STORY

DJ’s Mix is a short film set in the 2010s, following two best friends' journey to DJ fame as they document it on their YouTube channel. At its core, DJ’s Mix is a story about friendship. Throughout the film, Chanel and Skylar rely on each other for support and inspiration while navigating their online presence and desire for creative recognition and community. Art and Music are powerful mediums for connection; this film admires those qualities while addressing the boundaries that prevent artists from being recognized for their work. We live in a time where social media is intertwined with art-making. Follower counts and viewership often take precedence over quality and unique stories. This film addresses those concepts through Chanel and Skylar's struggle with fellow artists not taking them seriously despite their social media following.

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT

A large part of my art is inspired by the aesthetics of the early 2000s. My films pull from the visual language and narrative styles of 2000s films while highlighting modern concepts and characters. DJ’s Mix is a love letter to club culture and early YouTube. Music is a major part of my filmmaking. When coming up with a concept for a film, playlists come before any writing is done. In this film, the music is the string that ties all of the characters together. Because of that, I made the somewhat unconventional choice of working with a composer from the very beginning of the project, supplying her with character descriptions and early drafts of the script to create the sound story for this film before any picture has been captured. Now, as we prepare for production in the next few months, I will have demos of the songs that will be in the final edit. Music translates emotions in ways that words can’t convey, so I plan on introducing the music to the actors during rehearsals as a way to immerse them in the world of the film. The film's exhibition will coincide with the release of the DJ’s Mix Soundtrack created by the film’s composer. DJ’s Mix not only addresses themes of artistic community in the text but also in the production practices.

-Lola Gambino Writer and Director of DJ's Mix

YOU!

Your donation to this project helps us make this film a reality. With your help we will be able to finance locations, production and costume design, equipment, transportation, craft services, and distribution.

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<3 DJ's Mix