Buttered Noodles
Biola University - 11-Minute Short Film
Role: Art Director
Project Overview
Buttered Noodles is an 11-minute character-driven short film about family, independence, and the evolving relationship between two sisters. The story follows Jane, a young woman with Down syndrome who is excited to begin her first job, and her younger sister Madeline, who has spent most of her life protecting and advocating for her. When Jane is given the opportunity to work at a local movie theater, Madeline struggles to accept that her sister is ready to take a step toward independence.
As Madeline secretly follows Jane to her new job, she is forced to confront her own fears about letting go and redefining what it means to support someone you love.
As Art Director, I helped shape the film's visual world by creating environments that felt warm, lived-in, and emotionally grounded. Because the story focuses heavily on family relationships and personal growth, the visual design emphasized everyday spaces that reflect comfort, familiarity, and gradual change.
Design Goals and Concept
The visual approach for Buttered Noodles centered on domestic warmth and everyday realism. The environments needed to feel authentic to both a middle-class family home and a small local theater, while keeping the characters’ emotional journey the focus of the story.
The film moves through several primary locations: the Meeker family kitchen, school hallways and lockers, and a local movie theater where Jane begins her first job. Each space reflects a different stage in Jane’s growing independence.
Key design priorities included:
Creating a warm, lived-in family kitchen that communicates routine, comfort, and family dynamics
Designing school environments that feel grounded and familiar to the teenage characters
Transforming a welcoming small-town theater environment that visually supports Jane’s first step into the working world
Maintaining visual continuity across locations so the story flows naturally between home, school, and work
The goal was to make the environments feel natural and supportive of the story without overwhelming the characters' emotional performances.
Responsibilities as Art Director
As Art Director, I worked closely with the production designer and director to oversee the physical environments and ensure visual cohesion across all locations.
My responsibilities included:
Supervising set dressing and prop placement in the family kitchen, school locations, and theater spaces
Coordinating visual continuity between the home, school, and workplace environments
Preparing and organizing key props used throughout the film, including kitchen cooking materials, household items, school lockers, and theater equipment
Helping design the visual identity of the movie theater environment where Jane begins working
Ensuring that environments felt authentic, lived-in, and appropriate for the characters’ world
Supporting art department logistics during location setup and resets between takes
Because the film relies heavily on naturalistic performances and emotional dialogue, the art department focused on subtle design choices that support the story while maintaining a grounded, believable environment.
Final Result
The final film presents a warm and intimate story about family, growth, and learning to support loved ones in new ways. The everyday environments—from the bustling family kitchen to the movie theater where Jane takes her first steps toward independence—anchor the characters' emotional journey.
Working as Art Director on Buttered Noodles involved creating a cohesive visual world that reflects the film’s themes of trust, independence, and changing family dynamics.
Below are location scouting photos, prop preparation, production stills, and behind-the-scenes images documenting the art department’s work throughout the production.
