About Me
Growing up, I’ve always enjoyed watching movies because of the world it draws me in. My passion for making my films has grown stronger and stronger through the films I’ve watched. Making my own film has become my dream and a goal in my life. I’ve always imagined myself creating a film that can reach others. I believe a good film can make a big difference and influence many people’s lives. I want to express my imagination through visual design with cameras and storytelling. I didn’t have much experience in making videos before college, however, coming to school here helped me understand more techniques in storytelling and visual design. By learning and working with others, I have gotten closer to my goals step by step.
Project Summary
I’ve learned to appreciate different styles of film growing up. My style of storytelling has changed over time through many good films I’ve watched. The director Wes Anderson has become one of my favorite directors with his unique style of storytelling and his style of visual presentation. As for this project, I decided to produce a longer form of a Coca-Cola commercial with a combination of Western and Wes Anderson-style films.
The project is a script surrounded by two travelers looking for “The Last Coca-Cola” in a hot desert area. Throughout their adventure, the video showcases their different personalities through a comedy and drama format. I decided to put in many popular references as easter eggs for the audience to discover. The video is designed for people who are attending the BYU-Idaho senior showcase, people who use social media, and potentially a trailer before movies. The video also aimed for the out-of-box style for a lasting impression on my audience.
Pre-Production
There were many changes before the actual production. I had to change my initial plan and create a new story a few times before it settled down. It was challenging for me to overcome the language barrier and create a film that I’ve never tried before. The process of this film was hard, but I enjoyed every moment of this project. I spent almost a month coming up with the script that I liked, and arranged everything before the production, including holding an audition, production design, costume design, and storyboarding. It was an adventure to figure everything out myself, but I’m glad that everything worked out as planned. I went from a 90-second commercial to a longer form commercial to fit in what I envisioned. Storyboarding was also a fun process, it helped me design each scene with details and have a better picture before production.
Production
I was able to get some help on set on the production day. It was such a blessing to film on a nice Sunny day. We were able to get everything we needed within one production day. As I’m aiming for the Western look for my film, having my production at Sand Dune helped a lot to fit into the theme. I guided the set up of the cameras and blocked the talents to help the production go smoothly. Although not everything we filmed made it into the final cut, the process of the production was very enjoyable and super fun.
Claymation Production
I thought it’d be a good idea to be more creative and out-of-box in this film. So, I decided to create some sort of animation for this commercial. Like Wes Anderson’s animation films, “Fantastic Mr. Fox” and “Isle of Dogs”, I thought it was a great way to showcase some creativity and have more control over the visual presentation. So, I decided to go with claymation and created a face based on the man’s facial expression after drinking Coca-Cola to create the magic of it.
Post-Production
Both pre-production and post-production took me a long time to accomplish. To make the pesto look like the “Asteroid City” from Wes Anderson’s film, I compared the look from the actual movie and used a Lut with color grading to create such a look. It was challenging to make it exactly the same but I’m happy with how it turned out at the end. I learned a lot about coloring on this project, especially about color separation. The look fits amazingly with the commercial not only visually, but also elevates the Western theme. Sound design also plays a big role in this film. I spent much time finding the right music and adding sound effects to really make the film fit into the vibe I was looking for.
Challenges
There were many difficulties and challenges working on this film. From writing the script to the actual production, I had to fill in most of the roles for this film to run smoothly. Working on a film by myself could be very challenging and stressful. The most challenging part is to arrange everything before the shooting day. There were times that I thought I couldn’t finish the film on time due to many circumstances and unforeseeable matters. But through consistent hard work and support from many friends, I was able to finish filming on time and have plenty of time for editing. Another challenge was the claymation production. Since it was my first time trying to do any stop-motion animation, building a model and timing the model’s face on each frame was challenging. I had to redo it many times before I finally got the result I liked.
Conclusion
Making this commercial for Coca-Cola has been an adventure. Just like the two travelers, there were many challenges and a long way toward their goals. I know on filmmaking I still have a long way to go, but I believe through experience and hard work, I can one day find my treasures. I have learned much throughout this project. Yes, it was stressful and sometimes I didn’t even know if could do all this by myself. But through faith and hope, I learned that nothing is impossible. I have learned many principles and gained more experience in filmmaking throughout this project. I’m grateful for everything I’ve learned from BYU-Idaho and everyone who has supported me on this film. I know this is not the end, but the beginning of my journey to become great. I hope to take what I’ve learned to my future and create more films that can influence others with lasting impressions.