Memory Box | Short Film
United Kingdom
Aim
"Memory Box" is a short film following Caleb who plunges into his childhood memories after opening an old toy box from his estranged father.
After opening an old toy box and being plunged into his childhood memories, Caleb must come face-to-face with his child self and acknowledge his father’s shortcomings if he is to become a good dad himself.
"Memory Box" is a short film exploring themes of memory and childhood through a delicate lens. Our protagonist ventures through difficult and impactful moments in his childhood, moments in which the love from his father came into question. The relationship we have with our parents is one that will shape the rest of our lives and the way we relate to others which is why we believe that the role of a parent is an incredibly important one. Despite Caleb's hardships growing up, we want this film to carry a message of self-care, self-healing, and self-compassion. To show that despite all that we have been through, we can still lead successful and fulfilling adult lives.
We are really passionate about telling this story and bringing it to audiences around the globe. We believe this will resonate with emotionally mature audiences, making you reflect on your own experiences growing up as well as the relationships you lead with your parents. As this will be the final film we make as part of our studies, it will demonstrate all that we have learnt over the past 4 years at university.
The filmmaking style of "Memory Box" will be focused on gently guiding the audience through the story. Visually, we will differentiate between memories and present-day scenes by employing a subtle, naturalistic approach to lighting and simple camerawork for the present-day, and using more abstract visual language for memories.
With the edit, we will aim for a slower pace and generally delicate feeling that allows the audience to engage with the emotion of the story on their own terms. The score and sound design will support this emotional nuance without being too prominent.
Our wonderful little team consists of fantastic Edinburgh Napier Univeristy students who have been pouring in all their time and efforts into making this project wonderful.
Davide is a Director currently in his last year of the Film BA course at Edinburgh Napier University. In the past three years, Davide has also gained experience as a Director of Photography and Editor on various fiction and documentary projects, including a graduation short film at Brooklyn College in New York. Davide was drawn to the themes of parenthood, dealing with generational trauma, and recollection of memories that are at the centre of this project. He wishes to further explore how dealing with the past and understanding childhood trauma can help someone grow as an adult.
Gonçalo is a Writer in his last year of his Bachelor’s degree in Film at Edinburgh Napier University. He has written various short films under Screen Academy Scotland, as well as a play performed at the Traverse Theatre. Throughout his studies, he has been developing writing techniques for dialogue, structure and character work, and is now looking to explore more opportunities to display different writing formats and styles. Gonçalo felt compelled to write this film for its focus on the fragility of memory and the unique understanding of parent-child relationships through the lens of a child.
Esther is a Producer currently in her final year studying Film at Edinburgh Napier University. She has produced a wide variety of short films, including graduate short films for Screen Academy Scotland, MetFilm School and SAE Institute Glasgow. She has also gained professional experience working on Sky and ITV productions, and is looking forward to further expanding her work in the production department. Esther was drawn to this film due to the way it portrays the complexity of child-parent relationships through an exploration of memory.
Tim is a Director of Photography (DP) who graduated from Edinburgh Napier University in October. During his MA in Film, he worked as DP on numerous short films, exploring various themes and styles of visual filmmaking. He has also worked on independent productions and gained experience as a professional Camera Assistant in commercial work. Throughout his studies and career, he has extensively familiarised himself with many tools and techniques of cinematography. Tim was enticed by the heavy focus on visual storytelling as well as the surrealist and unconventional imagery that he and the Director have envisioned for "Memory Box".
Yat Hin is a Sound Designer in his last year of Film BA at Edinburgh Napier University. Over the past three years, he has gained experience as a director, sound recordist and sound designer on fiction and documentary projects that have explored themes of family, self-esteem and religion. Thinking outside the box helps him reach his goal of always letting audiences experience something new and different. He is excited to be part of the crew, and he will be focusing on building a familiar environment through the use of ambient sound in memories exploring neglect and childhood trauma.
Aisling is a production designer currently in her final year studying Film at Edinburgh Napier University. Over the past few years, she has developed her skills as a production designer through working on a variety of different art and design projects and short films within genres such as horror, science fiction, and historical drama. She found the concept of exploring childhood memories and past trauma through a surreal and dreamlike visual style to be really fascinating. She is excited to delve into the nostalgia of childhood in the early 2000s and help create the visual world within these memories.
Alex is an Editor currently in his final year studying BA (Hons) Film at Edinburgh Napier University. In third year, he edited the short film "Connection", which focused on the relationship between two characters, and won the award for the Best Drama Film at the 4th Wonderful World International Student Media Art Festival in 2023. He is interested in exploring nuanced relationships between different people, and the chance to aid in telling this complicated parent-child relationship drew Alex to this project. Alex is also interested in time and memory, and how the use of non-linear emplotment can be used to affect the audience's perception of a story.
We want everybody who works on this film to be proud and happy to have been part of our team, and we know that cannot be done without providing people with warm food during a long day of work and making sure each person on set is comfortable and safe.
We cannot do this alone.
We need you.
The money we raise will ensure all our cast and crew get a warm meal each day and a selection of refreshments to keep us energised, cover travel fees for all the kit the university kindly provides us with, allow the film to come to life through the art department's fantastic choice of props and set design, and most importantly, your financial support means we get to submit this film to all the right festivals for you to see!
Other ways you can help us!
If you've already donated and would love to see us reach our goal, you can be one of the many heroes of our project and share our Crowdfunder on your social media, email or message the link to people you know who could fall in love with this project just as we have, or hype up our project at your work or in class. We will be unconditionally grateful for any and all of your support. Being a hero has never been this easy :)
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And if you have any questions or want to find out more about the project, do not hesitate to email our producer at [email protected].
This project successfully funded on 7th January 2025