My main reason for doing this project is so that for my final year in Project's Day, I could do a project I enjoyed and excel in that. Last year, me and my group members lost interest in our project by April, causing us to fail semi-finals. I was determined not to let that happen to me again, so I chose a topic I knew I would love - animated films.

 

Film is a very unique artform that has the ability to reach out to the masses and influence their ideas and opinions. I have always enjoyed analysing films to find the ways they tell stories and teach lessons. Animated films in particular have commonly been thought of as lesser films because the vast majority of people view them as "kid's movies", meaning they cannot possibly have the same amount of emotional and philosophical depth as "adult movies". While it is true that movies aimed towards children are different from movies aimed towards adults, I do believe these so-called "kid's movies" can be just as impactful and interesting as movies made for adults. Movies for kids have many more restraints than movies for adults, and it is truly inspiring to see professional storytellers put in their best to make a film entertaining to children and adults. Obviously, not every kid's film is a masterpiece (I would gladly rip apart every Disney Direct-to-Video sequel if I had the time), but at the same time I find analysing animated films to be much more rewarding. These films are the ones that will impact the next generation, and it is important to find out what makes a film successful and more importantly, what message each film sends to its audience.

 

One thing I have learnt throughout this year is that if you are forced into learning something, it might as well be something you would have wanted to learn. I highly doubt any of my research is going to be a major breakthrough in film studies, but this project was never intended to be that (I am 16 after all). I wanted to do this project because I wanted to know how a film impacts a human, and as such what does the filmmaker do to take advantage of this knowledge. This information may not ever serve a practical use for me, but that is hardly the point of learning. To me, the point of learning is to enrich your life and enable you to find beauty in understanding the world around you. And now, I will be able to appreciate every grain of effort and love that goes into every frame of a masterpiece. It is truly lovely to know that you can see art where others see moving images.

 

However, this project has not always been smooth sailing. As much as I enjoy watching and analysing films, actually putting my ideas down in a script and powerpoint slides is a chore to me. This has led to rushed pieces of work and terrible presentations where my nervousness was palpable to everyone in the audience. I have also grown a healthy loathing of time limits as a result of this project. As it stands, I enjoy being verbose and excessive in my presentations and last-minute script writing hardly helps to ensure your script isn't overtime. As such, this webreport will be the first and last time anyone else has seen the entirety of my project, so I have tried to make it my final triumph (the lack of a time limit helps). 

 

Thank you and enjoy your day :)