Nicolas Restrepo, I love you.
Nico locked in on a lot of the script today, and I think it's looking pretty good. He added a crush character to give Claire some more emotional attachments, and while I wasn't loving the idea at first, I think it's worth a try to see it through.
We're also going to test out a void sequence, which could be cool, so sit back, relax, and read some of the script.
soooo...
We're injecting moral dilemmas into da film
We filmed our first scene today, and we were kind of unprepared.
We finished the first scene of our script yesterday, and because it's a teacher planning day today, we knew we had to take the opportunity of there being no kids in school to film. My mom is a teacher at the middle school right next to us, so we used her empty classroom to film.
Because we filmed before our script was done, we had to make a lot of decisions on the fly. We also color-coordinated the characters. Claire, our lead and the "innocent" one, wore white, while the other, more evil ones, wore red (red cuz evil)
Quinn and I eat at Waffle House, yum.
A little niche aspect of this project is doing a postcard for our short film. Just our luck that Quinn's sister just made a banger one, so we want to take inspiration from it. The goal of the postcard is to give the audience an idea of what our film is about, who's involved, where they can see it, and how to follow the account on socials. A good postcard incorporates all of these elements in a clean, neat design.
ok so now we have to rush
but its ok
we were made for this
Uhhh
AHHHHHH
Ok so we went to panera (real layers(ppl who read my blog im trying it out) would know my love of panera) and we realized our story kind of, but also really, actually sucked. Like bad. Like not good. After we all got feedback from our group meetings, which kind of told us we were "trying too hard" and "sucked at film" and "were bad people" for ever thinking any of this (100% true, not lying), we kind of started to shift off the idea. We were thinking about what to do, and started to shift gears towards what was kind of a throwaway idea we had when we first started this project.
Beginning:
MC is introduced asa pure cutie girl type:
She meets pa opular girl trio (a band of classic prissy hot pink popular girls)
She takes one of their seats in class, and they sit around her
They start talking to him in a fake kindness tone
They invite her to one of their popular girl hangs (mean girls esque)
Middle:
Hard cut to her outside the door of the hangout
She talks to the camera while waiting in excitement, but gets cut off when the door opens
Popular girl briefly questions whoshe'ss talking to, but MC waves it away quickly, but also notices a charm around her neck.ck
The do classic girly stuff, MC notices the other 2 wearing the same charm
Popular girls suggest doing a witchy spell casually,lly “it’ll be. It's” it's revealed that they are practicing witches, and have been doing magic for a while (they maintain their prior characterization though)
They start the spell, MC notices her energy draining, and stops the spell
We had a group meeting
lettuce recap
Renn is doing a coming-of-age film about a girl overwhelmed by schoolwork, told kind of through the metaphor of plants. The protagonist has a bunch of plants, each one labeled with a name, each one a proxy for a different part of her character, explaining who she is without ever explaining who she is. Renn described one particular metaphor of the plant outgrowing the pot as the girl outgrows her friend group and the people around her. The plant, just like the girl, outgrows her environment and needs to find a new one to grow healthily in, but at the end of the day, it's still the same plant, and she's still the same person, just changed a bit. I actually love this so much it's annoying. We talked a bit about some cute mis-en-scene elements and how to properly decorate, but it seemed like he was doing pretty well with a neatly packed story.
Joaco's film is about a girl who's tired of the world she lives in and joins a satanist cult to spread satanism. Veeeeeryyyy stark contrast from Renn's. Some cool elements of the main character included her donning a Spanish hat. It's deeply absurdist, functioning as a metaphor for joining religion to find self-acceptance. Another cool element in the story is that the main character's sister was forced to go to a conversion camp as a kid. So yes, there's real weight underneath the Spanish hat and the satanism. He wants weird shots and drawings woven into the plot. This is either going to be insane or incredible or both. Probably both.
Robbie came in with a story about a guy who's spent his whole life trying to be as good at tennis as his dad, fails, ends up homeless, then hears that someone is out there impersonating him. So naturally, he has to go beat the impersonator at tennis. Very absurdist. He wants to do a SpongeBob-type vibe where the mouths move with no facial movements. I don't know how else to describe it. You kind of just have to trust the vision. I trust the vision. I trust Robbie. I love Robbie.
 |
| this is freaky robbie help i'm scared |
Samara is doing a documentary. It started with her watching the Super Bowl halftime show. Bad Bunny was listing all the American (country) flags, and it got stuck in her head. The show inspired her to make an episodic doc highlighting different aspects of Hispanic culture: food, sports, leisure, etc. She plans on interviewing older generations and younger ones, dancers, and building bridges between ages. Joaco suggested maybe doing two countries and juxtaposing them, which I think adds a real structural backbone. I threw in the idea of going more in-depth on a specific country per episode, rather than staying broad, and also how you can lead interviewees toward what you want them to say without them realizing it. I'm really excited for this, especially because it seems like almost everyone is doing a short film.
Gaby is doing a music video. The artist actually went to Cypress and then moved to Nashville to pursue her dream of making pop indie music. Not sure why you moved to Nashville to make pop indie music, but that's not for me to discuss. Gaby was actually going to start filming today to take advantage of the sunset being at 6. She's filming on the beach to highlight the more sentimental aspects of the song. We tried to help her come up with ideas on how to portray the arist correctly because she does live like a 2 hour plane ride away, but she told us she's been in constant contact with her and has her stuff planned out. Go Gaby.
Ryan closed it out with what sounds like a hilariously fun film. The film follows a custodian working late at night at school. He thinks no one's there and takes a bathroom break. Naturally, he forgets to put up the wet floor sign. He hears a loud crash and goes outside to find the limp body of a teacher lying there. The film follows him trying to hide the body, but the really interesting emotional twist is that he has a daughter at home depending on him. I really love this plot, and I actually sent him a short film I made a couple of years ago that I think may help him find a good balance with the slapstick comedy he's looking for
1. Logorama (2009) — Dir. H5
Media Text:
Logorama
Social Media Tool:
YouTube (H5 Official Channel) and Vimeo Staff Picks
Description of Types of Posts:
H5 posts the full film for free on YouTube, supplemented by making-of videos showing the animation process, director interview clips discussing copyright and consumer culture, and shareable highlight reels from the film. On Vimeo, the film is framed with full credits and festival laurels aimed at industry viewers.
Description of How Branding Is Developed:
Branding is intentionally minimal (black text on white), with the film's most iconic frame used as the channel banner. This minimalism creates contrast with the logo-saturated film itself, functioning as a statement: a movie that critiques logos refuses to brand itself with the same excess it mocks.
How I Will Use This to Develop My Own Social Media Presence:
I plan to release my film on YouTube after my festival run, just like H5. H5's making of content about the BTS of the production also inspires me to document my own filmmaking process, specifically the construction and breaking of the fourth wall, as standalone social content.
The dual-platform approach (accessible on YouTube, professional on Vimeo) is a practical framework I will adopt to reach both general audiences and festival programmers. Most importantly, H5's ironic branding reminds me that my social media aesthetic should comment on my film's ideas rather than simply promote them. Every design choice is an opportunity to extend the film's meaning.
2. Validation (2007) — Dir. Kurt Kuenne
Media Text:
Validation
Social Media Tool:
YouTube (Kurt Kuenne's personal channel)
Description of Types of Posts:
Kuenne posts the full film for free alongside viewer response videos, behind-the-scenes clips, and festival updates. He also resurfaces the film around culturally resonant moments (Valentine’s Day, mental health awareness days), keeping it in circulation long after its initial release. The comment section has become a community space, with thousands of personal messages that Kuenne actively engages with.
Description of How Branding Is Developed:
Branding is built entirely through warmth and consistency of tone rather than graphic design. The channel uses the film's golden color palette and a thumbnail of Thyne's character smiling directly at the camera, a gesture that mirrors the film's premise of making people feel truly seen. There is very few marketing language anywhere; every element of the page communicates the same emotional sincerity as the film.
How I Will Use This to Develop My Own Social Media Presence:
Validation teaches that emotional coherence across a social media presence is more powerful than a polished design. I want every post, caption, and comment reply to feel like it comes from the same creative and emotional place as my film. Kuenne's strategy of tying evergreen content to relevant cultural moments is also something I will replicate by identifying dates and events where my film's themes will resonate most.
Actively responding to viewers who connect with my film will build audience loyalty and generate organic conversation. If my film produces a real emotional response in viewers, I want my social media presence to honor that rather than redirecting it toward clicks and follows.
3. Operator (2015) — Dir. Caroline Bartleet
Media Text:
Operator
Social Media Tool:
Vimeo (Caroline Bartleet's director page) and Twitter/X, where both Bartleet and lead actor Mae Martin promoted the film
Description of Types of Posts:
On Vimeo, the film is presented professionally with credits, a director's statement, and festival laurels for an industry audience. On Twitter, both Bartleet and Mae Martin shared Q&A threads, discussions about dark comedy as a vehicle for mental health conversations, and genuine audience engagement. Martin's existing following significantly amplified the film's reach beyond the traditional short film circuit.
Description of How Branding Is Developed:
Branding operates on two levels. On Vimeo, the visual identity is stark and understated (muted grays with typography that signals the film's dry wit). On Twitter, the brand is built entirely through voice: both Bartleet and Martin tweet with the same sharp, self-deprecating humor as the film itself. The two platforms present different faces to different audiences, but both are authentic expressions of the same emotions.
How I Will Use This to Develop My Own Social Media Presence:
Operator's dual-platform strategy is the most directly applicable model for my project. I will use Vimeo to reach festival programmers and industry contacts, and Instagram or Twitter for more personal, conversational audience engagement. The idea of coordinating promotion with cast members is also something I hadn't considered. If my collaborators have existing audiences, working with them on social media could amplify my reach significantly, as it did for Operator through Mae Martin.
More broadly, Operator demonstrates that being honest about a film's difficult subject matter on social media, rather than softening it for marketing purposes, builds deeper audience trust. I want my social media presence to engage directly with what my film is doing and why, which will attract the right audience rather than simply the largest one. A smaller, genuinely invested audience is far more valuable for a short film than passive mass viewership.
Okie last one I promise. Then we actually have to make decisions, and I have to stop reading about films and start making one.
Annie Hall (1977) — Woody Allen
I DO NOT SUPPORT WOODY ALLEN I DO NOT SUPPORT WOODY ALLEN I DO NOT SUPPORT WOODY ALLEN!!!!!!
ok anyways
Annie Hall is the gold standard. The film that basically said “what if we just didn’t have a fourth wall at all” and won four Oscars for it. The movie begins unconventionally, with Alvy breaking the fourth wall as he speaks directly to the audience about his childhood and adolescence, mixing jokes with bittersweet observations about life. From the very first frame, Allen establishes that there are no rules.
What’s brilliant is what the fourth wall break actually does structurally. The film’s strengths lie in its postmodern techniques, like the fourth wall breaks and fantasy inserts, which add layers without overwhelming the core romance. Allen uses the breaks not to be clever but to be honest. Alvy talks to us because he literally cannot stop processing his relationship out loud. The camera is his therapist.
It’s super important that if you’re going to break reality like this, you do so right away, so that the audience is prepared to suspend their disbelief. Annie Hall does that in its first scene as Woody Allen talks directly to the camera, telling jokes. This lets us know right away that this movie will get as meta as it wants. That’s the lesson for us. Establish the grammar of your world early. Once you’ve set the rules, you can break them as much as you want.
American Psycho (2000) — Mary Harron
Okay. Different kind of dark comedy. Much darker. Significantly more axe murders.
American Psycho is a 2000 American psychological black comedy film co-written and directed by Mary Harron, based on Bret Easton Ellis’s novel of the same name. It follows Patrick Bateman, a wealthy Wall Street investment banker who is also a serial killer, or possibly isn’t, and the film is genuinely committed to never fully answering that question. The film cleverly uses music as a narrative device, with Bateman often discussing his favorite albums in detail before committing acts of violence. This juxtaposition of pop culture and brutality serves as a critique of the era’s hedonistic lifestyle and reflects Bateman’s fractured psyche.
The fourth wall here isn’t a camera glance or a direct address, but rather an internal monologue that we’re constantly pulled inside. The thing that makes American Psycho so original is the amusing voiceover monologues of Christian Bale, which are, in fact, a reflection of his inner demons. We’re not watching Patrick Bateman from the outside. We’re trapped inside his head with him.
The entire society that surrounds him is as self-centered and vain as he is, and equally addicted to greed. That’s the real horror of this film, and a lot of the comedy derives from watching the excess. The business card scene (where grown men in expensive suits have what can only be described as a breakdown over whose card has the better font) is one of the funniest scenes in my personal cinema history and also a genuine horror movie scene.
