Tiffany’s journey to filmmaking, and to USC film school, started as a child. She knew from a young age that she wanted to tell stories with a message. It started with anti-bullying stories, directly addressing the middle school bullying that so often got brushed under the rug by school administrators. Her writing led to monologues and eventually becoming a published playwright. From the minute she sold her first play, she knew that writing and directing film was her next goal.

This took her from Columbia University to USC, where she has just premiered her thesis film, “Welcome Back.” This ambitious short (shot on location in Ecuador) follows a mother and daughter as they are deported from the United States and sent back to Venezuela, one of the most dangerous countries in the world.

Tiffany talks with Miniflix about seeing life in a beautiful way, getting “Welcome Back” made, addressing current events in Venezuela to an American audience and bringing your personal life into your creative work.

Miniflix: What’s one thing about film school that’s taught you the most?

Tiffany: Collaboration. I don’t know if my experience would have been the same if I wasn’t surrounded by such incredible people….and it made me a better filmmaker, because I was surrounded by incredible storytellers and writers and producers. USC really does a great job at choosing incredible artists. They also do a very good job at diversifying their programs. I think most classes were almost 50/50 men and women. I could look around the classroom and everyone came from different backgrounds, countries and ethnicities. I am half Latina and half Greek and grew up mainly speaking Spanish, so I always felt like I didn’t fit in 100% wherever I went. Since USC was really such a melting pot, I really did feel that everyone both stood out and blended in at the same time.

Miniflix: What about the story of “Welcome Back” and the experience behind the story made you know that you wanted this to be your thesis project?

Tiffany: I have always wanted to tell a story about Venezuela and what is going on there. My whole family is there and I felt this utter helplessness and frustration with the fact that I couldn’t do anything to help them.

So with that in mind, I wanted to make a story that not only showed people what was going on there, but gave them the ability to understand and be at least a little more sympathetic to the immigrant experience and what sending people back really means. Originally, I was not intending to tell this as my thesis project, as I was — not going to lie — very scared of how I was going to do it. It was such a massive project to film this abroad.

It was only because of USC, my mentors, and the students I met there, that I really felt comfortable going forward with this leap of faith project.

Miniflix: Can you talk a little bit about that process of getting the film funded and being able to film on location? Like you said, it is a pretty ambitious thesis project.

Tiffany: I would be lying if I said I would have been able to do it without my producer Roy Arwas. From the second I said let’s do it abroad, he was like, “okay, here is the plan”.

Not only did he find us the producers and all the people we had over there to make it happen, but within a month we were already location scouting in Ecuador, where we shot it. My second producer, Karly Perez-Arevalo, was also incredibly instrumental in every aspect of the process, and we honestly wouldn’t have been able to manage, organize or realize this project without her.

The fundraising process was pretty interesting because there was a lot of money that needed to be raised. A majority of it we did the traditional route — created a website, and made a video. We were able to raise a lot of funds from that, but also family members helped raise money.

In terms of making it happen there, we had an Ecuadorian crew and an American crew, which, ironically, was not all American in the sense that we were all so internationally diverse. I think there were 10 of us that flew to Ecuador and then those 10 people were also here when we shot in the United States.

We had to fly our lead actress, the little girl in my movie, and her mom to the U.S. to film for 2 days after we finished in Ecuador. We had so many obstacles that arise from filming in a foreign country naturally, and had to adapt to work culture differences.

Miniflix: You do a great job of establishing the stakes from the very opening seconds. I could see a longer version where you set up even more of the background. Was it hard to make cuts for this script or did you always know what you didn’t want to be in there?

Tiffany: There are very few things that got cut from the script, luckily. When I write, I try to edit it in my mind, because I get attached to things. I am more critical in my writing than when I am in the editing room. Of course, I will cut things when I am in the editing room, but I tend to like to write things that I know for a fact actually have to be there. I think there was only one scene I had written that was in debate of whether it should stay or not. We tested it out on audiences and it ended up staying in because it worked. Other than that, I would say that 97% of the film that I wrote is on screen. That was a lucky thing because it doesn’t always work out that way.

Miniflix: I feel like a lot of times with the film school or thesis projects you have all these ideas that you think you will be able to tell in a 20 minute story, but then later realize that much of it has to be cut down. So it is always interesting to see what filmmakers do to economize their story.

Tiffany: That was definitely hard, because I feel like not a lot of people know what is going on in Venezuela. I had to explain a lot, but I also couldn’t show everything. I had to pick and choose what was really important for people to know. That was the hardest part in the writing process, because of course to me every little thing that is going on there bothers me. Ironically things change so quickly, like with the supermarket scene where you see the empty shelves. We did a private screening recently and people were laughing because now that is how U.S. supermarkets look.

Miniflix: I really liked the scene in the supermarket. Was that based off of a real life situation? I think it really captures the simple things that are lost in leaving a place like the United States that usually gets lost on people living in privileged countries.

Tiffany: Yeah a lot of it is very personal. I luckily was born in the States and I never had to deal with anything like that. However, I grew up in a time where my parents lost everything because my mom had breast cancer when she was pregnant with me. During those difficult times, the most beautiful thing they did for me was give me the ability to still see life in a beautiful way.

They really tried to make scary or hard situations not seem so scary. They would make light of it or try to make games of it when things weren’t the best. So that scene was really pulled from my mother and father, both being immigrants and from what they did, which I think was also their coping mechanism until they ultimately became successful.

Miniflix: What are your hopes for this film post-First Look Festival or post-USC? How are you hoping to use this distribution-wise but also for your own filmmaking career?

Tiffany: We have played at 6 or 7 festivals. We were nominated for a student Emmy as well. I am hoping to keep going with the festival circuit. My biggest goal for this film is to utilize it as a discussion topic for a really important issue and as a way to network with other filmmakers. I’d like this film to be a stepping stone in the careers of everyone who worked on it with me. So we both want to make a change while also having the opportunity to showcase our artistic capabilities as filmmakers.

This is an interview series covering filmmakers with thesis projects at USC in the Spring of 2020. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we are highlighting film school filmmakers with projects that were supposed to premiere at USC’s First Look festival. First Look is the yearly USC School of Cinematic Arts showcase for advanced projects run by the Industry Relations Office. This year the selected films will be presented to the industry in a virtual format and will announce their awards on May 11th.

Yet, as we’ve seen since March, independent and low-budget (or in some cases, no-budget), projects continue to be made. While some projects are going guerrilla with their shooting, others are making great films even while following rules to the letter. Here are a few tools you will want to consider while making your first quarantine film.

Keep in mind that these are general guidelines. What you actually need for making quarantine film will entirely depend on your budget, crew size, and overall expectations for your project. Happy movie-making!

Your Camera Setup For Projects In Isolation

Need for Making Quarantine Film

If you’re making any kind of film during quarantine right now, it’s probably confined to a small space and involves just yourself or very few people. This results in you having to answer some fundamental creative questions.

Do you want to create a project confined to your desktop or office space? This is one of the newest ways that technology has emerged into new kinds of filmmaking. It’s resulted in some great experimental documentary work (like Kevin B. Lee’s “Transformers: The Premake”) or even in the bigger budget, more mainstream projects (like Searching).

If you want it to be a true desktop-confined cinematic experience, then you’re going to need recording software technology. While Windows and Mac both have these abilities native to their programs, you can also try free third-party efforts like OBS (Open Broadcaster Software). If you’re working on a short film, you can’t go wrong with more business-oriented applications like Loom. Two more powerful (and more expensive) options are Camtasia and Adobe Captivate. The latter is advertised as a tool primarily for software demos, but you can surely find ways to get cinematically creative with an Adobe product. Meanwhile, Camtasia is often considered one of the best-paid options, as it also includes some built-in quick editing tools.

If you want to make a webcam film, we recommend going for the highest quality you can. That means finding a webcam with solid 1080p capabilities. Logitech is often considered the standard in this arena, but new players in the game like Razer Kiyo are getting buzz.

Want to still have mobility in your quarantine film? Just because you’re shooting in your room, your house, or another confined space shouldn’t mean that your film can’t look super-sharp or have interesting focal depths. Of course, the options depend partly on your budget and partly on your ambitions for the project. Looking to make a long-term investment that also lets you stay portable, keep making indie-friendly productions? Your options could range from the more budget-conscious (Sony a5100) to the state-of-the-art (Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera).

It all depends on what you can afford and what you need for making quarantine film. Keep in mind that your lens options are just as important (if not more so) than the camera. Lenses are their own type of expense and will also depend on your choice of camera.

One last word on lenses — you can probably do without long-focus lenses, particularly if you’re shooting in your house or in close quarters. Instead, wide-angle lenses will probably be the priority as you look to create dynamic shifts in perspective and focus in shallower spaces.

Last but not least is going the Steven Soderbergh route and trying to shoot a short (or feature) entirely from your smartphone. Even with really impressive phone cameras from the likes of Apple and Google, there are many other component parts you’ll want to consider to make sure that your smartphone shoot goes as smoothly as possible. But if you’re really interested in low-budget experimentation at this time, why not try tools you already have at your disposal?

Finding A New Way To Frame

Setting Camera Frames for shooting a Quarantine filmmaking

Now it’s time to decide how to rig up your camera choice. If you’re committed to making a quarantine short in tight quarters, you may want a combination of standard flexible tripods and a smaller tabletop tripod. If you’re making more of an essayistic or diary film, then the latter will probably be where you want to start. You can use existing surfaces to compensate for height adjustments and shoot yourself in different places around the house.

If you’re looking for fluid, mobile movement, you’ll need to find the right camera rig. This, too, will depend on the type of camera you’re using. You can also try going DYI with it if you’re especially crafty. Keep in mind that getting all the parts together may end up costing you as much as if you’d just bought or rented out a pre-built rig.

Want to create shots of the camera following you through rooms and spaces? Or just want more than static shots of yourself in the final product? Consider a selfie stick for cinema cameras. Yes, they are out there — a few have even been known to go DIY on this too. Just make sure it’s secure, or you could have an expensive accident on your hands.

When it comes to lighting setups for a quarantine short, keep it simple — no need to rent out large lighting setups if you’re trying to keep the budget low. Instead, trade that money for the time spent manipulating the rooms you’re using, including finding proper source lighting, relying on natural light sources, and overall just being really creative.

Now you might be wondering, what about sound? Suppose this is a true quarantine short, and you, a family member, or a friend has to be the sound person. In that case, you’re still going to want a separate microphone system that either attaches to your camera, to your rig or can be placed on the subjects (like a lavalier microphone).

While it is true that you could use the existing microphone on your phone or camera (if it has it), keep in mind that poor sound is much harder to fix (many times even impossible) than a fuzzy shot or a darkly-lit room. You want the best possible sound quality from the first take, so you have the least amount to reconstruct later.

No matter how low-budget you’re going with this project, it’s important to try and get a directional, lav, or other forms of wireless mic. Nail the sound right, and a project will never, no matter how amateur, go to waste!

Apps, Apps, Apps!

Mobile Apps for Filmmaking

Here comes the part of filmmaking that could only happen in our current digital age. In a time of quarantines, shutdowns, and social distancing, smartphone applications can truly become an extension of your production process. Nowadays, you can find an app for just about every part of filmmaking, including:

Screenwriting

Budgeting

Digital Viewfinders

Light-tracking

Editing

And so much more!

While there are so many different applications we could lead you towards, we find it’s best to wait until you think, ‘wouldn’t it be great if I had [X] right now?’ That’s when it’s time to get on the Google Play Store or the Apple Store and find an app that may be the solution for you.

Getting The Right Cut

Post-production process of filmmaking

The editing, or post-production, the process is one of the few parts of filmmaking left undiminished by COVID-19. This process is still just as solitary as ever, and you can thankfully harness all the editing powers you need from a consumer desktop or laptop. If you’ve got a Mac product, then you can already benefit from iMovie. While not comprehensive or industry standard by any means, it should be able to handle the more modest quarantine projects.

If you’re a PC person, there are many free options you can get downloaded from the internet. Some of the higher-profile free editors as of this time of writing include OpenShot and Blender, and ShotCut.

If you know that editing is in your future for good, it might be time to go with Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere. These two are professional grade, and, to be honest, we bet that any quarantine short will be relying on great editing for its movie magic. If either one is in your long-term budget plans, we recommend getting started with the best. The more time you can spend on a top-shelf editing software, the better you’ll get (and the more skills you’ll unlock).

Oh, The Places You’ll Go!

Eventually, it will be time to distribute. Maybe you just made this film for fun, and you don’t care who sees it. In that case, congrats on finishing your first quarantine film! I hope it was fun and that you learned a lot along the way. But if you want a sizable audience, it’s time to look at your options.

If you want views more than any specific type of compensation for your short, going the YouTube or Vimeo route may be the right call. However, you’ve got to be smart with how you schedule your release. If you can find a way to release under a higher profile account or if you want to start a collaboration with other filmmakers, that’s probably the best way to go! There’s power in numbers when it comes to going viral (and relying on one another’s social media presence).

If you think your short has what it takes for a long-term festival run, then it’s time to submit. Don’t worry, many festivals are already learning to pivot to all-digital platforms in the wake of the pandemic. Find festivals that accept the kind of genre and budget that you made your film in. Then see what happens! Along the way, hopefully, you’ll meet some great programmers, distributors, and other filmmakers.

If you want your short to be seen and you also want to make some immediate revenue, try a streaming site. Consider blind submitting to places like Miniflix.tv, where you know that your film will be part of a curate list and that it will be treated with the respect it deserves.

Interested in submitting your quarantine short for review? Just email info@miniflix.tv with your film and a quick synopsis.

Remember to have fun and see this time as a chance to learn filmmaking or hone your skills.

Article copy edited by Marian Lewis.

Martina Lee has been an artist for as long as she can remember. It started when she was growing up and taking many art classes, particularly interested in painting and drawing. Despite not being a film major, Lee first truly got into the art form as an undergraduate in college. She found films that influenced and deeply touched her and learned to read this particular form of visual language in the same way she did fine art.

After a few years, she returned to school, but this time to learn the craft of filmmaking. She started in Singapore (through NYU Tisch Asia), but once the program was discontinued, she found herself having to re-apply all over again. She got into the prestigious USC film program for her graduate degree. Her most recent short, “Black Boy Joy”, comes two years after graduating from USC and becoming a full-time part of the film industry. This film, produced by Film Independent Project Involve in 2019, follows three generations of black men as they deal with the sudden loss of a family member and the struggles of raising an autistic boy.

Martina Lee talks with us about how “Black Boy Joy” came about, her filmic influences, and the unexpected journeys that happen along the way of any film project.

Miniflix Interviewer: What was the genesis of “Black Boy Joy”? Did Michelle Sam bring the script to you, did you develop it together, or did it come together differently?

Martina Lee: Film Independent has a fellowship program called Project Involve. They pick directors, writers, cinematographers, editors, producers, and creative executives to work on films. The program works as a mini-studio system. The writers pitch story ideas to the creative executives. Then the creative executive would pick the project they liked most, and the writers would start writing them. Producers would then get attached to those projects, and the directors would get to pick two projects to pitch on.

The writer of “Black Boy Joy”, Michelle Sam, and myself had personal connections to the story. The layers of specificity are what attracted me to her script. We both wanted to explore toxic black male masculinity through the loss of a loved one and raising a black boy with Autism.

Having a Stake In The Game

Still from “Black Boy Joy”

Miniflix: Portraying someone with Autism can be tricky and a challenging role. What were the conversations with yourself and Evan Alex about developing this character? Martina: It was really important for Michelle and myself that Silem is on the mild to moderate side of the spectrum. The more research I did, the more I realized I needed to make a clear decision about what Silem’s sensory meltdowns would look like. Selim’s attachment to the doll in the script had to be connected not just because his mother gave it to him but also because hearing and feeling the beads on the doll gave him comfort.

Once I figured out the specifics of his character, I was able to talk to Evan about it. However, when it came to actually act, it came down to the physicality of the character. My approach to directing the sensory meltdowns was all about establishing levels to the behavior. We established these levels in rehearsal and practiced a few times. Once we got on set, we had a shorthand. Evan is the complete opposite of that character. He’s so outgoing and very much loves connecting with the other actors, so I had to remind him that Selim doesn’t make eye contact with people.

Miniflix: Color seems very important to this film. Yellow seems to be a dominant motif, particularly for Selim’s character. How did you and the production designer arrive at what colors to emphasize or de-emphasize?

Martina: When I first start a project and think about its visual language, I always start with the color palette and connecting it to the storytelling. It’s probable because I used to be a painter. When I thought about the characters as I was reading the script initially, and then when I made my pitch during Project Involve, I specifically had these color palettes — Selim was yellow. Miles was green. Otis was blue.

I chose those colors specifically because it was a gradation of not just characters, but of where each person’s minds are in terms of masculinity. It made sense that Otis, the grandfather, was blue because it very much connected with the male identity. Miles was a combination between Otis and Selim, which gave me green. For Selim, it was really important for him to be yellow. He represents the future potential of what masculinity could be.

Miniflix Interview with Martina Lee

“Black Boy Joy” uses a yellow color motif to represent Selim and his conception of masculinity.

Miniflix: This is your first credited short since film school. In what ways did USC help prepare you for your first short on your own? What was something about the production process that surprised you this time around?

Martina: USC was a really great education for me. I produced multiple thesis films while I was in school. It taught me a lot about what it takes to bring all the elements of a film together and how to navigate professional relationships. It also gave me a really good sense of what the world was going to be like after graduation. By the time I left USC, I knew that only ten percent of my time was going to be spent directing. The rest of the time was going to be spent trying to get the project off the ground.

I knew meeting my professional goals were going to take some time and I had a lot still to learn.

I wrote, directed, and produced my thesis film, Blueberry. It was challenging to wear so many hats. I knew for my next short film, I wanted to focus on just directing. So, when I was presented with “Black Boy Joy”, it felt great to have a team of people that wasn’t just passionate about making the film but also brought their A-game. From the cinematographer to the writer to the editor to the producers, we all came together in a way that we all had agency and had a stake in the game, which ultimately made the film better.

Miniflix: What does the future look like for “Black Boy Joy” right now?

Martina: We do have a couple of festivals still coming up this summer. We were accepted into the Blackstar Film festival and nominated for Best Short Narrative. We are also nominated for Best Director, Best Performance (Will Catlett), and Best Drama at the Cordillera International Festival. The big one that we’re really excited about is ABFF (American Black Film Festival). We are a finalist for the HBO Short Film Competition. We’re up against four other phenomenal filmmakers, and Black Boy Joy could air on HBO, which would be amazing! I think it is safe to say, and we are very excited about how things are going.

One of the hardest things about a short film is, well, the shortness of it all. You have 10–15 minutes to give audiences all the feels as well as bring audience into character’s world. If the film’s really good, you can even make the audience believe they are that character. This is exactly what Oscar-winning Irish filmmaker Benjamin Cleary managed to do in his 2015 short film character drama, “Stutterer”.

It’s no surprise that Cleary is now on to more ambitious projects (including a new project with AppleTV and Mahershala Ali). But let’s revisit the film that put him on the map and see what we can learn about bringing audiences into a character’s world with a running time of fewer than 15 minutes.

Set The Stakes From The Opening Frame

In the marvelous “Stutterer”, Cleary sets up the stakes for his filmic world in the very first frames. Our main character, Greenwood, is introduced via sharp closeup. We don’t see Greenwood’s eyes or his face. Instead, we just see his trembling lips as he struggles to form a word.

Bring Audiences Character’s World

On the other end of the line, we hear a telephone operator who believes she has lost Greenwood. We later learn that Greenwood is just trying to inquire about a bill he’d received.

After several agonizing opening seconds, the line goes dead and we see Greenwood dead-eyed, defeated, looking ahead. With this very simple opener, the director has created a sharp juxtaposition that manages to cinematically open up the reality of this character’s life.

So what’s the juxtaposition exactly? First, Cleary has upended traditional expectations with his character introduction. By starting on his lips and not showing us the rest of his face, the camera makes us see Greenwood as he feels everyone else sees him too. Yet, juxtaposed against this is the very palpable sense of suspense and dread Cleary builds up in those initial moments. In this sense, we also feel that we are Greenwood. We too just want the words to come out. We too just want the person on the other line to understand us.

By juxtaposing the audience’s position as an observer of Greenwood’s condition with a piercing look at the situation as Greenwood sees it, “Stutterer” manages to make us both sympathize and empathize with a character we otherwise barely know.

There’s also another layer of juxtaposition in this scene. The audience is watching a rather mundane, everyday situation play out. In fact, there are very few things less cinematic than someone calling about a utility bill. In any other movie, this action would seem superfluous and boring — but in this short film, it works! Why? Because it’s juxtaposed against the fact that for Greenwood this little incident speaks to a much larger issue — his inability to communicate. By shooting a seemingly low-stakes situation like it’s the climax of an action movie shows the inherent tension between our view of the world and Greenwoods.

Keep Your Audience Guessing

Greenwood’s voiceover comes off cool, collected, and extremely clever with words. This juxtaposes itself against the audience’s pre-conception of Greenwood — that because he struggles to speak that he also struggles to think clearly. Cleary returns to the snap judgments throughout, each time reminding us that what we see about another person, like Greenwood, is hardly ever what makes them.

In one of the film’s most sad scenes, Greenwood pretends to be deaf so he does not have to give a stranger directions to a cafe. Yet, when the stranger moves on, we hear his voiceover again.

“Through the crossroads. Second, left. You can’t miss it.”

Greenwood’s voice deflates as he thinks this, making us feel his pain right along with him. Cleary continually reminds us of Greenwood’s intellect as we watch him play chess with his father, read difficult books, and study typography. The tragedy is not that he can’t carry a conversation. Rather, it’s that he’s very capable but his body won’t let him.

Time To Turn Up The Heat

This juxtaposition between Greenwood’s chatty voiceover and nearly-silent speech comes to a head in the film’s final third when he prepares to meet a girl who he has feelings for but is nervous to meet in person for the first time. His snap judgments overlap, all of them having to do with his preparation for the date. He questions what he’s wearing, what gifts he bought, what his first words will be. Soon it becomes a cacophony of voices — now it’s as Greenwood can’t shut himself up in his head.

Bring Audiences Into Character’s

In the end, Greenwood discovers that his admirer is deaf and the film wraps up by resolving all the juxtapositions and letting Greenwood (and the audience) finally meet someone who sees him for who he is. In just two simple closeups of the two characters, we understand that they are connecting in a way that’s beyond words.

So the big takeaway here? Make sure that from the first frame to the last, your short film shows its audience your main character through thematic and character-based juxtapositions. Play with audience expectations whenever you can, heightening this tension as you go. Then, in the end, bring the drama to a satisfying conclusion.

Want to see “Stutterer” for yourself? Watch this award winner and many other world-renowned short films on Miniflix.TV! Start your free trial today.

Having A Stake In The Game — A Miniflix Interview With Martina Lee

Martina Lee has been an artist for as long as she can remember. It started when she was growing up and taking a lot of art classes, particularly interested in painting and drawing. Despite not yet being a film major, Lee first truly got into the artform as an undergraduate in college. She was finding films that influenced and touched her in a deep way, as well as learning to read this particular form of visual language in the same way she did fine art.

After a few years, she returned to school but this time to learn the craft of filmmaking. She started all the way in Singapore (through NYU Tisch Asia), but once the program was discontinued she found herself having to re-apply all over again. She got into the prestigious USC film program for her graduate degree. Her most recent short, “Black Boy Joy”, comes two years after graduating from USC and becoming a full-time part of the film industry. This film, produced by Film Independent Project Involve in 2019, follows three generations of black men as they deal with the sudden loss of a family member and the struggles of raising an autistic boy.

In Miniflix interview with Martina Lee she talked about how “Black Boy Joy” came about, her filmic influences and the unexpected journeys that happen along the way of any film project.

Miniflix Interviewer: What was the genesis of “Black Boy Joy”? Did Michelle Sam bring the script to you, did you develop it together, or did it come together in a different way?

Martina Lee: Film Independent has a fellowship program called Project Involve. They pick directors, writers, cinematographers, editors, producers and creative executives to work on films together. The program actually works as a mini-studio system. The writers pitch story ideas to the creative executives. Then the creative executive would pick the project they liked most and the writers would start writing them. Producers would then get attached to those projects and the directors would get to pick two projects to pitch on.

The writer of “Black Boy Joy”, Michelle Sam, and myself had personal connections to the story. The layers of specificity are what attracted me to her script. We both wanted to explore toxic black male masculinity through the loss of a loved one and raising a black boy with Autism.

Having A Stake In The Game

Still from “Black Boy Joy”

Miniflix: Portraying someone with Autism can be tricky and a challenging role. What were the conversations like with yourself and Evan Alex about developing this character?

Martina: It was really important for Michelle and myself that Selim be on the mild to moderate side of the spectrum. The more research I did, the more I realized I needed to make a clear decision about what Silem’s sensory meltdowns were going to look like. Selim’s attachment to the doll in the script had to be connected not just because his mother gave it to him, but also because hearing and feeling the beads on the doll gave him comfort.

Once I figured out the specifics of his character, I was able to talk to Evan about it. However, when it came to actually acting, it came down to the physicality of the character. My approach to directing the sensory meltdowns was all about establishing levels to the behavior. We established these levels in rehearsal and practiced a few times. Once we got on set we had a shorthand. Evan is the complete opposite of that character. He’s so outgoing and very much loves connecting with the other actors, so I had to remind him that Selim doesn’t make eye contact with people.

Miniflix: Color seems very important to this film. Yellow seems to be a dominant motif, particularly for Selim’s character. How did yourself and the production designer arrive at what colors to emphasize or de-emphasize?

Martina: When I first start a project and think about its visual language, I always start with the color palette and connecting it to the storytelling. It’s probably because I used to be a painter. When I thought about the characters as I was reading the script initially, and then when I made my pitch during Project Involve, I specifically had these color palettes — Selim was yellow. Miles was green. Otis was blue.

I chose those colors specifically because it was a gradation of not just characters, but of where each person’s minds are in terms of masculinity. It made sense that Otis, the grandfather, was blue, because it very much connected with male identity. Miles was a combination between Otis and Selim, which gave me green. For Selim, it was really important for him to be yellow. He represents the future potential of what masculinity could be.

Miniflix Interview With Martina Lee

“Black Boy Joy” uses a yellow color motif to represent Selim and his conception of masculinity.

Miniflix: This is your first credited short since film school. In what ways did USC help prepare you for your first short on your own? What was something about the production process that surprised you this time around?

Martina: USC was a really great education for me. I produced multiple thesis films while I was in school. It taught me a lot about what it takes to bring all the elements of a film together and how to navigate professional relationships. It also gave me a really good sense of what the world was going to be like after graduation. By the time I left USC I knew that only ten percent of my time was going to be spent directing. The rest of the time was going to be spent trying to get the project off the ground. I knew meeting my professional goals was going to take some time and I had a lot still to learn.

I wrote, directed, and produced my thesis film, Blueberry. It was challenging to wear so many hats. I knew for my next short I wanted to focus on just directing. So, when I was presented with “Black Boy Joy”, it felt great to have a team of people that wasn’t just passionate about making the film but also brought their A-game. From the cinematographer to the writer to the editor to the producers, we all came together in a way that we all had agency and had stake in the game, which ultimately made the film better.

Miniflix: What does the future look like for “Black Boy Joy” right now?

Martina: We do have a couple of festivals still coming up this summer. We were accepted into Blackstar Film festival and nominated for Best Short Narrative. We are also nominated for Best Director, Best Performance (Will Catlett) and Best Drama at the Cordillera International Festival. The big one that we’re really excited about is ABFF (American Black Film Festival). We are a finalist for the HBO Short Film Competition. We’re up against four other phenomenal filmmakers and Black Boy Joy could air on HBO, which would be amazing! I think it is safe to say, we are very excited about how things are going.

Annalise and Zoe each bring a unique perspective to their time at USC’s film school. During the Miniflix interview with Zoe Malhotra, she revealed that she grew up in Washington D.C., where she started making documentaries out of a love for the artistic communities that existed there (including places like the Smithsonian). While at USC, Zoe studied multimedia literacy in the film school’s Media Arts and Practice program, ultimately focusing on documentary filmmaking.

Annalise started in nature and wildlife photography but quickly became interested in using video to capture the world around her. Originally intending to pursue science, Annalise applied to USC’s School of Cinematic Arts anyway — and got in! Even though she’s all in on filmmaking, she didn’t leave her range of interests behind her (she double majored in anthropology).

Together, these two made up the only undergraduate co-directing duo to helm one of the three projects selected by their Advanced Documentary Production course. They had pitched the story of Roslyn Spence — a Le Cordon Bleu chef whose own mother was a self-taught cook for Hollywood celebrities. — as the film’s subject. From there, the kernel of a story for “God Bless The Cook” was created.

Annalise and Zoe talk to Miniflix about finding the story within the story, working together, and their hopes for this film going forward.

Miniflix Interviewer: How did you both learn about Roslyn and her story, as well as her mother’s story?

Zoe Malhotra: I had originally started developing a documentary about women in the culinary world, and started out interviewing local LA female chefs. I went to the culinary school that Roslyn teaches at [Los Angeles Trade Technical College], and every student praised her as a teacher, pushing me to interview her. Once I did, I noticed Roslyn kept talking about her mother throughout the whole interview, highlighting her influence on Roslyn’s culinary passion, and just how fascinating of a character her mother was too. So I asked if I could interview her, which made sense because she was a fellow Los Angeles female chef.

As soon as I interviewed Edith, I realized that this large project about female chefs in LA should be about these two and their relationship. It only took one interview with each of them to realize just how compelling of characters they were. They deserved their film.

Annalise Pasztor: When I first saw Zoe screen some of the test footage she had done with Edith and Roslyn, particularly of them together, I felt like I could spend days with them just listening to their stories.

Miniflix: Did you always know the story would come more from Roslyn’s perspective? Did you ever consider going back and focusing even more screen time on Edith’s past as a cook for Hollywood celebrities?

Zoe: We knew that we wanted to tell a story that involved both Edith and Roslyn, but considered exploring whether it should be more about Edith and her story. We ultimately realized that, while we still wanted to pay tribute to Edith’s incredible past, this needed to be a contemporary story. Whenever we talked to Roslyn, she would speak so much about this relationship and about how her mother influenced her cooking.

So I think that some of the larger themes I was originally exploring about women in the restaurant industry were embodied a lot by Roslyn’s story, where we see how much of her cooking is influenced by her mother. We wanted to bring that dynamic back into the story and focus on their relationship.

Annalise: I think that the core of the movie is their shared passion and how that trickles down into so many challenges but also really beautiful moments in their relationship. We wanted to chart that course with this project.

Miniflix Interview With Annalise Pasztor

Miniflix: What is your working dynamic as co-directors? Especially for a documentary — do you each take on specific roles? What is editing like?

Annalise: It was surprising to me how much we were on the same page. We had done so much work developing together and went into it with so much respect for Edith and Roslyn and their stories. Even if we may have disagreed about small things that should be in the cut, we were sort of melded into one for a while. We spent so much time together, which helped put us on the same wavelength.

Zoe: But I think the main thing was that Annalise and I always took the time to make sure that we saw everything through first… Annalise and I spent a whole semester together just talking about everything. Whenever we came up with an outline for how we thought the film should ultimately play out, it would turn into a weekend-long discussion between the two of us. We’d stay up all night storyboarding and having good conversations. So if we ever did have some kind of disagreement about a directing choice, there were usually a lot of discussions that then helped us reach a solution.

This isn’t just for a school project, but when you collaborate, that’s always the best way to do things. You have to understand each other and understand everyone else and the place they’re coming from. And you have to take the time to get to that point of understanding in order to move forward.

Miniflix: What was it like filming Roslyn’s cooking classes? Was it easy to tell early on whether a particular moment would make it in the film, or was that not a concern during the shooting days?

Annalise: The cooking class with Roslyn was actually one of our last shoots, so we had a really good sense of what we wanted and what themes would emerge to really round out the rest of the film. It’s interesting that you bring this one up because that’s a scene where we only sent our DP [Kat Boyd-Batstone] in. Zoe and I actually stayed entirely out of the room. We realized that we were getting in the way and we wanted to let things play out more naturally. Our DP is incredible and had a really intuitive sense and knew what we were looking for and what she needed to be following.

That was truly one of those moments where everything came together and just felt very special. We knew, in immediately reviewing the footage, what was going to be strong and what the emotional crux was — specifically when Roslyn brings up Edith and talks about how important her mom’s approval is to her. It really clinched the themes of everything we’d been talking through, even though the moment was totally impromptu. Roslyn really just does talk about her mom a lot.

Miniflix Interview With Zoe Malhotra

Miniflix: What is one way that this film stretched you or taught you something new about filmmaking?

Zoe: style=”font-weight: 400;”>For me, one of the most important things I learned was how much you should prioritize and value your relationship with the subject. That’s because they are driving the story. I consider Roslyn to be my friend, same for Annalise. So it was great for both of us to be able to call her up if we ever had questions about something or to check-in and just talk.

None of it had to feel like we were just some crew of students — instead, we were really able to become part of this family. If we hadn’t gone through that development process, I think it would have been much more difficult to capture those beautiful and vulnerable moments that Edith and Rosyln were sharing with us.

In any documentary I make moving forward, no matter how long or short, I will always know it’s so important to have some kind of relationship with the people you’re filming.

Annalise: For me, it’s also the importance of surrounding yourself with a crew that you trust and is really on it. It makes such a difference being able to step out of that room. It’s rewarding to have so many talented minds all striving towards the same goal but also challenging you to perhaps take different ways to get there. I really miss that when I’m working on things by myself now.

Miniflix: What are your hopes for this film post-First Look and post-USC?

Annalise: We were lucky to play at a couple of festivals pre-global pandemic, which was really wonderful and rewarding, especially to dress up and get Roslyn and Edith out to celebrate the film in that way. Right now, we’re ultimately looking for a final resting place for the film. We’re hoping for something online where we can put it up and have it much more publicly available.

Zoe: I think right now people are looking for stories to escape to and that have a somewhat positive and lighthearted feeling about them. So I do have hopes that this film, once we’re able to make it widely available, will touch people where they are in their current state.

This is an interview series covering filmmakers with thesis projects at USC in the Spring of 2020. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we are highlighting film school filmmakers with projects that were supposed to premiere at USC’s First Look Festival. First Look is the yearly USC School of Cinematic Arts showcase for advanced projects run by the Industry Relations Office. This year the selected films will be presented to the industry in a virtual format and will announce their awards on May 11th.

Stream the movie Parmi Nous online to watch the story of a young illegal immigrant who has just joined a group of other illegals camping in the forest.