Once I had a clearer idea of genres and styles, I realised I needed to think about my audience. Knowing who I’m making this short film for will guide my decisions about story, tone, and visuals.

To gather information, I created a short survey for my classmates. I asked what kinds of animated shorts they enjoyed, what platforms they watched them on, and whether they preferred emotional stories, comedies, or experimental pieces.

The results showed that most people liked simple, emotional stories that could be understood quickly. Comedy was also popular, but many said it only worked if the timing was really strong. Almost no one preferred complex plots, which makes sense for short films.

I also asked about visual styles. Most respondents liked clean, colourful 2D designs over very realistic or dark styles. A few mentioned that they liked minimalist art as long as the animation itself was smooth.

Learning outcome

As part of my research, I studied how characters move in professional short films to understand how movement can convey personality, emotion, and story. Observing existing animations helps me plan believable and expressive movements for my own 5-minute short film about four friends.

I also researched silhouette design. If a character’s outline is easy to recognise, they remain identifiable even without details. This is especially useful for short films where every second counts.

Another principle I studied was exaggeration. Characters in animation don’t need to look realistic, but they should be able to move and emote in a way that feels believable. For example, bigger eyes and clear facial features help communicate emotions faster.

Image by Google

Colour was another factor I explored. Many designers use limited palettes to keep characters simple but memorable. For example, one strong accent colour can make a character stand out without overcomplicating the design.

Image by Google

From this research, I learned that my characters should be:

• Based on clear, simple shapes.
• Easy to identify by silhouette.
• Designed with expressive features that are quick to animate.
• Coloured with a limited, striking palette.

I started by looking at other slice-of-life animated shorts on platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, and film festival websites. Many of these were made for young adults or teenagers, especially those interested in emotional or nostalgic storytelling. This group appreciates animation that feels sincere and artistic, even if it’s simple.

I also looked at online comments and reviews to see how people respond to different animations. In one comment section, a viewer said they cried watching a short about a lonely character who finds hope. This helped me realise how emotionally powerful short films can be when they connect with the viewer's personal experiences.

Based on this, I’ve decided that my target audience will be ages 15 to 25, people who enjoy calm, reflective stories with strong visual storytelling. They might be students, artists, or casual viewers who love animation as a creative medium.

                        

To make my research stronger, I also spoke to a few people in my age group. I asked them what they like in animated shorts. Most said they prefer quiet stories, relatable characters, and nice visuals over action-packed scenes. One friend mentioned that background music matters a lot — it helps set the mood and gives the story more feeling.

This was really useful because it confirmed that my ideas were on the right track. I want my animation to feel peaceful, a little emotional, and visually soothing, something that my audience can connect with personally.

I’ve now made a list of features my animation should include to suit this audience:

• A simple, relatable storyline

• A calm tone and soft pacing

• Expressive facial animations

• Gentle background music

• A comforting, hand-drawn look

Understanding my audience gives me a clear goal as I move forward with planning the story and characters. In my next blog post, I’ll start working on the storyboard and narrative structure! 

How This Will Help My Romantic Fantasy Animation Project

Researching my target audience helps me shape the story, characters, and visual style to match what viewers enjoy and connect with. Knowing their preferences ensures my romantic fantasy animation will be engaging and emotionally appealing, making the final project more impactful and memorable.

After researching my audience, I wanted to explore how short films actually tell stories in such a limited time. Unlike feature-length films, animated shorts often have just a few minutes to make an impact, so I needed to study the techniques that make them effective.

I started by re watching some of the shorts from my inspiration playlist, but this time I focused only on how the story was communicated. Many films didn’t use much dialogue at all. Instead, they relied on visual storytelling—facial expressions, body language, colour changes, and sound effects.


Paperman short film by Disney

In one scene from Paperman, the two main characters meet by accident when a piece of paper hits the woman’s face. Through their facial expressions and body language, the audience can understand their emotions without any dialogue. The use of subtle movements and timing makes the moment feel natural and romantic.


I also noticed that good shorts often used a simple but powerful narrative structure. Most followed a very clear beginning, middle, and end, but in a compressed way. For example, some introduced a character’s problem within the first 20 seconds, showed their struggle, and ended with a twist or resolution.The Lost Thing is a 2010 Australian animated short film directed by Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann.



Beginning: We are introduced to the main character, Shaun, a young boy who notices a strange, large, mechanical creature on the beach — his problem is immediately clear: the creature doesn’t belong anywhere.
Middle: Shaun struggles to find a place where the creature fits in. He tries different people and places, showing his persistence and emotional investment.
End: The story resolves with a twist: Shaun discovers a hidden society of lost things where the creature belongs.

Another technique I studied was symbolism. Some films used objects, colours, or repeated actions to represent emotions or ideas. This was a clever way to add depth without needing extra time or dialogue.

I realised that pacing was just as important as the plot. Shorts that lingered too long on one scene felt slow, but films that rushed through moments lost their emotional impact. The best ones had a rhythm that matched the tone of the story.

From this research, I learned that my film should:

Focus on a clear, simple story arc.

Use visuals instead of dialogue to save time.

Include strong expressions, colours, and sound to communicate emotions quickly.

When I started developing my animation project, after exploring different ideas, I realized that romantic fantasy was the perfect fit for both my creative vision and my audience.

I  noticed that my audience (my school friends) mostly  enjoy reading books related to romantic fantasy. This shows that they are already familiar with and interested in this type of storytelling. Because of this, choosing the same genre for my animation helps me connect more effectively with them. It increases the chances that they will engage with my story and relate to the characters.

One of the main reasons I chose this genre is because of my target audience. Most of my audience is between the ages of 18–25, and from my research, I found that they are highly interested in stories about relationships and romance. They enjoy watching characters fall in love, face challenges, and grow emotionally. Romantic fantasy gives me the opportunity to explore these themes in a way that feels fresh and visually exciting.

Romantic fantasy is a genre that combines love stories with magical elements, supernatural events, and imaginary worlds. What I really like about this genre is how it blends emotional storytelling with creativity. Instead of a simple love story, it allows me to build a world where magic exists, where unusual situations can bring characters together, and where emotions can be expressed in a more powerful and symbolic way.

Another important reason is the idea of escaping reality. Many people in this age group deal with stress, responsibilities, and real-life challenges. Fantasy worlds offer a break from that. They allow the audience to step into a completely different environment filled with magic, adventure, and wonder. By combining this with romance, I can create a story that not only entertains but also gives the audience a sense of comfort and escape from real-world dilemmas.

Via Google

From a creative perspective, romantic fantasy gives me more freedom. I can design unique characters, magical settings, and imaginative scenes that wouldn’t be possible in a realistic genre. It allows me to experiment with colors, lighting, and visual effects while still focusing on emotional storytelling.

Learning Tip

From this process, I learned that choosing a genre is not just about personal preference—it’s also about understanding your audience. By researching what my audience enjoys, such as romance and fantasy books, I was able to make a more informed decision.

I also learned that combining genres can make a story more engaging. In this case, mixing romance with fantasy creates both emotional depth and visual creativity. This approach helped me develop a stronger concept for my animation project.

How this will help my final project

Overall, this experience help to realize me the importance of research, planning, and audience awareness when creating any media product.

After watching different short films for inspiration, I wanted to research the genres and styles used in animation. I realised that before starting my own film, I need to know what kind of story I’m telling and which style will work best for it.

I began by looking at common short film genres: comedy, fantasy, slice-of-life, and experimental. Comedy shorts often rely on exaggerated motion and timing for humour. Fantasy uses imaginative characters and worlds, while slice-of-life focuses on everyday moments told in a creative way.

Paperman

Paperman is a 2012 black-and-white animated short film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and directed by John Kahrs.

Photo credits : Google

This short film falls under the romance genre. I noticed that it uses soft music, black-and-white visuals, and gentle character movements to create an emotional and intimate feeling. There is very little dialogue, but the story is still clear through expressions and actions. This helped me understand that romance in animation often relies heavily on visual storytelling rather than words.

Bao

Bao is a 2018 animated short film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Written and directed by Domee Shi.

I also looked at Bao, which combines family drama and fantasy. What I found interesting was how the film used food as a central theme while still telling a deep emotional story. The fantasy element (a dumpling coming to life) made the story unique and engaging, while the emotional core made it relatable. This showed me that genres can be combined effectively to create something original.

The Present
The Present is a 2014 animated short film directed and co-written by Jacob Frey, based on a comic strip by Fabio Coala.





This short fits into the drama genre and focuses on emotional storytelling. It uses a simple narrative and a small number of characters, but still creates a strong emotional impact. I noticed that the animation style is quite simple, yet very effective. This made me realise that I don’t need overly complex animation to tell a meaningful story.


What I have learned from this research and How this will help my final project

For my own animated short film, I am interested in combining romance and fantasy. My research has helped me understand how I can use genre conventions while also adding my own creative ideas. I now feel more confident in choosing a direction for my story.

Whilst continuing to mind map my ideas, I started exploring different concepts within the romantic fantasy genre. I wanted to understand how other animated films combine romance, emotion, and magical elements to create engaging stories. By researching and watching a few films, I was able to develop multiple ideas and get inspiration for my own project. Here are a few that influenced me:

Via Google

A Whisker Away by Tomotaka Shibayama, Junichi Sato

This film tells the story of a girl who has a crush on a boy but struggles to express her feelings. She uses a magical mask that allows her to transform into a cat and get closer to him. The story mixes romance with fantasy elements and explores themes of identity, emotions, and connection. I found this idea interesting because it shows how magic can be used as a way to express hidden feelings.

Suzume  by Makoto Shinkai

This film follows a young girl who meets a mysterious boy and gets involved in closing magical doors that cause disasters. While the story has fantasy and adventure elements, it also includes emotional connections and relationships between characters. I liked how the film balances large-scale fantasy with personal emotional moments.

Castle in the Sky By Hayao Miyazaki

This story follows two young characters searching for a floating city in the sky. Along the journey, they build a strong bond while facing danger and mystery. The film combines adventure, fantasy, and subtle romance, showing how relationships can develop naturally through shared experiences.

Learning Tip

From researching these films, I learned that developing ideas is not just about coming up with something new—it’s also about understanding what already works. By analysing existing animated movies, I was able to see how romance and fantasy are blended together through characters, storylines, and magical elements.

How this will help my final project

This process helped me improve my idea generation skills and gave me a clearer direction for my own animation project. It also taught me that mind mapping and research are very important steps before starting production, as they help build stronger and more creative concepts.

 

To begin my research for creating an animated short film, I decided to watch a variety of existing short animations. I wanted to see how professional animators told complete stories in just a few minutes, since my own project will need to do the same.

I started with award-winning shorts films on YouTube. I made a small playlist so I could re watch the most inspiring ones and take notes. There was mostly 3D short films but decided to mostly focus on the 2D ones.

One of the main things I noticed was that short films don’t waste time. The best ones establish characters and tone within the first 30 seconds. For example, some used visual cues instead of dialogue, like exaggerated facial expressions or color changes, to show emotions quickly.

I also paid attention to different art styles. Some shorts had very detailed backgrounds, while others used minimal, sketch-like visuals. This showed me that the style doesn’t need to be complicated—what matters most is consistency and clarity.                                   (I made a mood board on Canva with screenshots of the short films)https://app.milanote.com/1URBuz17nonB31?p=z5b72pTb6Zg



Another key observation was pacing. Some shorts felt rushed, while others flowed smoothly. The ones I enjoyed most had a rhythm that matched the mood of the story, whether it was fast-paced comedy or slow and emotional.

From this research, I learned that my film should:

• Keep the story simple and focused.
• Use visuals and movement to replace long dialogue.
• Stick to a consistent style that I can manage in Clip Studio Paint.

How this will help my final project

Now that I’ve analyzed a few animated short films, I need to decide what genre and visual style I want to use for my own project. This is a big step in the planning process because it will shape everything — from the characters to the backgrounds and the mood of the story.