Film Studies and Cinematography / Project 1 - Develop a Short Story
08/10/24 - 03/11/24 (Week 3 - Week 6)
Isabel Tan Xen Wern / 0355602 / Bachelor(hons) in creative media / Taylors University
Film Studies and cinematography / PTV60104
Project 1 : Develop a short Story
JUMPLINK
INTRODUCTION
Figure 1.1
MIB (30/09/24)
Process:
Story idea: What if a show cat loses her glamorous appearance due to a rare
condition and is cast aside by her owner and the crowd. Realising she
has been replaced by a younger cat, She escapes into the outside world,
discovering the horrors of living as a lone stray. She finds solitude
with a group of stray cats. Though no longer a prize-winning beauty, She
learns that true happiness comes from being valued for who she is, not
how she looks. Embracing her new life, Ophelia finds a new "kingdom"
where she can reign as herself.
Logline : After being replaced by a younger Cat, Ophelia leaves
her home and struggles against life living on the streets to find the
safe feeling she once had.
Theme : found family, acceptance, friendship, freedom Character
Profile
Looks : white, blue eyes, a large bald spot on the
back
Elevator test : ○ Panic ○ Tries every button
Personality : Confident, Self-loving, impulsive,
dependant
Wants : for her condition to go away, want to find safety, want
to feel accepted by the people she loves, don’t want to feel
unwanted.
Need : acceptance from people she loves, a family
Setting Description :Backstage, Vanity mirror, Doctors office, Home, Streets, Alleyway, Hideout
ACT 1 : Once upon a time, there was a show cat named
Ophelia with soft white fur and ocean blue eyes. She is a confident,
lovely and a born performer. She has a doting owner / manager that she
can always depend on.
Every day she performs on stage for thousands to see, she walks with
confidence and her head held high, the audience loved her and cheered
loudly for her, praising and admiring how beautiful she
looked.
Until one day, She looks into the vanity mirror and does a 360 turn to
admire herself more when she finds a bald spot on the back of her neck
that was never there before.
ACT 2 :Because of that Ophelia and her owner went to the vet to
figure out what it was. Though she couldn't understand the doctor's
words, the worry in her owner's eyes was clear.
Because of that At home, her owner became distant and anxious, pacing
and muttering to herself. Ophelia's attempts to comfort her were met
with cold indifference.
Because of that One morning, while flipping through TV channels,
Ophelia saw something heartbreaking; a younger cat performing on her
stage, with her owner by its side, showing the same affection Ophelia
used to receive. Feeling abandoned and replaced, Ophelia ran away,
escaping into the unknown streets.
In the streets ○phelia Gets startled by loud noises. ○phelia Clumsily
dodging cars and people walking ○ A bicycle almost knocks her down then
she falls into a puddle while dodging it. ○ She stumbled into an alley
where she saw a group of strays, while protecting their territory, they
hissed at her and chased her away. ○ Hungry, she started nibbling on
food thrown out from strangers. ○ She saw a fish with a lot of meat left
on the bone. She went to grab it but was beaten to it by another stray.
In desperation for food, she started chasing the stray when she fell
halfway, hurting her arm. Feeling tired and defeated with the
realisation of her current situation she stayed on the ground with her
eyes closed for a few minutes.
The grey cat came from a similar background as he used to be a street
performer just like her but was growing old and had gotten into a fight
which resulted in a scar on his eye.
Until finally, the fish from earlier was suddenly dropped in front of
her, she looks up to see the same stray from earlier. It was offering
the fish to her, she turned away, thinking it probably felt bad for her
but the stray stayed and even laid down in front of her waiting for her
to eat. Ophelia takes a good look at the stray and notices he had the
same patch of bald spots all over his body. Her stomach growled,
reluctantly she started eating the fish while the other observed.
Feeling bad, she pushed the fish closer to the other cat, insinuating
for them to share. The stray compiled and they ate together. The other
cat signalled for ophelia to follow him, still hesitant she followed him
to another group of strays.
ACT 3 :And ever since then every cat was looking at her, Ophelia
felt insecure. The stray nudged her forward towards the group of cats
and she let them observe and sniff around her. They all make sounds of
approval before the stray runs in front of her and signals her to follow
him to their hideout with all the other strays waiting for her. She
hesitates because there would be no going back if she follows them.
However the looks on the other strays made her feel so warm and accepted
that she slowly followed them into the hideout. ● The moral of the story
○ appearance does not matter, ○ no matter how unwanted and alone you
feel, there is always someone who would accept you for your flaws ○
Sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone can help you discover
something better
Script:
- I used the template given by my lecturer to do the script.
FINAL SUBMISSION
Figure 1.1
Final Storyline submission (03/11/24)
Figure 1.2
Final Script submission (03/11/24)
Back to the TOP
FEEDBACK
Week 4 (15/10/24):
Specific Feedback
- can add more to the story
- what is the need and wants of this character
- story is confusing
- can add what happened in the streets that made her realise that it was a tough situation out there
- add on in act 2
Week 5 (22/10/24):
Specific Feedback
- The story looks fine now
- can add a bit more to the ending on whether or not she achieved what she needed
- can add a background story for the other stray like how he used to be a show cat as well which is why he understands her situation.
Back to the TOP
REFLECTION
In this module, writing a storyline about my specific character was an
engaging creative exercise that allowed me to explore narrative
development and visual storytelling. The feedback provided by my
lecturer was incredibly informative as well and played a crucial role in
refining my ideas. Their constructive insights helped me identify areas
where the plot could be enhanced and where the emotional depth of the
story could be amplified. By applying their suggestions, I was able to
strengthen the structure and create a more compelling and cohesive
narrative. This experience not only deepened my understanding of
storytelling techniques but also emphasized the importance of
constructive critique in the creative process.
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