Introduction to the module and assessment
This module spans 2 terms, that’s total of 22 weeks and 40 credits.
There are 2 different projects, one for each term. The blog must cover all 22 weeks, including weekly exercises.
- Project 1 must be submitted by the end of the first term for formative feedback, and it must be submitted by the hard deadline. Project 1 is focused on previs, and it can later evolve into the Final Major Project (FMP) or become Project 2, depending on the student’s choice.
- Project 2 is an artifact or experiment (e.g., creative coding, VR, or physical computing).
A Final Major Project Proposal should outline the work to be carried over the summer.
The showreel is a collection of all the work created during the term.
There will be a Work-in-Progress Show in early February, on the 6th and 7th.
There are 4 weeks of lessons, followed by in-class work and revisions.
Previsualization (previs) is the process of visualizing complex scenes before production or filming begins. It involves rough animation or planning that outlines the full sequence of events. This technique allows animators to take on the role of a director, using key scenes or storyboards to guide the story. Previs ensures that audiences can follow the narrative by providing a clearer sense of what is happening in the scene.
Previsualization in Filmmaking: The Art of Visualizing Complex Scenes Before Production
For example, in the production of Spider-Man, previs was used to establish how much camera movement could be implemented in post-production. This was done to ensure that the final film would be engaging without overwhelming the audience. Previsualization helped determine which camera movements and effects were acceptable and wouldn’t cause distractions.
What is Previsualization?
Previsualization, or previs, is the process of visualizing a scene or idea in 3D before production begins. It’s a crucial tool for directors, allowing them to plan shots, timing, scale, and character movements. Previs can also help identify which shots are most important for storytelling and whether certain actions or movements support the overall narrative. Previs can be thought of a product design, the outline of the donut before gets baked and coated in the icing.
Mise en scène: The Importance of Scene Composition
Mise en scene refers to everything that appears in front of the camera in a scene, including setting, props, lighting, costume, and the positioning of actors. It’s the visual arrangement that helps tell the story.
Here are some key components of mise en scene:
- Character Placement: The way characters are positioned in a scene and the areas of the screen they occupy.
- Shot Framing: Deciding between tight or loose shots to highlight the emotional tone of the scene.
- Blocking and Screen Density: How actors move within the frame and the overall density of the image.
- Composition: The use of horizontal, vertical, and directional lines within the frame to direct the viewer’s attention.
- Lighting and Color: Setting the mood and ambiance through the manipulation of light and color, such as high-key or low-key lighting, and using high contrast to create dramatic effect.
Breaking the Fourth Wall
In traditional cinema, the “fourth wall” refers to the invisible barrier between the actors and the audience. In some cases, characters break this wall by directly engaging with the audience, creating a more immersive experience. This can be seen in films and TV shows like The Office, where characters occasionally speak directly to the camera, making the viewer feel as though they are part of the scene.
Body Mechanics and Environment for Exploration
The exploration and testing of your idea will involve focusing on body mechanics and the environment. This will help you understand how the characters interact with their surroundings and how to represent movement authentically.
Mise en Scene and Shot Composition
Establishing the right mise en scene is crucial for storytelling. This involves planning the arrangement of elements within the scene—such as the positioning of characters, props, and the environment—to enhance the narrative.
Additionally, the camera angles play a key role in storytelling. You should carefully select camera angles that support the emotion or action in the scene. The composition of each shot is essential, and you’ll want to focus on using established guidelines like the Rule of Thirds and the Golden Ratio.
The Rule of Thirds: This compositional technique divides the frame into a 3×3 grid, creating points of interest at the intersections or along the lines. By placing key elements of the scene along these lines or intersections, you guide the viewer’s eye naturally through the shot, creating a balanced and dynamic composition.
The Golden Ratio: A more advanced compositional guide, the Golden Ratio is a spiral that can be used to create a visually harmonious layout. By positioning key elements along the spiral’s curve or at key points, you can draw attention to specific areas of the frame in a way that feels aesthetically pleasing and balanced.
Hero’s story, Dan Harmon story circle
A protagonist begins at the top must descend figuratively in the story and literally in the circle. At the bottom of the circle, they are at their literal and figurative “low point,” and their rise to success in the end is likewise represented visually on the Story Circle.
- 1. You A character in their zone of comfort
- 2. Need wants something
- 3. Go! so they enter an unfamiliar situation
- 4. Struggle to which they have to adapt
- 5. Find in order to get what they want
- 6. Suffer yet they have to make a sacrifice
- 7. Return before they return to their familiar situation
- 8. Change having changed fundamentally
Exercise: Came up with 3 ideas for the previs/story, and set it within the Dan Harmon Circle. Then create story boards with the justification to what type of shots are used, what camera angles, and the layout in the consideration pf rule of thirds and golden ratio.
First Ideas
- Character Story: Exploring Mental Health and the Impact of Social Media This concept will focus on telling a sophisticated story about mental health and how social media affects it. The narrative will explore emotional experiences through ambitious transitions that are surreal or metamorphic in nature. The visuals will include thought-provoking imagery to convey emotional responses and the complexities of emotional control in the digital age.
- Video Clip for a Chosen Tune: Audiovisual Storytelling This idea will combine music with visual narrative to create a unique audio-visual experience. The chosen song will serve as the audio narrative, guiding the story. The question to explore is: How does this fit within the context of credits/authorship? It could raise interesting points about the relationship between sound and visuals, and how they complement one another in storytelling.
- Environmental Clip This concept will focus on exploring the environment as a key storytelling element. The environment will help convey mood, emotion, or even narrative progression, acting as more than just a backdrop.
- The Story of Narcissism and Social Media Impact This story will delve into the issue of narcissism and the psychological effects of social media on mental health. It will explore the design choices of figures like Mark Zuckerberg and the comparison to gambling techniques used to drive dopamine-fueled escapism. The concept will also examine the virtual world and the idea of the virtual avatar. The narrative could depict a character growing increasingly obsessed with their own reflection, eventually falling through the screen and becoming consumed by it, symbolizing the dangers of self-obsession and digital validation.
Inspirations
Close up shot, grabbing phone action.
Character comes visit daily an elderly neighbour to take her of groceries, as she is shielding at home during covid outbreak. It’s intensify, that daily routine. So the the scene when he call but cant get trough, there an assumption something is up. When he is out shopping, there’s scene with the ambulance passing bye, which is exaugurated. So at this point audience put puzzles together and think it’s the elderly woman in emergency. So now when the main character runs for life, to go to her door, and finds no response, he is convince that the elderly woman is dead, he panics, he cries.
The way it conveys the feeling of being scared to death for the dark scenario appearing to be truth, is quite something. (2:44-3:12).
The mood changes, it’s definite path of the story, until out of sudden the elderly woman, poke his shoulder form behind, telling him she was out in the clinic for her vaccine. Very clever way of leading the story and building up the suspense.
“In my heart”. I really like the way the colours are used, desaturated reality to depict routine, the daily obstacles, the unconsidered crowds of people, that the cheerful (colourful) character passes bye.
Memories for sale