I created a social media page for the film! I used Instagram, as it's the primary social media I use. This a really exciting moment for me, now I feel like the existence of this movie is official, the public knows that it's happening. I had another cast meeting a few days ago (which I'll talk about in my next post) that makes me really optimistic for how the final product will be. I made the first post Tuesday, and if I felt less confident that I had actors who would be in the film I probably wouldn't have done, but I think I have enough people confirmed that it feels right.
The first post I made was the teaser poster for the film. I'll make a primary poster featuring the characters once filming has began and I'll have images of the actors in costume to use, but for now It's just this teaser poster to get people hyped.
I went with "This Spring, suit up" as the tagline because it fits with the superhero genre while fitting both the release and tagline into one line, which I wanted because I wanted the teaser poster to be as simple as possible, with very few lines of text.
The only other piece of text that isn't the title that I included is "a new adventure from Nathaniel Brent". I went with "new adventure" instead of the standard "a film by" or "directed by" credit because it shows that I'm trying to make a film that's a little more unique then the average student short, and also because it matches the classic comic book feel.
I felt that by including my name on the first poster and in the bio, it shows how this film is my passion project and establish it as being born of my vision. People who know me well will see my name and immediately have an idea of what this movie will be like. I definitely want to include myself in a lot of the social media, as I think having a human personality behind a movie is a good way to create a personal connection between the film and audience and thus make people more interested in it. This will mainly be through behind the scenes posts, Q&As, and a "meet the director" post I plan on making.
Yesterday was a very bid day for the film. I had my first official cast meeting with the people who will hopefully be starring in the film (unfortunately given how school is, there's a possibility that not everyone will be able to commit, which is why I over prepared by asking more people to participate then I actually need). The meeting was mainly talking about scheduling (based on the schedule I made last week), possible locations, and getting everyone accustomed to what the film will be and the desired tone. They had all already read the script before the meeting, I just wanted to clarify that it's intentionally very kitsch, and will thus require a style of acting that leans in to that.
I also talked about the music for the film. I really want this movie to have a theme song with lyrics. I have some friends who make music, so I asked them if they would be willing to write that alongside me, and they said yes. It will probably play during the suit-up montage towards the beginning, and will hopefully also be released as a single on music streaming sites to go along with the movie. This is honestly one of the things I'm most excited about, as I have a big soft spot for movies with dedicated theme songs (i.e. "Flash" by Queen from Flash Gordon or "Burn" by The Cure from The Crow) and it's going to be really cool having one in my movie.
The last thing I did in the meeting was have the cast members read some lines so both I and them can get a feel for how different people will be in different roles. Like I said in a previous post, I really need the main trio to bounce off of each other if I want this to work. Hopefully I can finalize the cast next week.
Before I go, I'll show off these logos I made. One is the main logo for the film, and the other three are logos representing the members of the team... The Abnormals!
As per the requirements of this project, I need to make two research posts in which I watch to two existing short films to prepare and get ideas for my own. These two are both superhero shorts, which fits with the film that I'll be making.
Film 1: The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story
The Spider Within is an animated Spider-Man short released by Sony Pictures in 2024. What's really cool about it is that it was made in partnership with a nonprofit called the Kevin Love Fund to promote mental health awareness. The film itself is about Miles Morales returning home with a lot on his mind, not just his life as Spider-Man, but also his struggles at school. His dad invites him to watch a movie, but Miles goes to his room. While in his room, he encounters a shadowy copy of himself, which morphs into a massive spider. This creature isn't literally there, it just represents his anxiety, and the film does a great job portraying that with the visuals and sound. I love the use of comic panels in this film, showing either flashbacks or a different perspective on a shot, such as the view of the spider that Miles sees alongside Miles himself. I will definitely consider using a similar technique for my film. It's also really cool how this short is largely a horror film that just features a superhero character. I love genre bending like that, and I may attempt to include techniques associated with other genres in my film too.
Now originally, I was going to find a different superhero short to watch, until I discovered that this isn't the only Spider-Man horror movie...
Film 2: The Spider
A month after The Spider Within came out, filmmaker Andy Chen released The Spider, an unofficial fan-film that reimagines the origin of Spider-Man as body horror. What I love about this film is how it plays with what the viewer expects from the character its based on. The first few minutes seem pretty similar to the classic origin story (radioactive spider bite, shooting webs, sticking to walls) if noticeably more gross. The thing is, you can tell something is off. The color palate is dark and intense, the music is ominous, and every shot of Peter's face shows how he's getting more sick. Even still, it just kind of feels like a darker version of Spider-Man's origin. That is until Peter vomits up blood and one of his teeth and wakes up covered in webs. That's when this thing shifts gears fully into horror. Before you know it, Peter has spider limbs growing out of him and eats Uncle Ben. When Aunt May discovers the grisly scene, we get a look at what Peter has become. And my god, is it glorious. Scraggly hair, multiple eyes placed in irregular locations on the face, a pair of fangs, and a coating of slime. My only complaint with this film is that at the very end, he turns into a more conventional giant spider that is far less scary that than the literal spider/man hybrid, but that doesn't stop the practical effects from being insanely impressive and scary and the whole movie oozing with atmosphere (and other fluids!).
As per the requirements of this project, I need to make two research posts in which I watch to two existing short films to prepare and get ideas for my own. These first two films are both live action and were released recently, with one coming out last year and the other coming out only a around week ago.
Film 1: Coreys
Coreys (2024) is a thriller/comedy film written by, directed by, and starring the comedian Conner O'Malley. I remember watching this when it came out and not really enjoying it. On rewatch, I'm more conflicted. The film's plot is that a dissatisfied husband and father named Corey discovers an internet influencer who looks exactly like him, also named Corey. Other Corey is a popular, uninhibited party animal who surrounds himself with women and flaunts his success, the exact opposite of Main Corey. Main Corey goes to Las Vegas to meet his doppelganger, resulting in the two of them fusing into one. This new Corey runs around Vegas for a bit until memories of Main Corey's family start rushing back to him, resulting in the two splitting back apart and Main Corey going back home to his wife, now with a new appreciation for his mundane existence.
Despite it's eccentricities, in the end it's a pretty standard "there's no place like home" story. Main Corey thinks he wants the party lifestyle, but realizes that he's more happy as a suburbanite. I applaud the film for who it gets that idea across very smoothly, not bogging it down with unnecessary information. My big problem is that a lot of it feels like it's just going through the motions. I get that Main Corey's want is based on wanting to emulate the life shown on the internet, that part is made very clear by him obsessing over Other Corey's videos. But why he does he choose to leave? It seems like his Vegas persona is everything he ever wanted. The flashback to him with his son is so out of nowhere and feels unearned. We're supposed to believe he's a loving father just because the movie tells us to via some home videos. None of his previous actions support this, and that leads to weaker storytelling.
I also really don't like the way flashbacks and inserts are used. Again, I get that this whole movie is about the internet, which is why O'Malley feels the need to heavily emphasize the chaotic videos of Other Corey and show how they're getting into Main Corey's head via quick inserts. In the beginning, it's fine. But then it keeps going. Conner, I get it. Other Corey represents the ideal life that toxic social media sells to straight men, you make that very clear. You can stop now. The inserts are so prevalent that becomes obnoxious, and not in a "that's the point way" more so in a "this is just hammering in the message as if the audience is too stupid to infer it themself while padding out the runtime way".
Overall, Coreys is fine. I don't love it, I don't hate it. I'm probably never going to think about it again. What I've learned from this one is to go beyond the surface level where applicable, not overuse technical gimmicks, and not try too hard to make a statement. If the audience wants to get it, they'll get it.
Film 2: Liked
Liked (2025) is a horror film written and directed by Kylie Roseanne, a YouTuber better known to many as Haunted Hippie (I'm a fan of her videos, which is how I found out she made a short film). I'm not going to act like this movie is perfect, but I will say that I enjoyed it a lot more than Coreys. Both movies are ones that deal with the internet and the role of influencers, and while Liked makes very little sense regarding themes, it's far better written, directed, and shot, and I can forgive the messiness when Roseanne is clearly having a blast putting completely unnecessary body horror elements in her indie dramedy about a substitute teacher trying to make it big online.
The plot of this film is that Hannah, a substitute teacher, starts posting online as a fashion influencer. She tries to maintain a balance between her passion project and relationships with her friends and family, all while caring for the rapidly growing creature she found in her closet, which she named Coco, who feeds on her blood. Eventually Coco grows into a humanoid woman that resembles a mix between a zombie and Amy Lee from Evanesence, proceeds to kill Hannah's friend and then Hannah herself, and the film ends on her beginning to record a video as her adoptive mother would.
What impressed me most about this film is the acting and the writing. It all feels very natural, and it's clear that it's a film about the influencer experience written by someone who's lived through it. There are moments of Gen-Z slang like "touch grass" that don't feel forced and instead feel like natural things these people would say to each other when hanging out. The horror and suspense is really well done, especially given the limited resources. They do a great job hiding what Coco's growing forms look like, making the final reveal all the more powerful.
Now obviously the intended metaphor here is that Coco drinking Hannah's blood represents her giving parts of her life away to make videos. How are these things correlated in the context of the movie? Why does it end like that? I don't know, but it's cool! Liked is a movie that feels fun. It has energy. Some may even say, it has sauce. I think with short films, that's what matters. If my audience has a good time and is smiling by the end, that's how I know I succeeded.
I had begun writing on Monday, thinking that the process of making this film would be a long and difficult one. I anticipated that because of other classes and activities I would have very little time to work and that the script would go through numerous rewrites. I was wrong. I ended up with a lot of time to write the screenplay, and although it went through a fair amount of changes in the beginning of it, the basic idea always stayed the same and I reached a point for I solidified what the plot itself would be and it was a lot of smooth sailing from there.
I should back up. What even is the plot of my film? Before the week we formally began the project, I was already brainstorming ideas. I was thinking a lot about themes and aesthetic choices and trying to use them to work outside-in to find what the actual story. I also went on to my Letterboxd to make an inspiration list, where I selected random movies I've seen that could serve as inspiration what I would make, trying to do it on instinct without thinking. That list is to the right:
Initially, my idea was that I would make a film talking about technology and social media. It's a topic I'm very familiar with, being a member of Gen Z and all that, I felt like I would be an easy way to tap into some relevant and important themes while having creative room to do weird and creative stuff with the visuals. As I developed this idea, I went on my teacher's website to watch some A Level short films from years past. While a lot of them I couldn't watch because they've since been made private, I was able to access enough to get a feel for what other people have done with this project. And this convinced me to completely rethink my approach. I quickly discovered that technology and social media are incredibly popular and, let's not sugarcoat, overdone themes in student films. If I made a film about these things, I be retreading ground that many others have tread and similar ways.
I needed something unique. I needed an idea that no other AICE Media student would even consider, let alone attempt. Frankly, I needed an idea that was stupid. I soon found that idea in the form of superheroes.
Superheroes are something I've been fascinated by since I was a kid. Superman from 1978 is one of the first movies I have memory of watching to this day is one of my all time favorites. I also have memories of Batmanthe Movie from 1966 staring Adam West at around a similar young age. I've wanted to do a superhero film for a while, but I've always been intimated by the inherent technical complexity of that genre.
Why I was finally convinced to finally attempt a superhero film for my final project that serves as a portion of my final exam grade? I still can't really answer that. I think it's a mix of a few things: Wanting to make something unique and unexpected, wanting use the genre to make something in the spirit of my low-budget B-movie heroes like Charles Band of Full Moon Features or Lloyd Kaufman of Troma, and probably most of all, I just want to make a thing that I think is cool.
I knew I wanted to make a film about a team of superheroes, as I like writing that's very character focused and a team would be a great way to have fun character dynamics. My next move to decide on powers for them, as they all needed to be easily filmable. What I came up with was someone who has a sword that comes from space, someone who has animal instincts and strength, and someone who can create and manipulate any sound.
I spoke with my teacher about the idea, and she liked it, but had some issues with some choices I wanted to make and ending up giving me some great advice. I talked to her about how I wanted to replicate the feel of comic books from the 50s and 60s, which were very exaggerated and silly, while still telling an emotional story. I also wanted a fight scene. I was wisely told to drop the fight scene idea because it would be way to complex to film. I was also told that for what I was describing, it would actually be better to lean more in the direction of comic book silliness, even if it was at the expense of the story's impact. What I realized was that this film, as my teacher described, is a "kitsch object". It's less about plot and more about pastiche. That made me revaluate a lot of my approach.
The story I came up with after this conversation I felt like was something straight out of a classic comic book, with the heroes going to another planet to stop a villain from retrieving a gemstone, the way they go about this turning into a trivia contest hosted by an imp who also wants the gem. Very much in the vain of the goofy adventures held by superheroes in the silver age of comics, the 60s, when the Comics Code Authority required all books to be as kid-friendly and sanitized as possible as a response to pearl-clutching parents groups worried about comics promoting violence and devil worship. The more I think about it, the more I realize how interesting it is that the signature look of the silver age was born out of not just conservative moral panic but also counter-culture and psychedelics.
I have a great fondness for the aesthetics of those silver age comics and what they represent. To me, it's about a sense of unabashed imagination and fun, outsider creatives working in a restricted system that led them to get as weird as possible and find even more ways to sneak past censors and create bizarre art that still confused the upholders of the status quo. So I guess that's why I feel so passionately about making a superhero movie. I just want to get weird and have fun.
This is the type of project where I really need to manage my time well if I want to succeed. I already have an idea for what my film's story will be (more on that in my next post), and my schedule was written with the intent of making sure that all of my time is being used efficiently as well as having certain tasks listed as taking longer than they may actually take, giving me room to catch up if I fall behind.
For the first three weeks I'm prioritizing writing. The script if one of the most, if not the most, important aspects of a film and I need to take my time to get it right. I'm also making sure that I have time to recruit actors and make sure that their schedules line up with mine. I need good performances for this film and actors who have good chemistry with each other as my idea involves characters who have been friends for a long time and I want that friendship to really shine through. I plan to host at least one online or in person table read with the actors, not only to get them familiarized with the script but also to make them get to know each other and build their chemistry. I'm considering casting myself in the lead role, because as the creator of the story I know it more than anyone, and it will mean one less person I have to make sure has a schedule that aligns with mine and that I have to use time and energy directing, but that might change.
You'll notice that this schedule has no mention of filming specific scenes. That's because the script is nowhere near completed yet, and I don't yet know what will be filmed where and when. This is meant to function more as a guideline rather than a strict set of commands. If all goes well the guideline shouldn't change much, but I'm prepared to make edits to it if need be.
Week One (2/10 - 2/16)
Start genre research
Start writing
Start recruiting actors (not formally yet, just getting them interested and explaining what the film is about)
Week Two (2/17 - 2/23)
Continue genre research
Continue writing (Possibly have a first draft finished and ready for editing)
Continue recruiting actors (Make it more official)
Scout locations
Start making prop list and costume list
Week Three (2/24 - 3/2)
Finish writing
Research social media
Begin developing shooting schedule
Continue recruiting actors
Scout locations
Gather/make props and costumes
Week Four (3/3 - 3/9)
Continue researching social media
Plan social media posts
Finalize shooting schedule
Finalize cast
Confirm locations
Finalize props and costumes
Table read and meeting with actors (in person or online, preferably in person)
Week Five (3/10 - 3/16)
Begin filming
Start social media posting
Start research for print component
Week Six (3/17 - 3/23)
Continue filming
Continue social media posting
Begin planning/researching creative critical reflection
Week Seven (3/24 - 3/30) (Spring Break)
Finish filming
Continue social media posting
Begin editing
Make postcard with an edited still or multiple edited stills from the film
I'm officially starting the AICE Media Studies A Level Portfolio Project. Saying that feels so natural and yet it still gives me shivers. I've decided that I'll be making a short film, which was a very easy choice. For years I've known that I've wanted to be a filmmaker, and now it feels like I've solidified that. As I think about this project, all I can hear is this quote:
Well, do I? I don't want to get too much into the sentimental stuff this early, but it's impossible to talk about this project without thinking about the culmination of everything my high school experience has been. The short film that I'm going to make will be the grand finale for these four years, everything I've learned is going to applied, and everything I've wanted to say will be said. I'm going to go all out. I'm making the type of movie that I myself would pay money to see, something that speaks to all of my interests and feelings. Like I said, it's the grand finale.
