DIRECTOR/PRODUCER MAYA SOLANKI
ASSISTANT DIRECTORS KITTY TRAN, KATIE MA
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY PETER PHELAN
CREATIVE DIRECTION HILARY NANA-ADJEI, ADRIANA ALVAREZ, SIERRA DESAI
EDITORS MAYA SOLANKI, ELLI LAHDESMAKI
CAST ANGELINA MANOLIOS, ALEXIS JACKSON, KITTY TRAN
STYLING HAYLEN WEHR
HAIR & MAKEUP SARAH WAGGONER
AUDIO ANGELINA SHARIFI, SIERRA DESAI
PA JIA DATWANI
FOR THE AVENUE’S SS24 ISSUE THEMED PLAY, WE CONCEPTUALIZED A SHORT FILM TO DEBUT AT THE ISSUE LAUNCH EVENT. THE FILM EXPLORES THE CONTRAST BETWEEN THE BLEAKNESS OF THE WORKPLACE AND THE VIBRANT ENERGY EMBODIED BY THE PLAY CONCEPT FEATURED IN THE MAGAZINE. THE NARRATIVE FOLLOWS THE MAIN CHARACTER AS THEY ARE DRAWN FROM THE MONOTONY OF THEIR OFFICE ENVIRONMENT INTO A VIVID, PLAYFUL WORLD—TRANSPORTED THROUGH THE SCREEN OF A TV. THIS JUXTAPOSITION VISUALLY REINFORCES THE MAGAZINE'S CENTRAL THEME, CREATING A DYNAMIC AND IMMERSIVE STORYTELLING EXPERIENCE.
I TOOK A LEAD ROLE IN EVERY STAGE OF THE PROJECT, FROM PRE-PRODUCTION AND FILMING TO POST-PRODUCTION. USING ROTOSCOPING, I CREATED THE LIGHT FIGURE CENTRAL TO THE MAIN CHARACTER’S JOURNEY, ADDING A UNIQUE VISUAL ELEMENT TO THE STORY. MY EXPERIENCE WORKING ON SETS DURING MY CO-OP AT ELEMENT PRODUCTIONS PROVIDED A STRONG FOUNDATION FOR NAVIGATING THIS PROCESS, WHILE MY ADVANCED EDITING SKILLS, DEVELOPED OVER YEARS OF PRACTICE, ENABLED ME TO BRING THE PROJECT TO LIFE.
I TOOK A LEAD ROLE IN EVERY STAGE OF THE PROJECT, FROM PRE-PRODUCTION AND FILMING TO POST-PRODUCTION. USING ROTOSCOPING, I CREATED THE LIGHT FIGURE CENTRAL TO THE MAIN CHARACTER’S JOURNEY, ADDING A UNIQUE VISUAL ELEMENT TO THE STORY. MY EXPERIENCE WORKING ON SETS DURING MY CO-OP AT ELEMENT PRODUCTIONS PROVIDED A STRONG FOUNDATION FOR NAVIGATING THIS PROCESS, WHILE MY ADVANCED EDITING SKILLS, DEVELOPED OVER YEARS OF PRACTICE, ENABLED ME TO BRING THE PROJECT TO LIFE.
DIRECTORS MAYA SOLANKI & SIERRA DESAI
STARRING CAMILLE FEI & AVERY VONDERHEIDE
SET DESIGN ALEXA VANSUCH, BELLA GUNTHER & JULIANA KIM
EDITORS SIERRA DESAI & MAYA SOLANKI
COLORING MAYA SOLANKI
STYLING MADELEINE O’NEILL
GRAPHICS CAITLIN LAM
SOUNDTRACK ADHEEP RAMPURE
PA KITTY TRAN
FOR THE AVENUE’S SS24 ISSUE THEMED PLEASE, WE CONCEPTUALIZED A SHORT FILM TO DEBUT AT THE ISSUE LAUNCH EVENT. PLEASE IS A POETIC EXPLORATION OF DESIRE, WOMANHOOD, AND IDENTITY FOUND WITHIN THE EVERYDAY. THROUGH THE DYNAMIC BETWEEN A WOMAN AND A LITTLE GIRL, A REFLECTION OF HER UNSHAPED, AUTHENTIC SELF, THE FILM DELVES INTO THE TENSION BETWEEN SOCIETAL EXPECTATIONS AND SURPRESSED LONGING. SET IN A QUIET, INTIMATE SPACE, IT EXAMINES FEMININE SEXUALITY, EMOTIONAL COMPLEXITY, AND A YEARNING FOR FREEDOM BEYOND TRADITIONAL ROLES OF WOMANHOOD AND MOTHERHOOD.
THIS PROJECT ALLOWED ME TO EXPLORE NEW DIMENSIONS OF MY CREATIVITY ACROSS BOTH PRODUCTION AND POST-PRODUCTION. I SHOT THE MAJORITY OF THE FILM WHILE ALSO TAKING ON THE DIRECTOR ROLE—A RESPONSIBILITY I WOULDN’T HAVE HAD THE CONFIDENCE TO EMBRACE JUST A YEAR AGO. THROUGH THIS EXPERIENCE, I’VE GROWN SIGNIFICANTLY MORE ASSURED IN ARTICULATING MY CREATIVE VISION. ADDITIONALLY, I TOOK A DEEPER DIVE INTO COLOR GRADING, ENGAGING MORE INTENTLY WITH THIS PROCESS THAN IN MY PREVIOUS SHORT FILM, PARTICULARLY DUE TO THE FILM’S MINIMAL RELIANCE ON SPECIAL EFFECTS
THIS PROJECT ALLOWED ME TO EXPLORE NEW DIMENSIONS OF MY CREATIVITY ACROSS BOTH PRODUCTION AND POST-PRODUCTION. I SHOT THE MAJORITY OF THE FILM WHILE ALSO TAKING ON THE DIRECTOR ROLE—A RESPONSIBILITY I WOULDN’T HAVE HAD THE CONFIDENCE TO EMBRACE JUST A YEAR AGO. THROUGH THIS EXPERIENCE, I’VE GROWN SIGNIFICANTLY MORE ASSURED IN ARTICULATING MY CREATIVE VISION. ADDITIONALLY, I TOOK A DEEPER DIVE INTO COLOR GRADING, ENGAGING MORE INTENTLY WITH THIS PROCESS THAN IN MY PREVIOUS SHORT FILM, PARTICULARLY DUE TO THE FILM’S MINIMAL RELIANCE ON SPECIAL EFFECTS