Initial Idea (Short Film)
I’ve decided to make a short film this year, and I will be performing in it. The idea is to create something that meets industry standards and looks as professional and high quality as possible. This time, I want to make something that could easily fit as a short film for the industry or film festivals. I’m aiming to use copyright-free music or, if possible, ask someone to compose an original theme for me. I will probably work with the media makeup team again to give my short film a unique look.
I have different ideas for the film’s title, such as “Smile” and “The Paradise of a Lover.” After careful consideration, I’ve decided to go with “The Paradise of a Lover” as the title for my short film.
I’m aiming to make the short film to be about self love and
Inspiration
My inspiration has been these beautiful songs, composed with love and passion, that have made me look up to them as an artist and decide that this will be the atmosphere I will be adding to my short film.
The calm and beauty of these songs have been very inspiring to me, and I believe that if I use music like this for my short film, it will be great for creating a captivating ambiance. These songs bring emotions with them, which is a very powerful thing. Music can affect your mood and mental health a lot, so it’s essential to use it well when you’re making a short film.
Estopa are a popular duo from Cornellà, Spain. The band consists of the brothers José and David Muñoz, who sing different sounds reflecting many genres, including rock, rumba and flamenco. Their first album, Estopa, has sold over 1,000,000 copies to date. Their latest album, Voces de Ultrarumba, sold more than 200,000 copies on its first day of release. Their music has made them one of the most successful rock groups in Spanish history.(to, 2011)
“as Saleem Raza (Urdu: سلِیم رضا), was a Pakistani playback singerand started his singing career from Lahore, Pakistan, quickly gaining popularity. Raza was a classically- trained singer and was more famous for singing sad songs. Raza’s career suffered due to the rise of singer Ahmed Rushdi in the late 1950s. He left playback singing in 1966 as he lost his popularity with the film composers and moved to Canada where he died in 1983.[1][2]“(Wikipedia Contributors, 2025)
“Mehdi Hassan (Urdu: مہدی حسن), respectfully called Khan Sahib and titled as “Shahenshah-e-Ghazal” (English: King of Ghazals), was a prolific Pakistani ghazal singer and a former film-playback singer.Mehdi Hassan was born in the village of Luna in Rajasthan, India in 1927 into a family of rich traditional musicians. He claimed to be the 16th generation of hereditary musicians hailing from the Kalawant. Mehdi Hassan received his musical training and grooming under his father, Ustad Azeem Khan and his uncle Ustad Ismail Khan who were classical musicians and well-versed in Dhrupad and Khayal singing. They instructed him in classical music and voice rendition within the framework of classical forms of Thumri, Dhrupad, Khayal and Dadra, from the young age of eight. After the Partition of India, 20 year-old Mehdi Hassan and his family migrated to Pakistan and suffered severe financial hardships. To make ends meet, Mehdi Hassan began working in a bicycle shop and later became a car and diesel tractor mechanic. Despite the hardships, his passion for music didn’t wither and he kept up the routine of practice (Riyaaz) on a daily basis.The struggle ended when Mehdi Hassan was given the opportunity to sing on Radio Pakistan in 1952, primarily as a Thumri singer, which earned him recognition within the musical fraternity. At the time, Ustad Barkat Ali Khan, Begum Akhtar and Mukhtar Begum were considered the stalwarts of Ghazal Gayaki (genre).“(Last.fm, 2024)
Gazals
“Pronounciation: “guzzle”) Originally an Arabic verse form dealing with loss and romantic love, medieval Persian poets embraced the ghazal, eventually making it their own. Consisting of syntactically and grammatically complete couplets, the form also has an intricate rhyme scheme. Each couplet ends on the same word or phrase (the radif), and is preceded by the couplet’s rhyming word (the qafia, which appears twice in the first couplet). The last couplet includes a proper name, often of the poet’s. In the Persian tradition, each couplet was of the same meter and length, and the subject matter included both erotic longing and religious belief or mysticism. English-language poets who have composed in the form include Adrienne Rich, John Hollander, and Agha Shahid Ali; see Ali’s “Tonight” and Patricia Smith’s “Hip-Hop Ghazal.”(The Poetry Foundation, 2024)
Self Assessment
I have developed multiple skills and abilities in filmmaking that I am looking to improve in this project. I am great at teamwork and leadership, which are essential for making a short film. I will be working as a director, writer, and actor for this project, and I will also be editing and producing the short film. I have a lot of experience in these areas because I have been working in them for my previous projects. I have succeeded in these areas by delivering amazing projects that are high quality both visually and in terms of the script. I’ve completed three projects where I worked in these areas, so I am well-experienced in them, as well as working on other projects that my friends were making. I have demonstrated my capabilities and skills in these areas multiple times and in various forms, for example when I collaborated with the media makeup students or with my friends. I’m looking forward to surpassing the expectations that the tutors and students have of me and delivering the best of myself, which is always my goal, these skills My experience involves directing, acting, writing, time management, socialising, editing, branding, marketing, teamwork, leadership, and working as a camera operator and much more. I have been working in filmmaking and creative media for 3 years which has given me the opportunity to I have acquired many different skill sets, from making films and podcasts to broadcasting, documentaries, and modeling.
I am really good at problem-solving and adapting to challenges, so I feel confident in this project and capable of handling it. In my last project, I aimed to overcome personal limits and define myself as an artist, which I feel I succeeded in. I am very confident in working in filmmaking, not just because of the skills I mentioned, but also because of my endless passion for it. This passion has helped me a lot in previous projects to overcome struggles, define myself as an artist, and prove that I’m more capable than I thought. I have demonstrated that I am a very good director through working with a team and solving problems such as organising, time management, and communication. For example, I once lost the audio for my podcast. Instead of giving up or stressing out, I understood that negative thoughts or actions would only make the situation worse. So, I decided to redo the audio, telling myself, ‘This gives me the opportunity to do this better than last time.
3 Ideas
Short film
I thought of making a short film, which is one of my strong areas. I wanted to change the genre this time and do something else, not a thriller. After some thought, I have decided to go back to one of my favourite topics, which is really powerful as well: mental health. This time, I want to make something that is industry standard and seems like a professional short film. I want to take the next step and do even better than my last short film. I want to overcome myself and set a new target for me.
Musical
I have always had a very deep connection with music, and I have always wanted to make something related to it. So, I was thinking of adding some music to my short film, which I might do, by adding some songs that I sing myself. Music is essential for a film because it creates very strong ambient for the scenario or for the character, it can represent a region or have a meaning not just for the film but for the audience which can be more submerged in,
A song
As I mentioned, I have a huge passion for music, and I’ve been wanting to create a song or musical for a long time now. I aim to mix South Asian songs with Spanish ones, drawing inspiration from bands like Estopa, Juanes, and Fito & Fitipaldis, as well as South Asian artists like Ali Zafar, Kishore Kumar, and Mohammad Rafi. Music has a significant impact on mental health, and it’s an important part of many people’s lives, which is why it’s one of my three main ideas. I’ve wanted to make a cover for a long time now, and because I have such a passion for music, I think I will eventually do that during my FMP (Final Major Project).
Presentation
I have decided to make a presentation that’s short and direct to the point because I don’t want to lose the attention of the people I am presenting to. I have chosen to use colourful designs for my presentation because it’s something that seems really attractive to the eyesight and very optimistic.
Feedback
Pitch Feedback:
You have highlighted three detailed ideas for you’re FMP project and have identified the pros and cons to each.
You’re explanation of music to enhance emotion and the title you have coined is good but now needs to be developed further by looking at characters and the plot.
You have explained which skills you will work on improving and during the Q&A what you’re next steps are. A recommendation would be to incorporate a mood board to further understand how you’re short film will come across visually.
EVALUATION
I needed more visuals in my presentation and to add more videos and examples of how I want my short film to look. I will also add an action plan that can help support my presentation and engage more with the audience. Additionally, I will be adding more visual boards and pictures that represent the type of cinematography I’m aiming for, not just camera angles. I also need to add the colours or filters I will be using.
Something else I need to add is to talk more about my characters and how they’re going to be, as well as discuss the plot in more detail and provide a brief synopsis.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
to, C. (2011). Spanish pop rock & rumba duo from Cornellà de Llobregat (Barcelona). [online] Wikipedia.org. Available at: https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estopa [Accessed 23 Apr. 2025].
Wikipedia Contributors (2025). Saleem Raza (singer).
Wikipedia.The Poetry Foundation. (2024). Ghazal. [online] Available at: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/education/glossary/ghazal.
Last.fm. (2024). Mehdi Hassan music, videos, stats, and photos | Last.fm. [online] Available at: https://www.last.fm/music/Mehdi+Hassan/ [Accessed 23 Apr. 2025].