First Date

Synopsis

After being stood up at a bar, Anthea and Grace find that they have a lot in common… even their missing date.

 

This scene was written, produced, directed and edited by Vivien Micic for the Directing Performance media studio during the spring 2023 flex term.

 

What I gained from this studio

This studio has helped me gain more confidence in myself and my own skills as a filmmaker. I have never written a scene before this class, although I had attempted to do so when I was in primary school. After reviewing scripts in class and downloading the proper software, I found that this is something I really enjoyed. For the most part, I found it easy to write the scene for the studio project.

This studio has also helped me become more familiar with Adobe Premiere Pro and understand more about the technical side of making screen based content, including the audio component. Adobe Premiere Pro is still a program I struggle with using but I am becoming more familiar with it and confident in using it. I hope that I can continue to learn more about this in future studios.

I did not expect to learn so much about audio in film during this studio. Unexpectedly, it has reignited my interest in documentary and narrative style podcasts, which I had learned about in the podcasting school option class. I wonder if I would enjoy being a foley artist or doing something related to the audio side of filmmaking.

 

The Studio Project

I thoroughly enjoyed making my scene for the studio project. Titled First Date, this scene shows a romantic spark developing between two women who have been stood up by their date at a bar. The LGBT+ undertones add a little more depth to the connection between the characters, Anthea and Grace.

Initially, I wrote these characters as George and Anthony. While I wasn’t able to cast the roles of George and Anthony for my scene through Star Now, I learned how to write character descriptions and list both of those characters as roles for actors to audition for. I’m grateful that Thomas Hurley submitted a self tape audition, although circumstances prevented him from playing the role of George.

With a quick rewrite, I cast myself and my friend Amber in the roles of Anthea and Grace. We filmed the scene in the backyard at my house, with my dad operating the boom pole for the wide shot. Time was short due to my dad and Amber’s availability and having to keep my cat, Nacho, in the cubby house so we would be able to film without him becoming the star of the scene.

I ran a table read with Amber, allowed her to improvise and modify some of the lines beyond what I had written. We also had an open discussion about the scene and characters. Although I had forgotten to provide her with a character description for Grace, this allowed Amber to explore Grace’s personality in her own way and make her own backstory for the character. I feel like Amber’s performance of Grace came from the heart and having this character be more personal to her enabled Amber to give an authentic performance.

I hope that the performances from myself and Amber leave the audience feeling hopeful that a true love can blossom for these two characters. I would like the audience to feel the happy and cozy vibes that you usually get from a rom-com or romance movie. Notting Hill is my favourite movie from this genre, but I wanted to put some distance between the scene I wrote and Notting Hill because I didn’t want to feel like I had copied what made the relationship between the characters of Notting Hill truly special.

 

If First Date were to evolve beyond just this scene, the story would follow Anthea as she falls in love with Grace and comes to terms with her sexuality. Just like how Notting Hill includes a wide range of characters, the story of First Date would also explore the implications of Anthea’s sexuality and relationship on her social circle. This would also include people Anthea is close with who might not be so supportive of her coming out.

 

Ultimately, if I were to make something for a film festival, I would not continue developing this scene. As this studio has given me an introduction to screenwriting, directing and working with actors, I believe I could make something different which challenges me to push the boundaries of my comfort zone a little more than what First Date did.

Perhaps I would move into a different genre. I enjoy some of Steven Moffat’s screenwriting for Sherlock and Doctor Who. He is known for writing mystery/thriller episodes. I’d recommend the episode Blink from Doctor Who to anyone who wants to get a taste of his work and Doctor Who.

 

While I’m not sure what my next studio will be like, I hope that I will be able to do something which involves writing a narrative story and producing it as either a screen-based project, which I hope will have more input from my classmates, or a narrative style podcast. This will further develop the skills that I gained during my first semester and this studio.

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