From a young age, I’ve always been surrounded by art, mainly because my grandfather is a well-known cartoonist and artist. I used to watch him draw and paint using just paper, brushes, and colors, and it honestly fascinated me how he could turn simple ideas into something so creative. That really sparked my interest in art. At the same time, I grew up loving cartoons and animated films. Watching movies like Finding Nemo, Up, and Toy Story, along with 2D films from Studio Ghibli like Grave of the Fireflies and Spirited Away, made me really want to become a graphic artist and get into motion film production someday. Those films showed me how powerful animation can be when it comes to storytelling and emotions. That’s basically why I decided to create an animated short film for my Cambridge A2 Media project. It wasn’t easy at all—there were a lot of challenges along the way—but I learned so much during the whole process, and it felt really rewarding to create my own animated short film from scratch.
In my animated short film, I titled is as “Between Us” is about two young lovers in a fantasy world with magic, I realized that the story can have a lot more depth beneath the surface. Even though the visuals might feel soft, magical, and romantic, I can still use the themes to reflect real-world social groups and issues in a powerful way.
One example I can give is, it symbolized a strong idea is
social inequality or class differences. One character come from a powerful
magical family where spells are natural and celebrated, while the other has no
magic powers. Their relationship can reflect how society treats people
differently based on privilege, wealth, or background. The magical world
becomes a metaphor for real-life class systems, where some people are born into
advantage while others struggle to be accepted.
Another important factor, is it represent discrimination and
exclusion. In my fantasy setting, I showed how certain types of magic or even
certain people are looked down on—like those who don’t have magic, or those
whose powers are seen as strange or unstable. Through the relationship between
my two characters, I can challenge these ideas and show that those differences
shouldn’t matter. This connects to real-world issues like racism, caste
systems, and social stigma, but in a more symbolic way. Using a fantasy world
helps me present this message in a softer way, while still making it clear that
love and identity shouldn’t be judged by society’s narrow expectations.
Finally, since we as teenagers and young adults are growing
up in a world filled with conflicts, war, and uncertainty, I wanted my short film
to feel like a small escape from all of that. Instead of focusing on those
heavy and stressful realities, I chose to create something softer and more
comforting for my audience. Through a magical world and a gentle love story, I
want to give viewers a sense of calm, hope, and emotional relief—even if it’s
just for a few minutes.
Since my target audience is young adults, I want my animated
short film to feel something they can really connect with. For me, creating a
“brand” isn’t just about a logo or name—it’s more about the overall vibe of the
film and how everything feels consistent and recognizable.
First, I’d focus a lot on emotion and relatability.
Young adults usually connect with stories about love, confusion, and figuring
things out, so I want my characters to feel real and natural. Their
relationship shouldn’t feel forced or overly dramatic—it should feel soft, a
bit awkward maybe, and genuine. That emotional tone becomes a big part of my
film’s identity.
I mainly used Instagram as my primary social media platform.
The main reason I chose Instagram is because, after doing demographic research,
I found that my target audience—young adults—are more active on platforms like
Instagram and YouTube. This made it easier for me to reach them, share updates,
post visuals from my film, and build interest around my project.
When I started planning my animated short film, it didn’t
just randomly popup in my mind to choose the fantasy romance genre—It actually
based on both my personal interest and research. To support this, I conducted a
small Instagram poll where I asked young adults what type of content they enjoy
the most. The results clearly showed that around 60% of my audience
preferred fantasy romance stories, which confirmed that this genre would be
engaging and relevant for them. Since Instagram is a platform where my target
audience is highly active, this feedback felt very reliable and helped guide my
creative decisions.
At the same time, I also looked at wider industry trends,
especially in animation and anime, to understand what audiences enjoy globally.
Research shows that the anime and animation industry is growing rapidly, with a
huge international fanbase. For example, the global anime market was valued at
over 11 billion USD in 2022 and is expected to grow significantly in the
coming years, showing increasing demand for animated storytelling worldwide
.
 |
| (source grandviewresearch.com) |
In fact, anime has
become especially popular among young people, with around 60% of the
audience being between 18–34 years old, which directly matches my target
audience . This made me even more confident that creating an animated film was
the right choice.
There are also strong signs that animation in general is
widely loved by audiences today. Studies show that around 70% of Gen Z watch
animation regularly, and many young viewers prefer animated content because
it feels more creative and visually engaging . In addition, about 50% of
global Netflix users watch anime, which proves that animation is no longer
just for children—it is a major form of entertainment for young adults as well.
Another reason I chose fantasy romance specifically is
because it combines both emotional storytelling and imaginative visuals. The
anime industry itself includes genres like fantasy, romance, and drama,
which continue to attract large audiences because they allow viewers to escape
reality while still connecting emotionally with the characters . This is
exactly what I wanted to achieve in my own film—something that feels magical
and visually interesting, but also emotionally meaningful.
.png)
0 Comment