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FILM STUDIES & CINEMATOGRAPHY | PROJECT 1 — SHORT STORY DEVELOPMENT


Week 2 – Week 7 | 01/10/24 – 05/11/24
Emily Soh Ching-Ling | 0359478
Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media
Film Studies & Cinematography | Section 01 | PVT60104
Project 1 — Short Story Development

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1.0 LECTURES 

1.1 WEEK 1 — INTRODUCTION

We were introduced to FSC along with the expectations and objectives of the module. We were also given a summary of our weekly lecture plan. 

1.2 WEEK 2 — THE ART OF STORYTELLING

5 ELEMENTS OF A STORY:
  • 1. Characters:
  • 2. Setting:
  • 3. Conflict:
    • Internal conflict.
    • External conflict.
  • 4. Story Arc:
    • 3-Act Structure:
      • Act 1 — Beginning.
      • Act 2 — Middle.
      • Act 3 — End.
    • Story structure / spine.
  • 5. Theme:
    • Moral of the story.
    • Must be relatable.
    • Big theme and sub-theme.

1.3 WEEK 3 — CHARACTER

CHARACTER:
  • 1. Character Development:
    • Purpose: To create fully developed characters that the viewers will care about.
    • Things to Consider when Creating Characters: Authentic human emotions and experiences.
    • The Elevator Test: To understands a character's reactions in a crisis.
  • 2. External VS Internal Features:
    • 1. External Features = The design, looks or appearance of a character.
    • 2. Internal Features = The personality, beliefs or drive of a character.
  • 3. Wants VS Needs:
    • 1. Wants = Something that drives the character to act.
    • 2. Needs = Something that the character must do / learn in order to succeed / grow.
    • E.g. Monsters Inc. — Sully wants to be the best scarer but needs to be a father figure.
    • Things to Consider: 
      • What do they want the most?
      • Who do they want to become?
      • What do they need to do in order to succeed?
  • 4. Obstacles:
    • Obstacles = Something that stands in the way of the character obtaining what they want.
    • E.g. A person, distance, fear.
    • Purpose:
      • To force the character to confront their fears.
      • To reflect the character's flaws and shortcomings.
      • To make the character think about their wants and needs.
  • 5. Character Arc:
    • Character Arc = 
      • The choices the character makes in response to obstacles.
      • How the character changes as a result.
    • Characters need to work for their achievements in order for them to feel earned.
  • 6. Stakes:
    • Stakes = 
      • What is at risk if the character fails to achieve their goal?
      • What are the consequences of the character's actions?
    • 1. Internal Stakes = What will emotionally happen to the character?
    • 2. External Stakes = What will physically happen to the character or world?
    • 3. Philosophical Stakes = What will happen to the values / belief system of the world?

1.4 WEEK 4 — STORY STRUCTURE

STORY STRUCTURE:
  • 1. Structure:
    • Definition: 
      • The organisation of a story.
      • The order in which information is presented to the audience.
    • Impact:
      • Audience engagement.
      • Emotional impact.
    • Types of Story Structures:
      • 3-Act Structure (Aristotle):
        • Act 1 — Set-Up: Exposition / status quo (characters, world), inciting incident.
        • Act 2 — Confrontation: Rising action, midpoint, pre-climax.
        • Act 3 — Resolution: Climax, denouement / finale.
Figure 1.4-1: 3-Act Structure
      • Story Spine (popularised by Pixar).
      • The Hero's Journey (popularised by George Lucas).
      • The Fichtean Curve (rising action, climax, falling action).

1.5 WEEK 5 — SCRIPT-WRITING

We were shown the anatomy of a script and the various software that can be used for script-writing.

1.6 WEEK 6 — FILM GRAMMAR

FILM GRAMMAR:
  • 1. Pre-Production:
    • Visual: Character design, environment design, concept art, storyboards, and animatics.
    • Audio: Music, sound FX, and voiceovers.
  • 2. Production:
    • Types of Productions: Shooting (TV, film), animations, and games.
    • Production Formats: 
      • Broadcasting / TV:
        • Analog Video: 4:3, 720 × 576, 25 fps, outdated.
        • Digital Video: 16:9.
          • High Definition: 1280 × 720, 720 p.
          • Full HD: 1920 × 1080, 1080 p.
          • Ultra HD: 3840 × 2160, 4k.
      • Film: 
Figure 1.6-1: Safe Area

Figure 1.6-2: Head Room
    • Composition: Rule of Thirds.
Figure 1.6-3: Rule of Thirds — How to Compose Characters

Figure 1.6-4: Rule of Thirds — How to Compose Backgrounds

2.0 INSTRUCTIONS 


3.0 PROJECT 1 — SHORT STORY DEVELOPMENT 

Instructions: 
  1. Develop a 2-minute short story that will be an animation.
  2. Requirements:
    1. Story Ideas: Get ideas using various techniques, e.g. Write What You Know, "What If" Statement, and Character and World.
    2. Character Development: Give your main character obstacles (external & internal), goals, wants VS needs, and character arcs.
    3. Setting: Put the characters into the right setting, i.e. era, world.
    4. Story Arcs & Theme: Inciting incident, 3-Act Structure, and logline.
  3. Submission:
    1. Report (PDF) that consists of:
      1. Story Title.
      2. Logline.
      3. Synopsis.
      4. Theme.
      5. Character Description.
      6. World Description.
      7. Script.

3.1 IDEATION

3.1.1 STORY CONCEPTS 

Figure 3.1-1: Ideation — Story Concepts, Week 5 (23/10/24)

  • Idea #1 — Metro-Gnome:
    • Story Title: A pun based on the setting (metro station) and the main character's species (gnome).
    • Theme: Learning to trust in others.
    • I thought it would be interesting to write a story from the perspective of a small, non-human creature.
  • Idea #2 — Wanderer of Helia:
    • Story Title: Wordplay on the main character's name (Ophelia) and the place she is searching for (Helia).
    • Theme: Learning that home is not a place, but the people who love you. 
    • A lot of times, we chase after something without realising we already have it. I like the idea of a character's biggest worldview being shattered because she put this idealised version of something (in her case, the village of bird people) on a pedestal and it turns out to be not what she expected. I want her journey to culminate in her realisation that she already belonged.
  • Idea #3 — Grief Grimoire:
    • Story Title: Grimoires are spell books that double as diaries, hence grief grimoire = diary of grief. Also, double "G" alliteration is pleasing to the ear. 
    • Theme: Learning to grow around one's grief.
    • I like this idea, however, grief is a hard topic to execute well with only two minutes of storytelling time. Also, the story centres around a parent-child relationship told from the mother's POV, which isn't undoable, but I may not be able to portray her perspective accurately with my own limited experiences.
  • Idea #4 — Last Summer:
    • Story Title: Many students from countries with four seasons start school after summer break. The title refers to the last time the main character and his friend can spend together.
    • Theme: Quote by Albert Schweitzer: "If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it's yours. If not, it was never meant to be."; Learning to let go.
    • Desperation and wanting control over your life leads people to do dumb things. I like the idea of a self-sabotaging protagonist recognising he's the problem and owning up to his mistakes. 

I decided to further develop Idea #2 after receiving feedback. 

3.2 FURTHER DEVELOPMENT

Figure 3.2-1: Further Development — Wanderer of Helia, Week 6 (30/10/24)

3.3 FINAL SUBMISSION


Figure 3.3-1: Project 1 — Report (Final Submission), Week 7 (05/11/24)

4.0 FEEDBACK 

4.1 WEEK 5

Specific Feedback (Idea #2): 
  • The theme is very good.
  • Growing-up sequence could be shortened. Maybe a quick transformation animation from child to adult.
  • Ophelia could ask herself "Who am I?" throughout the story because she knows that she's different from other people.

5.0 REFLECTION 

My chronic daydreaming finally has paid off! Picking which idea to go forward with was difficult as all four have potential. Perhaps I'll continue the remaining three as my personal projects, who knows.

6.0 FURTHER READING 

6.1 WEEK 6 — THREE-ACT STRUCTURE WORKSHEET

Figure 6.1-1: Three-Act Structure Worksheet to Level Up Your Story Design by Wurdeman

Reference: Wurdeman, A. (2023, May 5). Three-Act Structure Worksheet to Level Up Your Story Design. Dabble. https://www.dabblewriter.com/articles/three-act-worksheet. 

6.2 WEEK 7 —5-STEP GUIDE TO SCRIPT WRITING

Figure 6.2-1: 5-Step Guide to Script Writing for 3D Animation by Naghdi & Adib

Reference: Naghdi, A., & Adib, P. (2021, April 4). 5-Step Guide to Script Writing for 3D Animation. Dream Farm Studios. https://dreamfarmstudios.com/blog/script-writing-for-3d-animation/. 

6.3 WEEK 7 — HOW TO WRITE A GOOD SYNOPSIS

Figure 6.3-1: How To Write A Good Synopsis by Ryan

Reference: Ryan, W. (2020, December 27). How To Write A Good Synopsis. Writers & Artists. https://www.writersandartists.co.uk/advice/how-write-good-synopsis. 

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