Barbiecue tells the story of Jesse, a shy boy who struggles to fit in with his group of friends. One day, while they all go to the supermarket to buy food for a barbecue, Jesse comes across a Barbie doll that immediately catches his attention. When his friends notice him staring at the doll, they decide to tease and challenge him. Under peer pressure, Jesse eats the doll, which causes him to transform into a woman.
In a panic, he runs away, determined to find a way to change back. As he searches for a solution, he discovers that his friends filmed the entire incident and posted it online. While scrolling through the flood of hateful comments, he unexpectedly finds one kind message, something that slowly helps him begin to accept his own identity.
The team
The story addresses themes such as peer pressure and self-acceptance. To communicate this narrative as clearly as possible, we carefully developed a scenario and explored the best way to convey the message. After many brainstorming sessions and by using the creative method of force fitting, we came up with the idea of the Barbiecue. Our team experimented extensively with different spaces, lighting setups, and scenes to make the message visually engaging.