Week 1 Elements of Mise En Scene / Camera animation
Understanding what aspects Mise En Scene include:
- Settings & PropsCostume
- Hair & Make Up
- Facial Expression & Body Language
- Color/Lighting
- Positioning of characters/objects within the frame
World-Building：
- Location & Era (past, present, future)
- Cultural Influences
- Laws & Beliefs that govern the world
My 3 previous ideas：
- A girl finds herself in a strange dreamscape, wandering alone until an unknown darkness begins to chase her. Just as she reaches a dead end, a giant black-and-white cat appears, saving her and carrying her away from danger. She rides on its back, fleeing through the shadows until they finally break into the light. When she wakes up, she realizes she is back in reality—and the cat is gone. As fragments of memory resurface, she understands that the cat in her dream was her beloved pet, long since lost. The story explores how dreams can preserve emotions beyond memory, revealing that even what is forgotten may find its way back.
- In a future world, the dead choose between digital immortality or true oblivion. Meng Po guides those who erase their data, leading them to the final room but never crossing the threshold. A translucent woman arrives, wearing a silver bracelet with a glowing bead. After drinking Memory Soup, her form stabilizes. As they walk, memories appear—scenes of her life, a man by her side. One photo shows the Qing Dynasty, the same man fastening the same bracelet. At the door, she steps inside. Meng Po hesitates, then follows. In a white room, the woman’s final memory unfolds—a hospital, the man placing the bracelet in her palm. She touches the bead and it dissolves into light. Meng Po exits. A new soul awaits. She straightens her robe and offers the cup. Beneath the bridge, data streams vanish into the abyss.
- On a misty night in the Southern Song Dynasty, a young woman enters a hidden Ghost Market. Lanterns flicker as silent vendors watch. At a lone stall, she reaches for a silver tael, but a black mist coils around her wrist. A hidden charm repels it, and a knowing chuckle lingers in the air. At dawn, the town wakes as if nothing happened. But in her palm rests a blackened copper coin. A soft footstep behind—she turns to see herself, identical and smiling. Without hesitation, she lifts her parasol and steps forward. Faint ripples fade on the stone pavement. A voice murmurs: “The world drifts like a passing cloud; when the dream fades, a thousand years have gone.” “世事如浮云，梦醒已千年。”
Week 2 Establishing your world
Consider these settings for constructing a world: history, geography, and ecology
Once world ideas are fleshed out, create sets and props that enhance the story’s environment.
Creating Simple Scenes and Props
Basic Compositions in Maya
Storyboard1: Mengpo
Storyboard2: Cat in Dream
Storyboard3: Ally
Week 3 Telling stories through the camera
Creating establishing shots is essential in storyboarding, Previs, and layout, as they set the scene before moving into closer shots. They help the audience understand the location, whether at the beginning of a story, during a location change, or at the end of a journey. To enhance composition, the rule of thirds should be applied, positioning the horizon line at the top or bottom of the frame for a balanced visual effect.
Moodboard
I chose the Mengpo story as my FMP idea, and started to do some basic compositions in Maya.
Refined Storyboard
Week 4 Establishing Characters
This week, we focused on character creation and storytelling through animation.
Defining protagonists and antagonists, understanding their motivations, and making characters compelling through depth, flaws, and actions. Since the animation may lack dialogue, characters must be introduced visually using gestures and body language, following the “show, don’t tell” principle.
Feedback:
- need more guidelines in the background for the character
- more frames for some shots when the main character walking
- get rid of the controllers
Week 5 First draft second feedback
This week I remade the shots from last week and finished the first half.
Feedback:
- Shot 1 – Character posture needs to change.
- Consistency is important! – walking shots
- camera angle needs to change to show Mmengpo’s face before she talks to the dead girl.
- When Mengpo is in front of the dead girl, make her just finish her walk (showing that she is already extremely familiar with this process)
Week 6 Animation analysis
This week, I revised the shot leading to the last room. In the previs, the memory windows do not show the two modern scenes and one Qing dynasty scene.
From a narrative point of view, the memory scenes in these windows reveal the connection between the woman and her lover – a cycle of separation and reunion. The bracelet is a visual symbol that connects the three moments.
Week 7 Second Draft
This week, I finished the shots of the interior of the final scene room. Unlike the outside world, this space is empty – pure white and without distractions. The woman’s most precious memories play out here, revealing the moment her lover returned the bracelet to her in the hospital.
Feedback:
- consistency – show how two characters change their places in some shots (left & right)
- higher camera angle – when Mengpo opens the door
- camera angle change – in the room
Week 8 FEEDBACK/DEMO
This week, I re-edited the first half to make Meng Po’s walking more fluid and coherent. Initially, her starting position was changed, which resulted in this part not being smooth enough.
I also adjusted the angle of the over-shoulder shots of Meng Po and the dead girl.
Continuity editing ensures consistency in a film’s storyline, location and time. Continuity errors can break viewers’ suspension of disbelief, but minor mistakes may go unnoticed. The 180-degree rule, proper perspective shifts, and camera movement are all essential factors in continuity.
Week 9 Finishing touches
This week, I polished the remaining shots and added the final shot – Meng Po restarting her work as an AI guide. This final shot is crucial to reinforcing the cyclical nature of her existence.
To enhance the impact of this moment, I adjusted the rhythm of the final scene. The brief pause before Meng Po leaves the camera gives the audience a chance to reflect on the opening ending.