Film Studies and Cinematography - Weekly Tasks
26/09/2025 - xx/xx/2025 | Week 01 - Week xx
Koh Sher Wei | 0353816
Film Studies and Cinematography | Bachelor of Design in Creative Media
Week 01 - The Art of Storytelling
Activity 01
1. List 3 favourite films. Describe why by explaining your
personal experience and emotional connection to the films.
- CODA (Child of Deaf Adults). This film was quite meaningful as
it follows the journey of a hearing child in a family of deaf members.
The story follows her struggles to juggle between wanting to integrate
into a hearing society and having to be the only anchor for her deaf
members to keep up with a hearing community. I think it was a really
eye-opening film that helped me understand how alienated people with
disabilities feel in a "normal" society, despite being just as normal as
everyone else. It was quite a touching and emotional
journey.
- Only the Brave, is a biographical film about the
sacrifise of a group of firefighters in attempt to stop a forest fire.
This film made me feel particularly emotional as it was based on a real
event. It really showed how brave firefighters are, and how much they
sacrifise for the safety of the public. Especially with how hard they
work and the number of difficulties they are put under, every time they
are on-call. It made me appreciate firefighters so much more.
- Coco, the Pixar animation. It was just such a
beautiful interpretation of the values of family, love, past, present
and traditions. It really ties down to cultural values and family
communication, which is something that I think is very important to me
personally. Especially using music as a main theme, further brought more
emotions out of me.
Activity 02
2. Watch Kitbull again. Then, identify the world and characters in
each. Write these down.
a. Who are the main characters?
The dog and the kitten.
b. Is there a character you identify with most?
Not really.
c. Where does the movie take place? Is it one
world or multiple worlds?
The movie takes place in a real world which depicts the life of a
stray, and an abused pet. It is a one world setting.
Week 02 - Creating Character
Activity 01 [Understand character's Personality]
1. Watch Pixar short "BAO" directed by Domee Shi.
2. Identify characters in the story and their roles in
the story.
3 main characters:
- Mom; a lady who takes care of Bao.
- Bao; a dumpling who represents the lady's
kid.
- Dad; the lady's husband.
3. Describe the personality of each character(s) in the
story, knowing how he/she reacted in difficult
situations.
3 main characters:
- Mom is overprotective of Bao which starts of fine, but as
he grew. It made Bao drift away from her.
- Bao plays the role of an overprotected child
who just wants to grow up and experience life on his
own.
- Dad doesn't really appear until the end,
to help the mother and son mend their
relationship.
Activity 02 [External and Internal Feature]
1. Return to the Pixar short "BAO".
2. Describe the external features of the protagonist.
- Mom; looks like an Asian mother, but slightly older than usual.
- Bao; looks soft, fragile, doesn't really grow up even when grown.
3. Describe the internal features of the protagonist.
- Mom; loving, motherly, protective, is afraid of her son growing
up and leaving her behind.
- Bao; carefree but curious, wants to experience life with friends. Is
frustrated that his mom tries to keep him isolated.
Activity 03 [Wants and Needs]
1. Return to the Pixar short "BAO".
2. Identify a want and a need for each character by making a
statement based on this example:
In Monsters Inc. Sulley wants to be the scarer but he needs to be a father figure.
3. For each character, you should be able to answer these
questions:
- What do they want most?
- Who do they want to become?
- What might they need in order to succeed?
Mom wants to keep her son close forever but needs to learn to let go.
> She wants to feel loved, needed and not alone.
> She wants to become a fulfilled mother who is central in her child's life.
> She needs to accept that love does not mean control.
Bao wants freedom and independence but needs to understand and emotionally connect with his mother.
> He wants to grow up and live his own life.
> He wants to become an independent adult.
> He needs space to grow and obtain mutual respect with his mother.
Activity 04 [Obstacles]
1. Return to the Pixar short "BAO".
2. Identify the External and Internal obstacles of
the characters.
Mom:
- External Obstacle
> Bao growing up, wanting independence, getting married and leaving home.
- Internal Obstacle
> Fear of loneliness, thinks her child is too fragile without her protection, inability to let go.
Bao:
- External Obstacle
> An overprotective mother who controls his life.
- Internal Obstacle
> Guilt, frustration and difficulty expressing independence.
Activity 05 [Character Arc]
2. Identify the arc of the main character in the
short 'BAO'.
- What do they want at the beginning?
- What did they realise they need by the
end?
Main character: Mom
- She wants to keep her son with her forever.
- She realised she need to let go and accept that her son will grow up and independent in order to maintain a healthy relationship.
2. How have you changed as a result of overcoming
an obstacle?
I learned that overcoming obstacles can help me grow into a better person. Accepting changes is part of life and we shouldn't try to push for things to always go our way.
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