This week, I got the final round of feedback on my previs shot from George. He pointed out some important changes that would improve the overall flow and clarity of the sequence. I took time to carefully review his notes and made all the necessary adjustments to the shots and timing. After completing these revisions, I gathered all the scenes and individual shots and assembled them in Premiere Pro. I worked on smoothing out the transitions and ensuring the pacing felt right. Once I was satisfied with the overall sequence and its visual flow, I rendered the final version of the previs.
Between weeks 6 and 9, my main focus was refining the previsualization based on feedback, especially concerning camera angles and improving the timing between cuts. These aspects are key to creating a clear and engaging visual flow, so I spent a lot of time testing different angles and shot compositions to find the best way to tell the story visually.
During this period, I completed all the remaining scenes in the previs, including the interaction between the two characters. I experimented with various camera placements and transitions to capture the emotion and energy I wanted, paying close attention to how the shots connect and the rhythm of the sequence.
After finalizing the individual scenes, I assembled the entire sequence in Premiere Pro. This allowed me to arrange the shots in order, adjust the timing of cuts, and see the whole project as a cohesive piece.
Overall, these weeks were dedicated to perfecting the visual structure of my project through careful camera planning and editing in the previs stage.
This week, I received feedback on my first two shots, particularly regarding the camera angles and movements. I made the necessary adjustments and continued developing my previs. I began working on the third and fourth scenes, introducing the second character. I blocked out the second character’s animation, showing him walking in with a large sword and getting into an attack stance. The blockout is basic for now, focusing on the character’s walk and positioning.
This week, I chose the final storyboard that I’ll be working with and began creating the previs animation. I used a rigged character in Maya as a reference and built a simple environment to set the scene. Although my plan involves two characters, for now I’m focusing on animating just the first one.
I also modeled a basic sword in Maya and animated two key scenes. In the first scene, the character is sitting and breathing calmly, and to add impact, I animated the camera with a low-angle shot. In the second scene, I animated the character reaching out and grabbing the sword.
This week, I focused on finalizing three different ideas and developing storyboards for each one. Each concept explored a unique approach, and creating the storyboards helped me visualize the flow and structure of each narrative.
Out of the three, I’m planning to pick one to develop into a previs animation. Right now, I’m leaning toward the storyboard I created with my Final Major Project (FMP) in mind. I think working on this previs now will give me a head start and make things easier when I begin production on my actual FMP later.
In today’s lecture, we got to learn about worldbuilding and its importance in storytelling.
Worldbuilding is all about creating a believable, imaginary world where the story takes place. It involves designing things like the world’s geography, history, culture, and even the rules that make it feel consistent and real.
We learned that worldbuilding is especially important when it comes to storyboarding. It gives the characters and plot a strong foundation to grow from. A well-built world influences how characters think, behave, and interact with their surroundings. It also helps keep the story logical and visually consistent throughout.
The visual side of worldbuilding was also emphasized. Things like the architecture, clothing styles, landscapes, and even color choices all stem from the world that’s been created. This helps give the storyboard a unified and engaging look.
Overall, I realised how important worldbuilding is—not just for making the story feel real, but also for keeping the audience invested. A strong, detailed world doesn’t just support the story, it becomes a part of it.
In today’s class, we explored the concept of mise-en-scène, which is all about how everything is visually arranged within a scene—kind of like the overall design or look of each shot. This includes things like the set, where actors are placed, lighting, costume, and even their body language. I learned that these elements don’t just make the scene look good—they actually help tell the story and influence how the audience feels at certain moments.
Each part of the mise-en-scène can add meaning or emotion to a scene. For example, a certain lighting setup or the way a prop is placed can say a lot without any dialogue. Small details like a character’s posture, hairstyle, or color of their clothing can help us understand their personality or mood, even before they speak.
We also went through different types of shot sizes, which are really important for storytelling:
Extreme Wide Shot – Used to show large spaces or landscapes, often to set the scene. The character is either tiny or not visible.
Wide Shot – Shows the full body of a character and their surroundings. It’s good for understanding the environment while keeping focus on the person.
Medium Shot – Frames the character from the waist up. It’s a balance between showing expression and context, and is often used in conversations.
Medium Close-Up – From the chest or shoulders upward. You can see more of the face and emotions clearly while still catching some body language.
Close-Up – Focuses tightly on the face or a particular object to show emotion or highlight something important.
Extreme Close-Up – Zooms in on very small details like an eye or a clock hand. This is usually done for dramatic effect or to create tension.
We also touched on Previs (previsualization) and Postvis (postvisualization). Previs is the stage where scenes are planned out visually before filming begins. This helps directors and DOPs figure out camera angles and movements early on. Postvis, on the other hand, happens after filming. It’s used during editing to insert rough effects and visuals so the scene can be reviewed before spending time and money on the final visual effects.
Overall, this session helped me better understand how every visual choice in film contributes to the overall storytelling. I’m starting to look at scenes in movies with a more critical eye now, noticing the intention behind how things are framed and designed.
In Week 11, I worked on finishing my research report. One of the main challenges I faced was making sure everything in the report connected well. I had to go back to the introduction and conclusion and make sure the whole report flowed smoothly. I wanted to make sure each section connected to the next one, and that there were no gaps in my argument.
To fix this, I broke the report into smaller parts and read through each section carefully. I made sure each idea was clear and backed up with examples. I also took time to improve the wording, making sure it was easy to understand. It took some time, but it helped me make the report more focused.
By the end of Week 11, I had finished everything and felt good about how the report turned out. I had worked through all the sections and made sure everything was clear and complete.
By Week 10, I had gathered a lot of research, and the next step was to refine my ideas and present a cohesive argument. I focused more on the psychological aspect of the Uncanny Valley, diving into how the brain reacts when a character looks almost human but not quite right. This led me to study more into cognitive science and how people perceive facial expressions and body language.
A major challenge this week was connecting all of the different elements I had researched, such as facial expressions, motion capture technology, and stylisation, into a clear narrative. I had to revisit my notes and ensure that my points flowed logically, one leading into the next.
To solve this, I created an outline that mapped out how I would approach each section of the report. For example, I first discussed how character design can influence the Uncanny Valley, then moved on to how motion capture and AI play a role in creating more realistic characters. I concluded with a section on stylisation and how it helps to avoid the discomfort of hyper-realism. This outline helped me stay organized and make sure I didn’t get lost in all the details.
