Project Aims

The aim of this project is to create a 10 minute grounded fantasy short film that is believable and realistic. I also aim to send a message across to the audience that you shouldn't tell good news to anyone because you don't know what their intentions may be. In my film, the protagonist's friend pretends to be happy for her about all her wishes coming true but she secretly plans on stealing the diary and ruining the protagonists life (reversing all her wishes).

A believable fantasy film combines magical elements with realistic characters, and strong emotion. The characters feel authentic because they have relatable motivations, flaws, and reactions. This will be shown in my film as the protagonist would do what any young person would do when they encounter a magic diary (going over the top with their wishes and not being wise). For the magical elements in my film, I'm adding magic particle trail and VFX object reveal.

Fantasy films follow rules so the audience can understand how it works and believe in it. In my film, there will be a ancient paper in the box that lists 3 rules to follow when using the wishing diary. Themes like good vs evil, loss, friendship, loyalty, and ambition are explored in fantasy films. These themes will be in my film as friendship and loyalty are tested between the protagonist and her friend when a life-changing object is involved (the diary).

Visuals are also important in fantasy films using VFX to create a magical appearance. In my film, I plan on doing an object reveal that - this reveals the things the protagonist wishes for. Visually I'll use an LED Floodlight to light the protagonist's face when the magic particles swirl around her in scene 8.

At the start of the film, I plan on adding a Dolly in Shot of the protagonist in the library to draw the audience into the setting and create a sense of connection to her actions. This movement will set and establish the atmosphere.

An editing technique I haven't done before is cross-cutting, which I plan to show two events happening at the same time between two characters - in the scene where Blossom quickly packs the diary and Clara is leaving her room. This technique will build tension and urgency, making the audience feel on edge as they want Blossom to hurry up and not get caught. Inspired by Christopher Nolan's 'Inception', I believe this approach will make the narrative more dynamic and suspenseful if done well.

I'll also add POV shots to give the audience a view from a character's perspective by positioning the camera where the character's eyes would be. I'm adding this in scenes 3,6,9,10,14, and 17.

Additionally, I plan to use a Dutch Angle when Blossom realises her wishes will get reversed. This will show the audience that something unfortunate is going to happen, adding to the suspense and foreshadowing the consequences that follow.

My short film is grounded fantasy meaning there is magic and fantastical elements but it's not overpowered. It explores moral choices and the impact of magic on the lives of characters in a grounded, real life setting. For example in Harry Potter, it feels realistic because it roots magic in a real life setting such as kings cross station.

To film a realistic grounded fantasy film, I need to focus on integrating subtle magic elements (VFX reveal effect) into a realistic world (outside the protagonist's house or any setting). I need to show character development (friend turns into villain) and the consequences of magic - you can do wise things with it or foolish things. The protagonist in my film wishes for materialistic things which is not very wise because now he brags about it which costs him his downfall.

Almost every fantasy film has a happy ending. I am going to subvert this because:

The audience will expect a happy ending that the protagonist will get the diary back and the villain will lose finally.

Instead of the protagonist winning at the end, the film will show the consequence of relying solely on something (diary) and telling someone good news. Although this may not satisfy the audience, if will make the story more grounded and meaningful - sometimes when people do you wrong, they can get away with it. An unsatisfied ending will leave the audience thinking about the character's choices instead of giving them a simple resolution. By doing this, my film will stand out from typical fantasy films.

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION

This project is necessary because it allows me to explore the fantasy genre and improve my storytelling and filmmaking skills. It helps me understand how to blend real world settings with magical elements, making the film true to the grounded fantasy genre. I haven't done this genre before and I'm excited to see how it will turn out. The project also gives me the opportunity to experiment with VFX, cinematography, and editing techniques like cross cutting. Apart from those, I want to improve my hard skills in directing - to guide the actors to execute the vision of the script and storyboard which is something I'm struggling with - to not be awkward with the actors if they are not executing it properly. Another hard skill I want to improve is sound design. In my film, I plan on making a dialogue sound muffled and distant. This will make that part realistic. By the end of the project I will be comfortable with adjusting sound.

In terms of soft skills, I want to improve my time management. Since this film may take time to produce, I need to create timetables and to do lists on what I'll do each day to stay on top of things. Also, my communication with the actors should be good because they may not see my vision for the film.

This project will introduce me to new camera techniques, such as dolly shots and Dutch Angles. I will also learn new editing techniques, like cross-cutting to add suspense in some scenes. Doing so VFX in After Effects will help me add magical elements realistically. Sound design is very important especially with dialogue - I will use GXT microphone or sound recorder to make the dialogue sound crisp without background noise.

This project will give me hands-on experience in directing, cinematography, and post production, which are all essential for if I want to do a film-related course at a higher level.

I like the fantasy genre and enjoy watching films like Matilda, Harry Potter, Disney etc. This project allows me to explore this interest, and I have to chance to create my own. This motivates me to create the film to the best of my ability.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

1. I want to make my film as realistic as possible. In terms of narrative, I also want to the audience to learn something from the video that you cannot trust everybody because they can betray you when you tell them you're success.

2. Develop a strong understanding of sound design and music for this genre to create the right mood and atmosphere for particular scenes, inspired by composers like Hans Zimmer. For example, in the scene where the protagonist realises the diary is missing, I add somewhat dramatic music but it will blended with a touch of sadness.

3. Adaptability. The actors may not be as free as me so will have to negotiate with them.

EXISTING SKILLS

I am comfortable operating a DSLR camera and adjusting the ISO. This is something I'll put to practice to capture well-framed and steady shots. My video editing skills on Premiere Pro will help put the film together smoothly. To develop this, I'll practice other editing techniques like cross cutting.

I will practice making the dialogue cinematic. I learnt from my FMP last year that I shouldn't rely on the camera picking up sound otherwise there will be severe background noise. I will test dialogue on my phone vs a lav mic to see which one is better. If I end up using my phone to record dialogue, I'll need an extra person to hold the phone and record it whilst I'm filming.

I have knowledge about choosing the right music to match the tone of the film in some scenes. To develop this, I should refrain from choosing cliché dramatic music but instead, music that fits the genre such as classical music.

I need to research existing fantasy films and literature to understand how they blend real-world settings with magic. I will also look into the codes and conventions both narrative and technical so my film can represent the genre well. I'll need to find VFX tutorials that are ambitious and doable in the timeframe I have. Also, I will research how to structure my short film following the three act structure because my film needs to have a clear beginning, middle, and end.

This research is achievable if I plan everything well. I will divide my research into a table of contents starting from the definition of fantasy in order up to sound and music. I will need to prioritize practical research - testing out all what I will include in my film (VFX, camera shots, movements, lighting)

I have access to research sources. Platforms like YouTube can provide a variety of tutorials whether it be VFX or if I need to do some editing on Premiere Pro that I'm unsure about. If I want to analyse existing fantasy films, there are loads of short films on Short of the Week that I can choose or take inspiration from.

To keep my research organised, I will break it down into different sections:

Conventions of fantasy (and technical)

Narrative structure

Action research (VFX, cinematography, mise en scene)

Costumes and setting

Sound and music

etc...

This will make it easy to go back to specific research when needed.

Researching how audiences connect with fantasy films will help me make my story interesting and relatable. Understanding what people like in fantasy (mystery, adventure, emotional moments) will help me focus on what makes my film engaging. I can do this by conducting a questionnaire. By doing this, I can make better choices on what I should add or remove in my film. It helps me to realise what makes sense to the audience, and keeps them interested. Instead of assuming what may work, I can use the questionnaire to make the right decisions for the film.

PRIMARY RESEARCH

I will need to visit the library where the opening scene is and ask them if I'm allowed to film there. This will avoid last minute problems; if the worst case scenario happens, plan B will to have the protagonist find the box in a bush outside.

I'll also conduct a questionnaire to find my target audience.

SECONDARY RESEARCH

I will use websites to know the codes and conventions of fantasy that I'll apply to my film. Also, to research the potential camera shots I can add such as fish eye lens if necessary.

ADDITIONAL RESEARCH

I will do at least 5 action research of trying out camera techniques and VFX I haven't done before, like dolly zoom. This will help me realise if I can do it well enough for the final film edit.

Creating a mood board using images, colors help to visualise how the film will look.

I will search for music sound tracks can will fit the tone and mood of the film in certain scenes.

Skills diagram

This is a diagram displaying the skills needed to create this short film. Each color represents my confidence level with each ability with VFX being the lowest and script writing being the highest.

Resources needed for the project

I will need a DSLR camera and tripod. This will allow me to shoot the scene without any shakiness. I would need to test out the camera prior to shooting so that it can be good quality and prevent out of focus scenes. I may need a ring light to film indoor scene so the lighting can be good. The main lights indoors may look unappealing on camera (yellow) so the ring light can prevent this or we can use natural lighting. The ring light will be useful because at this time, it gets dark quickly so the natural lighting may not last long.

For location, I need to film the opening scene in a library where the protagonist is looking for books then he finds the box containing the diary. There is library where I live so it is very convenient. The actors also live in the same neighbourhood. The second location is in a house.

I'll require 3 actors to play the protagonist, mother, and friend. The protagonist being 11 and the friend being 10.

BUDGET

I have all these items except the LED floodlight, ancient paper, box, a 2025 diary so I need to buy them.

Diary - £5.50
The box - £11.70
Ancient paper - £3.42
LED floodlight - £30.41

Total: £51.03

Management and review

For each stage of the project, I'll write down a to do list on what I need to do so I can stay organised. Especially when it's production and I need to do reshoots, I'll write down in a small notebook what needs reshooting and tick them of when completed. This will help my organisation skills and not get confused.

I will right short reflections under each action research I do and the rough cut on I think is good and what needs improving. Also, the teacher can give feedback. This will help me achieve the goal of creating a good fantasy film.

I'll take lots of screenshots or clips of my progress to compare how things improve over time whether it being action research. I'll show my film to the teacher, friends and the actors to seek their opinion and collect feedback to see if they understood the the story and felt the emotions I aimed to show. I'll compare my final outcome to my original plan to see if I met my goals. I'll also evaluate what I learnt, what went well. and what I could do better next time.