CR Blog

 

How do your products represent social groups or issues?

The idea of our project was very much to do exactly this. The goal of creating this short film was to reach people that go through this and have them feel understood. The LGBTQ+ community, while receiving some representation, is nowhere near as represented as it should be.  In our film, we tried to be accurate and lighthearted. These issues can be very serious, but it’s nice to be able to laugh at our hardships, as to make them less draining. The main character, Cassidy represents bisexual adolescents that are so lost and confused. Jade, in this film, represents those who are figuring themself out. Jade sees a bit of herself in Cassidy and serves as an ally throughout her questioning. 

The “issue” we are discussing is more of a phenomenon. Every LGBTQ+ person has a moment when they start considering the possibility of being queer and it can be very overwhelming.  Not only do they have to worry about discussing it with their parents and friends but also, in many cases like Cassidy’s, people have significant others that get involved. We wanted Cassidy to seem strong, even while going through something challenging. We loved the idea of giving her a solid group of friends because everyone deserves to feel as supported and loved as Cassidy was. Cassidy ends up with Jade at the end, but it will probably not be the end of her journey in discovering herself. It’s a teen movie as well as being an LGBTQ+ film, which we are very proud of. 

How do the elements of your production work together to create a sense of ‘branding’?

The concept of Moonlite Diner works as a whole, not just a short film. We wanted to create something that could be heard of and respected on different platforms. The ultimate praise with a piece of work is a positive response from multiple types of audiences. We knew that, in order to achieve that, we had to be very present online. What worked best for us, as amateurs in the industry, was making noise on social media. The second we finished writing up the script and solidified our ideas, we started signing up. We created a new email and signed up for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. This would eventually help us reach new possible fans of the film and/or other film studios. We followed others in our class and kept up with their content. Ultimately, social media helped us come together as a brand and a group. It was great to learn about responsibility and overcoming individual obstacles.

All of these platforms are designed to seem pieced together and cohesive. We used the same colors for our website and postcard, both of which contain information on the film’s release and the directors. We also used the same photo for the main picture of all our accounts on the internet. This helped us establish a brand. This is important because it allows us to have something for people to remember us by. Even a familiar color can help me remember something, like an advertisement or a similar name to a movie. We picked the colors gray and red because the sign for the diner where the two main characters met is red.  Our social media also worked hand-in-hand with our website to promote. By setting it up this way, we tie it all together as a brand. 

How do your products engage with the audience?

All of these products, while creating a brand, also allow us to really get to our audience. We love being able to access people through social media. It’s a great tool that we had seen used by popular films in the past. I remember being able to make inside jokes with other fans on Twitter about certain movies and finding it great. It makes fans more excited about content because they can discuss it with others that also share this interest. We also made sure that all of our actors had social media, that way, they would be able to answer questions, post any behind the scenes that aren’t already on our website, or just goof around with fans. If fans enjoy the experience of one film by a studio, they are more likely to closely follow their work in the future. 

These products were made to be viewed by everyone, but more specifically by our ideal demographic. When discussing this with our group, my peers and I decided that we want our audience to feel related to, as mentioned before. This would mean that our target group of people is teenagers and the LGBTQ+ community. Through these products, especially social media, they can reach out and interact with the process of making this film. Our website even has a tab where they can contact us and see behind the scenes of our filming. This felt very appropriate and all the products were fun and interactive to make. 

How did your research inform your products and the way they use or challenge conventions?

The research portion was a long process for me. My group members and I individually searched information on the subject at hand. They took their time to understand queer stories and their impact on the world. I, being apart of the community, was able to share with them some of my favorite pieces of art by queer creators. We watched LGBT films and I even sent them some of my favorite queer literature. Through this, we were able to sort out typical conventions. This was something we were used to, especially with all the projects we did in our lower level Media Studies class last year. 

Gathering from this, we learned how to use and challenge those conventions we were so accustomed to seeing. One of the first conventions we spotted and utilized was the music. Many soundtracks to great LGBTQ+ films have a lot of queer artists. I was very fond of this detail and my group and I quickly decided that we were going to open with King Princess, which is one of my favorite lesbian musicians. We also paid close attention to wardrobe and gathered inspiration from movies like Booksmart, that are known for their LGBTQ+ characters. 

A convention we felt we were able to challenge in our short film was the typical build up to a quiet closeted (not publicly out as LGBTQ+). We started Cassidy, our protagonist, as this extroverted teenage girl with a boyfriend. We also made her bisexual. As someone who identifies as bisexual, I feel that we don’t see enough representation and it can be stigmatized to be “a phase”.