Case Study: The making of SUCH AN HONOR by Nicole Pouchet

Nicole Pouchet_indieactivity
Beth at the top of the stairs in Such An Honor written and directed by Nicole

A Case Study
Narrative | Dramatic Features
Film Name: name of the film
Genre: Sci-fi
Date:  June 2020
Director: Nicole Pouchet
Producer: Monica Valenzuela
Writer: Nicole Pouchet
Cinematographer: Kirsten Zeller
Editor: Name
Composer: Name
Production Company: Morning Lark Productions and Mighty Tripod
Budget: $10,000
Financing: N/A
Shooting Format: N/A
Screening Format: N/A
World Premiere: ARTS x SDGS in August 2020
Awards: N/A
Website: N/A

The Official Trailer for Such an Honor written and directed by Nicole Pouchet


indieactivity: What is your film about?
Nicole Pouchet (NP): 
 Set in the year 2050, SUCH AN HONOR is a short sci-fi film about an aging actress who is pressured to upgrade into a synthetic body. It’s all about growing old gracefully and who gets to choose what we women do with our bodies. I first thought of this concept at a Comic-Con convention when a male friend complained about women wearing costumes he didn’t approve of. He seemed to think he was owed entertainment from these women. That got me thinking about how women are generally made to feel as if one of our responsibilities is to look pretty for others. SUCH AN HONOR goes further with that idea. What happens when a woman refuses to go along?

Tell us about the festival run, marketing and sales?
Nicole Pouchet (NP): 
SUCH AN HONOR premiered at the ARTS x SDGS festival in August 2020. ARTS x SDGS is a festival that brings together UN and NGO officials with artists to discuss how art can influence and change the world. Premiering here was huge for me because using film as social commentary has always been the main goal of my work.

Since then, SUCH AN HONOR has been an official selection at several other festivals including Cinematic Panic, Seattle Film Summit, Luminous Frames Film Festival, WRPN Women’s Film Festival, and the Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts. It is scheduled to screen at the Speculative Film Festival next year.

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The Poster Art for Such an Honor written and directed by Nicole Pouchet

Give the full Official Synopsis for your film?
Nicole Pouchet (NP): 
Contrary to common practice in 2050, an aging actress chooses not to upload her personality into a new synthetic body at menopause. Her family and manager worry that she’s lost her mind and resort to drastic measures.

Development & Financing?
Nicole Pouchet (NP): 
I wrote and directed this short film. SUCH AN HONOR was a finalist in the PAGE International Screenplay Contest in 2017. I partnered with Seattle executive producer, Angela DiMarco, and producer, Monica Valenzuela to bring the script to life. Together we crowdfunded about half the budget for the film. The rest was self-financed, partially paid for with earnings from my last short film’s distribution payments.

Production?
Nicole Pouchet (NP): 
We shot the entire film over three days in July 2019. The first two days were with a large cast and crew in Burien, WA. One beautiful house that featured a gigantic ballroom served as the location there. With just that location, we were able to shoot an awards party, a jogging path, a front porch, and a small happy hour. It was a terrific find. We were also able to film at a yoga studio at the crack of dawn. That studio became our upgrade clinic. The final day was done in Mighty Tripod’s acting studio. It was the perfect place to film all of the tabloid talk show scenes.

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Beth alone at the party in Such An Honor written and directed by Nicole

Unfortunately, all of our location sounds were unusable from the first day. Most of those scenes were already slated to have voice-over. However, one of our main scenes required ADR. That ended up being a fun process done at the Jack Straw Cultural Center. Since the editor was unable to during the shoot, I sat with her throughout the editing process so that we could effectively collaborate.


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About Michael

I review films for the independent film community