This Year’s Final Major Project will have to be of a high standard to surpass its year 12 predecessor. My short film, Ten Years Missing, was created to be entered into the 2019 Barnes Film Festival, gaining me a Distinction Grade. I was blessed enough to be in the official selection for the festival in September, one of a handful of shorts picked from three hundred entries. I was a runner-up in my category, earning me a small prize. The best part of it was the valuable experience it gave me as a young filmmaker.
After nearly two terms of experience since the completion of year 12, I am still sure that I want to pursue a career in film, so it naturally makes sense that this year’s project is visually based. I am to be equally, if not more, ambitious, improving on some of the mistakes I made previously, like my wonky cinematography, bad colour grading and rushed schedule, the latter of which often left me stressed. Despite my efforts, I know Ten Years Missing looked extremely amateur, and the production value was not high. However, many people were emotionally moved by my storytelling, which is an upside.
There is no theme in the brief last year, meaning we are not as restricted as last time. However, I know that I want to pick a short film festival for this to be entered into, so I have to adhere to their rules and regulations, restricting me a little. In terms of finding a good festival, I would like to find a UK-based event that has a student/shorts category. Most importantly, the submission deadline should coincide with, or come close to, the deadline of the FMP deadline.
After being inspired by several internet movements (that will be elaborated upon in the Research page), I came up with an idea for an experimental short film, which I think I could realistically undertake in the time given. The film follows the escapist fantasy of a young woman, who imagines a ‘perfect’ life for herself in a countryside cottage, only for the mild uncanny-valley references to twist into surrealist horror after she encounters an eldritch creature in the woods. It is as yet untitled.
Research will include researching my influences, and what I can take from this content for my own film. I will have to have a certain degree of originality, which I believe I can carry out. These influences include the Cottagecore movement, online creators on TikTok, and the web series Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared.
I will easily be able to get hold of resources – I know that I want to use a better camera than last time. I used my Canon EOS 700D DSLR for Ten Years Missing, and the bad quality and grain (not the nice kind) was embarrassingly evident during the Barnes Film Festival, in stark contrast to my competitors. I know that for maximum quaity, I will need to shoot in better light. Luckily, my film calls for little use of artificial, yellowy light sources.
Evaluation will be primarily through peer and adult feedback, particularly those in the target audience. Ergo this will make sure that I am basing any issues seen in the film not only from my own opinion, but from the opinion of others.
I would like to be assessed on my quality of storytelling.
Grace Derriman 