Introduction:
Based on the completed storyboard from last semester and communicating with my supervisor, I further refined the plot and implemented some of the storyboard ideas. Animatic is one of the important stages of animation production. It is used to divide the entire story into small parts according to the timeline so that the audience can better understand the development and twists of the story. The process of Animatic involves converting the story into images, showing the plot by drawing different scenes and characters' frames, and laying the foundation for subsequent animation production and editing.
Understanding the story plot:
Before designing the storyboard, it is necessary to be familiar with the plot and main character relationships of the entire story so that the emotions and development of the story can be accurately expressed during the design process.
After repeatedly watching the previous storyboard design, I found that the character relationship of the little boy was too weak. Therefore, in the storyboard design, I deliberately added a family photo. This is not a redundant scene. It will echo in the middle and ending segments to indicate that while the boy is pursuing his desires, his feelings for his family and the things he needs to cherish are becoming increasingly weak. The content in the photo also becomes increasingly blurred until it disappears completely at the end.
At the same time, I also had to make appropriate deletions based on the difficulty of the scenes. The scene where the little boy is devoured by the demon did not appear in the final animation, for two reasons. Firstly, the overall difficulty of the scene is too high, and a lot of time is needed to draw it, but it does not help the plot much, making the overall cost-effectiveness not high. Secondly, compared to the scene where the little boy falls into the time tunnel, the demon devouring the boy would make the plot too repetitive. Based on these considerations, I deleted this scene. Although I lost a very ambitious scene, for time considerations, I had to abandon it for the time being.
In addition, I also made modifications to many other scene contents, such as the scene where the elder is on the phone, which can be confusing to understand what is happening. I continued to improve the plot content in the subsequent production and final editing processes. In summary, understanding the story plot is an important stage in designing the storyboard, and the completeness of the storyboard determines the completeness of the animation content.
Determine shot :
Based on the story plot and the emotions that need to be expressed, determine each shot's angle and cutting method. For example, if a tense atmosphere needs to be expressed, a diagonal angle and fast switching method can be used to make the audience feel the rhythm of tension.
In the storyboard design, I often use characters' position and brightness relationship to illustrate their psychological states. For example, I use the brightness of the little boy to illustrate the horror of the demon, showing the relationship between the little boy and the demon.
In the scene where the adult is gradually drifting away from his boss, I first highlighted the position of the boss with Gaussian blur and then pulled back the perspective to show the man's position and use his hand movements to indicate his angry state. I think this expression method is more clever than simply showing the man's facial expressions.
In the scene where the old man confronts the demon, I still use position and light and shadow to show the psychological darkness of the old man and the change in dominance between the two. The greedy old man is now more terrifying in the demon's eyes!
In addition, I used famous paintings as references to imply the characters' psychology. For example, in the scene where the old man and the demon are pushing each other, there is a painting of "The Creation of Adam" on the wall of the old man's room.
The Creation of Adam (Italian: Creazione di Adamo)
Adam in the painting seems to have just woken up from a dream, looking up at God with his left hand slowly reaching out to God, responding to God's extended hand. We can see that God's hand is straight, while Adam's wrist is bent, leaving some room, which clearly shows that God's desire to touch Adam's fingertips is stronger. I think this reflects a kind of probing into unknown things, accepting curiosity driven by desire while also being reserved. However, outside the picture, the ones pushing and shoving are the old man and the demon, which forms a strong contrast with the painting on the wall. Michelangelo creatively and dramatically presents the scene of creating Adam before our eyes, conveying not only the birth of life and wisdom but also thoughts on desire. The old man, due to excessive greed and desire, is angrily pushed away by the demon, which also uses Michelangelo's painting to satirize the old man's behaviour. At the same time, the contrast of light and shadow between the old man and the demon also completely changes at this moment compared to the contrast of light and shadow in the boyhood scene, which confirms that the old man's inner state has been distorted.
In summary, visual language can often tell stories in multiple ways. I spent a lot of time designing the shots to express not only the direction of the story but also the changes in the characters' psychological states.
Drawing Animatic:
Based on the determined angles and switching methods, draw the scenes, characters, and props of each shot. This process needs to fully consider factors such as the size, position, and shape of each element to ensure smooth and natural shots.
Adjusting the order and rhythm of the shots:
After completing the drawing of all the shots, it is necessary to adjust the order and switching of the shots according to the development of the story and the sense of rhythm. In the process of adjustment, pay attention to the continuity and visual effects of the shots to achieve the best performance. After completing all the shot designs, I did multiple versions of editing and finally completed the last step before the formal animation production.
Consider the audience's acceptance:
When designing the shots, it is necessary to consider the audience's ability to accept and understand the story. Make the shots as clear and concise as possible, and avoid overly complicated plots and shot switching to prevent the audience from being unable to understand and accept the story.
Maintain the continuity of the story:
Shot design is the process of transforming the story into images, so it must maintain the continuity and integrity of the story. When drawing the scenes of each shot, fully consider the connection and transition between the previous and next shots to ensure the continuity and fluency of the story.
Here are the initial storyboard and the final edited animatic for comparison.
CONCLUSION:
Consider the audience's ability to accept and understand the story.
Maintain the continuity and integrity of the story.
Ensure the continuity and fluency of the shots.
Reference:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Creation_of_Adam
Gardner, Helen; Kleiner, Fred S. (2016) [2008]. Gardner's Art Through the Ages. A Concise Global History (4th ed.). Stamford, Connecticut: Cengage Learning. p. 285. ISBN 978-1-305-57780-0.
Katz, Jamie (10 April 2009). "The Measure of Genius: Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel at 500". Smithsonian.com. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
"20 of the World's Most Famous Art Pieces". HistoryLists.org. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
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