OUR DIRECTOR, PORTLYNN TAGAVI’S ARTISTIC APPROACH
Our main goal with this film’s artistic approach is to strike the right tonal balance. The story is fun and quirky while also dealing with the very real and difficult issues of self-doubt, cultural expectations and racial insecurity. Maya’s journey reflects the struggle of all those of us who never neatly fit into the boxes that society or those around us expect us too. She’s the hero of the oddballs and the outcasts, those of us who hold onto and treasure our individuality, while simultaneously feeling exhausted by constantly having to defend and explain it. Those of us caught in the contrast between the world that we belong to and the big hair, white boy rock that we love.
This contrast is perfect for comedy, and on its surface that’s what our short is, but true to its dramatic core we intend to imbue the film with a more stylized visual approach than is typical of standard hi-key comedies. We are currently exploring the various ways we can capture that tone visually through storyboarding and gathering cinematic influences from films like Taika Waititi’s “Boy” as well as Valerie Faris & Jonathan Dayton’s “Little Miss Sunshine”. We are also looking at the editing and rhythmic sensibilities of Edgar Wright and blocking and staging of David O'Russell. We are looking forward to infusing the esthetic of Journey’s music videos.
I have storyboarded for studios such as Pixar and Netflix, and I'm confident that, with our talented and experienced DP, we will be prepared to articulate our vision perfectly.