Dangerous Discourse

Imagine filming an entire film on Zoom on your laptop with actors from all over the Unites States. Well, that's exactly what we did with Dangerous Discourse.

After learning about the extreme defunding of USPS resources right before the 2020 presidential election, I knew I had to speak up about this issue! So, Miles Thompson and I wrote the script in a week's time, casted nationwide via Backstage the week after, and then we filmed the movie the first week of September 2020 (right in the middle of the global COVID-19 pandemic). Due to the fact that this project was entirely casted, rehearsed, and filmed on the internet allowed us to cast actors and crew members ranging from Denver, Colorado to Austin, Texas, and all the way to New York City.

Filming an entire movie on Zoom was incredibly fun and innovative, but it also had its challenges. We only used the cameras from each actor's computers to film on Zoom and Quicktime, and then we recorded audio separately through our professional microphone. Filming this way was challenging because 1) the quality of a computer camcorder is nowhere near the quality of a real camera, and 2) there are only so many camera angles and shots one can do when recording in isolation. But, we were all up for the challenge and it was incredibly fun collaborating with the actors to find the right camera angles, pick out costumes, and style hair/makeup. And when I say that these actors put in 110% effort, I mean that! They had to not only focus on their acting, but also focus on changing their camera angles, making sure they are in focus and can be heard, checking in to see if their makeup needs a touchup, and adjusting lighting when necessary. So, we all wore many hats for this project, and it was a very challenging, collaborative, and ultimately satisfying process!

Going back to the story itself, Dangerous Discourse is important to me because as a young person, I am trying to navigate my way through political conversations with my friends (without getting my feelings hurt or without hurting my friends' feelings), which is so challenging! And since the 2020 election is coming up (and there's a lot at stake), I figured this would be the best time to open up the dialogue and show the world how to (or how not to) have these uncomfortable conversations with friends. The film is a coming of age story shot in an innovative and experimental way, and I truly hope you enjoy it!

"Coffee may be hot, but so are some people's tempers..." If you read our tagline and are thinking "oh yeah, that's definitely me whenever I get in a heated debate with my friends", then this film is for you!!