daughter )  about her potential to become a teacher. The camera captures this pivotal moment in Barbara's character by exposing her strong authoritative yet soft personality. Yet, as this moment is occurring, Janine is in the middle trying to keep the conversation from escalating with comedic timing interruption and glance of the camera. 

Later in the episode, we are shown Barbara in her classroom crying about the argument with Taylor.  The camera captures the character's most vulnerable moment in the season, revealing another side to her authoritative personality. A detail that enlargens the nurturing side of Barbara is the lighting in her classroom. It is consistently lit with soft, warm lighting that reflects the motherly approach to her students.  In the episode "Desking", we are shown the contrast between chaotic moments outside the classroom that have harsh lighting. This can help build such an contrast that can establish Barbara's classroom as a sancturary of order. 

Warm Lighting

Harsh Lighting

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To wrap it up, Abbot elementary combines many visual elements that helpe establish an character's development and authentic narrative. Through the depictions and importance of underfunded public schools, the shows use and depiction of costumes, and cinematography to emphasize its themes. Characters such as Janine Tauges and Barabra Howard embody the contrast and embodiment of realism and positivity.