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MM1 Directors Statement

Assessment Guidelines
Write a Director’s Statement outlining how you would direct a film based on one of your own
original stories. This can be either the same idea you used for your visual sequence or another
original idea you may have. While we assess the story, you are also assessed on your ability
to communicate your vision of a film, encompassing its key elements, from a director’s point of
view. Use what you learned in the lectures about genre, casting, cinematography (that is
camera & lighting style), production design (including costume design, hair & make-up and
locations), editing, sound design (including music), special FX and Visual FX and more to
illuminate a story on the cinema screen. The idea is for the reader to be able to ‘see’ you
vision – be descriptive.

The overall word limit is 1600 words with the usual +/- 10% applying.
The Title and Logline are NOT included in the overall word count.







Simplified Rubric
• Story: creativity, thematic sophistication and narrative cohesion: 30%
• Director’s vision: use at least FIVE of genre, casting, cinematography style (that is
camera and lighting style) production design, sound design including music, editing,
special and visual FX: 50%
• Engagement and effort: 10%
• Presentation incl. spelling and grammar: 10%
Assessment Form is on the next page.





NAME: Willow Argus STUDENT NUMBER: 1357577

Story Title (10 words max – may be between 1 and 10 words):
Unknown Planet
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Synopsis – include target audience/demographic (aim for 200 words limit)

Unknown Planet is an exciting short film following the experience of a group of tiny green
bug-like aliens as they crash onto a tremoring terrain. These aliens are introduced when one
(Hop) is falling through the atmosphere in terror. The creature's face can be seen expressing
an immense amount of fear, as it has no understanding of what is occurring. A world with
colossal-sized mountains of a dark grey façade enters the view as the creature approaches
landing. As this mysterious entity faces plants onto the murky grey environment of this strange
planet, it begins to question its where abouts and experiences a strong sense of loneliness. To
evade these emotions, the creature begins exploring through the unbalanced surface, hiking
up mountains and searching for others. While struggling with all many emotions and
attempting to find refuge, the planet begins to quake and rumble all over again, sending the
alien into a more distressful state. Suddenly more green beings enter the atmosphere, landing
across the entire rocky planet. Throughout the film, there is a constant sense of mystery as the
aliens appear out of nowhere and the planet is unrecognisable. Although the original alien is
frightened by the tremors, it now has a large group of friends to keep him company,
emphasising the importance of friendship when facing adversities. while celebrating no longer
being lonely, the camera begins to zoom out, revealing the twist in the story. Where are they
really?
Recommended for a teenage audience (PG) as some of its imagery may be distressing to
younger audiences. The light-hearted approach to each event's imagery and soundtrack will
resonate well with this age category.




Director’s Vision - use at least FIVE of genre, casting, cinematography style (that is camera
and lighting style) production design, sound design including music, editing, special and
visual FX. (Aim for 1400-word limit).
Production Design:
‘Unknown Planet’ immediately displays itself as a science fiction adventure film. Production
Design is a crucial element in expressing these ideas to the audience. Production Design is
imperative for creating the overall aesthetic for this light-hearted adventure so that the
teenage audience finds it engaging. 'Unknown Planet' is set in outer space on an uncharted
planet, which is later revealed as a highly zoomed-in blanket in a living room. As such, it is
important to discuss with the production designers what location would be best suited to
convey this space. This would mean determining whether filming will take place at a real
location around the world or a created space in a studio. Some form of Computer-Generated
Imagery will likely need to be employed to effectively convey the terrain. The beginning of
the film starts quite sombre and suddenly becomes joyful therefore the scene must depict this
tonal change through its Production design. The colour of the ground and mountain will consist
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of grey tones to fit the blanket, however, I would eventually like the performance to feel
bright and hopeful. The designers will somehow have to utilise something like the sky to
brighten up the environment. The environment is expressive of the tone of the film therefore if
it is to become playful to its target audience it must be designed appropriately. The design of
the Aliens is also crucial in depicting the feel of the film as such many designs will need to be
submitted to create a creature that is not initially recognised as a flea and is tailored for the
younger audience. An eye-catching character design for the fleas will also make the film more
marketable when it is ready to be viewed by an audience. The character should also be
feasible within the budget and what can realistically be made to wear by an actor.

Locations:
Like Production Design, Location plays a crucial role in convincing an audience they are in a
certain place when watching a film. The location of ‘Unknown Planet’ is integral to the entire
idea of the film. Preferably a real-life location to depict the environment of this ‘planet’ would
suit the live-action approach to the film and makes it feel more natural. A location that would
suit most of the film would be a dry lakebed with a mountain range in the background. The
cracked surface will give the convincing illusion of a blanket when zoomed right out. Banff
National Park in Canada is the perfect location for this filming to take place. The main issue
with this location is that the dried lake is only seasonal, therefore the cracked surface may
have to be created in a studio. To depict the mountains (Lumps in the blanket) as a grass hill
environment will work best and can later be edited to resemble the grey colour palette. The
Film crew will have to get these scenes done over a few days and will have to plan around
the weather as a cloudy day will be best suited. To film the final scene of the dog on the
couch scratching its fur, a living room location will be needed. This scene can be filmed in a
few hours and does not require as much planning as it can be done in a studio.
Casting:
To begin Pre-production the key production team will be hired, the character designs will be
sketched, and the casting process will begin. Because this film doesn’t include any actual
humans the selection process will be closer to casting an animated film. The aliens will speak
and express emotion throughout the entire short film therefore it is important to hire voice
actors who work with the chosen design of the aliens and encapsulate the emotions they will
experience. As the script is not written for any actor and the aliens have no genders, the role
is available to a broad selection. To create a convincing alien, the filming process will consist
of a heavy amount of special effect makeup and costuming. Therefore, the actors must
understand the intense process of creating a costume for each scene. Because this short film
has an extensive budget for casting, well-known actors should be considered to encourage
people to watch ‘unknown planet’. Whilst picking well-known actors is important, they must
also be skilled in voice acting and depicting emotion through their voices. A younger voice
might appeal better to the target audience as they might feel more of a connection. The final
cast member that needs to be thought about carefully is the flea-ridden dog in the final scene
of the film. The dog needs to be real and well-trained so that it will remain in position through
shooting and use its hind leg to scratch. A jack Russell would be the preferred dog to be cast
as it will continue the playful and mischievous feel of the play.
Genre:
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‘Unknown Planet’ will be depicted as a science fiction-adventure film, tailored towards a
young teenage audience. It focuses on the experience of an Alien on an uncharted planet. The
dark grey mountains will not resemble any on earth making it clear that this film is set in outer
space despite this analysis being entirely disproven at the end of the film as the ‘Aliens’ are
just fleas on a blanket. This twist at the end, will make the audience feel shocked and
encourage a small amount of laughter.
It will have captivating moments of the creatures experiencing fear of the unknown and leave
the audience constantly questioning where they are, until the end of the film. 'Unknown Planet'
also resembles some dramatic elements as one of the Aliens (Hop) overcomes the effects of
loneliness as they are stranded on a planet they have never seen. Towards the end of the
‘Unknown Planet’ the audience will be introduced to the importance of friendship during tough
times and will feel a sense of hope.
Camera:
For ‘Unknown Planet’ different camera angles and shots are important for communicating
information and emotion to the audience. Without an actor even speaking or moving their face
the angle of a camera can depict a feeling therefore in a film that primarily uses special
effects that restrict some facial expressions camera angles must be done correctly. The chosen
photographer for this film and I will determine the best use of the camera for each scene.
When an alien (Hop) is falling from the sky a downward pan shot will capture the speed at
which they’re falling. Followed quickly by an extreme close-up to emphasise to the audience,
the extreme fear Hop is experiencing. When Hop crash lands on the planet a bird’s eye view
angle will be used to express, they are alive and moving well. When Hop is reunited with his
friends a medium shot at eye level will be used to again capture, their relief at finally having
companionship after being isolated for so long. To capture the key twist at the end of the film
an extreme long shot will be used to depict the reality of the entire film.




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