Short Film - Research

Hi again :)

Now that I'm officially set with making a short film for my portfolio project, I need to actually UNDERSTAND what makes a great short film (before I jump right into writing, filming, and regrettably editing at 2AM way too close to my deadlines). Let's be honest, making a short film that's actually funny, technically sound, and resolved within 5 minutes is easier said than done. So, I'll cut to the chase and get right into learning:

Short Film 101: What makes it WORK?

I did some digging, and here's what I found:

1. Keep it simple

Short films work best when they focus on just one idea or storyline. Unlike larger productions, time constraints limit how much world and character development you can do, so it works out better if the plot shows a shorter "snippet." 

Though not a short film, an example of this technique is shown in the movie Stalled (2013), a comedy-horror about a janitor who gets stuck in a bathroom during a zombie apocalypse. Rather than including unnecessary 'fluff' or subplots, like exploring the origin of the zombie virus or the janitor's life story, the creators kept it simple. It takes place in primarily one location, which allows it to be very engaging. 

2. Start late, leave early

As I briefly mentioned in #1, short films DO NOT have time for long introductions. It's best to get right into the action, so that you can fully develop the main plotline. 

It's Not You, It's Me (2013) does a good job at showing this. It's another dark-comedy where a woman breaks up with her boyfriend because he is LITERALLY trying to murder her -- zero time wasted. 

There is no need for "hello, my name is" when it comes to short films.

3. Make every frame count

Again, with such a short runtime, every shot should either push the story forward or add to the humor. I need to think about framing, pacing, and visual gags—maybe even play with mockumentary elements and lots of shot variety to make the montage in my "breakup rehearsal" short engaging. 

The Gunfighter (2014) does this beautifully. The entire short is set in a saloon, but the use of voiceover narration as a plot device makes it feel dynamic and hilarious. I audibly laughed at this one and I absolutely recommend it ( I will be sharing this with my classmates next time we do recommendations). 

4. Dialogue vs. Visual Comedy

Since I'm making a comedy, I need to balance sharp dialogue with visual storytelling. If a joke works without dialogue, it’s probably stronger. Think of exaggerated reactions, comedic timing, and physical humor.

The Elevator (2010) shows how you don't always need to say the joke to make it funny—it’s almost entirely visual comedy. The funniest part of this to me was when the main character started trying to add up the weights of the people in the elevator, purely guessing of course. When looking at the "heavier set" people, the shot would last longer before he estimates their weight. 

Apart from the embedded/linked films above, here are the articles I read that helped guide my research in Short Film 101:

Visual Storytelling in Short Films

Tips for Making Comedy Short Films

(Very Rough) Project Schedule

 Calendar of Other Important Events - 

So before I get into my rough project schedule, here's a look at other important commitments I have coming up from now to April. The ones marked in RED are where I absolutely cannot do big stuff for the project cause I won't be here, and then the ones marked in YELLOW are just days where I have something, but it won't disrupt my schedule too much.

February:

2/12 - Senior Night

2/13 - Districts

2/15-2/16 - My boyfriend (Alex) is flying in for the weekend

2/22 - Regionals (Hopefully)

March:

3/6-3/8 - States (Hopefully)

3/14 - TBD FAWA Folkstyle State Championships

3/15 - Banquet

3/17-3/22 - Alex flies in again :)

For the most part, I plan to pace my work on this project based on our blogging schedule. So for these upcoming first two weeks, a lot of research is being done. I need to learn more about short films in general, and then about the comedy genre. I expect a lot of ideas to be bouncing around my brain during this time, so my project will likely evolve a lot from now to 2/23. Then, there's research on social media and the print component (which for short film is a postcard to be distributed at film festivals). During this time, I'll start pre-production planning so I'm set to keep my project running smoothly (storyboards, shot lists, contacting potential actors, etc). The week of 3/17 to 3/22 could be a good time to film/start because my boyfriend will be here and able to help me or maybe even act (in the one scene I have that requires a man lol). If not, I have my own spring break from 3/24-3/30.. but I don't like how close that's cutting it, so that might be more of a LAST resort. Blogging during the production process includes shooting schedules, screenshots of coordinating with actors, etc. Last year, in AS, I did the bulk of my work during spring break and it ended up working out, but I do remember stressing due to some external factors... (RIP my laptop). Anyways, following production is post-production, which will happen right after I film (either following the week of 3/17 or crammed in during spring break). This time I also want to be wrapping up my print component. As for social media postings, I plan to do 2-to 3 a week to build a solid platform to market the short film. 

Sounds like a lot, but, I have a rough idea for how this is gonna go. 

Week One (2/10-2/16)

- decide on a project

- brainstorm ideas

- start genre research

Week Two (2/17-2/23)

-more genre research 

- SET MYSELF ON AN IDEA

Week Three (2/24-3/2)

- start researching social medias that fit my genre

- begin pre-production planning (storyboards, thinking of actors, shot list, etc)..

Week Four (3/3-3/9)

- make sure I'm set (scheduling/location) to film

- finalize actors/storyboard/shotlist

- any necessary research (I really want to make aesthetic intro/credits, and maybe even come up with a production tag)

- HOPEFULLY I'll be at states so the week before/after this will need to compensate

Week Five (3/10-3/16)

- try to start filming...

-research print component conventions (that fit my genre)

Week Six(3/17-3/23)

- BETTER be filming/have filmed

- if yes, start editing!

-begin researching/planning for Critical Reflection

Week Seven (3/24-3/30) 

- do what needs to be done! (finish editing, credits, introduction, etc)

- have an idea for my CR/maybe even start 

Week Eight (3/31-4/6)

- mostly CR

- any other changes

Week Nine (4/7-4/9)

- final post :) reflect on the project

- post all components

- post CR

- goodbye :)

More updates coming soon :)

DISCLAIMER: 

Upon further consideration for my short film idea (which I mentioned in my previous post), I am worried that it won't fit the time requirements. It has to be about 5 minutes, and unlike any other idea I had, I worry this will be too short. It would be very "montage-y," but I can't do that for 4 of the 5 minutes.. so this idea is likely to change. 

A Level Portfolio Project Choice

Hi there!

I’m beyond excited to start my final AICE Media portfolio project! It feels surreal to think about everything I’ve learned over the past year, and I can’t think of a better way to show it off. We had a big options review on Monday (2/10), and here’s what I have to choose from:

Option 1:  Music Promo Package Option 2:  Film Promo Package

Option 3:  Documentary Package Option 4:  Short Film Package

Of these four, the two that stuck out most were the documentary and short film packages. But making a final decision is much harder than it seems...

Documentary:

On one hand, I really enjoyed our documentary unit and would love to attempt one on my own. The idea I have in mind, however, would be to document the trials and tribulations that is highschool wrestling (and making a run for a state title). I take my sport very seriously though, and I worry filming could distract me or my teammates while we're at practice and tournaments.  Plus, I’m not sure my coach would be on board with all the filming. That said, the portfolio project only has to be an excerpt of a bigger episodic doc, so I thought maybe I could focus on a more casual style for the introduction "episode." This could give a behind-the-scenes look at the team while allowing me to introduce myself and my teammates. And with the season ending in March and the project due in April, I could always pivot the topic to being a student-athlete more generally — especially since we’ll have some national tournaments to cover post-season. 

But then there’s the wrestling schedule to consider. With practices five times a week from 3-6 PM and all-day tournaments on weekends, it can be a juggling act for me. I’ve really worked hard to balance academics and training this year, but I know it’s still going to be a challenge (regardless of what option I go with).

Short Film:

Now, as for short film ideas, I was talking with my boyfriend and we came up with a couple. My favorite ended up being a "breakup rehearsal." Picture this: a girl and her best friend practicing crazy ways for her to break up with her boyfriend — think dramatic flair, deadpan delivery, even interpretive dance. But when she finally gets to the actual breakup, he just casually replies with a laid-back “Okay, yeah.” leaving her with nothing but a stunned “THAT’S IT?” and then the film just cuts off. I’ve never done a comedy before, so this feels like a fun idea to consider.

Conclusion:

After all the thinking and weighing my options, I’ve officially decided to go with the short film package (subject to change... I can be indecisive). I can’t wait to share more about my creative journey in future posts. We'll chat then :) Bye for now!

Critical Reflection - Documentary Project

                 War is a sensitive subject affecting people's lives in and out of the hot seat. The documentary “A War at Home” explores how tensions in the Israel-Palestine conflict affect the lives of Palestinian high school student, Yousef Safa, despite living thousands of miles away in the United States. The purpose of this text is not to sway the audience’s opinion on the war but rather to express how the impacts of war can target those out of direct harm’s reach.
                Research was arguably the most important part of developing this documentary, and it began with documentary conventions in general, as my partner, Mateo, and I had never created one before. In class, we studied several types of documentaries, including long-term productions such as American Promise, whose production spanned over 13 years; satirical ones, like Exit Through the Gift Shop; and short episodic texts (NYT op-docs). Typical conventions may vary by genre and purpose, but the consensus is to show a “slice of life.” Documentaries are often non-fiction and specific, frequently relying on interviews to progress the structure and purpose.
                Then came researching the topic of the Israel-Palestine war itself; which I initially found daunting. Mateo was the group member who had a bit of background knowledge in this area, and the connection to our interviewee, but I found that I was pretty uneducated about this. I felt a bit embarrassed to be honest, that in this day and age where information is accessible at the touch of your fingertips, I had never taken the time to learn about a relevant political event that is affecting people across the world. I took this opportunity to educate myself and fill gaps in my knowledge, which was a thorough process. I examined a variety of texts, including articles, YouTube videos, and transcripted interviews. Those that proved most helpful were a brief history on YouTube by Vox, and an interview transcription with a Palestinian woman, Amal Amireh. Together, these texts gave me a solid foundation in understanding the origins of the Israel-Palestine conflict and its effects on people. The interview especially served as a model for how I could draft and structure my interview questions.
                An important point to stress about the purpose of this documentary is that it is in no way, shape, or form meant to sway the political standings of the audience. While we recognize the potential bias of including only one interview, particularly with a Palestinian interviewee, the careful structure and word choice effectively address this concern. Mateo and I were very pleased that this came across to our peers. Yousef delivered an overview of the origins of the war, how it has affected people on both sides and how it has affected his personal life in the United States.
                The target audience would include teenagers and young adults aged 15-25, all genders, and those interested in social justice, international affairs, human rights, and politics. The main factor determining the audience is whether or not they are or want to become educated about the current war. This makes it an expository documentary, which delivers factual information on a specific topic. “A War at Home” adheres to typical conventions in this genre as it relies on an interview, uses archival photos (when explaining the conflict’s origin), and graphics. We did however avoid narration/voice-over, or “a voice of God” because, as mentioned previously, the purpose is not to persuade. Yousef does a great job of moving the story along in this feature’s absence. Apart from some staged clips of Yousef for the introduction, most of our b-roll was graphics, photos, and videos Yousef took himself in Palestine.
                Our documentary represents victims of the war’s effects both in combat zones, and other regions of the world by highlighting Yousef’s experience. In Florida, he faces prejudice for his posts online and for representing his culture at International Fest at his high school. Not only is it hard for him, and many others, to worry about family back home, but to also be hated for speaking out on his beliefs. This is why we decided on the title, for its double meaning; there is a war going on back home (Palestine), but its effects are real where Yousef lives. By providing an authentic voice, “A War at Home” gives a platform to an often marginalized and misunderstood group of people, addressing a significant and current social issue, without taking a persuasive stance.
                A portion of Yousef’s commentary is spent giving historical context into the origins of the conflict. To do this in a way that kept audiences engaged and helped them to understand, we chose graphics and B-roll that reflected the explanations. The interviewee explained that the main cause of the war between Israel and Palestine was territory disputes, so we showed a graphic that visually changed to display changing territory lines. Another instance is when Yousef described witnessing a raid in his village in Palestine. To enhance this moment, we included a first-hand video taken during the raid, which added a powerful, personal connection to Yousef’s experiences and his ties to the conflict. His perspective makes the topic feel closer to the audience, as he is just an average teenager attending high school, like most of the target audience. The brevity of the documentary also makes it accessible and appealing to audiences with shorter attention spans, ensuring they stay engaged while keeping the focus on the issue at hand.
                This documentary illustrates the importance of understanding the personal and global impacts of the Israel-Palestine conflict. I am proud to have worked on a piece that has an impactful message. It has not only taught me that I have a responsibility to educate myself on current affairs but also to keep storytelling and creating opportunities for others to learn.

Crafting "A War at Home" (Production Part 2)

The Editing Journey: Crafting "A War at Home"

Editing can be a rollercoaster of emotions for me (throwback to last year's portfolio project where my computer BROKE). My partner Mateo and I have our unique quirks in the editing process, but we worked together and it went great. While I wouldn’t say I hate editing, some moments make me want to cry. Editing interviews, however, are a different story; they tend to be more manageable,and luckily that's what we were working with for our doc. That said, Mateo made my life a bit more challenging by not taking notes or timestamps during our interview with Yousef. I found myself diving into a 25-minute video completely blind. But hey, I can’t blame him too much—I was the one who ditched filming day. Luckily, Yousef was super articulate and insightful, making my editing life way easier. He seriously was the blueprint interviewee.

Our editing was a collaborative effort, with us passing a laptop back and forth as we took turns finding/organizing the b-roll, which included online graphics from YouTube, photos, and Yousef's personal videos, or editing in the timeline. I realized that I often convince myself I DREAD editing, but end up managing to produce something I’m proud of and being just fine. It helps that both Mateo and I have had experience in TV production since our freshman year, so we approached this project with a familiar workflow: organizing materials, creating a line edit, incorporating b-roll, and adding final touch-ups. This entire process took about three days, all while juggling classes, homework, and other commitments.

Here's what our timeline looked like ^

We structured the documentary thoughtfully, focusing on key themes that would resonate with our audience. Our outline included Yousef’s family background, a news montage transition, and an exploration of the ongoing conflict in Palestine, including personal accounts of Yousef’s experiences. We also delved into the emotional impact on Yousef, his interactions at home, and his hopes for the future. Each segment was designed to maintain engagement and avoid redundancy, which was crucial since we featured only one interviewee.

A standout feature was our montage of news headlines about the war, which we sourced from YouTube and other platforms. This montage was a powerful transition into the heavier themes of the documentary, paired with a dramatic riser that really cranked up the emotional intensity. Music selection was initially a concern for me, but Mateo had access to Epidemic Sound, which helped us to find a dramatic instrumental that complemented Yousef’s words without overshadowing them. We used the music strategically to enhance the emotional flow of the documentary rather than forcing it throughout the entire piece.

Inserting b-roll was a breeze, as it was a straightforward choice based on what Yousef discussed. When he spoke about his family, we showcased his personal photos and videos; when he talked about territory lines, we displayed relevant graphics. We spent a LOOOOOOOOOOT of time on YouTube. The editing process was efficient and enjoyable, even when we addressed the lighting issues. Mateo color-corrected the darker clips to match the brighter ones, resulting in a cohesive visual experience.

One challenge we faced was ensuring that the documentary didn’t become monotonous with just one interviewee. Thankfully, Yousef had great commentary and our careful structuring kept the narrative engaging. We also added graphics, including lower thirds in the colors of the Palestinian flag and a simple title font for the b-roll of Yousef.

Here's the lower thirds and title graphics^

Now, Mateo and I are considering submitting "A War at Home" to film festivals after making a few minor adjustments. We plan to resize the lower thirds, add credits, and include a brief interview with Yousef explaining what International Fest is, as we realized that not everyone would be familiar with it.

Overall, I had a fantastic experience working on this documentary, and I’m genuinely proud of how it turned out. The documentary module was incredibly rewarding, and I’m now inspired to pursue a similar project for my final portfolio. :)

Check out "A War at Home" in the link here

Production - Interviewing Yousef

This post will be short since I was absent at the interview/filming date.

Normally, when Mateo and I team up, I handle the interviews while he takes care of the editing. He’s way faster at it than I am, and I really enjoy chatting with our subjects. But with wrestling season in full swing—practices and tournaments almost every day—I had to sit this one out, so Mateo stepped in to conduct the interview.

I had written up the questions, but I lost the document in my Google Drive, so I can’t share them here. I based a lot of them on the interview format I discussed in my research blog.

I texted Mateo afterward, and he said everything went smoothly, aside from a few minor lighting issues with the sun.

The only thing left to do was edit the final doc together!! In the next post I'll go into detail about how that went. :)

Research + Planning for DOC

Introduction to Project

For one of our first big projects of the year, we were assigned to create a short documentary in groups/partners. I joined forces with my friend and classmate Mateo, who I often work with for our AICE Media assignments now that we're in the same class.

Brainstorming was a struggle for us, we couldn't find a topic that really stuck out.

We bounced ideas around, discussed the mental health of first responders (which I especially take interest in, as I want to become a firefighter), and even created an outline, but it didn't feel right. We already had a solid foundation since we researched it for a podcast assignment. 

Mateo suggested doing a piece on furries or a homeless person, as it would be interesting to create a piece around a group/person who has such an intense image created by society, but there was no way for us to do it safely as high school students. 

The night before the outline was due, Mateo clutched up and decided we could do a piece discussing the ongoing war between Israel and Palestine. While it seemed interesting, I was a bit nervous that I wasn't educated enough on the subject. But, when our pitch got approved and we decided to continue, I knew I'd have to research more.

Directions

In the assignment, we had to submit:

- pre-doc planning outline

Unfortunately, since Mateo and I had already done one for our other topic, we never completed a final outline for our final subject. We should have gone back to check we had everything before the due date.

- A production log

To keep track of when we completed steps in our project (ex. interviewing, editing)

- And the documentary itself

Research

A big reason why this subject was a great call, was because we already had an interviewee lined up. Yousef Safa, a Palestinian student at our school, who Mateo was pretty good friends with. 

A major conversation between Mateo and I was about how we wanted this documentary to come across - it wasn't going to be made to be political in the sense that we try and persuade viewers' opinions. The purpose would be to show how the effects of a war can affect somebody so close to our own lives, and how it has influence even when you aren't living on an active battlefield. That's why we went with the title "A War at Home." Funny story, I was skeptical of this at first. Mateo came up with it, because it has the double meaning of the war AT HOME (the criticism and pressure Yousef faces here in the USA), and at home (Palestine). I didn't think other people would get this, so we asked our classmate and she immediately understood it.... yeah I just bowed my head in defeat after that one. I GUESS he was right. 

Anyways, in terms of research, since it is such a controversial topic, we watched a LOT of content. 

Here's my watch history on YouTube.

But the video I found most helpful in giving me a general background was The Israel-Palestine conflict: a brief, simple history This video explained how the conflict started long ago, over territory disputes involving Europe, Israel, and of course Palestine. It had a lot of graphics that helped me understand the changes in territory lines and whatnot. I also appreciated the specific explanation of what Hamas was. 

The video is linked in the text, but here it is embedded below (we liked this so much that we even included a short clip of the graphic that was helpful in our documentary).

Another source that personally helped me better understand how to draft questions for Yousef, and to better understanding of the subject, was an interview I read. It was called "Interview with Amal Amireh–a Palestinian immigrant to America–by Michael Benisek." (I have embedded the link within the title) This helped me draft questions for our interview with Yousef and it was honestly just an interesting read. 

I think it's important to comment that there was a bit of content that was hard to watch or read, but I am glad that I got an opportunity to learn about this. 

As we each had done our own research and felt confident in understanding, we began to draft questions. The next post will discuss the production of our documentary.