Staying True to Your Narrative as a Storyteller | Squarespace Presents

Are we going to be shooting all at night, starting at like the sundown? I just wanted to go over some line changes. If we switch from film to digital, that's going to be a different vendor. I just want to give you a heads up, Fran, it's pretty tight. It's a tight day. My only thing is that whenever we're getting ready—

There's a lot to get done.

Can you take one mark?

I love to write stories. I just love stories. So I find that in everything that I do. My name is Kanya Iwana, and I am a filmmaker, a photographer, and a musician. Whether it is through a still, there should still be something going on in an expression or in the colors or in the lighting. I'm really inspired by cinematography, which I feel like could be inspired from the stage, you know, all the lights and stuff. And I just really love being able to be familiar with the visual language of storytelling and to see a project from beginning to end.

Action, Jay!

Visually, I'd describe my style as warm, cozy, romantic. It's really heartfelt. Yeah, I like that. Heartfelt. It's really heartfelt. During this time, we're all confined into our living space. There can be so much going on in a space, right? And I just really wanted to hone into the simplicity and the complexity of that. The challenge as a writer is how do you fit all of this baggage and relationship and history and conversation into a short amount of time? But still, like, making it a good story. And then another challenge is how do you directorially show that without saying too much? Cut! It's been a really eye-opening process overall because you do have to be very flexible but also stay true to what you want to say and your narrative. But again, things are always going to be changing, and if you can't adapt to that, then you're just going to be stuck. As an artist, you can get to a certain point where you want to please everyone else. I think that's Unrealistic. But if you can just, like, find something that makes your heart smile, I think that's what you should go for. With my online presence, I just try to have a very specific style. No matter if you scroll around for, like, 30 minutes or even 3 seconds, you have this very set visual language, because that's really important to me. I'm still really young, so I think I'm still in that phase where each thing that I'm tapping on is going to be pretty— not short-lived, but it just has a shorter duration. Hopefully, in a few years or so, it's going to start to really make And people can really start understanding what it is that I've been trying to do from the beginning. Over the last year, things aren't changing as much anymore. I'm just really honing into those things that I've tapped on and just seeing things grow from it. It's a wrap! I don't think I'm ever gonna feel secure. I think I don't super want to be secure. I always want to be excited about everything that I'm doing, and I hope that it never gets old for me, even though it's scary, but— Yeah, I just wanna constantly evolve and be flexible and just take whatever I'm gonna get.

It has been one full week since the stay-at-home order has been mandated. All businesses that were considered nonessential are ordered to cease operations. Nonessential workers of Los Angeles are to work from home.

Hey, Mom. It's me, Robin. You know.

Hey, sis, it's Luca. I'm moving my girlfriend in today, so sorry I didn't pick up.

Sorry I missed you. Now we're phone tagging. Typical.

Yeah, man, she's— she's moving. She's here. Finally, after all that time, right?

To answer your question, yeah, I'm nervous to move, but it seems like a natural next step.

Should be chill. I like Rob.

Timing seems right too, with everything.

You really have words of Together and stuff, so I'm not nervous. I'm happy to have her.

All right, I'll try again tomorrow.

Love you.

The mandate that's already been extended to one full month ends in two. It's announced today that we're looking at another 2 weeks of this dang homework.

Hey, we suck at this game.

Yo, sis, I missed your call. Sorry about that. Rob's just so great. She's coming up with all these ideas.

Everything's cool, I, I think.

Just trying to figure it out. Oh, sorry.

Hey, you want to check out Murphy's writer's Q&A on video chat later? Maybe we could get some inspiration. Maybe.

Well, you can if you want. I'm just gonna look at some old notes. Maybe I'll find something.

What if— what if you try to flip the characters and their traits? Or maybe write some day-in-the-life scenario and—

No.

See who they might run into, and then write a separate piece about that person.

I don't know.

You could.

That might complicate it.

Hey, remember when we wrote Endless and we were so stuck? We started. Crashing parties and bar hopping to people watch?

I don't think that's an option right now.

True. Do we like crash online parties?

I don't know, Rob. Lou? Hmm?

I'm sorry. I wasn't listening. To you, your process.

We just plan on start getting a draft done in June. But nothing's coming to me. I'm letting you down.

Hey. Hey, you're not. Plans change.

I just need more time, I think.

We have that.

Thank you. Hey, sis. Yeah, it's all good. It was me, but I'm trying. Yeah, I'm trying.