Pre-Production - Coffee

The first film I created for my portfolio was “Coffee.” The idea for this film came to me when I was sitting in a car with some friends, and Judah was enthusiastically expressing his passion for coffee. Whilst he was telling this story, he was met with eye rolls, sighs, and chuckles from his mother and brother. However, I remember walking away with a new found sense of curiosity and the realisation that I had underestimated the concept of coffee as an art-form. This inspired me to reach out to Judah and ask if he’d be willing to collaborate on a project to prevent the art of coffee from being overlooked.

When I was creating a mood board for the visuals of “Coffee”, I  knew I wanted the coffee and the process of making coffee to be the central focus of the film. Visually I wanted to highlight the beauty and delicacy within the process’s precision.

Mood Board for Coffee

To achieve this effect, I decided that my primary type of shots would either be close-ups, with a shallow depth of field, or medium shots. The close-up shots  with a shallow depth of field would help the viewer to focus in on specific details of the coffee, helping to immerse the viewer in the mindset of precision and intentionality involved within the coffee making process.

Storyboard for Coffee

On the other hand, medium shots would allow the viewer to gain a wider perspective of the process, focusing on the protagonist’s investment and involvement within it. This creative direction later led to some challenges in post production.