Case study
Process
In Spring 2025, I served as director, editor, producer, and creative lead for a documentary-narrative film titled "Grilled Cheese Sunday's."
Pre-Production: Finding Laura
While navigating my own transition from college to adulthood, I became consumed with questions about nostalgia, memory, and how we process change. I wanted to explore these themes through an intergenerational lens—recognizing that life's transitions never stop, regardless of age. That's when I met Laura, a 92-year-old woman in Claremont mourning the recent loss of her husband, Bob. Her story became the film's emotional core. Through her grief and memories, I found a narrative that connected our vastly different life stages through the universal experience of love, loss, and reflection.
Production: The Story Arc
Through multiple in-depth interviews with Laura, I uncovered the narrative threads that would drive the film forward. I assembled and directed a full production crew across a 5-day shoot, balancing technical precision with the intimate, vulnerable tone essential to documentary storytelling.
Post-Production: A Collaborative Process
In Adobe Premiere Pro and CapCut, I wove documentary footage with narrative elements while meeting regularly with Laura to ensure her story remained authentic. I performed sound design to enhance emotional beats, color graded for nostalgic consistency, and created motion graphics in After Effects—ensuring every technical choice honored Laura's experience and delivered a film worthy of her legacy.
Outcome
I organized the production screening event, coordinating with stakeholders, professors, faculty, cast, and crew, and designed the event flyer while managing consistent outreach, resulting in over 400 attendees at the final screening—an unprecedented turnout for this production.
Since then, "Grilled Cheese Sunday's" has been selected to screen at multiple film festivals across the Bay Area.
