Film Studies and Cinematography | Project 1
|| Tee Zi Tong, 0366165
|| Film Studies and Cinematography | Project 1
|| Week 1 - Week 8
PROJECT BRIEF
PROJECT 1
Progression 1 – Story Ideas
Inspiration Source: Pixar Short “Piper” (2016)
Analysis:
Analysis:
In Piper, a young bird does not cooperate with the ocean at first but slowly becomes able to fight the sea as a result of the encouraging support. It is the realism, innocence, and the theme of courage coming out of struggle that make the film emotional. My story, also, addresses the issue of fear and recovery, but rather than a bird, it is a fallen star. Instead of battling a wave, the star needs to deal with darkness and her own fragmentation, and the agent of her development is a little but courageous insect called Lumo, which surprisingly is devoid of any glow of his own. This is the essence of the message that Piper puts across: Fear may break you, but association may aid you in picking yourself up again.
What If Statement:
- What if a star fell from the sky and became too afraid to shine again?
- What if she landed in a forest that turned pitch black at night?
- What if she met a tiny creature with no light of his own — yet he became the one who helped her rediscover hers?
Main Idea:
A star that has fallen becomes bright no more, she shelters herself in shame and believes that she can no longer fit anywhere. She is befriended by a little insect in the darkness around her. Their friendship is put to test as the insect suffers and as a result the star shines one final time to rescue him.
Characters:
- Fira -A fallen star, fearful of being bright as she is broken.
- Lumo - a lighthearted forest creature (ladybug-like) who does not shine but who is courageous and caring.
World:
A serene forest and daytime and the sun have everything serene. totally dark forest in the night when even insects are not shining. Which the black is oppressive, and brightness is very profound.
Progressions 2: Character Development.
Character 1: Fira
Name Meaning:
Name Meaning:
Fira (from “fire” + “aura”)
External Features:
- A tiny, round star with gentle, soft edges
- Visible cracks from her fall
- Light is extremely faint at the beginning
- When frightened, her glow flickers
- When hopeful or brave, her warm golden light spreads through all her cracks
- Sweet, timid, and easily overwhelmed
- Feels ashamed of her broken state
- Believes she lost her purpose
- Struggles to trust others
- Deeply compassionate under the fear
- Stuck on Earth, unable to fly back to the sky
- The forest becomes completely dark at night
- Too weak to float or move far
- Can’t see well in darkness due to her dim glow
- Thinks she’s worthless without her full brightness
- Afraid of being rejected by the stars above
- Avoids risks to avoid “failing” again
- Doesn’t believe she can help anyone
To shine brightly again and return to the sky.
NEED:
To understand that light comes from courage, not perfection.
Character Change:
Fira learns that her cracks make her unique, not broken.
She discovers bravery by saving Lumo, realizing her light is still meaningful — especially on Earth, where darkness needs her the most.
She discovers bravery by saving Lumo, realizing her light is still meaningful — especially on Earth, where darkness needs her the most.
Character 2: Lumo
Name Meaning:
Lumo (from “lumen,” meaning light) — symbolic because he actually has no glow.
External Features:
- A small, ordinary forest insect (ladybug-like)
- Bright red or earthy wings with tiny dotted patterns
- Can fly during the day but becomes clumsy at night
- No natural glow — relies fully on daylight to navigate
- Very expressive and energetic movements
Internal Features:
- Cheerful, talkative, and endlessly curious
- Naturally optimistic, even in darkness
- Not easily scared — except of deep darkness
- Compassionate, often putting others first
- Lonely before meeting Fira, but hides it with humor
- The forest becomes pitch black at night, making him almost helpless
- Cannot see or fly safely after sundown
- Falls into a hole where water traps him
- His wet wings prevent escape
- Surrounded by danger with no light source to help himself
- Secret fear of the dark, though he pretends to be brave
- Feels small and powerless compared to glowing creatures
- Worries that he’s not helpful to Fira
- Believes he has nothing special to offer
To help Fira feel safe and happy
NEED:
To realize that kindness and courage are his true strengths, even without light.
Character Change:
Lumo learns that he does matter — his presence, friendship, and bravery inspire Fira to shine again. He discovers he has his own kind of light: hope, which helps guide others even in the darkest moments.
Progression 3: Story Spine (3 Acts).
ACT 1
Once upon a time, there was a small star called Fira which was among the constellations.
Every day she was dancing close to the moon, dreaming of eternally shining.
Until one day a fierce tempest hurled her flying out of the air, into an empty forest, whence she lost nearly all of her light.
ACT 2
Because of that, Fira concealed herself under leaves as she was too embarrassed to present herself.
Because of that, she had a friend, Lumo, a small insect which could not glow, but came to her at night to keep her company.
Because of that, the attachment of Fira was gradually increasing, despite her remaining silent, until the moment when he fell into a serious hole full of water, unable to see or fly. Owing to that, the fear of losing him caused some sparkle in Fira and her broken body started glowing slightly.
ACT 3
Until finally, by tracking the note of his cry, came to the pitch-black forest, and by turning on the hole, so much light was produced that Lumo could reach safety.
And ever since then Fira has never concealed her light again; she has remained in the forest with Lumo, flaming every night--she became the first star of the forest.
The moral of the story is even in your most dark times; your light may dawn. Shining on behalf of another person also comes to shine on yourself sometimes.
Final Report
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