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Mohammad Ziyan Khan

Narrative Short Film (LIA Project)

Our 3-act school narrative short film, "The Exam", is based on a student who, after arriving late to a crucial exam, spirals into an existential crisis as he intially stares down with confidence, the impossible test in front of him. What begins as a simple school struggle turns into a humorous yet relatable meltdown. This is shown by the questioning of his choices, his life, and the absurd weight of a single exam while the exasperated and exhausted teacher watches from the desk, changing back and forth between annoyance and sympathy. Balancing comedy with moments of genuine self-doubt, the story captures the universal panic of academic pressure and the small triumphs that come with pushing through.

→ Had to convincingly show the student’s emotions (confidence, doubt, satisfaction) through subtle facial expressions and body language during the exam scene.

→ Needed to express the character’s personality and reactions without relying heavily on spoken lines.

→ Had to create authentic chemistry with the actor playing the teacher, making the dynamic (annoyance and admiration) feel natural.

→ Required precise comedic timing for humorous moments (for example, late arrival part) and emotional timing for key beats (like exam struggle, pride in finishing the exam).

→ Had to adapt quickly to filming conditions (for example, natural lighting, limited takes depending on time) while staying in character.

→ Observed how students behave in exam settings (for example, nervous ticks, focused expressions) to make acting look more authentic.

→ Relied on gestures (for example, hesitant pencil tapping, confident exam flip) to convey emotions without words.

→ Practiced scenes together to build a natural dynamic, making sure that the reactions felt genuine.

→ Added small, unscripted moments (for example, a smirk after solving a hard problem) to enhance realism.

→ Adapted to lighting/sound constraints like pausing for outside noises, while staying in character.

All our organisation and planning was done on Figma, here you can find every detail and information you need to understand what was behind the process, our thinking and how exactly we worked out on our project as a team.

Here is the link to the video that we worked on for our project. Enjoy!

Jasper (Video Editor, Co-Story Developer)

Ziyan (Main Actor: Student, Figma Organizer, Story Voice Over)

Chad (Secondary Actor: Teacher, Main Story Developer)

Wenndy (Storyboard Creator, Figma Organizer)