Project Viability Study
1. Introduction and Proposed Project
Introduction
The project I will be working on is a short film for entertainment purposes I will be working with local artist and previous collaborator in the creation process to help realise the project.
Proposed Project
This project is a 30 to 20 minute film aimed at younger audiences using puppets as the main characters in the film. We aim to create a tryptic film that tells three different connected stories all linked by a shared experience with a ghost, this ghost will teach each character a useful life lesson that gives them a simple character arc. Using my skills in music and video I will be filming, editing and scoring the film, as well as the other collaborative parts like writing and planning.
Goals
My goals for this project are to learn and develop skills in creating a film. I am very excited to learn how to score a project as it is something I’ve wanted to do for a while. I have also wanted to create short films for a long while so I view this project as a good way to start learning and developing skills for the future.
Personnel – Direct/Indirect
The person I will be working with is Tallula Bell, a visual communication student at Leeds arts university. Studying visual communication means that they can work in any medium, their work is graded on how well an idea is executed or communicated. This means that they are a good artist to collaborate with as they are not limited as a creative. For this project Tallula’s role will consist of designing and making the puppets for our film, as well as making props, storyboarding and also working on the plot for the film with me.
2. Methodology and Rationale
Methodology and Rationale
When I was a student I began becoming very interested in films, specifically arthouse films. I began watching Twin Peaks which had inspired a lot of the television I had enjoyed as a child. This combined with my interest in photography meant that as I grew up I began to appreciate cinematography in cinema more and more. After getting a second hand handy-cam from my collage I began filming all the time. Recently, in university I started to create music videos, these would tend to favour visuals and aesthetics over things like plot and structure. Recently I worked with Tallula on a video that accompanied music I had written and recorded for an album. Lately the urge to create a film myself has been building, without any ideas or direction this assignment provided a perfect opportunity for me. This project is also beneficial for Tallula as she intends to use this film to develop her skills in education.
3. Market Analysis
Market Analysis
By looking at youtube there are lots of other projects that can be compared to our short film, specifically short videos made in the “Analog Horror” genre. In the last three or four years analog horror has become a popular online genre of short film or video It consists of old VHS and videotape aesthetics combined with eerie visuals. Whilst our film wouldn’t be considered horror I still think it shares similar influences with analog horror, and given the fact that old children’s media can have an eerie vibe I think there would be some overlap.
Given that our goals are more about creating an artistic piece of work that functions as entertainment than making something commercially successful, I still believe that there is a market for a short independent film like ours. “Over the past decade, we have witnessed a steady rise in the number of independent films being recognized at major film festivals and award ceremonies.” Tom McGorrian, states that audiences have been enjoying and praising indie films more than before citing movies like Anora, Parasite and Moonlight as the most notable and successful this combined with the success of short films uploaded to youtube such as “The Backrooms” I believe that there is potential for the film to be successful.
Your Market/Target Audience
Our target audience would be children aged from 12 to 15 however we intend for the film to be enjoyed by someone of any age. Our film would share a similar target audience to a show like “Gravity falls” this aired from 2012 to 2016 but I remember enjoying it all the way to 2020 when I was 15 and beyond that. The show is close to something like Scooby Doo, featuring monsters and supernatural phenomena being solved or discovered by the main cast, our film would appeal to a similar type of audience. There is potential for an older audience too since we are inspired by shows like Bagpuss which began in 1974.
4. Costs and Budgeting
Hypothetical Budget
The hypothetical budget would be quite low for this project considering we would film locally use free editing software and make the props ourselves we end up saving in a lot of areas. However, we still need to use equipment to create the film.
The camera I am using is a “Sony handycam hdr-cx405” This camera costs £198 as well as the micro SD card which usually costs around £12. The materials that were using to make the puppets costed £22 from a big art supplies and scrap warehouse. Since we don’t know which light we will be using in the film i looked online and found a light that suits our needs for £27.99.
All together this would cost £259.99
Potential Funding
If we did require funding for this project we would look into the British Film Institute as they can provide loans to film-makers or crowdfunding as I believe we could get people interested in the project.
5. Inspiration and Influences
Inspiration and Influences
The main inspiration for the film is going to be old children’s television shows like Bagpuss that have a nostalgic and cosy feel to them as well as other puppet films like the muppets and little shop of horrors. Because some of the inspirations are older they can feel almost eerie and strange but to me that is part of the appeal, so for our film i wouldn’t mind if it went into a more eerie place but since the target audience is children around the age of 12 or 13 it would have to be in moderation.
I am inspired a lot by the lighting in a films. For example in the film “I Saw The TV Glow” they use a consistent purple and blue colour scheme, they achieve this with stylised and unique lights, whilst the film itself goes into some heavy themes I found that visually the film looked quite beautiful and comforting. This is something that I aim to replicate in my film using lights that are available to people on Tallula’s course.
When it comes to musical influences I am inspired by artists that use a lot of lo-fi recording techniques, such as The Microphones or Mage tears, two artists that use tapes to record their music, for the score I think that using cassettes will be really good for creating a nostalgic feeling as well as giving the work a very textural feel. Using tape usually brings a lot of pitch artefacts and hiss to the music this is something that I believe will aid the film’s aesthetics and compliment well with the older look of the camera we’re using.
Another musical inspiration comes from the film Aftersun the story is told through memories of a summer holiday with the protagonists father, the soundtrack for the film is electronic and ambient, genres that I have worked in and listened to before. What I especially appreciated about the score is the emotional impact, this element of the music is what stuck with me most after viewing the film. When it comes to creating my score my aim isn’t to bring the audience to tears but I would like to use nostalgic and emotional qualities in my music.
6. Contingency/Risk Assessment
Contingency/Risk Assessment
In my opinion this project will be fairly low risk, I don’t believe there would be any special measures put in place aside from the usual care with equipment. Since we are filming in the local area we don’t require public transport or a car.
7. Potential for Development
Potential for Development
If this film did gain any traction online it could lead to other film projects in the future, whether that be another film created with Tallula or entirely new projects that I could work on with different people. If the film doesn’t gain any attention aside from friends, family and online promotion from our small accounts it will definitely provide as a good portfolio piece to help in my career and artistic journey.
8. Evaluation Viability
Evaluation Viability
In week eight and nine we had to pitch our projects to each other to gain feedback on the viability of our collaborations. The feedback was very positive and everyone voted on the project being viable. In the room for improvement section a couple people listed time management as something to look into, because of this I we set a weekly date where we would discuss progress, planning and ideas I also made a rough chart for us to help keep up with progress and not lose motivation. Aside from this the feedback was very encouraging people said they were excited to see the finished project and thought it was a unique idea.
Example of test music made for the film
9. Bibliography
Bibliography
Works Cited
_ Boisvert. “Take Care.” Www.youtube.com, 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZh5YxDpuK4.
Aftersun. Directed by Charlotte Wells, 2022.
Amazon. “Amazon.co.uk : Micro Sd Card 64gb.” Amazon.co.uk, 2025, www.amazon.co.uk/micro-sd-card-64gb/s?k=micro+sd+card+64gb. Accessed 10 Dec. 2025.
—. “Neewer Dimmable 5600K USB LED Video Light with pro Adjustable Tripod Stand and Color Filters, 2-Pack for Tabletop/Low-Angle Shooting, Zoom/Video Conference Lighting/Gaming/YouTube Video/Photography: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo.” Amazon.co.uk, 2025, www.amazon.co.uk/Neewer-Dimmable-Adjustable-Tabletop-Photography/dp/B07T8FBZC2?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE. Accessed 10 Dec. 2025.
Bagpuss. 1974.
British Film Institute. “BFI NETWORK England Short Film Funding.” BFI, www.bfi.org.uk/get-funding-support/bfi-network/bfi-network-england-short-film-funding.
Gooseworx. “BLUE_CHANNEL: THALASIN.” Www.youtube.com, 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td2x8s9GZlo.
Hirsch, Alex. Gravity Falls. Disney, 2012.
I Saw the Tv Glow. Directed by Jane Schoenbrun, 2024.
Lynch, David. Twin Peaks. 1990.
McGorrian, Tom. “Comment: Anora and the Resurgence of Independent Cinema.” Bucks.ac.uk, 10 Mar. 2025, www.bucks.ac.uk/news/comment-anora-and-resurgence-independent-cinema.
SONY. “Sony CX405 Handycam® with Exmor RTM CMOS Sensor.” Sony, www.sony.co.uk/electronics/handycam-camcorders/hdr-cx405.
The Muppets. Directed by James Bobin, 2011.
