Panela Cheese — A Cinematic Restaurant Story
Panela Cheese is a short-form promotional film created for Leela’s Wine & Bar in Lower Greenville, Dallas, Texas. After planning the concept and coordinating the production with the restaurant’s Assistant General Manager, I developed a story designed to accomplish three things: promote Leela’s, highlight an item from their menu, and create a fun, charming story that could stand on its own as an entertaining piece of content. The goal was to make the food feel like part of a cinematic experience rather than simply presenting it as an advertisement.
I handled the creative development from concept through production, including writing the script, creating the storyboard, directing, cinematography, and post-production. I filmed the project using both my Sony FX2 and Sony A6400, pairing them with a 7Artisans 35mm cinema lens and Sony 16mm f/2.8 lens to create different perspectives throughout the story. I also incorporated shotgun microphones, fluid-head tripods, and boom stands to build a more controlled production setup and capture both the visual and audio elements of the shoot with greater intention.
The production also gave me an opportunity to demonstrate my ability to adapt when things don't go exactly according to plan. A last-minute change required me to quickly restructure the script and storyboard while keeping the overall concept and objective intact. Instead of allowing the change to disrupt the production, I adjusted the story around the new circumstances and continued filming. Panela Cheese ultimately became more than a restaurant promotional video—it was an exercise in commercial storytelling, pre-production, cinematography, and on-set problem solving, while creating a piece that showcases both Leela’s atmosphere and one of its menu offerings.