Film Studies and Cinematography/Project 2 - Pitch Bible

03/11/2024 - 01/12/2024 (Week 06 – Week 10)

Shao Han / 0369187

Film Studies and Cinematography / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media / Taylors University

Project 2 – Project 2 - Pitch Bible

• Introduction
• Lectures
• Project 2
• Feedback
• Reflection

INTRODUCTION

 

LECTURES

Week 6

Fig1.1 Class Notes,Week 6(01/11/2024)

• Core Elements of Film Grammar

Framing: How to arrange elements in a picture to convey information and emotion.

Staging: The arrangement of characters, props, and environments and their relationship to each other.

Motion: The effect of a shot or character's movements on the narrative.

Editing: Building story rhythm and meaning through the transitions between shots.

• Major and Minor Beats

Major Beats: Key events that drive the plot.

Minor Beats: Smaller events that supplement information or enhance emotional atmosphere.

• Basic Shot Types

Long Shot, Medium Shot, Close-up, etc. Each shot type has a specific role in the narrative.

• Extreme Shots and Shooting Angles

Extremes: For example, extremely close or extremely long shots, which enhance emotional impact or background setting.

Angles: Looking down, looking up, etc. can affect the audience's perception of the character (such as strong or weak).

• Static and dynamic shots

Static shots: The picture is fixed, highlighting dialogue or details.

Dynamic shots: Such as push-pull shots and tracking shots, increase visual appeal and narrative fluidity.

• Storyboarding

Storyboarding is a tool for presenting movie scenes one by one in the form of pictures, used to plan the visual narrative process.

Week 7

The core elements of visual language

• Line

Lines are not just simple straight or curved lines, but also include changes in thickness, direction and length. They can guide the eye, express emotions or describe actions.

• Shape

Shape is a two-dimensional closed area that constitutes the basic shape of matter. Silhouette is an effective way to express shape.

• Space

Space expresses the layering of the scene through techniques such as perspective, depth and vanishing point.

• Tone

Tone is the adjustment of light and dark in a scene, guiding the viewer's eye and creating a specific mood through contrast.

• Movement

Movement can be expressed through Lines of Action or Speed ​​Lines to enhance the sense of dynamics.Movement can be expressed through Lines of Action or Speed ​​Lines to enhance the sense of dynamics.

• Color

Colors are used to create moods or emphasize visual focal points. Complementary and contrasting colors play a key role in highlighting details in the picture.

Project 2 - Pitch Bible

Objective: The objective of this project is to produce a pitch bible for  short animation. The pitch bible will serve as a comprehensive document that effectively communicates the concept, characters, visual style, and potential of the animation to potential investors, production companies, or distributors.

Requirements: The animation pitch bible must be based on the proposed story ideas developed for Project 1.

In order to match my story and make the slides more prominent, I drew a background image for my presentation slides that echoed the story.

Fig2.1 Slide background,Week 7(7/11/2024)

This background picture is strictly based on the title of my story: Reflection. The main body is a castle, because everything in the story starts with the things in the castle. There is a dark reflection of the castle in the back, which brings some secret and fantasy colors, which fits the mysterious characteristics of this country.

Fig2.2 Slide background,Week 7(7/11/2024)

The main body of this background image is an ancient book. The audience can understand it as me telling the audience a story, or as the starting point of the story when Ellie picked up the ancient book and began her adventure.

Fig2.3 Slide background,Week 7(7/11/2024)

This background image shows a road in front of a distant castle, leading to the dawn in the distance, symbolizing that the story will eventually usher in a hopeful and beautiful ending.

Fig2.4 Slide background,Week 7(7/11/2024)

The inspiration for this slide comes from the protagonist and herself in the mirror, two completely different girls with their own flawed personalities, who gradually become more perfect selves.

Fig2.5 Slide background,Week 7(7/11/2024)

This background image is a metaphor for the difficulties and obstacles that Ellie experienced on her road to growth. I abstracted them into wind, rain, clouds, snow and cliffs to reflect the difficulty of growth and highlight the success of Ellie's transformation.

Fig2.6 Slide background,Week 7(7/11/2024)

I used this picture for character introduction. In order to highlight the character, the design is relatively simple, but in order to fit the concept of the magic kingdom, I drew the background into the smoke emitted when the magic begins, full of mysterious atmosphere.

Fig2.7 Slide background,Week 7(7/11/2024)

The inspiration for this picture still comes from the castle and the mirror, but I reversed the relationship between the castle and the mirror to highlight the core of the story - the mirror. Because of this mirror, this country seems more mysterious, and it also allows Ellie to start her journey to find a more perfect self.

PRESENTATION SLIDE

STORYBOARD

I drew a rough shot switching design for this story based on the rhythm of the story. In order to ensure that the main line of my story is clear, I need to always pay attention to the main position of the protagonist Ellie. However, as the story develops, the importance of the mirror must also be clear enough.

SLIDESHOW PRESENTATION

Youtube Link:https://youtu.be/GmrwEr7VSI8

Google Drive Link:

https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1dQ8g6-dtG3jjUPZQo3jvPjsD8fuQliiG

FEEDBACK

Week 6

I need to distinguish the order of presentation in the slide section and make it in accordance with the regulations. The font of each page should be as consistent as possible, and typesetting needs to be beautiful.

Week 7

The slide needs to add a background picture, which needs to be drawn by hand, and the content of the picture should be in line with the theme of the script, so as to make the readers realize that it is based on the script.

Week 8

Independent learning week

Week 9

So far, the content is all right, and the next step is to record the commentary video as required.

REFLECTION

Experiences

In this project, I drew the corresponding background boards for my story. In order to make them correspond to my theme, I thought about many questions, such as what are the key elements in my story, what is the general direction of the story, and whether it is full of ups and downs and difficulties in the middle. After thinking about these questions, I officially started drawing the background boards. When I started to design the storyboards later, I also thought a lot about how to design them.

Observations

I found that this project requires both the brain and the hands to complete. Extracting the key elements and information of the story, how to distribute the shots of the story, and how to show it so that the audience can be more immersive, all require our in-depth thinking. My story revolves around the word metamorphosis, which requires me to focus on the transformation of the protagonist in the story shots. I learned to incorporate the theme into the painting, highlight the theme, and make my stories and works more eye-catching.

Findings

Character design, script writing and storyboard arrangement are important components of an animation. Only by completing these basic parts well can you create an attractive animation. Characters are the core elements to attract audiences. They need to have outstanding features to catch people's eyes and have enough motivation to complete the development of the story. This requires the creation of a perfect script, and storyboards can enhance the storytelling of the picture. Storyboard design is an important part of the lens language. It can help create an atmosphere and provide key information in the plot. It is also very important to clarify the audience of the story. Audiences of different genders and ages pay attention to different information. Only by clarifying what the target audience needs and wants to see can you have a greater chance of capturing the audience.