In this week, I studied story structure in lecture. In particular, I realised that there is a tip for making good story by using these images. The good story has a flow.
Previs – Hunter to Prey
Object & Change of Mind(Planning)
I imagined a story in which the protagonist tries to open a heavy door using various methods of pushing it, but it doesn’t move. Then, the protagonist calms down and carefully looks around the door. He finds a button on the floor. When he pushes the button, the door opens, and he feels tired.
Original Storyboard during winter vacation assignment
This film engages the viewer to see the screen from left to right with showing the character appear from left to right. Not only that, thanks to this technique, the narrative structure can maintain consistency.
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Self-Study Resources
Activity/Quiz: Storyboard – Creative Adaptation
For this storyboard, I changed the story after the father picks up the baby to a different one than in the main story. Specifically, the father puts the baby in a stroller and walks away, but the baby wants to chase after his father. We changed the camera composition to depict this story as the father walking away and the baby wanting to chase after him.
Two Storyboards of 5 + 5 emotions
I created two stories that show what the main characters are doing in the bar and what emotions they are feeling in five shots. In this assignment, we shared the two stories in a group work, and then we chose one of the two and worked on it in pairs, one as a director and one as an animator.
In this week, I did a lot of works such as story pitch, cinematography analysis, and previs hunter to prey.
Fist of all, I made a story board with my Partner (Avi). We have to use the specific word, (Therefore, and then) . Also, I have to consious about story structure.
In this assignment, we worked in pairs to create a story. We were asked to focus on the three-act structure in order to give the story depth and emotional ups and downs. We also had to include a ladder and a window as key elements, and use the words “therefore” and “and then” to clearly show the cause-and-effect flow of the story.
Our group created a story about a bird character as the protagonist. During class, the bird makes a plan to escape through the window using a ladder, and then attempts to carry it out. However, the teacher discovers the plan. Therefore, as a punishment, the bird ends up having to complete a large amount of extra homework, which leaves the character in an even worse situation than before.
Cinematography Analysis
Previs-Hunter to Prey
In this assignment, I worked in a pair with Silvia. First, we discussed what kind of story we wanted to create and wrote down as many ideas as we could while talking together using pen and paper. After that, we each created our own storyboards individually. We then compared both storyboards and selected the strongest compositions from each shot to create the final version.
For the previs, the work was divided into two parts: the first half and the second half. I was responsible for creating the previs for the first half of the story.
In this week, I analyzed cinematography structure, in particular, I got a new insights such as LAYOUT, COMPOSITION & CAMERA LANGUAGE.
When I set a camera, I have to think about “what do I want to say and express?”.
Also, there is 4 key points for cinematography.
FOCUS What is important to look at at this moment
FOCAL LENGTH How much field you want to include in your frame.
GEOMETRY IN FRAME The architecture of the frame.
CAMERA MOVEMENT Commonly used camera effects
Analysis of Incredible Family
We also practiced writing storyboards while analysing The Incredibles. Through this exercise, I became more aware of camera angles, composition, and the timing of cuts. In particular, I found it challenging to balance the quality of the storyboard drawings, and I practiced while constantly thinking about how much detail should be included.
In this class, I started by learning the 12 principles of animation and was able to build a solid foundation in animation. I worked on many animation exercises, such as bouncing ball, pendulum, small creature jumping, weight shift, walk cycle, and body mechanics. Through these exercises, I realized again how important it is to carefully observe references and make a clear plan. I also found that drawing movements by hand in 2D is very effective for imagining the motion. In addition, I learned that planning must always include timing, space, and the number of frames.
This was my first time using Maya, so I faced some difficulties, but I feel that I learned the basic knowledge and skills needed for animation. I actively asked my classmates and teacher for advice and tried to use an objective perspective to notice points that I would not have realized on my own.
In the next semester, I want to further improve my animation skills and expand the range of what I can create in my animation projects.
Maya Animation class with Ting
In this class, I focused on animating characters. I learned not only the 12 principles of animation but also many useful tips for creating animation. Working on exercises like “Juice Box” and “Golden Pose” helped me strengthen my basic skills and improve my knowledge.
The “Golden Pose” exercise was important because it taught me how to show a character’s situation and emotion clearly. I also learned about other important points in character animation, like the center of gravity (COG). Through the “Franky Pose to Pose” and “Body Mechanics” exercises, I gained more experience and understanding of animation. These exercises were challenging, but by asking my classmates and teacher for feedback, I was able to improve steadily.
I also really enjoyed the time at the end of class when we shared and presented our animation works.
I want to use what I learned in this class in the next semester and continue to grow as an animator.
UE5 class with Serra
In this class, I focused on learning UE5. I had never used UE5 before, so I worked hard to keep up with the lessons. Especially, UE5’s UI and controls are different from other software like Maya or Blender, so it was challenging at first. I also struggled with UE5-specific terms like “Sequence” and “Level.”
However, through the class, I realized that UE5 has a lot of potential. I found it very useful that rendering time can be shorter, there are many ready-to-use assets, and it is a very versatile software that allows modeling, animation, and rendering all in one.
For the final project, I used UE5 to create my work, and I was able to greatly improve my skills. But there are still many things I don’t fully understand, so I want to continue learning on my own next semester to use it more confidently. In the future, I hope to be able to do modeling in Blender, motion in Maya, and camera work and rendering in UE5.
Showreel
This is my Unit 1 showreel. I included a lot of motion in it. I put together everything I learned in the 3D Computer Animation Fundamentals class in this showreel. Through this project, I really felt that I grew a lot as an animator. Next semester, I want to use what I learned here to improve even more and keep working hard.
