Film Studies and Cinematography
26.09.2025 Week 1
Shiqing Li / 0366582 / Bachelor of Design (Honors) in Creative Media
Activities / Taylor's University
Week 2:
- Activity 1: Favourite Film
Favourite film 1 - Constantine (2005)
Fig 1.1 (Constantine Cover Page) - Week 2
I'm not really someone who watches a lot of movies, but Constantine (2005) is one of my favorate. I like stories about superpowers, mythology, and the struggle between light and darkness. And Constantine has all of that..
What makes the movie special? I think it must be the character of John Constantine. He is strong and clever when fighting with the demons, but deep in his heart, there are full of flaws and struggles. That combination makes him feel "real", and I can connect to that, by imaging if there is a world out there that I didn't know. I like seeing how he faces evil directly, even when it's terrifying. I've always had the idea of standing up to dark forces.
For me, Constantine isn't just about action or special effects. It's about resilience, sacrifice, and the possibility of redemption, even when things seem hopeless. That makes it more than just a movie.
Favourite film 2 - The Truman Show (1998)
Fig 1.2 (Truman Show Cover Page) - Week 2
Even though I don't usually watch a lot of movies, "The Truman Show" (1998) really caught my attention. It's different from the supernatural or mythology films I normally like, but I was truely connected with it because it deeply it makes me think about life and freedom.
Trumanwas living in a world that was secretly controlled by human. Watching him slowly realize the truth about his own life made me think about my daily live. Everything i've experienced in daily life, is it real? I felt a strong emotional connection to his courage, choosing to leave the only world he had ever known and find out the truth.
Sometimes when I watch "The Truman Show", I can't help but wonder if I'm also living in a world like that; one when everything looks normal, but is actually been controlled in and I have no idea about it. What I admire most is Truman's courage to leave. If it were me, I don't think I'd have the reckless bravery to leave behind a safe and stable life, and take such a big risk. That's one of the reasons I respect him so much, he has the courage to do what many people couldn't.
Another part of the film that makes me feeling uncomfortable is the feeling of being watched all the time. The thought of living without freedom, always under other people's eyes, feels as if I'm in hell. That's why I feel a connection with Truman, I wouldn't be anything that lives in a cage. I yearn for freedom, even if it's uncertain. The film reminds me that to break free, to find something real, is much more stronger than the comfort of a safe but false world.
Favourite film 3 - The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Fig 1.3 (The Shawshank Redemption Cover Page) - Week 2
The Shawshank Redemption is a film that really stays with me. Andy Dufresne's story of being wrongly locked away in jail for years and never giving up feels both painful and inspiring. What touches me the most is how it shows that even in the darkest, most hopeless places, people can still hold on to strength and the will to live.
I admire Andy a lot. He never loses his calm or his belief that freedom is worth fighting for, even when it takes years of patience. Watching him slowly dig his way out of prison made me think more on his personalities, about how persistence he is. And allow me to understand even in small steps, can eventually lead to something amazing.
For me, the prison also feels like a symbol of the limits and struggles in life. What touched me is that Andy never gave up on his dream of freedom. It reminded me that no matter how hard life feels sometimes, I should never let go of the hope for my own kind of “Zihuatanejo", a place of peace and freedom I want to reach one day.
- Activity 2: Kitbull
Fig 1.4 (KitBull Cover Page) - Week 2
Who are the main characters?
The story is about a small stray kitten and a dog (pit bull). The kitten is tiny, cautious, and it doesn't trust anyone easily, while the pit bull looks scary at first but turns out to be gentle desires love and friendship.
Is there a character you identify with most?
I see myself in the kitten. At the start, it's defensive and prefers to be alone because it was scared of getting hurt. But little by little, the time pass by, it learned how to trust, it then lets the dog get close. I feel the same sometimes because I take time to trust people, but deep down I really want connection too.
Where does the movie take place? Is it one world or multiple worlds?
The whole film takes place in a small backyard surrounded by fences and trash. It's not a big or magical place, but it feels real and meaningful. The simple setting makes the bond between the kitten and the pit bull, and make them stand out even more, showing how friendship can grow anywhere.
Week 3:
- Activity 1: Understand character's personality From pixar short "BAO"(2018)
Fig 2 (BAO Cover Page) - Week 3
- The Mother (Main Character / Protagonist)
Role: Main character of the story. She plays a character of a loving, caring, and overprotective mother.
Personality Traits: Lonely, overprotective, emotional.
- The Bao (The Boy)
Role: Imaginated character representing the mother's real son. He begins as a Bao that comes to life.
Personality Traits: Innocent, playful, curious, later rebellious and independent.
- The Father
Role: A minor character in the story. He represents the typical, quiet husband who observes the relationship between mother and his son "Bao."
Personality Traits: Calm, supportive, detached.
- The Real Son (Adult Version)
Role: Appears later in the story as the real human son of the mother.
Personality Traits: Independent, distant at first, but caring.
- Activity 2: External and Internal Features From pixar short "BAO"(2018)
External Features:
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The mother is a middle-aged Chinese woman with short black hair and a round face.
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She is often wears a simple, comfortable casual clothes, like a blouse and pants, showing her modest and traditional lifestyle.
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Her small size and gentle movements make her look caring and nurturing.
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She is usually in the kitchen, cooking, which reflects her warmth and family-centered nature.
Internal Features:
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She is loving and nurturing, always caring for her family and wanting to make them happy through food and attention.
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She is also lonely, as her husband is quiet and her real son has grown up and left, which makes her wanting someone to accompany her.
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Deep inside, she is afraid of losing the people she loves, which makes her overprotective and controlling.
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However, she also shows emotional growth, which she learns to let go, forgive, and accept change when her real son comes back to reconnect with her.
- Activity 3: Wants and Needs From pixar short "BAO"(2018)
- The Mother (Main Character / Protagonist)
Wants: The Mother wants to keep her child close to her forever.
Needs: She needs to learn to let go and accept that children must grow up and become independent.
What do they want most?
She wants her child to stay close to her and never leave.
Who do they want to become?
She wants to be the perfect, caring mother who keeps her family together.
What might they need in order to succeed?
She needs to learn how to let go, accept change, and trust that her love will always connect her to her son, even when he grows up.
- The Bao (The Boy)
Wants: Bao wants freedom and independence from his mother's control.
Needs: He needs to understand his mother's love and the importance of family connection.
What do they want most?
He wants freedom to live his own life without being controlled.
Who do they want to become?
He wants to become an independent person who can make his own choices.
What might they need in order to succeed?
He needs to understand his mother's feelings and find balance between independence and family love.
- The Father
Wants: The Father wants peace and harmony in the family.
Needs: He needs to express his feelings more and support his wife emotionally.
What do they want most?
He wants his family to be happy and peaceful.
Who do they want to become?
He wants to be a supportive husband and father.
What might they need in order to succeed?
He needs to be more emotionally open and communicate better with his wife and son.
- Activity 4: External and Internal obstacle From pixar short "BAO"(2018)
- The Mother (Main Character / Protagonist)
External Obstacle: Her "child" grows up and wants to leave home, creating distance between them. She cannot stop him from becoming independent.
Internal Obstacle: Her fear of loneliness and scard of losing. She struggles with accepting that her love must change as her child grows.
- The Bao (The Boy)
External Obstacle: His mother's overprotectiveness stops him from having freedom and living his own life.
Internal Obstacle: His guilt and confusion about leaving his mother. Even if he wants independence, but he still loves her.
- The Father
External Obstacle: The growing tension between his wife and "Bao." He couldn't fix their relationship easily.
Internal Obstacle: His quiet nature. He finds it hard to express his emotions or comfort his wife to be more openly.
- Activity 5: Character Arc From pixar short "BAO"(2018)
What she wants at the beginning:
At the start, the Mother wants to keep her child close to her forever. She wants him to stay small, dependent, and always by her side so she won't feel lonely.
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What she realizes she needs by the end:
By the end, she realizes that real love means letting go, which she have to allow her child to grow up, make his own choices, and live his own life. She learns that she cannot hold on to him forever, but their bond will still remain strong.
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How she has changed after overcoming her obstacle:
At first, she is overprotective and controlling, she's unable to accept change. After losing "Bao" and later reuniting with her real son, she becomes more understanding, open, and accepting. She learns that love is not about control, but about trust and acceptance.
- Activity 6: Stake From pixar short "BAO"(2018)
Important Choice:
The Mother had to decide whether to let her son leave and live on his own or never let him go.
What Were the Stakes:
The stakes were very high because this choice represented her greatest fear, to lose her child's love and being alone again. If she let him go, she risked feeling lonely and heartbroken. But if she held on too tightly, she would hurt their relationship and lose him emotionally.
Type of Conflict:
This is mainly an internal and philosophical conflict.
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Internal: She struggles inside herself between love and control, and between wanting to protect her son and realizing she must let him grow.
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Philosophical: It represents the universal truth that parents must eventually let go and trust their children to live independently.
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