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Film Studies and Cinematography - Project 1

24.09.2024 - .2024 (Week 1 - Week 14)

Low Li Vern/ 0362678

Film Studies and Cinematography / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media

Project 1

INSTRUCTIONS


LECTURES

Week 3



Key Components of a Protagonist:
  1. Personality Traits: Develop a protagonist using a personality test approach. Define their beliefs, strengths, and flaws.
  2. Elevator Test: Can you describe your character's essence in one sentence? This helps clarify their core identity.
  3. Decision-Making: How your character reacts to situations reflects their personality and sets the foundation for their growth.
Character Arcs:
  • A well-rounded protagonist evolves over the course of the story.
  • Example: Contrast a static character (unchanged) with a dynamic character (transformed by conflict).
Week 4


Definition of Story Structure:
  • The framework that organizes a film’s narrative.
  • Guides the story’s flow and maintains audience engagement.
Key Elements of Structure:
  • Three-Act Structure:
  1. Act 1 (Setup): Introduces characters, setting, and inciting incident.
  2. Act 2 (Confrontation): Protagonist faces escalating conflicts and challenges.
  3. Act 3 (Resolution): Climax and resolution of the narrative.
Balance of Conflicts:
  • Internal Conflict: Emotional or psychological struggles of the protagonist.
  • External Conflict: Visible challenges or obstacles in the world around them.
Purpose of Structure:
  • Helps the story flow naturally.
  • Showcases the protagonist's growth and journey.
  • Integrates themes and character arcs seamlessly.
Impact of Strong Structure:
  • Enhances emotional and thematic resonance.
  • Keeps the audience invested in the story's outcome.
Week 5
Script Writing

Week 6


Types of Shots:
  • Close-up: Focuses on a character’s face or an object to highlight emotions or details.
  • Medium Shot: Shows a character from the waist up, balancing focus and context.
  • Long Shot: Displays a character in full and emphasizes the environment.
  • Extreme Close-up: Zooms in on a specific detail, like an eye or a hand.
  • Rule of Thirds: Divides the frame into a 3x3 grid to create balanced and aesthetically pleasing compositions.
Dynamic shots in animation bring energy and motion to scenes, making them visually engaging and emotionally impactful. By combining imaginative camera movements, angles, and framing with the freedom of the animated medium, animators can create scenes that push the boundaries of storytelling and viewer immersion.

Week 7

  • Line: Guides the viewer’s eye and conveys emotion—straight lines for stability, curved for softness, diagonal for tension, and jagged for chaos.
  • Shape: Defines forms and characters—geometric shapes (e.g., squares for stability, circles for friendliness, triangles for danger) and organic shapes for unpredictability.
  • Space: Balances positive (filled) and negative (empty) space, creating focus, depth, and atmosphere.
  • Tone: Uses light and dark contrasts to set mood—high contrast for drama, low contrast for softness, and silhouettes for mystery.
  • Movement: Adds energy through character actions, camera flow, and visual rhythm—slow pans for calm, fast cuts for action.
  • Color: Sets emotional tone—warm colors for energy, cool colors for calm, and palettes (monochromatic, complementary) to reinforce themes.

Project 1: Story Development

In this project, we have to develop the story from each week activities progressively:
  1. Story Ideas - get ideas on various techniques such as write what you know, what if statement and character & world.
  2. Character Development - from your ideas, develop your main character by giving his or her obstacles (external & internal), goal, want vs need, character arcs.
  3. Setting - putting the character into the right setting such as era, world
  4. Story Arcs and Theme - inciting incident, 3 acts structure, log line
Deliverables:
  • Write a report in word document which consist of:
  1. Story Title
  2. Logline 
  3. Synopsis
  4. Theme
  5. Character Description
  6. World Description
  7. Script
Story Ideation :
So I develop a few story that I think is interesting and some are relatable from my own experience.

Idea 1: Alex is a shy boy who doesn't have any friends and enjoys playing computer games. He has one character in the game that he particularly loves. One day, he suddenly gets pulled into the game and becomes that character. In this new world, he makes many friends. However, the game is soon attacked by a villain known as "Dark Shadow." With his courage and the power of friendship, Alex defeats the villain. In the end, Alex decides to stay in the game world.

Idea 2 : In a dull, joyless world painted in shades of black and white, the townspeople often feel sad and bored, lacking hope for the future. One day, a shooting star crashes in the center of town, drawing a curious crowd. As the star shatters, a cute little kitty emerges, instantly lifting everyone's spirits with its adorable charm. The townspeople name the cat Supermeow, and from that moment on, joy returns to their lives.

 However, the happiness brought by Supermeow comes at a cost. People begin neglecting their responsibilities at work and school, and the town soon becomes chaotic. A perceptive little boy discovers that Supermeow feeds off the townsfolk’s joy, making them crave its cuteness and contributing to the town's disarray. Determined to restore balance, the boy warns the townspeople, and together, they plot to confront Supermeow.

Idea 3 : On Halloween night, a clumsy ghost named Boo dreams of being spooky like his ghost friends who haunt an old mansion. As he prepares to join their haunted house, he accidentally causes chaos by triggering spooky traps and tricks throughout the mansion. While exploring, he accidentally opens a mysterious box filled with mist, startling a group of humans who believe he is the scariest ghost they’ve ever seen. Instead of being frightened, Bumble’s clumsiness becomes the highlight of the night, scaring the humans away. The other ghosts celebrate Bumble’s unexpected success, and from then on, his accidental antics become a beloved part of the haunted house experience, proving that even a clumsy ghost can be the spookiest of all.

I decide to develop on the Idea 3 which the main character is the cute spooky ghost.

Inspiration :
Character Description :
Boo: A small, round, and pudgy ghost with big, wobbly eyes. He is clumsy and adorable rather than scary. He is also an introvert and he longs for acceptance among his peers. His biggest dream is to fit in with the other ghosts and be spooky, but his mishaps often lead to humorous outcomes. Despite his lack of traditional ghostly skills, he possesses a kind heart and an adventurous spirit.
  • Internal Personality
  1. Insecure: Boo often feels unsure of his abilities and worries about not being scary enough compared to other ghosts. He longs for acceptance among his peers.
  2. Optimistic: Despite his clumsiness, Boo maintains a positive outlook. He believes that with practice, he can improve and prove himself.
  3. Determined: Boo is persistent in his desire to be a part of the haunted house festivities. His determination drives him to try, even when he stumbles.
  4. Curious: His inquisitive nature leads him to explore the haunted mansion, often resulting in accidental chaos but also new experiences.
  • External Personality Traits
  1. Clumsy: Boo's signature trait is his lack of grace, often tripping over his own sheet or bumping into walls, which makes him endearing rather than scary.
  2. Adorable Appearance: With his round, pudgy form and big, wobbly eyes, Boo has a charming and cute look that contrasts with traditional ghostly appearances.
  3. Playful: Boo enjoys playful antics, such as floating around and exploring, which adds a lighthearted tone to his character.
  4. Expressive: His facial expressions and reactions are exaggerated, often reflecting surprise, joy, or embarrassment, making him relatable to the audience.
Antagonist:
Bumble’s main antagonist is himself, as he struggles with self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy, constantly comparing himself to scarier ghosts. The other ghosts laugh at him, which deepens his sadness and makes him feel even more depressed. Throughout the story, he battles insecurities and questions his ability to be spooky enough for the haunted house.

Despite practicing his ghostly wails, his clumsiness leads to accidents that discourage him further. Bumble’s journey is about overcoming self-doubt and recognizing that his unique charm and clumsiness make him special.

In the end, he embraces his true self, realizing that being cute and clumsy can be just as effective at scaring humans as traditional spookiness. By accepting his quirks, Bumble transforms self-doubt into self-acceptance, proving he doesn't need to be like the other ghosts to shine.



FEEDBACK
Mr. Kamal found my story overall interesting, but he suggested that I add more details to expand the story and make it longer.
REFLECTIONS
For my Film Studies Project 1, I learned how to develop a story step by step. I started by coming up with ideas using techniques like "write what you know" and "what if" statements. This helped me build a strong base for my story. When creating my main character, I learned how to make them more interesting by giving them both external and internal challenges. I also discovered the difference between what a character wants and what they truly need. Deciding on the setting taught me how the world can shape the character's journey. It was also important to make sure my story had a clear structure, with an inciting incident and a theme. Writing my Halloween story, A Clumsy Halloween, helped me understand how to put all these elements together in an easy and fun way.
THE END
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