OVERVIEW
THE FUTURE OF GEN Z is a documentary film that explores Generation Z as a cohort, highlighting their uniqueness among other generations, and dispelling negative misconceptions brought on by generation gaps and intergenerational disconnects. Likewise, the film also covers digital natives and the effects of technology and social media, as well as the future of the generation as they make the transition into professional life.
THE INSPIRATION
What began as just a concept—an interest and fascination for my generation—has evolved into a full-fledged documentary project. I wanted to not only explore the behavior and socialization of this generation, as well as their entrance into the marketplace and professional life, but to delve deeper into the misconceptions and stereotypes that face this digital native demographic. As someone that is a Gen Zer, and thus, a digital native myself, I am well aware of the negative talk surrounding Generation Z, as being lazy, hyper-sensitive, and overly preoccupied with their devices, to name a few.
However, what I’ve seen over the course of making this film is a misunderstood generation that has withstood some truly unique challenges, the likes of which no other generation has experienced before. Despite these generational struggles, such as growing up during the post-9/11 era, the introduction of the smartphone and a global pandemic, and their coping mechanisms for dealing with those things, I see a group of young people that are taking the world by storm, transforming our very society through their influence, as the generation that will soon, and is already starting to lead the world. Corporations and the government are looking to Generation Z for their feedback—following their trends. Their call to action and responsibility as a generation of young people is now greater than ever. But this responsibility is largely being met by a generation of change-makers, those that are preparing to lead the future—as uncertain as it may be.
THE EXECUTION
I first began researching Generation Z and social media in late August 2022 as part of my Capstone Preparation class. While I did not yet know the specific structure of the film I wanted yet, I knew I wanted to cover my generation and our transition from college into the “real world” of professional life. Being that I myself am a graduating senior, I thought it would be especially relevant to cover this pivotal, highly transitional, and often uncertain time of our lives. I completed 11 scholarly blog posts in total, including 6 research posts on topic selection and source material, and then 5 additional progress blogs during the Capstone Project class, highlighting my pre- and post-production progress each week. Specific deliverables throughout the entire process of pre-production, production, and post-production included blog posts, interviews, a film outline, an A/V script, a narrated sequence, and of course, the fully edited documentary.
The pre-production process mainly consisted of topic research, planning, and pre-visualization including drafting outlines, and scheduling interviewees each week.
During the production process, my goal was to get at least two interviews a week for the project, allowing me to reach a total of 7 interviewees featured in the finished documentary, cut down from the original number of 10 due to the length.
The post-production process was highly tedious but extremely rewarding, to say the least. The scriptwriting, narration, and editing process took place over a period of several weeks immediately following interview completion. While the placement and editing process is undoubtedly the most laborious and involved part of the entire production, it was also the most exciting as my film slowly came to life piece by piece. What was once nothing more than hundreds of files of uncut interview footage and B-roll, had now been carefully crafted and pieced together into an impactful story.
THE PRODUCT
After countless hours of shooting, writing, and editing, the documentary is complete. This finished product is not only a culmination of the work itself, but of my passion for and investment in positively representing this generation – my generation that is Gen Z.
REFLECTION
Looking back on this project from start to finish, though the documentary focuses on a set generation and examines these different cohorts in a chronological manner, the topic and product itself are timeless, as generational growth and differentiation are inevitable and will continue into the foreseeable future.
I have two main goals for this project, the first being shorter-term and the latter being more of a long-term aim. Firstly, my hope is that this film can be used as an educational tool for preceding generations, allowing them to see Generation Z in a different light and to better understand their unique struggles given the time in which they are living. Similarly, I hope that this film, among other resources, can be used in the business sector to brief employers on what to expect and how to better uplift and represent Gen Z in the workplace. Secondly, my long-term goal involves this film’s use as a historical resource, so that future generations can look back, just as I did, and view Generation Z not just as a demographic on a timeline or a statistic on an infographic, but as a community.
