Film Studies & Cinematography - Project 1
20/4/2026 - 31/5/2026 (Week 1 - Week 6)
Te Li Wen (0367811)
Design Principles - Bachelor of Design in Creative Media - Taylors
University
Project 1
Table Of Contents
Instructions
Figure 1.0 Instructions
Figure 1.0 Instructions
Activities
Activity 1
1) Describe your EMOTIONAL journey when watching the short?
It was interesting in the beginning when the main character was a yarn ball.
As the story progressed, I felt mad when the humans ignored Purl when she
was just trying to help. Then she changed herself to fit in and I had mixed
feelings about it. When she also tried to leave out the new employee, I was
just disappointed. But as soon as she took the new employee with them, I
felt relieved and happy.
2) How can you RELATE with your own personal experiences? Do you have
similar experiences?
For me, it would be always trying to fit in so I do relate a little. I act
to be more out going when I'm not to just get out of that awkwardness when
dealing with people.
3) Is the story INTERESTING? (What make the story interesting)
It was mainly cause of the main character being a ball of yarn instead of a
human.
4) Discuss the Character, Setting, Obstacles and Theme.
The main character Purl is a pink yarn ball and shes really vibrant and
different as the people in the office looked almost the same and were all in
black and white. The setting was just a normal office workspace which was
dull in the beginning but after Purl, it became brighter and more vibrant.
So the obstacles were the humans being narrow minded and she wasn't fitting
in because of that. The theme of this seems to be slice of life and a little
comedy.
Activity 2
Figure 1.1 Kitbull Short
1) Everyone like story differently for some specific reasons. Which part in the story that give you the most relatability in term of:
a. Personal Experience
I think for me it would be being an approached by a stranger. I don't really
like talking to strangers much and usually it would be somewhat forced for
an assignment or needing to get help.
b. Emotional Connection
I find that I get more emotional regarding to animals or people who doesn't
deserve getting hurt or suffer in a situation that happens often. This
particular story was cute but once I found out the dog was getting abused, I
was quite heartbroken cause I love animals a lot.
Activity 3
Part B
Now it's your turn. Come up with 3-5 of your own “what if” ideas.
What if the world had super powers? What if the world was silent? What if
food was boring like in the form of paste, pallets or liquid?
Activity 4
Part A
Return to Pixar SparkShorts. Identify the worlds and characters in
each. Write these down.
Who are the main characters?
Purl: Purl
Kitbull: Kit & Bull
Is there a character you identify with most?
I think I identify with Purl since it relates more to me.
Where does the movie take place? Is it one world or multiple worlds?
It is 2 different worlds where one takes place in an office and the other is
in a backyard or alleyway.
Part B
Try mixing a character and world from different shorts. Try this and see
what happens.
What if Kitbull was put in Purl. The kitten would be scared being around so
many new faces but over time it would start warming up to the people. The
dog would already be a part of the office and would even approach the kitten
before it got used to the place.
Story Ideas
Choose any Pixar short for inspiration. Analyse how this story become a
great story from emotional connection and personal experiences.
Figure 1.2 Pixar Short
Develop character from the story ideas that you have generated from
previous progression (Story Ideas) to character description
statement.
1. Give character a name.
Bob (stands for Big Oblivious Bro) & Ham (its actually a baby chick)
2. Develop his/her personality traits, use ‘elevator test’ as a
scenario.
Bob would think hard and find a solution to get out of the situation or
even fix the elevator itself by some miracle. As for Ham, it would start
panicking and run around frantically then would try to ram its body to
open the door but it just bounces off since its just a little fluff ball.
3. Develop his/her internal and external features.
Bob is essentially a circle head with a smiling face and has a defined
buff body. His personality is easy-going, oblivious/naive, calm, kind and
basically a big teddy bear. He's also stupid smart. Ham is a fat round
baby chick that likes eating ham hence its name. Ham is usually an acts
first think later type of character. It also easily picks up the situation
and tries to make Bob understand what's going on.
4. Develop his/her internal and external obstacles.
He's in a crisis where working out got too mundane and he would sit there
bummed out. When he found something new to do (trying out a game), he
would have to figure out the controls of the game he never knew existed.
5. Develop character’s wants and needs.
He wants to do something fun. He needs to experience new things cause all
he does is going to the gym and workout.
6. Develop character’s change as a result from overcoming obstacles.
He finds that life isn't just about working out but enjoying new
experiences.
Story Summary
Bob works out almost everyday in his favorite gym, that was until it was
temporarily closed for a while. He had nothing to do as he mopes in his
home. His pet friend Ham noticed him sulking in a corner and went out. Ham
comes back with a stolen game and made Bob try it out.
Feedback:
He said that the story doesn't capture much and told me to try and think
about what has happened in my life to relate.
Story Spine
Act 1
1. Once upon a time...
Bob had no motivation to workout but all he does is that and never felt
like trying anything new.
2. Every day...
He goes to the gym to work out. But he began to feel unmotivated to work
out.
3. Until one day... His favorite gym closes down temporarily.
Act 2
4. Because of that...
He sits in his room pondering on what to do. His friend Ham noticed.
5. Because of that...
His friend introduced a video game to him.
6. Because of that... Bob had to figure out how to play games.
Act 3
7. Until finally...
He managed to get the hang of it and enjoyed it a lot.
8. And ever since then...
Bob has been trying out new experiences/hobbies and not just working
out.
9. The moral of the story is...
Bob learned that life is more exciting when you try out new
experiences.
Progression
Draft Edited Story
Develop character from the story ideas that you have generated from
previous progression (Story Ideas) to character description
statement.
1. Give character a name.
Bob (stands for Big Oblivious Bro) & Ham (its actually a baby chick)
2. Develop his/her personality traits, use ‘elevator test’ as a
scenario.
Bob would think hard and find a solution to get out of the situation or
even fix the elevator itself by some miracle. As for Ham, it would start
panicking and run around frantically then would try to ram its body to
open the door but it just bounces off since its just a little fluff
ball.
3. Develop his/her internal and external features.
Bob is essentially a circle head with a smiling face and has a defined
buff body. His personality is easy-going, oblivious/naive, calm, kind
and basically a big teddy bear. He's also stupid smart. Ham is a fat
round baby chick that likes eating ham hence its name. Ham is usually an
acts first think later type of character. It also easily picks up the
situation and tries to make Bob understand what's going on.
4. Develop his/her internal and external obstacles.
He's oblivious but morally right. He saw something interesting (video
game) and wants to buy it, but it was way over his budget.
5. Develop character’s wants and needs.
Bob wants a video game. He needs to save his money.
6. Develop character’s change as a result from overcoming obstacles.
Learns that stealing things isn't what he should be doing and should save up
to get it.
Act 1
1. Once upon a time...
Bob had no motivation to workout but all he does is that and never felt
like trying anything new.
2. Every day...
He goes to the gym to work out. But he began to feel unmotivated to
work out.
3. Until one day... His favorite gym closes down temporarily.
Act 2
4. Because of that...
He sits in his room pondering on what to do. His friend Ham
noticed.
5. Because of that...
His friend introduced a video game to him.
6. Because of that... Bob had to figure out how to play games.
Act 3
7. Until finally...
He managed to get the hang of it and enjoyed it a lot.
8. And ever since then...
Bob has been trying out new experiences/hobbies and not just working
out.
9. The moral of the story is...
Bob learned that life is more exciting when you try out new
experiences.
FINAL Edited Story
Develop character from the story ideas that you have generated from
previous progression (Story Ideas) to character description
statement.
1. Give character a name.
Bob (stands for Big Oblivious Bro) & Ham (its actually a baby chick)
2. Develop his/her personality traits, use ‘elevator test’ as a
scenario.
Bob would think hard and find a solution to get out of the situation or
even fix the elevator itself by some miracle. As for Ham, it would start
panicking and run around frantically then would try to ram its body to
open the door but it just bounces off since its just a little fluff
ball.
3. Develop his/her internal and external features.
Bob is essentially a circle head with a smiling face and has a defined
buff body. His personality is easy-going, oblivious/naive, calm, kind
and basically a big teddy bear. He's also stupid smart. Ham is a fat
round baby chick that likes eating ham hence its name. Ham is usually an
acts first think later type of character. It also easily picks up the
situation and tries to make Bob understand what's going on.
4. Develop his/her internal and external obstacles.
He's oblivious but morally right. He saw something interesting (video
game) and wants it, but it was way over his budget.
5. Develop character’s wants and needs.
Bob wants a video game. He needs to earn it from hard work.
6. Develop character’s change as a result from overcoming
obstacles.
Learns that stealing things isn't what he should be doing and should work
hard to get it.
Act 1
1. Once upon a time... Bob was on his way back home.
2. Every day...
He passes by a game store. But never really checked it out.
3. Until one day... Something caught his eye, it was the video game he had always
wanted.
Act 2
4. Because of that...
He sits in his room pondering on what to do. However, he couldn't
afford it.
5. Because of that...
He thought of a plan to steal it. But he ended up feeling guilty.
6. Because of that... He returned it. The store owner was generous and let him keep the
game if he were to help out in the store.
Act 3
7. Until finally... All his hard work had paid off and he got his video game.
8. And ever since then...
Bob has been helping the store owner and always worked hard to earn
what he wants.
9. The moral of the story is...
Bob learned that you can't just steal just because you wanted it.
It's more satisfying to earn it through hard work.
Final Outcome
Google Doc Link
Figure 1.2 Final Project 1 PDF
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