STRENGTHENING FOLKLORE AS A SOURCE OF IDEAS FOR SHORT MOVIE DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

Folklore as part of cultural heritage contains moral, social, and local wisdom values that have significant potential
to be developed within the creative industry, particularly in short film production. However, the utilization of
folklore as a source of creative ideas remains limited, thus requiring reinforcement in the adaptation process to
maintain its relevance in contemporary contexts. This study aims to analyse the potential of folklore as a source
of ideas and to formulate strategies for its development into contextual and engaging short films for modern
audiences. The research employs a qualitative approach through literature review and narrative analysis of story
structures and embedded cultural values. The study is grounded in the folklore theory of James Danandjaja (1984),
which emphasizes the function of folklore as a medium for education and cultural value transmission, as well as
the adaptation theory of Linda Hutcheon (2006), which views adaptation as a creative process of reinterpretation
across different media. The findings indicate that folklore possesses strong dramatic structures and local values
that can be developed through adjustments in plot, characterization, and visual context to suit the short film
medium. Therefore, strengthening folklore as a source of ideas for short film development not only supports
creative innovation in audio-visual production but also contributes to cultural preservation and the revitalization
of local wisdom values.