Se Acabo

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/onebodyproblemshortfilm/

Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/13ZlUTTFPwLW_0ug7Fo8u3tYiohVWkXT1?usp=sharing

Critical Reflection

    As the co-director of One Body Problem, my main goal was to focus on issues of social class and a lack of power. The movie follows the life of my character, Bobert. He is a custodian going through a night that changes his life forever. The story highlights the sad fact that working-class people are often ignored by society, and we used visual choices to show this clearly. To show how powerless Bobert feels, most scenes of him cleaning or standing in the bathroom are shot from up high. This high-angle camera work makes him look small and weak. On the other hand, we shot from a low angle when looking at characters who have power over him, like his co-worker Lewis and the teacher’s wife. This made them look much larger and more intimidating. The set design and clothing were also used to show this big gap in social class. Bobert wears a scratchy, cheap tracksuit that is too small for him and shows his socks. This looks very different from the fancy, expensive 1980s vintage coat that the teacher’s wife wears. Finally, the way we positioned the actors made sure Bobert was always pushed against a wall or cornered. He is forced to back away during conversations. Because of this, Bobert is unfairly blamed for things. His working-class job strips away his believability. The movie shows how society treats important blue-collar workers through his awkward talking, Lewis's rudeness, and the teacher ignoring him entirely.

    I was in charge of running our social media and branding. I needed to make sure we reached our main audience: men aged 18 to 35 who like thriller-comedy movies. To create a strong and steady brand, we made sure the visual style of our promotional posts matched the actual look and story of the movie. For example, we used a grainy typewriter font for the title cards in the short film. We then used that exact same lettering for every graphic we made on Canva for our Instagram page. This style worked perfectly to highlight the thriller mood. The yellow "wet floor" sign is also very important to the story because Bobert forgets to put it up, which causes the teacher to slip and fall… We turned this sign into a main theme for our brand. We used images of caution tape and toilet paper to connect the janitor theme of the film with our online posts. Our brand also had to balance the movie's funny moments with its tense moments. To do this, our Instagram feed looked dark and serious like a thriller, but we filled it with silly, skit-style videos. A great example is a promo photo where Bobert crouches to use a tiny urinal while Lewis stands tall at a normal one. It is a funny picture, but it also shows the workplace power struggle seen in the film. The only thing I would fix is using more consistent colors, since a few fun polls missed our specific color scheme.

    Our project connects with viewers by controlling the story's tension and building an emotional connection. To grab our target audience right away, the film starts with a huge shock: finding a dead body in the first sixty seconds. After that, we flip the audience's expectations for the pacing. We made a careful choice to avoid the typical fast, shaky-camera editing that thriller movies usually rely on. Instead, we control the tension through the story itself, creating a deep emotional connection that really affects the audience. This emotional connection is made even stronger by Ryan’s original background music. The music is purposely slow and gloomy. It acts as an auditory symbol for the tiring and draining feeling of always being ignored. The audience is able to hear exactly what Bobert feels, which helps them relate to him a lot more. Outside the movie theater, I used this same strategy for our digital marketing. I planned our online posts by studying the successful Instagram pages of other short films, like @crashsiteshortfilms. I created two different trailer videos—one was funny, and the other was highly intense. This helped us market to fans of both comedy and thrillers. Finally, to build a fun community and bring fans on our journey, we posted behind-the-scenes photos and funny bloopers. Ryan also posted a critic’s quote that said, "Alejandro Navarro burns up the screen" to build excitement, while the funny outtakes highlighted the comedy.

    Deep research guided our production and helped us decide how to use or break the usual rules of the genre. To find the perfect balance in tone, we studied media from both sides. The comedy short film MOP was a huge inspiration for finding humor in a janitor's daily work. Meanwhile, the movie Good Time inspired the dark and gritty thriller elements. We used the visual style of a standard thriller, but we broke the common story rule of having a genius, perfectly smart villain. The teacher’s wife creates a complex plan to frame Bobert for the crime. However, we flip the "clever villain" idea on its head when she makes a huge mistake: she calls Bobert by his first name before they have actually met. This accidental slip ruins her entire plan and proves she is not a master villain after all. To step away from strict filmmaking rules even more, we kept things natural by relying on on-the-spot acting choices. Many of the jokes, camera angles, and tiny details were thought up right then and there. This included the choice to use a "heart-eye skull" emoji for the wife’s caller ID. It was a fast decision that perfectly captured the film’s dark humor. Improvising was also used to build up the peak moments in certain scenes, like the rude conversation Bobert has with Lewis. To show the workplace ranking, I purposely acted shy and nervous. This highlighted the power difference between my character and Lewis, who was seen as the "cooler" worker. The yellow "wet floor" sign is the very last shot of the movie. Its bright yellow color represents that the results of the unfair treatment and neglect Bobert faced have finally caught up with him, forcing him to take control of his own life.

A Level Portfolio Week 2-4

The Death of Stalin – Directed by Armando Iannucci

This film captures the frantic, paranoid energy of a freaking vacuum. After Joseph Stalin dies, his cabinet members are more worried about their own execution than the fate of their country. The humor comes from the fast-paced dialogue and the back to back nature of high-stakes politics.

The film highlights the stupidity of evil focusing on the idea that horrific historical events are often caused by petty, nervous men who are simply trying not to get caught.

Don’t Look Up – Directed by Adam McKay

I considered "Don't look up" A modern version of Dr. Strangelove, this film uses a comet hitting Earth as a metaphor for climate change and media distraction. The dark humor lies in the fact that the scientists are right, but nobody takes them seriously because the news isn't "fun" or "profitable."

The film uses fast editing and pop-culture references to overwhelm the viewer, mimicking the feeling of modern social media. It serves as a critique of how human greed and short attention spans might literally lead to the end of the world.

A Level Portfolio Week 2-3

Research (Continued)

Swiss Army Man  – Directed by Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan

While the premise of a farting corpse sounds like a random gag, the film is actually a profound look at mental health and isolation. The protagonist, Hank, is on the verge of suicide when he finds a body (Manny) that he begins to use as a multi-purpose tool.

The dark humor of this film is the blurring of reality and delusion. The film uses magical realism to show how Hank projects his own fears and desires onto a dead man. It challenges the audience to find beauty in things that are usually considered gross or weird.

Jojo Rabbit - Directed by Taika Waititi

This film takes the ultimate taboo subject, Nazi Germany, and turns it into a silly coming-of-age story. By portraying Hitler as a goofy, childish imaginary friend, Waititi exposes the absurdity of hate speech and extremist ideologies.

The film uses a bright, saturated color palette that contrasts with the dark reality of war. This shift in tone makes the eventual moments of tragedy hit much harder. It follows the idea me and Ryan are trying to go for in our short film, misleading the audience with a completely separate and mundane tone to the main part of the film.

A Level Portfolio Week 2-2

Research (Continued)

Parasite - Bong Joon-ho

Parasite is a BEAUTIFUL example in how a film can shift genres. It begins as a heist movie, where the Kim family uses deception to work for the wealthy Park family. However, it quickly descends into a dark comedy when a hidden basement and a previous housekeeper reveal a literal underground struggle for survival.

The film uses spatial metaphors (the Kims live in a semi-basement where they have to look up at the street,  while the Parks live on a hill, symbolizing their economic differences by literally putting one under the other.) The humor is "dark" because it stems from the desperate, often cruel things poor people must do to survive in a capitalist system. Like The Lobster, it uses a specific domestic setting to show how social class creates "parasitic" relationships.

The Banshees of Inisherin - Directed by Martin McDonagh

Set during the Irish Civil War, this film uses a small, petty dispute between two friends to mirror the larger, senseless violence of war. When Colm suddenly decides he no longer likes Pádraic, he threatens to cut off his own fingers every time Pádraic speaks to him.

The film’s power comes from its serious delivery and dark humor. The characters live in a beautiful but isolated location, making their obsession with this one friendship feel claustrophobic. It explores the dark idea that humans would rather destroy themselves than deal with the dullness of a life without meaning.

A Level Portfolio Week 2-1

Dark Comedy

While developing One Body Problem, I have been working to narrow down the specific genre. We want to focus on a story that contains both comedic and tragic themes, using the serious “death” of another character along with the silly interactions and obstacles our character needs to avoid. This concept goes really well with the "Dark Comedy" genre, which uses satire to make light of serious or upsetting topics.

In researching the characteristics of Dark Comedy, I found that these stories often feature protagonists who are uninterested or disconnected from the rest of the world, whether it be through their attitude or the conditions of the film's world. The genre explores the irony of human existence, pushing the boundaries of what is socially acceptable to discuss. By using a lighthearted approach, the filmmaker can address difficult topics while keeping the audience engaged through laughter.

During my research I found 2 films that capture this genre really well:

The Lobster - Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos

This film is set in a dystopian future where single people are taken to a hotel and given 45 days to find a romantic partner, if they fail, they are transformed into an animal of their choice. The protagonist, David, tries to navigate this absurd and cruel system with a cold, dry attitude.

The film uses a very rigid, minimalist aesthetic to emphasize the standardized rules of the film’s world. It explores the social pressure to be in a relationship by pushing that pressure to a violent extreme. While the events are tragic, the awkward dialogue and strange situations create a distinct comedic or silly feel that is central to the genre.

Dr. Strangelove - Directed by Stanley Kubrick

This classic film centers on an accidental nuclear attack and the frantic efforts of politicians and generals to stop it. Despite the stakes being the end of the world, the characters are depicted as paranoid and overly obsessed with their own status.

The film relies on satire to critique the Cold War and the concept of "mutually assured destruction." By making the people in charge of the world’s survival look ridiculous, Kubrick builds a sense of dread that is constantly undercut by humor. It shows how comedy can be used to highlight the absurdity of a real world possibility. 

Conclusion

Researching these films has helped me realize that Dark Comedy isn't just about being edgy. It requires a balance of tone to make sure the humor doesn't completely erase the seriousness of the themes. These examples show that you can use a single location or a focused group of characters to tell a high-stakes story. Moving forward, I need to focus on sharpening my dialogue and irony to make sure the comedy serves the overall message of the film. Sources:

IMDb. (n.d.). Dr. Strangelove or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057012/

IMDb. (n.d.). The Lobster. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3464902/

MasterClass. (2021, September 3). How to write dark humor: 3 tips for writing dark comedy. https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-write-dark-humor

CCR

Our documentary tackles the social issue of urban design and community well-being, specifically focusing on how a city's walkability affects the social groups living within it. We represented the contrast between two distinct social environments:

- the dense, close-knit, highly walkable Brickell community 

and

- the more spread-out, car-dependent suburban Weston

To illustrate how physical layout fundamentally shapes social interactions and community feeling. We engaged our audience by taking inspiration from productions like "Exit Through the Gift Shop" in our creative choices. Our footage employed quick cuts and raw, authentic shots of everyday life in these contrasting areas (our B-roll) to immerse the viewer, making the typically boring topic of urban planning feel energetic and relatable. The research we did on walkability and its importance in urban development became the foundation of our voiceover script allowing us to challenge the convention of a purely observational or talking head documentary; instead, we presented a serious academic concept, using the contrast between the two communities to depict the effect on the walkability of a city on its community.