Film Studies and Cinematography: Project 1

01.09.2023 - 06.10.2023 / Week 1 - Week 6
Sylvia Lau / 0356130
Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Film Studies and Cinematography: Project 1

---

INSTRUCTION

---

LECTURES

Week 1

Our lecturer briefed us about the Module Information Booklet and the tasks that we needed to do for this semester.

Week 2

Story Development
There are 5 elements of a story which are character, world setting, conflict (internal & external), plot (3-act structure), and theme.

Introduction to storytelling
It discusses the importance of storytelling in movies and how it connects with people on an emotional level. It also emphasizes the concept of writing what we know and incorporating personal experiences into stories to make them more relatable.

Unique Perspective
Pixar storytellers discuss how they started telling stories, they also talk about drawing, comic books, and finding inspiration in their own lives. Each person emphasizes the importance of personal experiences and unique insights in storytelling. Highlights the power of storytelling and the unique perspective that each person brings to their stories.

How the imagination is sparked by asking "what if"
"What if" questions drive imagination and storytelling. It unlocks the doors to the imagination by shutting down the logical part of the brain. What ifs are used as a simple way to communicate story ideas at Pixar.

World and Character
World and character are essential elements in storytelling. The world can be a metaphor for a deeper theme, like growing up in Toy Story. The character should be captivating and compelling, even if the world takes a backseat. The best stories are created when the world and character intersect.

Week 3

Character Development

Character development is a lesson to explore how to make audiences care about characters by putting them in difficult situations such as the Elevator Test, which is to understand characters and their reaction in crisis.

External and Internal Features

Characters can be explored by considering their external features (design, clothes, appearance) and internal features (insecurities, bravery, jealousy). Drawing inspiration from real-life people and situations can help in developing specific and unique characters. 

Wants and Needs

Understanding the difference between what a character wants and what they need is crucial when developing a character. 

Obstacles

Obstacles are elements that stand in the way of a character getting what they want or need. Obstacles can be external or internal, such as a person, distance, or fear. The best obstacles reflect the character’s flaws and shortcomings, making them think about their wants and needs.

Character Arc

Character arc refers to the choices a character makes in response to obstacles and how the character changes as a result. Obstacles are what shape a character and lead to their transformation.

Stakes

Stakes can be categorized as external, internal, or philosophical and help answer the question, “Why do we care?”

Week 5

Story Structure

Structure is the organization of a story. The order in which we present information impacts audience engagement and the emotional impact.

Story Spine

A story spine is a simple pattern to organize a story. It helps us understand a story's flow and create our own stories.

Theme

The theme is the deeper message or lesson (moral) in a story, which connects to the main character's needs, but sometimes, the theme we had in mind will evolve during story development.

Week 6

Script Writing

It is to put ideas on paper with the right format. The format included two pages, which are the title page and the content page. 1 page of script is equal to 1 minute. 

---

Project 1

Progression 1 (Story Ideas)

We were required to choose any Pixar short for inspiration and analyze how this story became a great story from emotional connection and personal experiences. Make our own version. Then, create our "What If" statement to spark ideas and think of the main characters and world that can inspire our story.

1. Chosen Pixar Short Animation: Piper

2. How did this story become a great story from emotional connection and personal experience? Make your own version.

• In this story, the little bird initially develops a fear of the waves during its first attempt to find food, but it is eventually compelled by hunger to confront this fear. I find this story inspiring because everyone has their own fears, and the determination Piper shows in facing them is truly admirable. While overcoming fear, one might also discover unexpected things. 

• In my personal experience, I'm the type of person who easily gets scared of things I'm not familiar with, such as a fear of water. My mom took me to a swimming class when I was younger, but I didn't make much progress, and my fear of water grew. After some time, I decided to give swimming another try. Since I had some basic knowledge from before, I picked it up more quickly this time. Additionally, I had the support of my family, who encouraged and motivated me throughout the learning process. So, in just three short weeks, I not only learned how to swim but also overcame my fear.

• My own version of the story is about a fairy that was afraid of heights, which made her can’t fly with her fear. After seeing her friends hanging out together, she decided to overcome her fear. She pleased her sister to help her overcome it. She struggled a lot while learning, she kept looking down which made her even more nervous and scared. With the advice (don’t look down) provided by her sister, she flew higher and discovered the beauty of nature or the sky.

3. Create “What If” to spark ideas.

• The protagonist is a fairy 
• The world is in an enchanted world
• The protagonist is afraid of heights, so she can’t fly like others

4. Think of the main characters and world that can inspire your story.

• Maleficent
• Tinkerbell

Progression 2 (Character Development)

First Attempt:

1. Give the character a name.

• Nahla

2. Develop her personality traits, and use the “elevator test” as a scenario.

• Through the “elevator test”, she tends to get nervous and fearful at the beginning when faced with such situations, seeking help from others by knocking on the elevator door. It's only with someone's company and reassurance that she manages to stay somewhat calmer.

3. Develop her internal and external features.

• External Features: This character is a vibrant and joyful young lady. She has red hair in a high ponytail that symbolizes her personality. She dresses in green since she is a fairy who lives in the woods. The upper part of her skirt is leaves and the lower part is a white flower. She also has a pair of wings to fly.

• Internal Features: She is a lively, cheerful, passionate, brave, and determined girl. Although she exudes positivity when with her friends, she is not very good at expressing her own difficulties due to her desire to save face and prefers not to reveal her struggles to others.

4. Develop her internal and external obstacles.

• External Obstacle: Due to a long period of not flying, she finds it somewhat difficult to control her wings when using them, resulting in repeated failures when she attempts to fly again. She needs to practice continuously.

• Internal Obstacle: Her fear of heights makes her apprehensive about flying.

5. Develop the character’s wants and needs.

• The character wants to have fun flying with her friends in the sky, so she needs to face her fear of heights and overcome it.

6. Develop character’s change as a result of overcoming obstacles.

• She was always invited to play with her friends, but she was terrified of heights, so she only hung out with her friends on the ground and when they flew up, she couldn't fly around with them or follow them. She overcame her fear by practicing and listening to the advice provided by her sister. She discovered the beauty of the view up high and freeness while flying.

Second Attempt after correcting the story plot:

1. Give the character a name.

• Nahla

2. Develop her personality traits, and use the “elevator test” as a scenario.

• Through the “elevator test”, she tends to get nervous and fearful at the beginning when faced with such situations, seeking help from others by knocking on the elevator door. It's only with someone's company and reassurance that she manages to stay somewhat calmer.

3. Develop her internal and external features.

• External Features: This character is a vibrant and joyful young lady, she is only a teenager around 15 years old. She has red hair in a high ponytail that symbolizes her personality. She dresses in green since she is a fairy who lives in the woods. The upper part of her skirt is leaves and the lower part is a white flower. She also has a pair of wings to fly.

• Internal Features: She is a cheerful, lively, and positive little elf. Even though she has experienced trauma in the past, she is brave enough to face and overcome anything she is afraid of. At the same time, she is a persistent girl who does not easily give up in the face of fear and continues to strive forward.

4. Develop her internal and external obstacles.

• External Obstacle: Due to a long period of not flying, she finds it somewhat difficult to control her wings when using them, resulting in repeated failures when she attempts to fly again.

• Internal Obstacle: She was traumatized by the accident of falling down when she was younger, which made her afraid of flying.

5. Develop the character’s wants and needs.

• The character wants to show that she can overcome her fear and prove that they were wrong by making fun of her, so she needs to face the fear and practice more.

6. Develop character’s change as a result of overcoming obstacles.

• She couldn't stand idly by as her peers mocked her, and she was extremely disgruntled. She overcame her fear by practicing and listening to her sister's advice in order to prove to them that she was not useless. In addition to practicing, her sister took her to the scene of the accident. Only by overcoming her greatest fear did she realize it wasn't as frightening as she had imagined. She also discovered the beauty of the views from above and the freedom she felt while flying.

Progression 3: 3 Act Structure

First Attempt:

Act 1

A long time ago, in a magical forest, there was a small settlement inhabited by elves. The elves lived in hidden places, as they were all quite small in size, residing in tree hollows or mushroom houses. There was an elf named Nahla who had a lively and cheerful personality, making her beloved by everyone in the settlement. However, beneath her cheerful exterior, she had a troublesome issue. She had a fear of heights, which caused her a lot of inconvenience. For instance, she couldn't fly far away with her friends, leading to moments of loneliness and isolation as she could only watch from the ground.

Act 2

Because of this, she decided to learn how to overcome her fear. She sought the help of her sister, asking her to accompany her in facing this fear. Her sister took her to a place three floors high and asked her to fly from there. Faced with this height, Nahla always hesitated and couldn't bring herself to take action. Seeing this, her sister, unable to bear it, pushed her off. To avoid hurting herself, she was forced to use her wings and began to fly. Although this short process made her heart race, she didn't give up in her determination to overcome this obstacle. She kept adapting to the height, and her sister increased the difficulty level as she progressed. Through this experience, xxx became less afraid of heights, and her sister decided to take her even higher. Holding Nahla's hand, they soared into the sky. At first, Nahla felt nervous and kept her eyes closed, demanding to go back down. After her sister comforted and encouraged her, she opened her eyes and was awestruck by the beautiful scenery before her. She no longer focused on the height beneath her but on the breathtaking view in front of her.

Act 3

And ever since then, she was no longer afraid of heights and could freely fly like the other elves. She could now soar through the skies with her friends.

Second Attempt after feedback:

Act 1

Once upon a time, in a magical forest, there was a small settlement inhabited by fairies. There was an elf named Nahla who had a lively and cheerful personality, making her beloved by everyone in the settlement. However, beneath her cheerful exterior, she had a troublesome issue. She was afraid of flying, her fear had its roots in a traumatic childhood incident. It happened when she was little, a sudden gust of wind caught Nahla off guard, separating her from her family. She plummeted from the sky and tumbled through the branches of the trees before landing on a bed of soft moss below. Though she emerged physically unscathed, the emotional scars ran deep. The memory of falling, the terror of the unknown, and the desperate cries for her family haunted her dreams for years to come. 

One day, when she was passing by a place, she saw other same-age fairies gathering and chatting there and she accidentally heard them mention her name in their conversation. She decided to hide in a bush and listen to what they were saying. They mocked Nahla for being a fairy that couldn’t fly. She felt angry and sad at the same time about them for not knowing what she had been through.

Act 2

Because of that, she decided to face her fear and prove the fairies that mocked her in the past were wrong about her. She sought the help of her sister, asking her to accompany her in facing this fear by beginning a training for her. They started by taking short, low-altitude flights. Her sister took her to a place three floors high and asked her to fly from there. Faced with this height, Nahla always hesitated and couldn't bring herself to take action by walking back and forward. Seeing this, her sister unable to bear it, pushed her off. She was forced to use her wings and began to fly. They started by taking short, low-altitude flights and slowly increased the heights that Nahla needed to face. Each day, Nahla's confidence grew, and her fear lessened. Her sister reminded her that she had the same graceful wings as the other fairies, and she was just as capable of flight. 

After a series of training, her sister decided to take Nahla to the very spot where her childhood trauma had occurred. Nahla's heart raced as they ascended into the night sky, she held her sister’s hand tightly. With the support, Elara began to heal. The forest, once a source of fear, became a place of wonder and beauty. She realized that her past did not define her and that she was capable of facing her fears and embracing her true potential.

Act 3

Ever since then, Elara not only conquered her fear of flying but also became known for her graceful and fearless flights through the Enchanted Forest. She had transformed from a fairy weighed down by her past into a beacon of inspiration for others facing their own fears. The moral of the story is anyone could rise above their fears and reach new heights.

Submission:

Script:

---

FEEDBACK

Week 3

The story can be more straightforward, by changing some parts like pushing the protagonist to face the fear right away. In real-life experiences like learning how to swim, they just take us into the water and learn.

Week 5

The story lacks of some strong events to make the protagonist want to overcome the fear. You can add a  traumatized story of her that caused her afraid of flying and it is important for the word "One day" in the story to make the protagonist decide to overcome.