At the beginning of the year, our media teacher had us do a brand identity project, where we did some self discovery to see how we would market ourselves out in the real world. My group and I decided we would apply our knowledge from the previous project to do the social media branding for our short film Out of Hand.
Martina
Friday, April 4, 2025
Saturday, March 29, 2025
MEET UP WITH THE CAST
So here's the rundown: we got some shots for the trailer as well as some interviews in order to get promoting our film on social media... (I know I set up a blog where I touched on this briefly, but I wanted to emphasize again what we're doing)
So the location that we set up previously was too far, and since we already were acquiring so much help from these actors, we didn't want to make them take even MORE time to get to the filming location. So we decided to keep the place close by, and the space we were able to get was amazing! We didn't get to Even though we are still working through shooting the show, we used the office space to do a read through of the script, and get a feel for the space. Since this was our first time being exposed to the space, we wanted to have a look and see if any of the lines or actions in the script needed to be adjusted; and now we can build our shot list confidently!
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
The Update.
- Andrea, the amazing actress playing Sherrie, the receptionist, she added that the receptionist should be a little flirtatious with Tom at the office, which actually adds an interesting dynamic and twist to the whole story which I love.
- Daniel Sanchez, playing Greg the worker, interpreted the storytelling as similar to scrubs, and understood exactly when I made the Scott Pilgrim reference.
Monday, March 24, 2025
FILM SCRIPT
So this script took me a BIT to conquer... it's a huge task to write and also keep the integrity of the character's voices. Here I gave it a shot and I think I maintained the story structure and kept the characters with a specific motive.
OUT OF HAND
written by Martina Rodriguez
Scene 1:
INT. OFFICE BUILDING - LOBBY - DAY
The sound of door opening. TOM steps out, dressed sharply, walking with confidence. He approaches the front desk where ALICE, the receptionist, is on the phone.
RECEPTIONIST (Alice)
(on the phone)
Yes? We have an opening at 2 o’clock for a showing in the Lower East Side of Manhattan...
She notices TOM and smiles warmly.
RECEPTIONIST (Alice)
First day?
TOM
(smiling coolly)
Yes, such a pleasure to meet you, is it, Alice?
RECEPTIONIST (Alice)
Yes, indeed!
She extends her hand to shake, but TOM hesitates, looking down at it. He then decides to avoid it completely.
TOM
I just peed... And I’m not a handshaker after a good pee. You know, hygiene!
He says it confidently, without hesitation. ALICE pauses, trying to process what just happened. After a beat, she just nods, an awkward smile creeping on her face.
ALICE watches him as he walks away, her expression slowly shifting to one of slight confusion and concern.
VOICEOVER (TOM)
(in his head, with a mix of self-affirmation and confusion)
Nailed it.
Scene 2:
INT. OFFICE HALLWAY - DAY
TOM walks through the office, making his way to his desk. A co-worker, GREG, walks toward him. They bump into each other, a little more awkwardly than they should have.
GREG
Oh my apologies, really! Didn’t mean to startle you. (charismaticaly offers his hand) I'm Greg!
TOM
(voiceover)
Yeah, he seems nice, but you can never be too sure...
GREG extends his hand for a handshake. TOM, not wanting to repeat his earlier mistake, slaps GREG’s hand instead, offering a weird, exaggerated smirk.
TOM
(Pats on his back)
GREG looks at him, completely confused, unsure of what just happened. He pauses for a beat before awkwardly laughing.
GREG
(nervously)
Uh... okay... sure. I betcha you're still getting accommodated to the office... anything you need just let me know!
Scene 3:
INT. RECEPTION DESK - DAY
quick montage of shots revealing the two characters getting ready for a discussion.
ALICE and GREG stand by the front desk, discussing the strange incident.
GREG
(gasping in shock)
He did the exact same thing to me...
RECEPTIONIST (ALICE)
I just don't understand why he was so uncomfortable... we have to find a way to get him out of his shell. We NEED. a. plan.
GREG
(raising an eyebrow, grinning)
A plan? Or is this just your latest office crush at work, Alice? (teasing)
You’ve got a thing for every guy in this building, don’t you?
ALICE
(laughs nervously, trying to deflect)
Whaaaat? No... I- uh- (quickly)
GREG
(mock serious)
Oh, right, of course. It's all about Tom... this week. What happens next week? Are we swooning over Bob from accounting? (grinning mischievously)
ALICE
(flirtatiously trying to laugh at herself with him but quickly shifting to seriousness)
GREG (ad lib; oooh Tom, hold my hand, smooch smooch)
(bangs on the desk) beat. That's enough. You're Impossible Greg... (leans in, lowering her voice like she's about to spill gossip)
Be serious. We’ve had new people come in before, and they’ve always shaken hands and fit right in without any issues. But Tom? He’s the first one to refuse a handshake... unlike every other guy who’s ever walked through that door.
(pauses, realizing what she said, then suddenly snapping to a more defensive tone) NOT that I have a thing for every guy... (looks up at Greg) you KNOW what I mean.
GREG
(smirking, raising an eyebrow)
Oh, I know exactly what you mean, Alice.
ALICE
Focus, Greg! Here's what we need to do:
ALICE
Dialogue
Phase One: The “Super Secret Handshake” Setup. (she leans in, whispering conspiratorially)
We make it seem like handshakes are this big, exclusive thing. We gather the whole team, and we act like it’s some mystical office tradition. Like, it’s a rite of passage, you know? We’ll get all dramatic about it, like, “Oh, Tom, you’ve gotta shake hands to really be part of the family.” He won’t be able to resist!
GREG
(with a calculating smirk)
Yeah, because who wouldn’t want to be part of the family? Sounds like a trap. If he’s even a little paranoid, we’ve got him.
ALICE
(grinning, sounding like she’s gossiping with a friend)
Oh, totally.
ALICE
(giggling like she’s imagining it)
Oh, it’s perfect! He won’t be able to get out of it. EVERYONE is doing it...
“Oh, you don’t want to be the odd one out, Tom, do you?” (teasingly)
Trust me Greg, it’ll work.
GREG
Yeah yeah...
(raising an eyebrow, still calculating)
What if he rebels and refuses to be sucked into the whole “team handshake” thing?
ALICE
(leaning in closer, all gossip and playful energy)
Oh, I’ve thought of that, honey. That’s when we bring in Phase Two: The Casual Coffee/Pen Move. (she gestures dramatically, as if she’s revealing a top-secret plan)
So, we wait until we’re holding something like coffee, a pen, or—oh, I don’t know—a binder, something totally innocent. Then, when we walk by him, we “accidentally” lean in and offer our hand. Like it’s no big deal. Like we’re just casually handing him a coffee, no pressure at all. (focused on a point on the ground and visualizing it)
(Alice envisions that she's seducing him into shaking her hand and that he accepts)
He won’t be able to resist the subtle nudge to shake our hand.
CUT BACK TO REALITY.
(looks awkwardly back at Greg)
GREG
(laughing like he’s already won, eyes narrowing)
Nice. So we make it so casual, he feels like a jerk if he doesn’t shake our hands. He’ll be too embarrassed to not do it.
ALICE
(excited, smirking and nodding up and down, proud of herself)
He won’t even see it coming.
GREG
(leaning in, with a dark grin)
What if that doesn't work...
ALICE
(laughing, now totally immersed in her plan)
It’s foolproof. Greg... (leans in) tomorrow, it's ON.
INT. OFFICE BUILDING - LOBBY
Shot of the phone ringing at the office, Sherrie (Receptionist) picks it up.
ALICE
Hi, yes how may I help you? (nods to Greg)
GREG
(holding the coffee, nervously smiling)
Tom, I—uh, made you some coffee. Thought you could use it.
TOM
(smiling, appreciative)
Thanks, man! Appreciate it. Just put it on the counter for me, yeah?
GREG
(impulsive, grabbing Tom’s hand without thinking)
Sure, but hey, let's just—uh, let’s do the handshake thing! Everyone’s doing it around here, y'know?
TOM
(startled, pulling back a little)
Oh, uh, I don’t really— (Before Tom can finish, Greg doesn’t let go and, suddenly, there’s a loud click sound as a fake hand pops out of Tom’s socket, it just doesn’t quite belong.)
GREG AND ALICE SCREAM, CUT TO FILM TITLE "OUT OF HAND"
Saturday, March 22, 2025
I am a bit behind…
CONT'D transition from 'the plan' to the real confrontation.
VISUALIZING THE TRANSITION
Before I dive deep into the script shifts, and working on building character, I want to make sure we get this shift of tone just right.
MEDIUM SHOT ALICE, who takes a quick beat, realizing they’re both wasting time on the absurdity. "Phase 3... bla bla bla" Her face shifts from excitement to a more focused, stern look. The dreamy background dissolves, and the office returns to normal. Her tone also sharpens as she says, “Okay, Tomorrow, we're ON.”Friday, March 21, 2025
Short films are more than just an idea.
I realized that although I may have found an idea for the short film that feels right to us, we cannot DROP THE BALL!!
I'm currently at state writing this blog and trying to figure out how I can rework the script I made previously and trying to understand what initially went wrong so I can better the storytelling.
Once again, I turn to research.
THE LOGLINE.
A one to two sentence summary of what the film is about.
Ex: The film highlights a young, millenial worker who is dressed up and ready for his first day at work. Every day at work he faces his sole fear of shaking the hands of his very own co-workers. Will he get over the fear?
THE TREATMENT
Intro to key characters. Film Synopsis.
What does he work in? Real Estate.
Dan Harmon's Story Circle (answered in previous blog)
THE OUTLINE.
Tom: Phobia is triggered by just direct physical contact with people gives him anxiety. Sensitive touch receptors that trigger strong emotions in him.
ACT 1
Scene: Walking into work from elevator, opening the door, establish the character as a confident, cool guy. He walks up to meet the receptionist at the front desk, who is making a call.
Receptionist: Yes? We have an opening at 2'o clock for a showing in the lower east side of Manhattan.
She notices Tom and gives him a smile
Receptionist: First day?
Tom: Yes, such a pleasure to meet you is it, Alice?
Receptionist: Yes, indeed!
She extends her hand. He looks down at it, and is reluctant and avoids the hand completely. Back and forth between receptionist and Tom, where he says
Tom: 'I just peed.' (he says it so confidently, that the receptionist is just like ah okay and then turn to her expression being weirded out). To avoid the handshake.
Shot of receptionist watching him sinister
Tom gets in his head about the situation and is very oddly confused, and stressed. (voiceover: nailed it.)
SCENE 2:
Walking over to his desk, a co-worker is walking in opposite direction and they bump into each other.
Greg: Oh my apologies, really, I did not mean to startle you, I'm Greg!
Tom: Yeah he seems nice but you can never be so sure...
hand extends in a frame,
(Instead of handshake maybe he slaps his hand and gives a cringe smirk like just)
Greg: Reaction like what is happening...
Tom: Low five! (instead of high-five)
SCENE 3:
So... what do you think of the new employee?
Receptionist: He seems... normal, but when I offered my hand I tell you the weirdest thing happened. He refused to shake my hand.
Greg: "shock" gasp sound. No... it can't be...
Receptionist:
Receptionist: We need a plan
CUT TO ACT 2.
Phase One The "Super Secret Handshake" Setup: We introduce the idea of handshakes in a way that makes it feel exclusive, like it’s a big deal. We’ll gather the team and act like there’s this mystical, office-wide tradition of "Super Secret Handshakes." We’ll make it sound like it’s some rite of passage, even though it’s just a normal handshake. This creates the illusion that handshakes are a must and something he’s missing out on.
GREG: what if that doesn't work...?
Phase Two The Casual Coffee/pen Move: If he’s still avoiding handshakes, it’s time for a more subtle approach. We wait for a moment when we’re holding something like a coffee cup, pen, or binder. Then, when we “accidentally” walk past him, we’ll lean in and offer our hand for the handshake—without even thinking about it, like it's the most natural thing in the world. He’ll feel the subtle pressure to reciprocate, especially when he realizes everyone else is doing it.
Phase Three The "Accidental" Handshake Escalation: If all else fails, we start getting sneakier. We’ll create situations where it's impossible to avoid shaking hands—like when handing him something across the desk or during a meeting. Slowly, we set him up to the point where the only thing left is to just shake our hand without a second thought.
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
Advice on Film
Although I couldn't make it to the group meetings as I was in thespians... I got some extra feedback for my film, that I found to be super helpful.
(Him in his head, its societal)
don't make it about covid. Make it more about a guy who has this phobia,
his phobia is more about being afraid of the social interaction, make his weird behavior special to him.
He gets really in his head.
Physical piece, really be inspired by what they do.
Emphasize that this guy does not want to shake their hands at all and make it really weird.
He should be normal in every aspect and just have this weird phobia for just handshaking.
Tom- looks like a normal guy, but he has a weird knack for handshake.
Writing for film, be aware of physical motion. It's not a stagnant medium.
Countering that phobia with something thats not weird, and with him being an okay guy.
Saturday, March 15, 2025
Social Media Cover/Costuming
So we've been thinking about the way to publicize this film for a little bit... and we've had some trouble coming up with the logo and it has undergone quite a few changes since the beginning but we have a lot of hope in this design and we're still workshopping it to see how it can really evolve.
Above is how the design started. From where the design started to where it ended up going, I feel that we made a lot of progress and it was a huge evolution from the beginning to the end.
Now, the design is much more clean and polished, and the alignment keeps the copy of the writing balanced and professional while still communicating something intriguing about our film.
Friday, March 14, 2025
Location Status
So I've been communicating with my group a lot more about the technical aspects of our production, and we've officially found a place to film and time! We're going to West Palm... because our partner Nadia has suggested this office that she knows of nearby that could work, so we're making arrangements to have the office space available on March 29th, and we'd be getting there early.
Thursday, March 13, 2025
Script
So I started working on this script on google docs and celtx... and I really wanted to capture Tom's discomfort through his expression and way of speaking to himself. A lot of this is just a rough draft that I know needs some polishing, but I just had to start getting my ideas out there and fleshing out this script so that we could lay a foundation.
INT. OFFICE LOBBY - MORNING
Tom walks into the office, greeted by the usual lackluster atmosphere. The beautiful lights buzz overhead as his coworkers sit at their desks, typing away quietly, no one engaging with one another. There’s a dead silence in the air, broken only by the occasional mouse click or the hum of the copy machine. It’s just another dull morning.
Tom approaches LISA at the entrance, who looks up from her screen and gives a weak, stiff smile. She extends her hand for a handshake.
He takes her hand and shakes it briefly, wiping his hand on his pants immediately after.
INT. OFFICE KITCHEN - LUNCHTIME
Tom heads to the kitchen to grab his lunch. He runs into STEVE, the overly friendly coworker who’s always a little too enthusiastic. Steve eagerly extends his hand for a handshake.
Tom grins to himself and dramatically starts wiping the air near Steve's shoulder as though he's cleaning invisible dust off him.
Steve freezes, looking at him with complete confusion. He slowly pulls his hand back, unsure whether he’s part of a joke or if Tom’s lost it. He shrugs and nods awkwardly.
INT. OFFICE HALLWAY - LATER
Tom walks down the hallway and bumps into GREG, the quiet guy who rarely talks. Greg raises his fist for a fist bump, but Tom freezes.
Tom gives an overly dramatic, awkward head tilt toward Greg, as if he's admiring a statue at a museum. Greg watches, unmoving.
Greg blinks, trying to figure out what just happened, then slowly tilts his head back at Tom, mimicking the action.
Greg stares at him, blinking. He then tilts his head back at Tom, mimicking the action.
GREG
(stoic)
Right... okay.
Tom nods to himself, feeling a weird sense of accomplishment as he walks off.
INT. OFFICE CONFERENCE ROOM - END OF DAY
Tom enters the conference room where MR. JENKINS, his eccentric boss, stands by the door. Mr. Jenkins, as always, is extremely enthusiastic and immediately extends his hand for a handshake.
MR. JENKINS
(loudly)
Tom! My man! Good to see you!
TOM'S INTERNAL MONOLOGUE (V.O.)
(panicking)
Mr. Jenkins! I can’t shake his hand! What if I—what if I just do a pat on the back instead? That’s friendly, non-contact, non-germy! Yes, this will work!
Tom gives Mr. Jenkins a loud, firm pat on the back. The sound of it echoes through the room.
TOM
(grinning awkwardly)
A little pat on the back! Non-germy, like we discussed.
Mr. Jenkins pauses, a little confused. Then, he smiles widely, clearly thrilled with the unique greeting.
MR. JENKINS
(enthusiastically)
That’s the spirit, Tom! No more handshakes, just pat-on-the-back energy! You’re onto something, my friend!
Tom, slightly overwhelmed, smiles nervously, feeling the weirdness escalate.
TOM
(mumbling)
Yeah. New vibe, right?
INT. OFFICE LOBBY - THE NEXT DAY
Tom walks into the office the next morning. He’s surprised to see the office completely transformed. The once dull, stiff environment is now full of laughter, chaos, and absurdity. Coworkers are greeting each other with bizarre and hilarious gestures:
LISA is sniffing her own hand before offering it to someone like it’s a scented candle.
STEVE is pretending to brush invisible dirt off a coworker’s jacket.
GREG is tilting his head at people dramatically like he's in some kind of slow-motion dance.
Even MR. JENKINS is bumping into people with exaggerated, energetic shoulder nudges and slapping people’s backs loudly as if he's in a sports locker room.
Tom watches in disbelief, realizing the office has completely embraced the chaos he started. He’s part of it now.
TOM'S INTERNAL MONOLOGUE (V.O.)
(stunned)
Wait. Wait a minute... they’re... they’re all doing it?! I started this? This is… awesome? It’s weird, but it’s awesome...
Tom grins to himself and gives a coworker a strange, over-the-top head nod as a greeting. The coworker nods back and even adds an exaggerated wink.
Tom continues to walk through the office as everyone greets him with bizarre gestures, laughing and having fun. The once stale, quiet office is now full of joy and energy.
Suddenly, Mr. Jenkins appears behind him, slapping him on the back one more time, followed by an over-the-top thumbs-up.
MR. JENKINS
(shouting joyfully)
There he is! Tom, the innovator! You’ve changed the way we greet each other, my friend!
Tom, slightly overwhelmed but oddly proud, smiles. The camera pulls back, showing the entire office engaged in this bizarre, fun greeting revolution.
Friday, March 7, 2025
Group Meeting #1
On Friday, we had our group meeting, and it was really helpful and productive in a lot of ways. We all got a chance to give each other equal feedback, which helped shape our ideas and improve our projects.
SOCIAL MEDIA TIPS
Thursday, March 6, 2025
Positions
So here since we are a group, and there is a lot of work to do to make this short film great, we worked out how we would distribute our roles!
Martina Rodriguez (Me)- Director/writer/editor
Throughout this process, I have been researching and learning more about short films and how to structure them in a way that is simple and understandable for the viewer in a way that stays true to my own creative ideas.
I'm still working on building the script, but I think I'm still torn between the title 'Out of Hand' or 'Shake Of'.
Zain Vidal- Cinematographer/associate editor/producer
Zain initiated this project from the start, she thought of distributing jobs and such to each of us, so that we have a defined task that we can all work towards. She thought of appointing me as the director and writer of the film, while she was tasked with finding locations and places where we could film.
Nadia Hernandez- Production Assistant/Sound/grip
Now that we have our cast and crew, it's time to come up with a reliable film schedule that we can send over to our actors so they can have. I plan on having this solidified by next week so I can talk to my team and figure out what days we can all actually be present, as well as communicating with Zain to see if she has found any viable locations.
March 29th will probably be a tentative filming date, but this whole week of March 25-27 will be up for grabs, however this is all contingent on whether or not we can get the filming location for these dates.
Tuesday, March 4, 2025
Casting the short.
Soooooo we have a cast, and a story to tell!
For the role of Tom and the boss I thought it would be favorable to cast adult actors, so I immediately thought of casting Lito Beccara, one of my good friends from Inside Out Theatre, as the role of Tom.
I envision Tom, as a character, being this sort of awkward, shy, quirky guy who works at the office, kind of inspired by some of the characters actors like Michael Cera have played in previous shows. Him deciding not to go in for a handshake at the start of the film when he gets all inside his head is our very first impression of him, and with Lito as Tom I absolutely believe this persona will shine through!
So I communicated with Lito and he said yes!

Friday, February 28, 2025
Research, constructing the brand for our film
We understand that comedy's are hard to make, but the idea of breaking an unspoken rule in itself evokes a humorous aspect, at least in our interpretation.
If we go with the hand-shaking idea, we believe that would have to be marketed by showcasing an office environment, a dull, lackluster place in which co-workers hardly interact except for the daily greeting: a handshake.
We can start by showcasing our character, Tom, and his awkwardness and reluctance to handshakes themselves. We can put quotes next to the character poster, to get people kind of introduced to this conformist office, and then there's Tom.
For further inspiration, we want to really "branch out" hehe, and find other student films in the past that have worked with the marketing aspect of their film, and we found a page that does a really great job at conveying the mood, and tone of their film, without overtly giving so much of the plot away.
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
Social Media Marketing
HELLO THERE BLOG!
I am so excited to share what I've learned about marketing and apply it to this project by creating a social media platform that would showcase all of our work behind-the-scenes, as well as branding aspects of the film.
At the beginning of the year, we started a branding project where we primarily focused on branding ourselves, and what that would look like in terms of our relationships, our culture, our purpose, etc.
So while marketing a short film is something completely new to me, the concept of marketing is something I have loved to explore throughout my time at places like Inside Out Theatre Company, a non-profit organization that I'm grateful to have been a part of from a young age.
As I got older, and started experimenting with editing, graphics, visual effects, and motion graphics, marketing quickly became a huge passion of mine when paired with these skills.
What's the point of this?
Tuesday, February 25, 2025
The pursuit of an idea: My story plan
This next blog is a visual representation of how my mind gets from one idea to another... First, we were drawn between two ideas: Self-growth and unspoken rules.
Philosophical Conflict- moral, ethical beliefs in conflict within story, its the backbone of storytelling.
Viewpoint vs. Viewpoint conflict
Self-constructed example: Group project
Unspoken rules
Unspoken Rule Idea 1:
General Theme
Overall some little titles that came into mind that might be able to conjure up some new ideas, but right now, this is what I have! (These are just some loosely strewn ideas).
Dressed in Gold
Title Names: The Second Skin
The Lady In Blue
Friday, February 21, 2025
RESEARCH PLOT DEVELOPMENT!!!!
This is the biggest takeaway I got from that video, and it makes perfect sense to me
The biggest takeaway from this video is the “measure twice, cut once” approach. It's a great metaphor because it emphasizes the importance of planning and structuring your narrative first to ensure a smoother, more focused filmmaking process.
The two-act structure is common in short films because of the shorter runtime; typically 10 to 20 minutes (in our case 5 minutes). It provides just enough time for a character to undergo a transformation or for a conflict to be introduced and resolved, while maintaining a simple, direct narrative.
When you're a new filmmaker, having a clear limitation or rule is extremely helpful. It keeps the project manageable, guides your creativity, and prevents you from getting overwhelmed. Rules help you make decisions quickly because you're working within a clear framework. They can also push you to think more creatively within boundaries, which is a great way to refine your skills as a storyteller.
For example, if you limit your story to one location or a very small cast of characters, it forces you to develop the story's depth through dialogue, performance, and visual storytelling rather than relying on multiple locations or a large ensemble cast. It also gives you the chance to focus on perfecting specific aspects of filmmaking; lighting, camera angles, or sound design—rather than trying to juggle too many elements.
Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Media Text Research P.2
Continued Research
Everything Everywhere All At Once is a 21st century film and came out in 2022, directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. The theme of existential choices reflects the growing cultural awareness of life's unpredictability and the search for purpose. Now that many things such as transportation, communication, and technology have advanced, our generations have much more freetime, leading to the exploration of the complexities of identity, purpose, and connection.
EEAAO explores many different subgenres, and holds a lot of versatility amongst other films. It can be categorized under comedy, surrealism, action, drama, science fiction you name it!
I love how effortlessly this film weaves into other genres, and how it finds a way to incorporate "insignificant" objects such as bagels and googly eyes, and giving them a profound, deep meaning.
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Idea 1
With this film in mind, I've also thought long and hard about how we can make our own version of that similar concept of trying to find meaning and the purpose of life. I'm really drawn to the idea of a 'collective unconscious' and exploring telepathy and how our thoughts make up our reality.
All of the films exhibited on my blog used some sort of object as a symbol of something larger; in the case of the spiritual idea, I thought it'd be cool to take the approach with cable wires connected to a plug on the wall, but there's an undeniable energy/undercurrent between the protagonist and the cable, and then we see how it holds her and her relationships together.
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Idea 2
I had another idea to make this short film on admiration for a person; when you barely know someone, you start to create this ideal image in your mind of the kind of person you THINK they are based on previous behaviors to match up what you want them to be overall. This happens a lot in influencer culture, oftentimes online we look for someone to admire, someone who is going to add substance to our life and guide us. The antagonist would want to make themselves appear favorable and likeable in front of other humans, but in reality, the more you get to know him/her, the more you understand why they detach from people in the first place.
This is a really interesting concept to me and one that I think would be worth exploring.
Protagonist: “How do you stay so focused when life keeps pulling you in different directions?”
Antagonist: “You have to let go of distractions. People, emotions... they just get in the way. If you stay focused on the goal, nothing can stop you.”
There’s an undeniable, electric moment between them. Lena, feeling both challenged and intrigued, holds his gaze a little longer, her curiosity piqued. Tyler, trying to keep his composure, feels drawn to her intensity, but hides it behind a confident, stoic mask.
Lena: “Right. Sounds easy enough. I’ll try to remember that.”
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Tuesday, February 18, 2025
Media Text Research
Hey Blog!
Coming up with a film concept for a short is not easy... but thankfully the research is alleviating some of that writers block!
These creations really get me thinking about how everyday objects can be worked into a film in such a clever way to represent larger themes. It’s a creative way of telling a story, utilizing products/services that feel familiar to us but transforming them in the film and giving them a whole new depth. Instead of relying on big explanations or speeches, the film lets these small details speak for themselves, and that makes the message feel even more impactful.
It’s such a clever way to build a narrative that feels simple on the surface but has a lot going on underneath. It makes you look at the world around you in a different way, wondering what everyday objects might have a deeper meaning in your own life. It’s not just creative, it’s really cool how it makes you think in a whole new way.
Friday, February 14, 2025
Genre Research
Okay, so let's be honest here...
We don't quite know yet what our genre will be, but I did some research that has me drawn to certain genres.
Thursday, February 13, 2025
Project Schedule
My partner Zain Vidal helped us set up a tentative schedule as well (see below), that may also work however given the amount of time and quantity of tasks we are required to do, I thought it would be favorable to have a more accelerated version to ensure we really nail the end result of our short film.
Pre-production: Planning, plot, script 2/17-2/21
storyboard, locations, cast, mis-en-scene 2/22- 3/1
filming schedule 3/2-3/12
Editing movie 3/12-3/16
3/17-3/22: State Thespians Competition
Publicity/marketing trailers started on 3/12-4/9
Reflecting/CCR 3/24-3/28
Last year when I made my tentative project schedule I felt that I didn't allot enough room for mistakes or changes that may occur as the process evolves, so I gave myself a few more days and a breathing period so I can focus on the thespians competition trip coming up. We have lots of work to do!
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Project Choice
Dearest Blog,
I'm back again, and I'm so ecstatic to be here. This has been one crazy last senior year... but I'm ready to get started on this project! I've been waiting to experiment and explore, so I'm taking a risk and choosing to make a short film.
My primary goal for this project, since there's only 5 minutes, is to keep it short, simple, and clever. As I may have stated previously, I'm a content creator and I love storytelling in different forms but I've never experimented with the creation of a short film. I believed my movie had to have some "complex" storyline and "intricate" storytelling but as I started to research and dive deeper into the topic, I soon realized that most of them don't have to be that way.
No Me Ama Short Film (Dir. Martin Piroyansky 2012)
This first short film is a student film that I really enjoyed because most of the conflict was happening in the protagonists head. The story starts with the boy and the girl traveling together, and they encounter several trials and tribulations down the line. Most of the conflict there is either proving or disproving his belief that "she doesn't love [him]."
So on the outside, his girlfriend seems to love him and show him through her actions, ex: cooking/caring for him, she just doesn't outwardly say it. We are viewing the film through his inner voice's perspective, but the irony lies in the fact that we see so many things going right in this relationship that it's hard to believe he's getting so in his head about the relationship.
The film drags on and is guided by his inner monologue, until the very end when he recites in his mind "I'm going to break up with her, before she can break my heart." Then when it was finally time to say what was on his mind, he says "I LOVE YOU!!!!" She replies with, "I love you too!"
What makes this film clever in my eyes is the fact that it commenced with the boy's assertion that his girlfriend "doesn't love him." It was clever because it taught us that our reality may not always be the truth, and we musn't let those destructive thoughts consume our mind.
Table 7 Short Film (Dir. Marko Slavnic 2011)
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