My First Film (Sort of)
Check out the documentary portrait I made of my friend & classmate, Katya.
“We expect documentary films to tell us something about reality that has a quality of truth, reality and authenticity.”
–Bondebjerg, Documentary and Cognitive Theory: Narrative, Emotion and Memory (2014), p. 14
Okay, so the title of this blog is technically a lie. My actual first film was made in 2008 on iMovie, starring my siblings and me, with a plot we almost certainly borrowed from an actual movie. There were dramatic zoom-ins, shaky camera work, and Oscar-worthy performances that have unfortunately been lost to time.
Cut to Spring semester 2025, where I’m in grad school and signed up for my first official video-storytelling class—this time with an actual production process from pre- to post-production. No stolen plotlines, just learning the real tools of the trade. Over the semester, we made two films, and this was our first.
The assignment was to pair up with a classmate and make a short documentary about them and their story of coming to Paris and AUP. I was partnered with Katya, who is originally from Russia. She shared the emotional journey of leaving a city where she had built her life, and how she leaned on her love for Paris to start anew.
Katya and I had so much fun during our filming sessions exploring the city together. She showed me her favorite thing about Paris, vintage flea markets, discussed identity and change, and captured moments that revealed both her vulnerability and her strength. Editing it felt like stitching together little pieces of her story until they became something whole.
A creative mind and design professional, Julia is an Art Director, Senior Graphic Designer, Beauty Enthusiast, and a Master's Student in Global Communications. This blog is an extension of her multi-faceted journey, offering a space to explore the intersections of design, beauty, culture, and lifestyle