Who are we?
Hi! We’re a team of SDSU Television & Film Production students that are creating a short narrative film titled “Dinner Time”. This is both a student film through our school’s program, as well as a passion project for our writer and director Karla Gonzalez. Our team is excited to work on Karla’s senior project and we are thankful for all your support to help bring this story to life.
The Story:
Hailey, a 17-year-old teenager, has a secret. She is pregnant. However, Hailey plans to disclose her pregnancy to her family during dinner. But when her parents announce their divorce, she realizes maybe it’s not the best time to tell them, but she does. Her parents get into an argument and overlook Hailey’s situation. After everyone leaves, Hailey sits at the dinner table alone.
Why this Story as told by our Writer/Director:
Family is complicated. It’s easy to believe that your family or those close to you support you, especially when you need it the most. You think they’ll be there, whether that is physically or emotionally.
But what happens when they’re not?
How do you feel when you ask for help but they don’t listen?
And what do you do next?
Dinner Time is not necessarily about a teenage pregnancy or a divorce. Instead, it delves into the intricacies of family dynamics. It is a story that highlights our tendency to overlook essential elements amid intricate situations, emphasizing how we fail to recognize what truly matters.
Meet our Team!
Writer & Director: Karla P. Gonzalez
Karla is an undergraduate student at SDSU majoring in Television, Film, and New Media production. She has worked on multiple films like Breaking Point and Heart Heist. She has worked as a producer, assistant director, production designer, and production assistant. Dinner Time will be her first film as director, and she’s very excited about it. Her goal is to work in the entertainment industry as a producer, director, writer, and production designer.
Producer & 1st Assistant Director: Monica Sandoval
Monica is an undergraduate student at SDSU Television, Film & New Media Production program. She has worked on other SDSU films as a producer, assistant director.She also enjoys writing and the casting process. Monica is expected to graduate this spring, but before then she’ll be busy producing Dinner Time!
Director of Photography: Ace Davis
Ace Davis is a fourth-year film production student at SDSU. He has a deep passion for film and began making movies when he was young. He has worked as a director of photography and camera operator on several films. He is very excited to help bring Karla’s film, Dinner Time, to life visually.
Production Design: Hannah Notsch
Hannah is an Undergraduate at SDSU where she is majoring in Television, Film, and New Media Production and minoring in Anthropology. She has worked on several fiction and documentary shorts at SDSU. Her interests in film include production design, writing, and directing.
Sound Designer: Marley Serna
Marley Rose Serna is a fourth year student majoring in Television, Film, and New Media Production. She found her passion to be working in sound, especially post-production sound and foley. Now she enjoys working on composition projects and short clips for reels. Outside of her career, she enjoys playing guitar for the SDSU Musicians Club, her favorite genre being metal.
Editor: Jonathan Butler
Jonathan Butler is an international student from the UK where he studies Film. His main goal for this year is to be involved in as many productions as he can. Over the last year, he has strived to improve his skills and seeks to push himself to be the editor possible and aims to prove his worth and add another fantastic film to his portfolio. He is thrilled to be working with the amazing people on the Dinner Time Team!
Your donations help our film come to life!
We appreciate your support, regardless of whether or not you can donate. However if you can, let us explain what you will be helping us with:
- Location rental (Let us paint the picture; most student films shoot between 2-3 days over a 10-12 hour period for at least two days. Most of available shooting locations can cost from $35-70 per hour, meaning that even if at minimum we film over two days for 10 hours, the sum we have at the end is quite the sum!)
- Catering/Crafty for cast and crew (When we shoot for more than 4-6 hours we take an hour lunch break hence the catering and throughout the day we have snacks and water available for anybody at any time!)
- Production Design (From props to wardrobe, the production design team makes every little thing look cohesive and genuine to the director's visual style).
- Festival Entry Fees (We want to enter our film to festivals to gain traction and visibility. There's no bigger way to say thank you to the cast and crew than to get recognition for their time and energy at film festivals!)
Even if you can't contribute financially, you can still help our film by sharing our campaign with your network, and spread the word about our film. Every, like, comment, tweet, share, or mention brings us closer to our goal!
Thank you!!
