The Production Process of “Penny” (2024)
Photo taken by Megan Silva
Author: Julian Leal
Behind the scenes of a Media X student’s horror short film
The Media X Program at the University of the Pacific promises portfolio-building opportunities across creative disciplines. Students pursuing this degree learn to produce high-quality video and audio projects, including the weekly workshops of Communication 131: Media Production. I took this class in the fall of 2024 to fulfill a degree requirement but left the course with a greater understanding of the film production process. In the following article, I share my experience as a first-time director to highlight the stages budding filmmakers must overcome.
The Project
On December 6, 2024, I submitted my debut short film as the final project for COMM 131. The film was the last of the course’s three video projects: a four-person documentary, a two-person genre study, and a solo film project. The following is the plot of “Penny” (2024): “Haunted by her dog's death, a girl begins writing letters in a diary to cope. One day, Penny responds. Starring Kasandra Cazares, Alondra Garcia, and Andrea Bravo.”
COMM 131’s final project challenged me to create my first “short,” or short film, from the development phase to post-production. Project deliverables were a three to five-page script, a complete storyboard, and a five-minute film.
Pre-Production
I was introduced to the final project a month before the deadline. However, developing ideas for the plot took up half of the time because of severe writer’s block and end-of-semester creative burnout. Therefore, I submitted a formatted draft of the script two days late. The final version includes undocumented creative changes made at the last minute, which I will explain later.
I cast the film’s three central characters during the scriptwriting phase. As I wrote, I noted friends that best fit the roles. I texted them, asking if they were available during the Thanksgiving break, and all three agreed.
I rented the following filming equipment from the Media X department for the short film:
Canon EOS 90D Camera Set with Rode Shotgun Mic
Camera Tripod
Lighting Panel and Tripod
Production
The outdoor scenes in “Penny” were shot at American Legion Park in Stockton, California. I was familiar with the location from a previous film project, and I selected it because the drive was only a few minutes from the University of the Pacific.
The indoor scenes were originally set to be shot at my house, but they were re-set to the house of one of the cast member’s relatives after filming the park scenes. This decision extended the planned one-day shoot to two days but allowed for a more flexible filming schedule.
Filming took place during the beginning of Thanksgiving break in November. Shoots lasted for hours before and during a ‘Friendsgiving’ event, but the cast, especially the protagonist, persevered and balanced fun with focus on delivering their debut performance.
Post-Production
I took a one-week break between filming and editing to celebrate the holiday with family.
Film editing occurred a few days leading up to the deadline. I employed video production skills that I developed in class and in other courses, like Media X 11: Critical Media Making. The process mimicked my typical style, which lasts through the night and ends in the early morning of the due date.
Sound recording was the biggest issue with polishing “Penny.” The microphone, which recorded several sources of background noise, died halfway through the second day of filming. Thankfully, I recorded voices lines on my phone during the shoot, which suited most of the short’s scenes.
I uploaded the film to my personal channel on YouTube. To watch “Penny” (2024), visit https://youtu.be/6tCmH69_INU?si=4yBGWLa7qJ6shQ54.