Film Studies and Cinematography Project 1

 deadline：Week 8

Sun JiaYue (0376224)

PVT60104 / Film Studies and Cinematography  / Bachelor of Design ( Hons) in Creative Media /Taylor's University

Project 1

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Initial Concept：

In the initial stage of my project, I started with the concept of “memory restoration”, aiming to explore the fragments of human memories and emotional reconstruction through dreamlike experiences. Before finalizing the theme, I researched visual references related to dreams and the subconscious, and watched several films such as Inception, Monsters University, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. These works helped me understand the narrative techniques that blend dreams and reality, and inspired the direction for both the story structure and visual expression of my project.

Main content and plot setting：

After finalizing the theme of “memory restoration,” I began developing the concept around the narrative. The story centers on a protagonist who enters the dream of a wounded little girl and embarks on a journey to retrieve her fragmented memories. Using needle and thread, the protagonist carefully stitches these broken pieces together in an attempt to heal the girl’s inner pain.

However, one fragment remains missing. Guided by a mysterious light, the protagonist eventually discovers the hidden scene within that lost piece—it represents a painful memory from their own past. By restoring this final memory, the protagonist not only heals the girl but also symbolically heals themselves.

The story conveys the idea that “healing others is also a process of healing oneself.” Visually, I aim to create a sense of interweaving between reality and dream, where the boundaries are blurred and emotions flow through fragmented, ethereal imagery. To support this vision, I have collected a series of dreamlike and surreal visual references to guide the scene composition and overall aesthetic direction.

Character Design：

In my story, there are two main characters.

The first is the psychologist, who serves as a healer in the real world and becomes a memory restorer within the dream world. He is around 25 years old and wears glasses, giving an impression of both rationality and warmth. In the dream, his outfit is adorned with threads and needles, symbolizing the act of repairing and healing, as well as his mission to stitch together the fragments of broken memories.

The second character is a traumatized little girl, who holds a slightly worn-out teddy bear in her arms. The toy represents her emotional attachment and symbolizes her fragmented childhood memories. The girl wishes to overcome her trauma and piece her memories back together.

As the psychologist helps the girl heal and confront her pain, he gradually realizes that he is also facing his own buried emotions. The process of healing her becomes a reflection of his own self-repair — a journey of reconciliation between the conscious and the subconscious self.

Main Character: The Therapist 

Name: 

Evelyn

Occupation: 

Psychiatrist; in the memory world, a “memory stitcher” who repairs patients’ traumatic memories

External Traits:

The woman, around twenty-five years old, was gentle and composed, wearing round-framed glasses. After entering the world of memories, her clothing transformed into a long robe covered with gold thread and needles.

Personality:

• Core Traits: Gentle, patient, meticulous, sensitive
• Behavioral Features: Touches the girl’s forehead softly, acts attentively and creatively in the memory world
• Inner Drive: Wants to help people recover their psychological health and feels a sense of responsibility while repairing memories

Want:

Help the girl heal from trauma, resolve her inner conflicts, and restore her memories.

Need:

Healing myself by healing the little girl, facing things I didn't want to face.

Role in the Script:

• Story Driver: By entering the memory world, connects reality and the dream world
• Emotional Anchor: His warmth and patience provide a sense of healing for the audience
• Symbolic Meaning: Represents psychological growth and trauma repair

External Challenges (Plot Obstacles)：

• Upon entering the little girl’s memory world, the memory fragments are scattered and chaotic, making it difficult to find complete clues.
• Some gaps in the memory world are unrepairable and the world becomes dark and unstable, hindering his work.
• The girl’s low trust in others may block his guidance.
• The dream world environment (e.g., shaking surroundings, rain-soaked lonely scenes) interferes with his actions.

Internal Challenges (Psychological Obstacles)：

• He may feel powerless or guilty when facing the girl’s trauma.
• Balancing responsibilities in reality with tasks in the dream world creates psychological pressure.
• He doubts his own ability: can he truly help her heal from trauma?

Supporting Character: The Girl 

Name:CiCi

Occupation:Child (student), no job

Appearance: Young girl, with a downcast expression, often looks at the ground, hugging a broken doll, appears fragile

Personality:

• Core Traits: Sensitive, introverted, fragile, lonely
• Behavioral Features: Avoids others when alone; in the memory world, throws glowing fragments into mud, revealing inner trauma
• Inner Drive: Seeks to be understood and accepted

Wants (External Goal): Overcome trauma and regain happy, complete

memories

Needs (Internal Need): Learn to trust others and accept her own inner wounds

Role in the Script:

• Story Focus: Her trauma and memories are the core conflict of the story
• Emotional Trigger: Audience empathizes with her suffering and growth
• Memory World Guide: Fragmented memories provide challenges and clues for the doctor

External Challenges (Plot Obstacles)：

• Her severe trauma prevents her from expressing emotions or trusting others in reality.
• Painful scenes in her memories reappear, leaving her lonely and fearful.
  

• Scattered and disordered memory fragments prevent her from actively piecing her memories together.

Internal Challenges (Psychological Obstacles)：

• Deep mistrust toward her parents or the world.
• Denial or self-blame over her trauma, which blocks her from accepting help.
• Difficulty controlling emotions: fear and shame make her prone to avoidance or withdrawal.

Elevator Experiment：

The elevator suddenly stopped between two floors, the lights flickering slightly, and the cramped space felt a little stuffy. CiCi immediately curled up in the corner, hugging her broken doll tightly, and whispered to herself, “I don’t like this…” Her fear and distrust were quickly triggered in the confined space. Evelyn crouched down and spoke softly, “It’s okay, CiCi, we’re safe.” She took a deep breath, striving to remain calm, providing a sense of security for both herself and the little girl.

As time passed, CiCi began to pace in a small area, tapping her doll against the elevator walls, her anxiety gradually rising. Evelyn hummed a gentle tune and tried to guide her with soft questions: “Do you remember the story we talked about yesterday?” Although she couldn’t repair CiCi’s trauma as she would in the memory world, Evelyn remained patient, easing the tension in the confined space.

Suddenly, CiCi lost control of her emotions, throwing her doll into the corner, tears streaming down her face as she murmured self-blamingly, “It’s all my fault… I can’t do anything right…” Evelyn felt a twinge of helplessness and guilt but still crouched closer, softly saying, “It’s not your fault, CiCi. I’m here with you.”

Under her calm and gentle guidance, CiCi slowly relaxed her movements and began to quietly recount a happy memory, perhaps of a joyful moment with her parents or her doll. This small breakthrough felt especially precious in the confined elevator: although anxiety and fear remained, trust and warmth quietly took root. The elevator mirrored the memory world itself enclosed and tense, yet also capable of becoming a space for healing and growth.

Inspection and Improvement：

In this class, I had my assignment reviewed by the teacher twice. During the first review, the teacher felt that the story was not clearly conveyed, so I needed to redefine the story. Initially, I designed many doors, each representing a negative memory. However, this approach required too many elements, making it difficult to present everything within two minutes. Therefore, I revised the story into one where a doctor enters a dream to stitch together fragments of memories.

During the second review, my script was already completed, but the teacher pointed out that some details were still not fully understandable to the reader—for example, the little girl’s psychological trauma. In the script, I had only briefly stated that the girl experienced trauma, without showing it through her actions. I then added a scene where the doctor enters the little girl’s dream and witnesses her troubling memories. Since these memories did not want to be seen, they pushed the doctor out of the dream. I believe this modification not only aligns with the story but also effectively conveys the little girl’s psychological trauma.

Reflection:

Experience: 

At first, I knew nothing about this subject. However, our instructor showed us many relevant videos in class and prepared very detailed presentations, which helped me better understand the course content.
In Project 1, I initially only had a rough idea for my story. After reading a lot of supporting materials, I realized that my original concept had some issues. I needed to revise the story to make it simpler, more understandable, and faster-paced.

Observations
In Project 1, I realized that I had an issue with not being careful enough. Because I didn’t fully understand the formatting requirements before writing, I went straight into drafting, which made the formatting adjustments later quite troublesome. In addition, my content was too simple, and many details were not clearly described, so I had to rewrite almost everything.
Fortunately, I managed to complete all my assignments well, and all the problems were successfully resolved in the end.

Findings
In Project 1, the first thing that troubled me was my story itself. I wasn’t sure what kind of narrative approach would make the story clear for the reader. Later, I began to struggle with the formatting of each section, including font choices and text sizes. These details, though small, turned out to be very important.