Concerns and Target Audience

     With the new message I want to convey through the short film in mind, my main concern is that it may come out as too cliché or childish. In order to bring some clarity to my uncertainty, Nico and I had a conversation with our teacher. I mentioned wanting to make a happy, feel-good short because I have already tried other types and would like to see something nice for a change. She agreed with the idea of keeping the film happy because there is too much negativity in the world already. However, when I mentioned making it “cute,” my teacher said that life is full of nuances, therefore nothing is tied into a perfect bow such as “cute” films make them out to be. This made us realize that we have to leave some questions unanswered to keep it realistic.
     When discussing my concern with the idea being too childish, my teacher made us open our eyes to something we hadn’t even considered…making it for a younger target audience. This would eliminate the issue of it being too childish because it is meant for children to enjoy. As for being too cliché, most children films are because they are more about the feel-good feeling and positive message it teaches. I strongly believe my partner and I will be able to achieve this and with the love I have for short films like this, the ideas won’t stop flowing in! To start this process, I must do some research on how to target kids because it is something I have yet to do.
     “Kids represent an important demographic to marketers because in addition to their own purchasing power (which is considerable) they influence their parents’ buying decisions and are the adult consumers of the future.” [1] This demographic has been getting increasingly important over the last couple of years. When targeting children, most films deal with dark-subject matter, such as separation. [2] This fact made us think of how hard moving can be and all of the anxieties that come with it. However, behind all of the memories being left behind, new ones are being made that could bring more opportunities. When moving, people often look at all of the negative that comes with it, but maybe we could show someone looking at the positives to show our message? Moving is the topic we found that has the most negative AND positives to it, therefore it is now what we will focus on.
     More than three in four parents say kids influence the family’s purchase decisions. [3] Targeting this film towards children will increase consumption and by focusing it on a dark-subject matter in a happy light, it will make it understandable and enjoyable for the older audiences watching it with them as well. Most often, the family genre plays on the possibility that imagination holds and the children genre keeps age-appropriate, simplistic content. [4] I plan on creating a film with simplistic content that carries a deep message and incorporates imagination when looking at all the good that comes from moving.

Purl image: https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Purl

     Purl is a Pixar SparkShorts film directed by Kristen Lester. [5] It tells the story of a ball of yarn named Purl having trouble fitting into a new job because she is too “soft.” Although looking like a ‘cute’ children’s short at first, it holds a much deeper message discussing the uniqueness and importance of femininity. The short appeals to the younger audience by keeping the film simple and age-appropriate. Children are able to understand the occurrences and in the end, learn a very important message without even realizing it. I plan on showing the negatives throughout just as this short did, then showing someone overcoming the bad as well.


[1] http://mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-literacy/media-issues/marketing-consumerism/how-marketers-target-kids
[2] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/3647519/What-makes-a-childrens-film-great.html
[3] https://www.viacom.com/news/kidfluence-kids-influence-buying-behavior
[4] https://thescriptlab.com/screenplay/genre/983-children/
[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6uuIHpFkuo

Change of Plans

     Soo…there’s been a change of plans! My partner was in class for the first time today and with the different perspective and a ton of new brainstorming, we were able to come up with some better ideas! Starting with the romance genre previously researched, we both liked the idea. However, we had to consider other genres as well. As much as we enjoyed romance and all of it’s sub-genres, we struggled coming up with any actual short film-worthy ideas. After not being fully content with any ideas, we completely started over.
     The one previously mentioned rule we still want to incorporate is “show, don’t tell.” [1] Having only music and sound effects playing throughout shows how significant sound can be. We plan on telling a story so well that it is understood without using any dialogue. We then considered what it is we want our film to do for viewers. From the beginning, the main thing I want this short to accomplish is to tell a message. In order to do this, we had to come up with some messages/lessons and possible stories/scenarios:

• If it’s meant to be, it will be

• If you want it to happen, nothing will stop you (a man tries to get a women’s attention and overcomes several obstacles to get it)

• Accept everybody’s past

• “Make every day count” [2] (show a repetitive routine, then new things are tried and happiness is finally found)

• “It’s never too late” [3] (to do the right thing? To get rid of bad habits? To meet ‘the one’? To change your life around?)

     After many life lessons, two caught my attention: “It will pass” and “Change is good.” [4] “It will pass” tells people that nothing bad will ever last and sadness goes away. “Change is good” implies that getting outside of your comfort zone is good and changes can bring opportunity. Combining these two lessons gave me the idea to show how there is always some good in the bad! Change can be scary and make fear/sadness appear never-ending, but it won’t last and positivity is still present. Looking for the light in all of the bad can send audiences an important message, while giving us freedom to create an interesting short film.


[1] https://www.raindance.org/7-rules-for-writing-short-films/
[2] https://liveboldandbloom.com/05/self-awareness-2/important-life-lessons
[3] https://awakenthegreatnesswithin.com/27-inspirational-quotes-that-will-help-you-believe-that-it-is-never-too-late/
[4] https://liveboldandbloom.com/05/self-awareness-2/important-life-lessons

Romance Inspirations

     Unfortunately, my partner was not present once again. However, I have continued my research into the romance genre and would love to continue with it! My only concern at the moment is that I want to make sure I create a film focused around things that I feel strongly about. The passion I feel towards specific things should be shown through this short film to make it the best piece I could possibly create right now. I do enjoy romance films from time to time, but I am not exactly a huge fan. Between my mixed feelings and my tendency to change my mind quite often, I have a feeling I may be changing this genre soon. Until I speak to my partner and teacher for different perspectives and a bit of guidance, I have decided to look into the most popular/influential romance movies of all time.
The Notebook (2004), directed by Nick Cassavetes, tells the story of a forbidden love between a wealthy, seventeen year-old girl and a poor, local boy. [1] The film does a wonderful job of showing that sub-genre and how love can overcome anything, in my opinion. It touches viewers’ hearts and leaves people longing for what they have just seen. The movie earned several awards and did well in the box office, although expected not to, earning a worldwide total gross of $115,603,229. [2] Not only is it one of the most popularized romantic films ever, but tells a story of the exact same sub-genre I am looking into... forbidden love! However, it is quite a sad story and in my short I plan on keeping the entire 5 minutes happy throughout.

Notebook Image: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/562035228470156581/

     I wanted to look into a full-length film to get a good idea of the genre overall and remind myself of the concepts I would like to incorporate. However, in this case, looking into romantic short films would be the most effective. So… that’s exactly what I did! The Walt Disney Pictures production, Paperman (2012) was the first short that came to mind. An urban office worker meets a young lady and finds that paper airplanes are the unexpected answer to meeting her. [3] Director John Kahrs created a charming, sweet piece able to create that “aww” reaction in only 6 minutes, leading to the short's Academy Award for Best Short Film (Animated). The simplicity of the short is what I admire most and would love to recreate.  The sound was also a big inspiration to me. I loved the way that the film was able to tell a story using no words and was able to tell it so well. If I choose to go with the romance genre, this is definitely something I will do!

Paperman Image: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2388725/mediaviewer/rm769930240

[1] https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0332280/plotsummary
[2] https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=notebook.htm
[3] https://letterboxd.com/film/paperman/crew/

It's Nice to be Back !!

     Welcome back to my blog! I'm Valentina Lesende and if you didn't read my last year's blog, here you go: valentinalesende.blogspot.com. This year I have partnered up with Nicolas Monaco on this journey. If you joined me last year, you know that my partner left school halfway through the project and it was quite difficult, so hopefully this time around it will be a lot better! I am ready to face all of the new obstacles and challenges ahead of me.
     Since I chose to create a film opening for my AS Level Foundation Portfolio and loved most of the process, I have chosen to continue this path, although more challenging: a short film! Since my partner has been absent, I had to start brainstorming alone. I came up with some different ideas, which may change once he returns and provides another perspective, but am quite set on the genre. This time around I have decided to move on from the horror genre and on to the romance genre.
     "Romantic films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus." [1] However, it not only shows the journey, but brings light to the obstacles and hardships that must be overcome. From destructive love to forbidden, obsessive love, this genre provides huge freedom to create endless possibilities and outcomes. Many romantic short films have become popularized over the years including Hotel Desire (2011), Hotel Chevalier (2007), La Jetée (1962), and Sweat (II) (2015). [2] Although I have considered many possibilities including romantic dramas, romantic comedies, and historical romances, I have set my eye on romantic thrillers. "It is a genre of movie that has a storyline mixing with elements of romantic movie and a thriller genre." [3] The example of The Bodyguard and other films I have seen over the years have intrigued me towards this sub-genre.
     Although still quite unsure on what I want the story to be/tell, I now have somewhat of an idea on what my genre will be, which is a start!



[1] https://www.filmsite.org/romancefilms.html
[2] https://www.imdb.com/search/title?genres=romance&title_type=short&sort=moviemeter,asc
[3] https://medium.com/@jeremythomas0191/what-are-the-7-sub-genres-of-romance-movies-4140491d06ba