It’s about a tutorial for a program that would enable you to design a perfect moment in time. The programmer teaches the audience how to make a perfect date night dinner. At the end he discovers that in spite of his expertise he cannot control everything.

Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Alicja Jasina

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

Thank you so much!

My film is a thesis I made in the Masters program at University of Southern California. I attempted to tell a relatable story in a totally different way, a narrative that would be literally guided by a line.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

To giggle a bit and think about your life and relationships. You might enjoy its minimalist style and a unique way of telling a story.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

The theme of love is probably one of the most common ones, the audience doesn’t seem to get tired of it. Another universal theme in Once Upon a Line is a life of a bureaucrat whose routine is being disrupted.

Personally, I don’t identify myself much with the main protagonist. I feel very lucky to never have had a bureaucratic job and routine. At the same time, I’m always in search of the “green line” that the main protagonist discovers at the end of the film - meaning different ways of living and thinking. I believe that this pursuit is very important not only for a creative but each of us.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

It evolved a lot. Thanks to the simplicity of technique which led to a relatively less time-consuming process of animation, I could change and tweak the story almost till the very end of making this film.

From the very beginning I knew that the film would be about a simple boring guy whose routine is disrupted by something. After that came the idea of a woman appearing in his life, and then different elements that she would introduce - her red fish, polka-dotted bras etc. What I struggled the most with was the ending; I had more than twenty versions of it and nothing seemed to be working. It was hard to get the idea across that there’s hope for change, happiness and a new perspective, without showing a conventional happy ending like “…and they lived happily every after”.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

I was thrilled to get a very positive feedback. People found the film “cute, smart and funny”. Some were impressed how I managed to fit a “complete story arc” into a 7-minute-long film, and others enjoyed its minimalist style.

A few viewers were pointing out that they enjoyed the unconventional ending.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

The feedback I received after completing Once Upon a Line was very motivating and encouraging, but the most constructive one was at the “test-screening” I made while in process of making the film, about four months before the deadline. That’s when I was still at the animatic stage, sorting out the story and making important decisions. The forms that the audience filled out were extremely helpful to see what worked and what didn’t. That pushed me to work harder and make a few important changes, mostly with the ending.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

I would like as many people as possible to enjoy my film.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I would like to inspire the audience to look for their “green line” - the new opportunities in life, their passions and dreams that they never dared to pursue.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

How do you want your life to look like? How about choosing the line you live on and not being created/shaped by it?

Would you like to add anything else?

Thank you very much, I’m thrilled to be part of www.wearemovingstories.com.

Interview: January 2018

Design a Perfect Moment Tutorial Writer/Director/Producer: Alicja Jasina

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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTIAQ+, scifi, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

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Design a Perfect Moment Tutorial

Length: 4 min

Director: Alicja Jasina

Producer: Alicja Jasina

Writer: Alicja Jasina