The End is Near & Gen Z is Here

      The conclusion of this project is very bittersweet. I just wanted to update everyone on where I am at in the moment. I finished the script for my Creative Critical Reflection and I think it accurately shows what this portfolio project and the process to complete it. The good, the bad, and the ugly is all included in the script, but most importantly it reflects on how I have learned from the bad experiences. I'm very proud of all the pop culture references I made to famous types of interviews celebrities do, but I had to make sure to still be informative so I kept the Harry Styles references to a minimum. I plan to film in the afternoon, so I could focus on editing on Saturday, Sunday, and maybe (hopefully not) Monday. I will utilize two angles, one with my phone and one with my camera so I have more to choose from when editing.

    While I was creating my CCR, I realized that while I talked about targeting and representing teenagers, I never really looked at today's teenagers which are Gen Z. Since I am part of Gen Z, I mostly relied on what I knew and trends I have seen around people I have met which turned out being effective. Gen Z values inclusivity which we did by representing people their age and having the lead be a Latina. They also like when films are realistic and truthful, which we did by making Malia's character more vulnerable to humanize her. The film shows how being a teenager and having to make life-changing decisions impacts her relationships with her friends and family. In addition, we had a voiceover which reflects her internal struggle, even if she may look like she is doing ok. Being a coming-of-age film makes Unwritten bound to rely on dialogue, which is a factor Gen Z loves, since it shows more of the protagonist's personality and values. We made sure to give Malia an "undefined ID" by making her realize that she should not stress about this decision so much since it does not define who she is a person, she will always be a writer. Overall, our film's target audience should be Gen Z since the storyline and characters are more likely to be appealing at their age.

Citations:

Francis, Tracy, and Fernanda Hoefel. “'True Gen': Generation Z and Its Implications for Companies.” McKinsey & Company, McKinsey & Company, 4 Feb. 2022, https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/true-gen-generation-z-and-its-implications-for-companies.