Pre-Production Log - The Research

The Research

In preparation to help me write the script, I asked a few people how they felt leading up to a first date so that I had more of an understanding of peoples' feelings. Here are the responses:

"I just look forward to the date and hope that they like it"

"Anxious, nervous, if you look good, depends on the date as some people are nervous about eating in front of people."

"I was worried in case I'd screw up. Or that something would go wrong"

"Thoughts that go through my head leading up to a first date would be things like hoping it goes well, nothing goes wrong, will they like me after the date, will they want a second date, I'd be nervous"

"What if I say something to upset them?"

"I get nervous and feel like I'm going to mess it up"

"I'd be wondering if they're going to be as nice in person as was they seem and what I would do if there is a gap in the conversation"

"I feel excited and happy but also nervous and scared"

"I try to be humble and not to talk too much. I also try to remember to smile"

"You might feel happy that you have a date at first, maybe you haven't had one in a while. You might question what to wear and what if he or she doesn't like you, or if there's a possibility that you won't like them. You could question why you're doing this then reassure yourself that everything is going to be fine. Lastly, you might be constantly checking yourself to make certain that you do look okay before heading out the door"


Overall, this research shows very similar feelings throughout both the men and women who were asked with a lot of them saying that they feel nervous on first dates. Many had the same thought that something could go wrong and I received a very interesting insight as to why people could be nervous ranging from appearances to anxiety the eating in front of people.

Pre-Production Log - Genre

Genre - Educational Romance

When deciding on a genre for this short film, my first instinct was to choose the one most fitting with the short stories that I usually write. They are normally quite hard-hitting which is why I thought that drama would initially be the perfect genre. What changed my mind on this genre was the fact that all of the ideas that I had were very dark and some were maybe a little too personal for a student film. I did some research on the other genres and I asked a friend of mine for some advice before coming up with an idea for the genre of romance. But I decided to change it slightly once again, finally settling on the idea of an educational romance which will explain thoughts and feelings of the male and female minds when preparing for a first date.