Film Studies and Cinematography // Project 1

07.04.23 - 06.07.23 (Week 1 - Week 14) 

Emelyne How Sok Hing (0352938) 

Bachelor of Design (Hons) Creative Media 

Film Studies and Cinematography // Project 1

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Lectures

Week 1: 

Throughout this first week, there were no lectures. We received a briefing on the assessments that we would be doing for this module.

Week 2: 

This week's lecture focused on teaching the fundamentals of telling an engaging story.

1) Inspiration for story

2) Write what you know

3) What if

4) Character & World

Week 4: 
Develop Story Structure & Theme
Learning how to use a three-act structure and devices like the story spine to integrate character development into the development of the plot was the topic for this week. We talked about defining the character, conflict, setting, and theme as we go along to determine how they should be depicted in the story.

Act 1. Central Theme

The theme is what the story is really about. It’s the main idea or underlying meaning. Often, it’s the storyteller’s personal opinion on the subject matter. A story may have both a major theme and minor themes. 

We also have a major theme and a minor theme. 

1. Major theme - Idea that is intertwined and repeated throughout the whole story.

2 . Minor theme - Idea that appears subtly and doesn't necessarily repeat. 

Act 2. Conflict

This is what drives the story. Creates tension and builds suspense hence making the story more interesting. 

3. Characters

Always a protagonist and antagonist.

1. Central characters - Plot revolves around them

2. Protagonist - Main character of the story. Needs a clear goal to accomplish or conflict to overcome that is he or she needs a purpose. Must command an emotional involvement with the audience.

3. Antagonist - Oppose protagonist. Can be in the form of a place, person, thing or situation.

4. Setup

World in which the protagonist exists prior to the journey.

5. Rising tension

Series of obstacles the protagonist must overcome. 

6. Conflict

The point of highest tension. Major decisive turning point

7. Resolution

Protagonist learns to overcome the conflict, learns from it or is defeated by it. 

Week 5: 
Character Development
We learned about the importance of the external and internal characteristic of a character. We learned how to do a script and also how to develop a story. 

Figure 1.0 Lecture note, 5th May 2023

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Instructions

Week 4: 

Project 1: Developing a short story 

We are to create a short story that will run for 30 to 1 minute and be turned into a 2D animation for this project. We need to record and submit the document as a PDF. 

Here are the requirements for this project: 

Deliverables:

1. Story Title

2. Logline

3. Sypnosis

4. Theme

5. Character Description

6. World Description

7. Script

Week 5: 

I made a story based around the character I developed for my animation fundamentals class. I wanted to work on a project with some drama and action. Since I enjoy seeing films in that genre, I also wanted something a little more sinister, twisted, and violent. I therefore tried to write something that would appear somewhat dramatic. 

Figure 1.1 Draft Project 1. 4th May 2023

Week 6: 

After hearing the feedbacks, I decided to change my story. To be honest, I feel like I wrote a story at first just for the sake of it and not because I was genuinely interested. This time, I took the time to write something that would have more personal significance for me. In an effort to make my character's issues relatable to the viewers, I made an effort to make them similar to my own. Hence, I would say this story makes me also feel a bit more vulnerable to others. 

Figure 1.2 Project 1, 11th May 2023

Figure 1.3 Script, 11th May 2023

Week 7: 

After thinking more about my story, I made the conclusion that my story was okay but not for a 1 minute animation. There would be too many background stories unexplained due to the lack of time and it might get confusing. So, I rewrote something else which was completely different.  I tried to go for something simpler and shorter which has less unexplained reasonings to why the main character would do this and so on. 

Here's the updated versions of both documents. I wrote a story based on the same character as my previous one. This time I focused on trying to do something direct to the point. Jinx is now an inventor trying to turn back time. By pursuing her dreams, she is trying to build a machine made for it. As she succeeds to do so, something goes wrong and the story ends here. I wanted to leave it a cliffhanger and leave it to the audience to imagine what will happen after. 

Figure 1.4 Updated Project 1, 18th May 2023

Figure 1.5 Updated Script, 18th May 2023

Week 9: 

I reupdated some parts from my logline, sypnosis and also added some images. I also rewrote some part into my scripts to make it look more descriptive. 

Figure 1.6 Updated Project 1 Report, 30th May 2023

Figure 1.7 Updated Script, 30th May 2023

Week 10: 

After hearing the feedbacks from my lecturer, I changed the story a bit again and added some other parts.

Figure 1.8 Updated Project 1, 8th June 2023

Figure 1.9 Updated Script, 8th June 2023

Week 14: 

Final Project 1: Developing a short story 

I re-adjusted some bits in my script and added some more details to it. 

Figure 2.0 Final Project 1: Developing a short story, 6th July 2023

Figure 2.1 Final Script, 6th July 2023

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Feedbacks

Week 5: 

Try to simplify the story a bit and have one antagonist only instead of two. 

Week 9: 

- Cut the sleeping shots to her straightaway working. I can show that she just woke up through her yawning. Then, I need a panel to show that she's recording herself.

- There's different ways to animate the machine and her journey. She could be entering the machine then we see her in a tunnel travelling into another universe. Try to find smart ways to animate the shots so that it isn't too lengthy. 

- I can use a candy floss machine to show that she gets sucked into it and don't forget to show the spiral movement. 

- Act 1 can end up with her getting sucked into the machine. Show where her original destination was supposed to be. 

- Act 2 can be about her travelling journey. Make it interesting.

- Act 3 is the ending where she ends up on planet earth and we see her reaction.

Week 10:

- Show a signboard for the doors so that it hints where she is.

- End the story by using a poster where it shows something about time travel. It can hint to the audience that there's still hope for her.

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Reflections

Week 1 - 14: 

Writing my own story resulted into a lot of ups and downs and uncertainty. Most of the time, I wasn't sure of what I wanted to write or if it would look too boring or simple or too complicated as well for a 1 minute animation. Coming out with the final story took me a while and a lot of self-criticism and reflection. I'm quite satisfied with the story and script that I came up with as I think that it's something not so unique but not too boring as well. It's a story that is achievable and doable for me to do in such a short amount of time. So, I think I did pretty okay with the overall project 1.