FILM STUDIES & CINEMATOGRAPHY PROJECT 1

 FILM STUDIES & CINEMATOGRAPHY PROJECT 1 

DONG XINEI / 0359733

week 1 - week 4

Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media

INSTRUCTION

Figure 1.1

LECTURE

WEEK 1

In the first week, our tutor, Mr. Kamal, provided an overview of the knowledge we needed to grasp in this course. He outlined the future requirements and actively encouraged everyone to voice their doubts.

 To enhance our understanding of the course, Mr. Kamal led a discussion on the assignment template and the direction of assignment development. This approach was beneficial for us to better accomplish the tasks of this course.

WEEK 2

PUBLIC HOLIDAY

WEEK3

In the third week, Mr. Kamal provided us with a thorough introduction to the five key elements of storytelling: characters, conflict, setting, plot, and theme. Characters serve as the soul of the story, reflecting our emotions and experiences. Conflict drives the narrative forward, representing the challenges and contradictions between characters and their environment. Setting provides the backdrop for the story, allowing readers to better understand the context and environment in which the events unfold.

 Plot acts as the skeleton of the story, comprising a series of events that connect the beginning to the end. Theme, on the other hand, is the essence of the story, conveying the author's intended message, perspective, or values, lending deeper meaning and significance to the narrative. These five elements intertwine to create a cohesive and meaningful story world, laying the foundation for in-depth reflection and creative expression.

Project 1 is a task centered around researching and proposing an original short animation story. It underscored the significance of this project because it not only requires us to conceive an engaging storyline but also to vividly present it through animation. We will delve into how to utilize animation techniques to convey the core message of the story, as well as enhance its expressiveness through character design, background setting, and animation effects.

Figure1.2

WEEK 4

Figure1.3

WEEK 5

PUBLIC HOLIDAY

WEEK 6

The story structure is an orderly sequence of events in a story, typically including exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. The exposition introduces the background and key characters of the story, while the inciting incident is the crucial event that sets the story in motion. The rising action entails escalating tension and conflict, leading to the climax, the peak of the story where the conflict reaches its zenith. The falling action involves the gradual resolution of events after the climax, culminating in the resolution, where the main conflict is resolved, and the story concludes.

The story spine is a simplified outline that provides the basic structure of the story's development. It usually consists of concise sentences, such as "Once upon a time" introducing the story's background, "Every day" describing the protagonist's daily life, "Until one day" introducing the inciting incident, followed by the consecutive development of events, and finally reaching a conclusion, "And ever since that day" describing the long-term impact of the story.

The theme is the central message or underlying idea conveyed by the story, serving as its core. It can encompass aspects of human nature, morality, values, or life wisdom. For example, themes may revolve around courage, friendship, love, growth, or facing challenges. Through themes, readers can glean insights and deeper understanding from the story, enhancing their experience and resonance with it.

WEEK 7

In the seventh week, Mr. Kamal provided us with more insights into scriptwriting. This session not only deepened our understanding of the fundamental principles of scriptwriting but also equipped us with practical writing skills and tools to effectively craft our own stories. 

Through this learning experience, we gained knowledge on how to translate ideas into words, build engaging plotlines, and create vivid and distinctive characters. This course laid a solid foundation for us, enabling us to take confident strides in our writing journey and showcase greater creativity and potential in our future creations.

WEEK 8

study week

WEEK 9

In this week's class, we need to proceed with the next steps. Mr. Kamal instructed us that before completing the final project, we should create a pitch bible to further expand and enrich the storyline. This document not only outlines the core storyline but also delves into character growth, thematic elements, visual style, and the protagonist's emotional journey. Serving as a manual linking to the final story, it effectively communicates the essence of the narrative, laying the foundation for the animatic production and ultimately achieving the creative goals of the animation project.

WEEK 10

In the tenth week, I sought advice from Mr. Kamal regarding my sketches, and I plan to make adjustments based on his feedback. His input was invaluable. I incorporated the suggestions he offered, which effectively enhanced the overall quality of my animation project. This experience highlighted the importance of timely feedback and iterative improvements in achieving project excellence.

WEEK 11

no class

WEEK 12 - WEEK 14 

Consultation week

Project 1 Requirements

1. This project requires us to develop a 30 second - 1 minute short story that is going to be a 2D animation as the final output.

2. Develop the story from each week activities progressively:

Story Ideas - get ideas on various techniques such as write what you know, what if statement and character & world.

Character Development - from your ideas, develop your main character by giving his or her obstacles (external & internal), goal, want vs need, character arcs.

Setting - putting the character into the right setting such as era, world

Story Arcs and Theme - inciting incident, 3 acts structure, log line

3. Deliverables:

Write a report in word document which consist of:

Story Title

Logline 

Synopsis

Theme

Character Description

World Description

Script

Export as pdf

Update all the progress in e-portfolio

4. Deadline for submission is by Week 6

Discussion and research

In this task, I want to set up two main characters, which is also to better increase the fun and visual appeal of the story. The two protagonists are a guardian elf of the forest, a diligent cat elf, and an impulsive rabbit elf. After experiencing some events, through the lessons learned, make the forest more beautiful and let the audience understand the truths from this story.

I drew inspiration from the visual aesthetics and narrative development of the animated film series "Tinker Bell," produced by the Disney company. Based on the classic character "Tinker Bell" from "Peter Pan," this series follows Tinker Bell and her fairy friends on adventurous tales set in the mystical realm of Pixie Hollow. The stories highlight themes of friendship, courage, growth, and their care for the natural world.

Figure 2.1 Visual reference

Figure 2.2 Visual reference

For the storyline ideas, I would lean towards a more child-friendly approach. I believe this course is the first step in creative storytelling, so, as Mr. Kamal mentioned, the cleanliness of the story is also crucial. A tidy narrative is more appealing to viewers than a complex one.

 I will draw inspiration from the nostalgic feel of classic animations in the visual references, as well as some similar plot types, and incorporate them into my final design.

Digitalization

When designing characters, I organize some preliminary frameworks and ensure that the subsequent developments align with the theme. In terms of the story's details, I delve into detailed creation to provide viewers with a better experience of the final product.

When crafting the story, I created paragraphs for aspects such as the title, main character, theme, and storyline. This was also a fundamental requirement for Project 1, which facilitated the continuation of my work. 

Figure 2.3 The Story

Figure 3.1

I'm attempting to continue the story from last time, adding even more details this time. For instance, I'll include detailed descriptions and features of some characters. To enrich the storyline further, I'll create additional plot points and narrative elements, making the whole story more vivid and engaging.

Figure 3.2

In this latest attempt, I've made the storyline more comprehensive, which will make it more comfortable for readers. I've divided it into four acts, and to better engage the audience, I'll be adding some twists and climactic moments throughout the text, making the whole story more intriguing.

 

  Figure 3.3

I'll organize the complete plot, utilizing summary paragraphs and marking climax points to enhance the visual impact of the entire story. When creating the final version, I'll also pay more attention to the effectiveness of the presentation.

Figure 3.4

Figure 3.5 Final in pdf

In the final stage of the project task, I utilized the website provided by Mr. Kamal to edit the final script. This process was an extension of the entire creative process, providing me with a convenient platform to focus on refining and revising the script. With the assistance of this website, I was able to better organize and adjust the plot, ensuring the coherence and attractiveness of the story. Additionally, it provided me with various tools and resources to effectively express my creativity and achieve a professional standard for the script.

Based on the plot of the script, I will begin crafting the appearance of the main characters, designing them according to their personality traits to better align with the story's development. 

Leveraging my knowledge of design principles and employing clever techniques to create the two protagonists, I will utilize the Procreate software tool for crafting my main characters.

Figure 3.6 The character 1（Kiki）

Figure 3.6 The character 2（Coco） 

Final Outcome

Figure 4.1 

Figure 4.2

Figure 4.2 Final character 1（Kiki） in JPG

Figure 4.3 Final character 2（Coco） in JPG

Figure 4.4 Final character 1（Kiki） in PDF

Figure 4.5 Final character 2（Coco） in PDF

Reflection

In this Project 1 exercise, it was a beneficial experience for me in animation production. I created a story about two forest guardian sprites who reconcile peacefully after a conflict. The plot structure involving the role reversal of the two protagonists presented a challenge as both are central characters. The alternating storyline and complex introductions of the two main characters required careful consideration and execution. Through Project 1, I gained an understanding of and foundation in storytelling and expanded my awareness of narrative development.