Genre Choice & Inspirations

My group project partner Varisha and I have very different tastes in film. While she is an animation and sci-fi fan, I prefer classics and arthouse realism or drama. So for our group project, we've decided to combine two of our favourite genres - animation and drama - to create a fantasy/drama film.

Since our film is of a hybrid genre, Varisha brings the animation/fantasy side to the table while I bring drama and arthouse realism. In our initial conversations regarding the kind of film we want to create, we shared some of our favourite short films with each other.

Inspirations

The Big Shave - Martin Scorcese (1968)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=317_uIAWpbE

The Big Shave was the first short film I shared with Varisha. I take it as my main inspiration for several reasons. Firstly for the use of only one setting and minimal props. Secondly, how it creates meaning and leaves a strong impact without using any dialogue. The Big Shave uses master direction, simple camera shots and a fitting soundtrack to get its point across and become an incredibly moving short film. I will draw heavy inspiration from this film's use of soundtrack and imagery. I plan for our short film to have no dialogue either and to have non-complex camera work.

The Big Shave's plot can be interpreted as a pursuit of perfection that becomes overkill therefore it can be considered to be discussing mental health. Since our short film will also be centred around mental health issues, this short film stands as our main inspiration.