This video is designed as a mini-episode film with a duration of 20 minutes. It was made for an AACUPI program, to be viewed by its students.
- Topic
- AACUPI Program
- Output
- School, Educational
- Genre
- Mini Film Tutorial
- LANGUAGE
- English
- About the Project
- The unexpected events represented in our video were identified thanks to our collaboration with several American universities based in Italy. By directly consulting their administrative offices, the most common issues related to their students' stay in Italy emerged.
- Powerful and immediate
- The project was therefore created with the aim of reducing these issues and providing American universities based in Italy with a tool (that is, the video itself) that they can easily share with their students.
The video shows potentially risky situations and then offers solutions to them through the dialogues that several characters have with Anna, an actress playing the part of a US undergraduate studying in Italy. These interactions provide memorable examples of how to avoid potential problems during one's study stay in Italy.
Anna is a young American student. She goes to a restaurant for lunch. At the table in the outdoor seating area, she places her bag on the back of her chair. The waiter tells her that this is unsafe, as her bag could be stolen without her noticing.
After ordering a dish of spaghetti, Anna starts posting pictures of her lunch on social media, then leaves her phone on the edge of the table. A stranger approaches her and, while distracting her, steals it. Luckily, the waitress sees everything and steps in, recovering the phone.
After finishing her lunch, Anna asks for the bill. However, the restaurant’s POS system isn’t working and she is offered the option to withdraw money from an ATM. The waiter shows her how to safely withdraw money by always using a proper bank ATM or even better, one located in a secure booth. Anna stops at an ATM on the street. Harassed by an unknown person, she gets help from the waiter, who chases the troublemaker away.
While heading home, Anna is stopped by a neighborhood police officer for a routine check. The officer informs her that it is always better to carry a printed photocopy of your passport instead of just a digital copy on your cell phone.
It’s getting late. While walking down the street, Anna encounters two young men, one of whom greets her in a slightly vulgar manner. The other young man apologizes to Anna and scolds his friend, saying that his behavior was inappropriate. He then proceeds to tell the viewers what to do if a man behaves offensively toward a woman. The same police officer Anna met earlier also chimes in to make sure everything is okay.
When Anna gets home, she finds her father comfortably sitting on the sofa, watching TV. Anna heads up to her room. The program is a quiz show with topics like “Studying Abroad” and “Home Safety and Security.”
The goal of the quiz is to inform students about the correct behavior to follow in Italy through a question-and-answer format. The host presents the topics to the three contestants, who, through their responses, provide the right guidelines for foreign students.
A filmmaker is a guest on a TV show where he explains his latest work: a documentary about emergency phone numbers in Italy, the importance of avoiding unauthorized street vendors, and general safety rules. Anna watches the program on her phone.
Anna lies in bed while watching the end of the news on her phone. The next program features a funny stand-up comedian trying to entertain an audience of young American students by discussing some differences between Italian and American habits.
Anna falls asleep and dreams of reliving the events of her day and winning a trip to Paris, just like Mr. Rossi, a contestant on the quiz show.
Anna dreams of being at the train station, getting ready to leave for a vacation. She meets two railway workers who kindly give her tips on how to travel safely: always label your luggage, never leave your bags unattended, and keep your personal and travel documents ready!
The next morning, we find the filmmaker and Anna’s father in a café. The two talk about the documentary and agree that the project will help students behave properly during their stay in Italy.
This video effectively presents essential safety information in an engaging and entertaining way, making it a key resource for ensuring a positive experience in Italy.
Nina Peci - Writer
