In the final week, the issues with character pacing and poses were mostly resolved, allowing me to output the complete storyboard video.
I plan to use this storyboard layout as the foundation for my final major project. Moving forward, I will add more character models and environments. The project will feature a total of three environments and three character models: the protagonist — the Pilgrim, the mentor — the Priest, and the antagonist — a Demon.
In Week 9, my main tasks were continuing to revise character poses and adjusting some motion paths.
Revisions continued in Week 8, still focusing primarily on timing and poses, along with some adjustments to anticipation and follow-through actions.
The revisions for these shots mainly focused on extending the character’s pause duration and improving the pose when the character falls, including adding a fade-out effect. Additionally, when the character reaches out with their arm, a preparatory action needs to be added. In the next shot, George suggested adding an illustration to the book to help the audience better understand the story.
The issues in these shots are as follows: first, when the character falls, a downward arm movement should be added. Next, during the fight scene, the character’s pose needs adjustment. Finally, when the character reaches out their arm, the gesture should be positioned higher.
This week’s revisions mainly focused on shot timing and action design.
The issues in these shots are mainly as follows: the first shot requires a longer pause; the next shot also needs a pause of about 24 frames. In the following shot, the character needs to add a book-flipping action. In the last shot, the character’s head-raising motion should pause for a longer duration.
This week’s revisions continued, focusing mainly on camera movement, character poses, and overall pacing.
The revisions for these shots mainly focused on the movement and pacing of the ring — George wanted it to move faster. In the following shot, he suggested changing the camera angle to shoot from the right side. In the next one, he recommended that the character pause for a longer duration. The last revision involved adjusting the camera movement.
This week, I continued refining my storyboard, focusing mainly on the silhouette of the poses and the control of the pacing.
George asked me to revise the character’s hand poses in these shots, as well as adjust the pause duration of the shots. He suggested extending the timing by around 48 seconds.
In these shots, George wants me to adjust the speed of the character’s turning motion and reposition the character’s praying gesture. In the following shot, he suggested extending the duration of the character holding the sword. Lastly, regarding the camera position, he recommended shifting it to the right.
This week, I continued working on my shot storyboard. I added camera movements to the content and expanded the story. Additionally, I revised some of the camera movements to make the transitions more logical and coherent.
The new semester has begun, and today George primarily introduced us to the assignment schedule for the term, as well as the composition of scenes and the different types of shot scales.
Extreme Long Shot: Shows a broad view of the scene, used to depict the environment or scale, with characters appearing small in the frame.
Long Shot: Displays the full body of the character along with the surrounding environment, used to set the scene or showcase action.
Medium Shot: Typically shows the character from the waist up, suitable for dialogue scenes and displaying character interactions.
Extreme Close-Up: Captures very small details, such as eyes or fingers, used to intensify emotions or the significance of details.
Each shot scale has its unique narrative function and emotional expression effect. Directors and cinematographers choose the appropriate shot scale based on the needs of the plot and emotional expression. By combining different shot scales, a rich visual language and narrative rhythm can be created.
This week’s task is to create a mood board and shot storyboard based on the selected story. Here is my work for the week
Regarding camera movement, based on my storyboard, I have incorporated camera movements, including some basic techniques such as zooming, panning, tilting, and tracking, as well as transitional and linking effects to make the short film more cohesive.
In terms of the story, based on last week’s feedback, I have added a beginning and an ending to my narrative. I have endowed the protagonist with a new identity. The story now revolves around a monk, eager to vanquish demons, who is deceived by a mentor—actually a demon in disguise—within the monastery, and thus embarks on a pilgrimage, only to be corrupted by the demon. Ultimately, he is transformed into a demon himself and continues to assimilate new monks arriving at the monastery.
This week, I searched for a lot of interesting references to add various environmental effects to my mood board. My references mainly come from film and video game works. In terms of film, I primarily referenced “Dune” and “The Witch,” among others. For video games, I mainly looked at “Dark Souls” and “Bloodborne,” and similar titles.
This week’s assignment required contemplating three distinct stories and illustrating them as storyboards. After much thought and creation, the following are my three storyboards.
1.The first story: A pilgrim journeys to a holy land for pilgrimage, only to be ultimately assimilated into a creature of monstrosity.
2.The second story: A student who is bullied at school rises up and fights back.
3.The third story: A girl cleaning at home is startled by a suddenly appearing insect, but eventually grows fond of the cute-looking creature.
After discussing with George, I have decided to use Story 1, but modifications to the story structure are necessary, including the addition of a beginning and an end. He shared with me the concept of the Hero’s Journey, illustrating what constitutes a good story and how a well-developed character grows.