Sequences for Narrative

Since I have decided to tell my story through an interactive comic experience, I had to narrow my ideas down and focus on a particular part of the plot. I have chosen to develop on the third act of my story as I find that it would keep my readers at the edge of their seats with the captivating visuals and exciting revelation at the end.


Act Three of Teteque: Wayan’s Encounter

As Wayan made his way down the dining room, he flashed over the writings knifed to the walls. One wrote “Beware of the witch! She’s watching us!” and another wrote “Her insatiable bloodlust! Hide the men and protect the children! For it is them she seeks!” The writings sent chills down Wayan’s spine. The air was cold but he was sweating from his palms and feet. He then sensed a presence in the room. It was almost as if someone was heavily breathing down his neck. Without looking back, Wayan raced into the halls as fast as he could.

He soon reaches a dead end where he could no longer distinguish right from left. Wayan turned his flashlight on to reveal a huge mirror that impeded his way. The mirror was covered in bloody fingerprints and a finger-painted writing that reads “Look out for Teteque!” And at that moment, he realized that he has trespassed and led himself into the den of the monstrous demon that brewed fear in the villagers. As he took his focus off the writing, he spotted a vague reflection of a boney old lady with piercing red eyes standing behind him. With sheer force, he immediately breaks into the mirror and ran to find an exit. He could hear her grunting while she chased him down.

Wayan quickly entered a dark room and locked the door behind him. He was breathless from all the panic that struck him and fell to his knees. He teared at the thought of him being hunted down by Teteque before he could make his way out of the endless labyrinth. He reached into his pocket for his phone but mysteriously found crumpled paper packaged around it instead. He unwrapped the paper and hovered his phone over the contents of it to unveil a note. It reads:
“To whom it may concern,

The Missus killed the Master today. He was a good man. He never meant any harm. He treated me with respect unlike that old cunning bitch! She never gave him what he deserved. And I was simply repaying his kindness. I loved him. And he loved me. I was bearing what was ours. She took it away from us. She left me bleeding next to his dead body. So I killed the Missus before she could take off. She was not a good woman. I lost everything. So help me, Lord. Let me find what I have lost. For not another moment is worth living if I am already dead inside.

The Mistress.”

There was nothing more to it. Wayan could not believe what he just read. There was nothing but vengeance blanketed under its tone. His phone started to shut off. And as his light flickered, Wayan realized that he was sitting next to a skeleton all this while. Just before his light died off, he came face to face with the demon Teteque, What was left of this misfortune was Wayan’s unfading scream which slowly echoed through the walls of the manor.


Story Panels

Keeping in mind that I am only using key sequences in the act to visually tell the story, I have planned to present the scenes in a way that it captures the moments in the most precise and presentable way without betraying the exact emotions and feel I wish to evoke in this interactive comic. I have also taken into account of the mise en scène of each and every panel to stay true to the ingenuity of the story.

In total, I am telling the story within 15 panels – each having its own identity while serving the purpose of staying connected to build a smooth flow in the story. Here is a brief description of the contents of each panel:

Panel 1:
Wayan makes his way down the  stairs and into the dining room, navigating with the light in his phone camera. Dusty antique furniture covered in cobwebs slowly illuminated by Wayan.
Panel 2:
Wayan flashes over the huge and heavy writings on the wall of the dining room. Deep knife scratches embedded into the walls that reads “Beware of the witch! She’s watching us!”.
Panel 3:
Wayan feels a presence as he makes his way deeper into the hallway. Teteque is hovering beneath the ceilings of the room.
Panel 4:
Wayan runs for his life down the halls. More old furniture are seen while his light illuminates the path in front of him.
Panel 5:
Wayan reaches a dead end. He no longer knows where to go. He notices a mirorr in his way.
Panel 6:
Wayan flashes his light over writings in the mirror. The writings were all written with someboy’s fingers in blood that dried up over time. It reads “Look out for Teteque!”.
Panel 7:
Wayan shifts his focus to the reflection in the mirror. A vague image of a smiling Teteque appears behind Wayan in the reflection.
Panel 8:
Wayan breaks through the mirror. Bits and pieces of the mirror shatters across the panel.
Panel 9:
Wayan falls into a dark room. His phone is no longer lit.
Panel 10:
Wayan rummages in the dark for his phone. A dim trail of light guides him to his phone.
Panel 11:
Wayan finds a paper wrapped around his phone and reads it.
Panel 12:
Wayan reads the contents of the paper which tells the story of the occupants of the manor. A letter specially written by the housekeeper. It reads

“To whom it may concern,

The Missus killed the Master today. He was a good man. He never meant any harm. He treated me with respect unlike that old cunning bitch! She never gave him what he deserved. And I was simply repaying his kindness. I loved him. And he loved me. I was bearing what was ours. She took it away from us. She left me bleeding next to his dead body. So I killed the Missus before she could take off. She was not a good woman. I lost everything. So help me, Lord. Let me find what I have lost. For not another moment is worth living if I am already dead inside.

The Mistress.”

Panel 13:
Wayan is astounded. He sees a decaying body from across the room. His face turns pale as his phone flickers in the dark due to its low battery.
Panel 14:
In its last few flickers, Teteque appears in front of him.
Panel 15:
Teteque takes him out and only his scream is heard from outside the manor.


Software

I’ll be using Adobe Muse and Animate CC to achieve a responsive website design with scroll effects as well as other visual effects.

 

Assignment 2: Opto-simulator

Objective

To simulate eyes that follows the subject depending on his/her position.


Sensing

Camera captures an image of the subject’s face.

Computing

Computer calculates the position of the subject within the x-axis and y-axis within the screen.

Effecting

The simulated eyes look and follow in the direction of the subject’s position.


Process/Execution
Overview
opto_simulator_1
Tracking the face
opto_simulator_2
Syncing face position with video playback

 

opto_simulator_3


Results

opto_simulator_gif

Assignment 1: Mirror

Objective

To create a mirror that grows dimmer as the subject moves closer to it.


Sensing

Camera captures an image of the subject’s face.

Computing

Computer calculates the area of the subject to determine the distance and generates a value for the brightness of its reflection.

Effecting

Reflection is dimmed when subject is close to the “mirror” while it is brighter when subject is away.


Process/Execution
Overview
mirror_1
Getting image from camera
mirror_2
Bounding box for face tracking
mirror_3
Calculate area of bounding box
mirror_4
Face size to brightness

 

mirror_5


Results

mirror_gif