TITLE: I AM A SUPERHERO (2025)
PROMPT 1 – Research Statement (300 – 500)
- Why you’re excited and goals (audience, conversation)
- Visual Style, Visual and Aura
- What research? Cite references + exploration
- What is the Pathway to audience for this short film (specific)
Research Statement (504 words)
The basis of I am a Superhero is folk storytelling. The basic idea is, what happens if a boy is destined for more, but no one cares. Even though my character has superpowers, I’m not interested in a traditional hero’s journey, but the conflict that arises in that situation. This is a story about cultural dissonance, belonging, and what it means to be seen, filtered through the absurdity of a suburban superhero.
My approach borrows from the visual irreverence of Waititi’s Boy (2010) and the structural looseness of mockumentary, particularly What We Do in the Shadows (2014). These references inform both visual style and tonal intent, low-stakes, high-emotion cinema, where character takes precedence over plot, and humour becomes a survival mechanism. The “powers” Daniel uses, super strength, telekinesis, aren’t the point. They are the exaggerated metaphors for a more grounded experience: feeling like you’re meant for something big, and being reminded every day that the world (or your family) doesn’t care.
From my experiences as a volunteer Youth Officer in 3030, Australia’s fastest-growing postcode (ABS, 2021), I’ve seen first-hand how disconnected young people feel in environments shaped by cultural friction and generational pressure. 47.4% of my local population speaks a language other than English, yet they live in a predominantly white society. These statistics are representative of lived moments, a constant clash between what people are expected to be and what they are. The Australian Institute of Family Studies (2022) states that ‘migrants’ are ‘vulnerable to overall poor emotional health’, and are unable to access services due to ‘poor mental health literacy, mixed cultural understandings of mental illness’.
These aren’t just statistics, they’re daily moments that I’ve personally witnessed. From planning events to running local pages, I’m constantly negotiating identity, voice, and who the message is actually for.
I find that this struggle is uniquely Australian, as It draws from the quiet frustration of being told to “get a job,” even when you’re already doing something else. It reflects the tall poppy syndrome that cuts down ambition. For this reason I feel like this video could humanise / bridge a cultural gap. My way of thinking leans into a Rascaroli style of self-questioning, not in the typical essay film structure, but its way of prompting thought. I just want the film to provide a feeling of hopefulness.
In terms of pathway, this will be my most complete narrative short to date, combining my VFX practice, local experience, and digital presence. My channel has doubled in size over the past year, and I’m looking to premiere the short at the Youth Resource Centre (YRC) screening program. Supplementary BTS and director commentary content will follow online, targeting both local audiences and the niche communities who engage with Australian suburban storytelling.
My goal is to create something distinctly mine, rooted in where I live, shaped by what I’ve learned, and delivered in a way that speaks to the people I make content for. I’m going to make this script regardless of if it gets picked or not.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
AIFS (Australian Institute of Family Studies) (2022) Understanding the mental health and help-seeking behaviours of refugees https://aifs.gov.au/resources/short-articles/understanding-mental-health-and-help-seeking-behaviours-refugees
Waititi T (director) (2010) Boy [motion picture], Madman Entertainment, New Zealand
Waititi T (director) (2014) What we do in the shadows [motion picture], Madman Entertainment, New Zealand
ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) (2022) Latest Release https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/population-census/latest-releas
Rascaroli L (2009) The Essay Film: Problems, Definitions, Textual Commitments. in Alter NM and Corrigan T (ed), Essays on the Essay Film (2017), New York, Columbia University Press, 183-196.
PROMPT 2 – Treatment (1 page)
- One paragraph per scene, what the audience sees and hears
- Whole story, present tense
- Its what i anticipate the viewer will see hear and learn
Daniel wants to be a superhero. He says it outright in the opening narration: “I am a superhero.” The camera lingers on him mid-pose, arms raised, eyes squinting, standing alone in a sunny, empty cul-de-sac. His cape is a beach towel. His powers? Undeniably real, but minor. Super strength, low-level telekinesis (he can move plates, just about).
The film opens with a quick, deadpan scene: Daniel’s older brother scrolls through his phone while Daniel paces in the background, clearly excited. Without looking up, the brother says, “Do you have a job yet?” It lands flat. Daniel responds, “I am a job,” then walks off as the brother sighs. It’s a joke, but it hits that note of casual disappointment that sits underneath the whole story.
Set in Melbourne’s outer-west, the film follows Daniel’s attempts to help people in a town that doesn’t really need saving. He returns a lost dog to a family that didn’t realise it was missing, fixes a broken fence that no one asked him to, and stops a “robbery” that turns out to be someone lifting a heavy grocery bag.
Each sequence walks the line between humour and quiet pathos. Daniel’s internal monologue is self-assured, cinematic. He sees these moments as proof of his destiny. But externally, everything is flat, beige houses, still streets, indifferent reactions. His narration begins with conviction and slowly unravels into doubt.
Visually, the film plays with contrast. His inner world is stylised, VFX moments, dramatic scores, slow-motion lifts of minor objects. But the real world remains under-saturated and ordinary. Inspired by What We Do in the Shadows and Boy, the style is down-to-earth with a slightly absurd edge-folk suburbanism meets frustrated ego.
Thematically, it’s about being seen. Or not. About trying, failing, and recalibrating what it means to be valuable. Daniel wants to matter. But every time he acts, he feels less understood.
The final scene is quiet: dinner at home. Daniel and his older brother sit in silence. The brother asks him to pass a cup of water. Without comment, Daniel floats it across the table using telekinesis. A pause. The brother nods and says, “That was cool.” No hug, no speech. Just a tiny, emotionally stunted acknowledgment that means everything.
I’m not trying to tell a superhero story, I’m telling a story about low-stakes longing, ego, and suburban invisibility. It’s personal. It’s small. And, it’s enough (for now).
PROMPT 3 – MOOD BOARD (6 images visual portfolio)
- Portray ‘look’ of my screenwork
- Location, setting, characters
- Annotated images, credited
All from Boy (2010)
The framing, personal feeling and folk generation is what i’m looking for
Dry humor, misc structure.
Grounded characters and low stakes arguments.
Specific framing / attempts to imitate the style i’ve made before
(The Wonder of You, 2024)