“One small step for a mole, one giant leap for mole-kind!”
Animatic & links
Co-written with Ying Zhi and Hin Ye.
Click here to go to Storyboarding Final master post (you are here!).
Links to all the posts related to Final assignment:
1. Story draft 1
2. Story final (logline, synopsis)
3. Concept art (link) (link)
4. Storyboards (Part 1: Natasha) (Part 2: Hin Ye) (Part 3: Shadow)
5. Animatic (research) – also, you are here!
ANIMATIC:
Without further ado….
Hey there Nathasha, Shadow and Hin Ye 🙂 Great job on the animatic:) I really love the story hehe.
I think that the animatic as readable ( I could understand what is going on) and I think the opening sequence works really well in establishing where this story takes place and the context of it – and making the ending totally understandable and readable too cause you’ve already established the place in the beginning.
The flashback scene works really well too and it wasn’t confusing so that is good:)
There are good uses of diagonal lines, like when the mole fell in the beginning which makes the shot more interesting.
The use of compositional blackout towards the end where the rocket finally hits the top, indicating that he has arrived was good too – and instead using sound to inform the audience.
In all, really great job and its such a cute and lovable story 🙂 ~
Hey I really like it, a very adorable and creative story. The opening pan shot is pretty cool and clear and from there you start the story of the mole characters. The shading helps a lot in focusing on the main character in the scene where the mole is standing in the crowd. The blur effect of the screens works well and make it realistic to show the shaky camera. Interesting camera angle used when the mole was appearing under the desk and the music of that part really fits(to show its keep appearing) and when the mole reached the top and looking out from the well cover. I like the room which is very detailed and show us the characteristics of him. The launching scene make used of the foreground and background to show the moles near the camera and the far away rocket. It was really funny when the rocket was rising finally reached the top :’)
Nice use of the red colour for the news flash, for the words to pop out. Tonal seperation is very clear, even like the puddle wetting his picture. Really easy to see the characters against their environment. Also good 3d maya room! Easy to understand the space.
One thing might help is to differentiate Cule and the younger mole, like maybe a mustache? Or cap for the kid? Because when Cule ditched him at the doorstep, i thought in the next scene the sad young mole went home to emo! And because the room with all that wallpaper and family photograph would fit his fanboy character too. Only when he put on glasses then oh its Cule… And later the starry eye mole watching the take off was the kid right? But could mistaken for general public..A simple change will help clarify characters easily.
Nice use of diagonal shot showing the rocket take off, it conveys the sense of height and scale from the ground. And the fact that theres no dialogue but everything is understandable via actions…good job on that
Otherwise overall clear drawings, cute story 🙂
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1: There’s a symbolic and clever use of sequencing and tones 3:58 to 4:01, during the rocket launch off. Albert’s skin and the background was darkened to contrast the reflection of the rocket in his eyes, and also his tears. Instead of simply jumping to a shot of Albert crying, you used a unique perspective to connect the two scenes together, creating a very moving moment!
I was a little confused about the sequence from 1:37 to 1:41 when Albert taps Cule’s shoulder. When Cule turned his head to look at Albert, I mistook the medium shot of Albert as Cule. I think this is due to the continuous series of medium shots, with central focal points. It might be better if the over-the-shoulder shot at 1:43 is shown first, before the medium shot at 1:41. I think the 1:43 shot would better establish the space and relation between Albert and Cule.
2: I found the composition at 4:34 particularly inspiring! It’s the moment when Cule sees the outside world for the first time and the low camera angle shot and fish eye lens, make the buildings seem so much grander, clearly capturing this awe-inspiring moment. Even the clouds exist to lead one’s eye to the bright sun, which is the centre of the composition.
There’s another very effective composition during the flashback scene from 3:05 to 3:10. Before Cule starts his flashback, there are only 2 bright spots in the composition. Cule is situated on the far left of the composition leaving a lot of active space on the right for the flashback to occur. As such, there was a very smooth transition into the flashback as the viewers are already expecting something to happen in the empty space on the right.
3: There’s a conscientious arrangement of focal points from 2:08 to 2:16, where Albert consistently appears at the middle, right portion of the composition. This means that despite the relatively quick succession of cuts, the viewer intuitively knows where Albert will pop up next.
It’s a small issue but I feel like there was a very, very slight sense of incongruity at 3:21 to 3:25. Perhaps it due to the jumping of focal points from the far left, to the far right, and finally to the centre. It wasn’t a big issue however as you included the table as well as Cule to link up the shots.
4: There is a smart and classic use of tonal contrast at 1:01 which makes Albert stand out from the sea of people. Despite almost every character seeming to wear the same outfit, it’s like a spotlight is on Albert. The full shot with the high angle, however, adds to the sense of Albert being small in comparison to the whole. This composition effectively captures the mood of Albert falling from grace, as well as the helplessness/insignificance of our protagonist in the crowd.
5: It’s not so much sense of space, but I think the scene from 0:52 to 0:53 was very smart as it managed to convey the camera angle being used despite not having a distinct background for reference. I can tell that it is a low angle shot as the rain drops seemed to be falling directly into the lenses.
6: Music effectively conveys the mood of the narrative! Sound effects are appropriate; around 1:04, the sound of the crowd signals a change in location and creates a sense of the setting. Continuing the background noise of the crowd at 1:29, reminds us of the location of the scene despite no other characters being in the frame.
Overall, I liked your animation so much! There were many instances of simple and clever designs of composition that told your story effectively!
p.s. would love a sweet, cinnanmon bun like Albert in my life~~^.^
Synopsis and Sequence
One thing that I was unclear of was how did the parents’ letter landed in front of Cule? Was he keeping that letter all along? If so, you may need to establish this when he enters the room at 2:44 where the letter was already at the table but he did not notice. He could put his bag on the letter and then rests his head on the bag with his face down. Then, he could notice the letter. This would help prevent the sudden coming in of the letter as it was nowhere to be seen in the room. From 1:06 to 1:08, the scene shows Cule walking along the streets and there was a sudden flashback after which you return to the scene where he was walking the streets again. I can suggest a few camera angles when you can provide a close up shot of his side profile and facial expression thinking back on what he has done in the past. This will provide us a better understanding that he is actually reflecting on his past instead of having that particular flashback to look like a scene cut.
I like the image sequence form 1:43 to 2:34 because it shows how the young mole can be annoying and is bothering him everywhere he goes until he reaches home where Cule said that he should stop bothering him and shuts him out. There is a smooth transition from the locations you have picked that would lead up to his final destination at home because you did show at 2:27 which I assume Cule was on his way back home and the young mole was following him.
Composition
The flashback scene at 3:19 was a good composition because you have arranged the character to be at the extreme side of the screen and at the other side, you have created a flashback scene that illustrates how he had this inspiration to become an astronaut in the future. This whole composition artfully illustrates the sense of story at that moment because it show us how this flashback that Cule is watching reminded him of his ambitions and goals to become a successful astronaut. It also tells us more about this character as his ambitions of an astronaut started from a young age.
Focal Point and Tone
In order to show a ray of hope at 3:35, you could show a little reflection on his spectacles as he is looking up at the sun. And probably some rays of sunlight beams beside him together with a darker background which could help bring out the effect of a ray of hope in his eyes.
One focal point which I find outstanding was the scene at 1:04. He was the only character that is white while the rest were in dark grey. This allows more focus and it draws us into the character’s world as he seem to be outcaste and lonely in the city .
Space of Establishment
For the opening scene, there is good establishment of where the observatory was which is underground because of how the camera is panning down and the little details including bones and helpful words such as “even deeper underground” does help a lot in the space establishment.
Sound design
If you were to create sounds of laughter for the opening scene when Cule was kicked out and looking back at 0:54, it could show how harsh he was being treated as he was mocked by the other astronauts. Despite this, the overall sound effect for the opening scene fits well with the whole story because it brings out the sadness and disappointment in Cule.
The sound transmission was also good when the young mole decided to follow Cule everywhere and it slowly went to silence which brings out the sadness in the young mole as his idol seem to have chased him away. It also emphasises Cul’s anger towards him and thus Cule is trying to isolate himself away from the young mole which I could see.
Hello guys 🙂 here are some of the things that stood out for me in this animatic
@3:59-4:20 These are good sequential shots, I liked the composition where the people are at the foreground,there’s a lot of empty space before this shot but adding people made a difference ; it made the composition look better, imo. The close up shot of the character with his eye reflecting the rocket launch is quite clever. I really liked this part because it’s quite helpful in portraying how the character is feeling, and at the same time we get to see through him the context of this situation. I was wondering if the scene in his/her eyes are suppose to also show him tearing up, because it does look like happy tears to me. If it was, that’s actually pretty smart way to draw it out lol
@1:50-1:56 The down-up angle of the guy on left is a bit weird, I wasn’t sure if you were trying to portray him as someone of authority, esp since Cule is trying propose a plan to him?
@3:10 I like how you used the scene as a matchcut, it helped to bring out a bit of the sentimental side of the character, before he moves on to his work. I wish there was more interaction between the child Cule and the parents, because he’s holding a rocket toy and I wish if there were more close up shots of him interacting with it, or with his parents,they would add an extra element to the character. Eg Close up shot of dad putting on astronaut helmet for him eetc etc those shots were simple and portrayed the scene well.
@1:02-1:06 highlighting cule as the one in white helps me to identify him. The same goes for tones used at 2:11 and 2:47. Maybe it would be better if the supermarket scene and outside cule’s house scene had more 3 mid tones as the previous ones mentioned.
@ 4:36 This is a very good composition. I really liked this shot as well , because it does show the perspective of cule and looking at things from his pov.
Overall the intro of the scene is nice and the use of mid tones are well established here. And I liked how the beginning of story was quite significant in describing how Cule is at first sight, and we identify him with his specs.
That’s all for me. I hope this helps..
Hi guys, great work in conveying such a cute and inspiring story! I thought some of the compositions and sequences were really good in directing the watcher through the narrative.
1. I thought the parallel between the opening and ending sequences worked very well for both establishing the environment and the world that we are entering as audiences, and as a neat conclusion to the entire story arc. One of the shots that did not work out so well for me was the establishing shot of Mr Cule’s room as the sudden aesthetic shift was disconcerting.
2. I felt the flashback scene between Cule and his parents was very well done and has emotional impact. We see the character’s motivations and his interaction with the other characters in a global sense. I felt the time-space separation was very clear through the usage of the changing environment and the fade effect. However, I wonder if the same effect could be achieved with fading Cule completely out of the flashback as I find it still understandable as a flashback even if he was not within the scene itself.
3. As for focal points, I felt that the whole narrative flowed very well and there wasn’t a point that I was pulled completely out of the moment as all the cuts made sense and were done well. I especially like the match cuts between 2:10 – 2:34. Through this sequence, I truly felt the hilarity of the interaction between the young mole and Cule. The cuts work especially in a montage, such as this to convey the lightness and sequence of events happening one after another.
4. The 3 tones were used very well in separating the focal points, secondary focal points, and as indicators of space and even depth in the case of the street view (1:01 – 1:03). I felt that at 1:57 when Cule turns away from the young mole, the 3 tones were essential in emphasising their different views and moods at that moment.
5. The world is well-established with the use of the long panning shots underground. The shapes of the buildings are recognizable and easily associated with what they are meant to be associated with, e.g the observatory and the street with a large crowd. One of the shots I feel worked very well was the worm’s eye view of the world above ground with skyscrapers looming above. This helped me understand the scale of things and how Cule perceives the “outer space”. Compositions are not over-crowded with focal points and the usage of tones helps the audience focus on what is to be focused on.
6. Sound design was good, the environmental sounds definitely helped to establish mood and certain environments. I thought the absence of voices helped the story in that the audience understands things purely from visuals.