Overview

Kyoto Cafe is a jazz-styled cafe night in the STAMP Grand Ballroom at UMD, hosted by the Japanese American Student Association (JASA) in partnership with Tea Club and UMD Coffee. Guests get free food and drinks, live jazz from Cinema Symphony Orchestra and JJAM, and a free polaroid if they bring a date.

Goals

At JASA, we wanted a way to promote our event in an engaging way to UMD students. That is why the plot is very simple. I showed a Japanese salaryperson going to the one and only Kyoto Cafe after a long day of work. I wanted to deepen a contrast between the burden of his work and the relaxing nature of Kyoto Cafe.

What I learned

I storyboarded and directed a video with actors for the first time on a larger scale. In the storyboard, I workshopped how each scene would play out, using references from my own experiences and Pinterest to develop it. I also learned how to coordinate and direct. It was difficult to align with everyone’s schedules, but we managed to film it in one day at the Starbucks on campus.

Result

• Posted as a reel on JASA’s Instagram on September 14, 2026, where it got 174 likes.