Critical Reflection

  My short film, Unaware, aimed to capture the pressure felt by teens preparing for the SAT. More specifically, I aimed to capture the idea that preparing for your future as you prepare for college can be a challenge that people often do not accept and deal with which leads to chaos.

  Unaware is a comedic coming-of-age film. When looking at the coming-of-age conventions I was reminded of how coming-of-age films often focus on an important period of time for the main character as change is occurring. Researching these conventions made me think of two of my favorite films Sixteen Wishes and The Half of It which both feature stories about change that incorporate a love story, another common coming-of-age convention. Unaware features Sofia who is studying for her important SAT. To an extent, my film challenges the coming-of-age conventions since there is no strong romance in this film, but there does seem to be a developing crush on someone unknown. Unaware aligns with the comedic conventions which ties to the specific comedic choice of dialogue used. For example: "Help me, Harry". This current age reference is meant to make the audiences laugh and feel that they can relate to Sofia. Often people love to associate with and feel a connection with their favorite celebrities. Also, specific shot choices such as the long shot where Sofia falls on the treadmill and the long shot where Sofia forgets her keys making her stop mid-shot come together to develop an overall comedic tone. This aligns with the comedic conventions since often in comedy films there are over-the-top actions taking place, which is exemplified by Sofia taking a long time and doing unnecessary tasks to prepare for school. Challenging the comedic conventions is the ending of Unaware since it does not end in a happy tone rather it ends in the frustration Sofia feels after realizing she woke up during the middle of the night.

Frustration Filled

  Unawares' target audience is mainly females between the ages of twelve and eighteen many of whom are a part of Generation Z which is a very technological generation. Due to this, when branding Unaware the focus was placed on developing a relatable brand. The film component includes aspects of recent pop culture such as the previously mentioned reference to Harry Styles and the inclusion of modern prop pieces such as a hydro flask and minion figurine. Also, I created and posted a blooper reel to develop the feeling that there is a sense of realness behind the film. To target younger audiences I posted short promotional TikToks since younger generations tend to have short attention spans. The brand was not only meant to target Gen Z but also older people who can relate to the film's storyline. On Instagram, I included an interview with my mother who is not a female between the age of twelve and eighteen. I did this to potray that older generations would enjoy this film and to promote parents watching the film with their children. Also, when creating the Spotify playlist that is inspired by the film I used both recently released and past released music. I then used this music and posted Instagram stories to promote the film and interact with the community. Also on Instagram, TikTok, Spotify, and in the film itself, I decided to only use lowercase letters which is a common trend amongst my target audience. On the YouTube page, however, I did use capital letters as YouTube typically has an older target audience.  This relates to the idea of Unaware establishing a relatable brand.

  A way I could improve the brand would be by using the same font on all promotional items such as posts and the postcard. Speaking of the postcard, I do not think it developed my brand well. I mentioned
the social media pages and film festival screenings on the back of the card, but the postcard itself may have made the film look like it was a horror film due to the darkness of the key art. I used pink text to try and balance this out. This choice of the colored text relates to my target audience being females. 

  My brand is not only able to interact with its female aged twelve to eighteen target audience but is also able to represent its target audience. The main character and only character featured on the screen in Unaware is Sofia. Sofia is dealing with the struggle of feeling like she is disappointing her parents as can be known by the music choice she listens to "When Do I Stop" by Ale Aldana. Sofia is a Latino teenage female. I decided to create the character Sofia since young Latino women are underrepresented in film. Paola Segnini, a Latino portrays the role of Sofia, and Ale Aldana a Latino created the music for the film. The age of Sofia can be seen through the story since the SAT is specific to students and also by the overall mise-en-scene. In Unaware it can be seen that Sofia is around the age of preparing to go to college since she has college shirts hanging in her closet. As mentioned prior, there is a romantic aspect of Unaware. After waking up Sofia sees a text from a contact labeled with a heart. The audience never learns the name or the gender of this person. There is often a lack of LGBTQ+ representation within the Latino community so it is possible that Sofia is not out to people so she hides the identity of this crush. She also has a mini pride flag on a shelf in her room. I choose these aspects to represent the LGBTQ+ community and to normalize their existence in films. Many films based on LGBTQ+ characters solely focus on the romance aspect. I think Unaware is successful in representing my desired target audience due to the modern aspects of the story, but I could have included more Latino culture such as Sofia using Spanish after she falls on the treadmill or her mother using Spanish to express her deepened frustration towards her daughter after she is informed of Sofia's actions.

Modern Materials

  After the creation of Unaware over the span of ten weeks, I have gained knowledge on the process of creating a short film alone. I also have deepened my passion for marketing. I know there are aspects of each of the three components that could've been better, specifically making sure that all three aspects are tied together both visually and meaning-wise. All things considered, I am proud of the short film Unaware, its social media pages, and its postcard.