During the Weight Shift workshop, my tutor pointed out that my animation looked a little floaty, as if the character wasn’t fully grounded.
This feedback helped me realise that I need to pay more attention to how the character’s weight shifts and how the body responds to gravity. In my next revision, I will focus on improving the timing, balance, and centre of gravity to make the movement feel more natural and convincing.
Walk Cycle
Learning Reflection
This week, we focused on Walk Cycle Animation and learned how to create a natural walking movement by understanding basic body mechanics.
One of the most important things I learned is that walking is not simply about moving the legs forward and backward. It involves the movement of the entire body, especially the shifting of weight and the coordination between different body parts. Since walking is such a familiar movement in everyday life, even small mistakes in timing or balance can make an animation look unnatural.
During the lesson, we studied the four key poses of a walk cycle: Contact, Down, Passing, and Up. These poses helped me understand how the body’s weight and height change during each step. I also learned about the importance of the Centre of Gravity (COG), including how the hips move up and down, shift from side to side, and rotate during walking.
Another interesting point was how the chest, head, and arms respond to the movement of the lower body. The arms do not simply swing independently. Their movement is connected to the body’s motion, involving principles such as Follow Through and Overlapping Action.
Assignment: Walk Cycle (Lower Body blk)
During this week’s Walk Cycle assignment, my tutor pointed out that my character’s feet were not making full contact with the ground, which made the walking movement look less natural.
I also learned that the hips should not move forward and backward in a walk cycle in place. Instead, I should focus on the hips’ side-to-side rotation and up-and-down movement. Otherwise, the animation may look strange when the character actually moves forward in space.
《Beyond Words: Visual Metaphor and Empathy in Animal-Centred Animation》
How can visual metaphors in short animation communicate animal vulnerability and encourage audience empathy? To explore how character design, symbolic objects and visual transformations can communicate animal vulnerability and emotional experiences without relying on dialogue or explicit representations of cruelty.
2.Project Rationale
I am interested in exploring how animation can express complex emotions and experiences through visual storytelling. My proposed 3D animated short film follows a kitten that enters an imaginary afterlife and meets its favourite old toy, which is revealed to be a god-like being. Through the toy, the audience gradually discovers the kitten’s painful past.
Rather than directly representing animal cruelty, I want to explore how symbolic imagery can communicate suffering, vulnerability and emotional recovery. For example, the damaged toy could represent the kitten’s experiences, while changes in colour and light could symbolise transformation and healing.
This research will investigate how visual metaphors, character design and non-verbal performance can encourage empathy towards animal characters. I also want to consider whether highly symbolic storytelling can communicate serious themes clearly without relying on disturbing imagery.
Through academic research, film analysis and storyboard experiments, I hope to develop a visual language that is emotionally powerful while remaining sensitive to the subject matter.
3.Keywords and keyword phrases used for research
-Visual metaphor
-Visual symbolism
-Animal representation
-Narrative empathy
-Non-verbal storytelling
-Emotional storytelling in animation
4.Situate your proposal in relation to key texts, issues and debates.
Hannibal (2017) explores how visual metaphors in animation can communicate abstract and subjective experiences. This is relevant to my project because I want to represent the kitten’s past through a damaged toy and symbolic transformations rather than direct representations of cruelty.
Wells (2009) examines how animals are represented in animation and how anthropomorphic characters can communicate wider social and cultural ideas. His research offers a useful perspective on using animal characters to explore human responsibility and ethical questions.
Keen (2007) develops the concept of narrative empathy, while questioning whether emotional responses to fiction necessarily lead to altruistic behaviour. Although her research focuses on literature, it provides a theoretical starting point for examining the relationship between storytelling and audience empathy.
These sources raise an important question: can symbolic storytelling help audiences understand animal suffering, or can highly stylised representations create emotional distance?
My research will examine how visual metaphors, character performance and symbolic transformations can balance emotional impact with narrative clarity.
5.Identify any materials or data that will be examined
I plan to examine the following animated films and visual materials to explore how animation uses symbolism and character performance to communicate emotions.
1. Kitbull (2019), directed by Rosana Sullivan
I will analyse how the film uses animal body language, character movement and facial expressions to create an emotional connection with the audience without relying on dialogue.
2. Ryan (2004), directed by Chris Landreth
I will examine how the film uses unusual character design and visual metaphors to represent emotional and psychological experiences.
3. Visual symbolism in animation
I will examine examples of symbolic objects, lighting and colour transformations in animation to understand how abstract imagery can communicate emotional experiences.
4. My own character designs and storyboard experiments
I will develop visual experiments based on my story, including the damaged toy, symbolic memory sequences and the transformation of dark energy into golden light. These experiments will help me explore how to represent the kitten’s experiences through visual metaphors rather than explicit imagery.
6.Bibliography
Hannibal, C. (2017) ‘Subjective perspective as creative metaphor in the animated film’, Mediaesthetics – Journal of Poetics of Audiovisual Images, (2). Available at: https://doi.org/10.17169/mae.2017.63.
A small kitten arrives in a mysterious afterlife. Its body looks like a damaged rag doll, with one missing button eye and one missing limb. Alone in this strange world, the kitten approaches a large white door glowing with light.
Behind the door, the kitten meets an old toy that it loved dearly when it was alive. The toy looks like a little clown with spring-like arms and legs. However, it is not an ordinary toy. It is actually a mysterious god-like being.
The toy gently touches the kitten and begins to read its memories. Through fragments of the past, it discovers that the kitten was badly mistreated during its life. After seeing what the kitten went through, the toy decides to confront the person responsible.
Using its supernatural powers, the toy travels to the person’s home and secretly hides behind a door. It creates a mysterious accident, causing the person to trip over a thin red string. As the person falls, several kitchen utensils are sent flying. The scene suddenly cuts away, leaving the outcome to the audience’s imagination.
Afterwards, the toy appears beside the fallen person and collects a mysterious black orb, which represents the person’s eyes and hands. Using its magical powers, the toy transforms the dark orb into a warm golden light.
The toy then returns to the afterlife and gently offers the golden light to the kitten. As the light surrounds its body, something wonderful happens. The damaged rag-doll kitten transforms into a real cat. Its missing eye and limb are restored, and it becomes whole again.
Finally, the kitten happily curls up beside its beloved toy and falls asleep peacefully, purring softly.
For the first time, the kitten can finally rest without fear.
Theme
This story explores animal cruelty, justice, and healing through a dark fairy tale. By combining a painful past with a gentle and magical afterlife, I want to encourage audiences to reflect on how vulnerable animals are treated and the responsibility humans have towards other living beings.
Although revenge is part of the story, the emotional focus is on the kitten’s recovery and its final moment of peace.
Storyboard 60-90s（Storyboard sketches by me, visually refined with AI assistance.)
More reference
2.《Bird collision》
Story Synopsis
Two small birds are happily flying above a modern city, playfully chasing each other through the sky. The bird in front flies faster, while the bird behind flaps its wings harder, trying to catch up with its friend.
As the bird speeds up, the camera switches to its point of view. Ahead of it is a beautiful blue sky filled with soft clouds. Everything looks peaceful and inviting, and the bird continues flying forward without hesitation.
However, what the bird sees is not the real sky, but a reflection on the glass surface of a tall building. Before it can realise the danger, it suddenly collides with the glass and falls to the ground.
The bird lies motionless on the pavement beneath the building. After a moment, it gets up and tries to fly again, but something feels different. It soon discovers that it has become a spirit, and its real body is still lying on the ground.
Confused, the spirit bird looks around and notices several other birds lying nearby. It gradually realises that it is not the only bird that has experienced this tragedy.
The camera slowly pulls away, revealing the tall glass building reflecting the beautiful sky above. The city continues as usual, while the birds remain unnoticed on the ground.
What appeared to be a beautiful and peaceful part of the city has become an invisible danger to the birds that live around it.
Theme
This story explores how human-made environments can unintentionally harm wildlife. Through the bird’s point of view, I want the audience to experience how something beautiful from a human perspective can become dangerous for another species.
The film encourages viewers to reflect on the hidden environmental impact of urban development and whether humans should take responsibility for the harm caused to other living beings, even when it is unintentional.
Core Theme: Women’s Issues Story Concept: An alien from a lifeless planet dreams of creating life. Believing that menstruation holds the key to the mystery of life, it travels to Earth in a spaceship to investigate the secrets of menstruation and discover how it works. Intended Message: Through a humorous and playful storyline, the animation explores the physical discomfort women experience during menstruation and the significance of menstruation in their lives. Visual Direction: Surreal science fiction with a humorous and unconventional perspective, exploring the physical experiences and social challenges women face in relation to menstruation.
2. Core Theme: Animal Abuse and the Dignity of Life
Story Concept: A stray kitten with physical disabilities walks through a door and enters a room where the Grim Reaper resides. Upon discovering that the kitten has lost its eyes and feet, the Grim Reaper decides to punish those who abuse animals by giving the kitten the abuser’s hands and eyes. Intended Message: Humans often assume they have the power and right to control other forms of life, sometimes taking animal lives without a second thought. This project explores the idea that those who treat other living beings as if they have no value may themselves be subjected to the same arbitrary power by beings from a higher dimension.
3.Bird-Window Collisions
Core Theme: The Impact of Human Development on Birds’ Natural Habitats Story Concept: A bird is happily flying across the city alongside another bird. Suddenly, it collides with an invisible glass window. After shaking its head, it attempts to continue flying, only to discover that it has transformed into a spirit. Looking down, it sees numerous other birds lying on the ground, all having suffered the same fate. Intended Message: As humans build cities and pursue convenience and aesthetic beauty, should they also take responsibility for the environmental consequences their actions have on other living beings? If harm is caused without malicious intent, does that mean it should be overlooked?
This lesson explored how to create believable character performances in animation. Animation is a medium rather than a genre, and almost any object can be brought to life through creativity and convincing acting. As Stella Adler’s quote suggests, “Acting is reacting.”
Key Elements of Believable Performance
Objective and Motivation: Characters need clear goals and reasons for their actions. Animators should understand what a character wants, what is stopping them, and why they move.
Personality: Every movement should reflect the character’s personality and their relationship with the situation. For example, a shy character might hesitate before speaking, while a proud character might straighten their posture before acting.
Thought Process: Characters should appear to think before they move. Small pauses, eye movements and subtle changes in posture can reveal their inner thoughts and make their actions feel more natural.
Developing a Performance
Character performance is built from the inside out. A character’s backstory, personality, habits and relationships shape their needs and desires, which then lead to actions in a specific situation. These internal motivations are translated into physical movements and poses.
Good pose design requires clarity, interesting timing, effective staging and simplicity.
Practical Animation Techniques
Before animating, it is important to develop the character, create thumbnails for shot planning and consider the arcs of movement. Filming video references and using Blocking Plus, which adds details to the basic blocking, can also help improve the performance.
Reflection
This lecture gave me a deeper understanding of character performance in animation. In the past, I often focused more on smooth movement and physical principles. However, I learned that a character’s thought process is what truly brings them to life. Without a pause or a subtle eye movement that suggests thinking, an action can feel mechanical rather than believable.
The concept of “acting is reacting” was particularly inspiring. I realised that even a simple geometric object without facial features can express convincing weight and personality when it has a clear objective and reacts to its surroundings.
Complex dialogue and visual effects are not always necessary. Pure body language, even in the form of mime, can communicate rich emotions and tell a story.
In my future animation practice, I will pay more attention to a character’s backstory and psychological state before creating keyframes. I want to make pose design a natural expression of the character’s thoughts and emotions, rather than focusing only on the movement itself.
1. Can you describe how the elements of Mise-en-Scène in the following scene?
The scene begins in the witch’s dark, enclosed room, which looks like an underground basement. The brick walls, chains, large cauldron and crow make the setting feel threatening and unnatural. The poison apple is the most important prop, as it directly represents the danger she is preparing for Snow White.
The scene then moves to the dwarfs’ cottage, which is much brighter and surrounded by trees and greenery. This creates a strong contrast with the witch’s home. The window also acts as a boundary between Snow White’s safe space inside the house and the witch outside. When Snow White begins to lean towards the window, this boundary gradually feels less secure.Other important props include the apple pie Snow White is making and the small animals gathered around her, which help show her gentle and innocent nature. At the end, the animals find two vultures sitting on bare branches, creating an ominous contrast with the green and lively environment around them.
2.Costume, Hair & Make Up
The witch wears a dark hooded cloak that covers most of her body, making her appear mysterious and threatening, as though she may be hiding something dangerous. Her exaggerated facial features, including her large hooked nose, wart and single tooth, make her look strange and sinister.In contrast, Snow White wears a brightly coloured dress with a red bow in her hair. Her pale skin, red lips and long eyelashes give her a youthful and gentle appearance. Unlike the witch, her face and arms are clearly visible, which makes her seem more open and approachable. The strong contrast between their designs reinforces the difference between Snow White’s innocence and the witch’s threatening nature.
3.Facial Expressions & Body Language
The witch’s facial expressions make her appear threatening and sinister. Her eyes are wide open with a large amount of white visible, while her raised eyebrows and dark eye area give her an intense and unsettling expression. Her hunched posture also makes her movements appear strange and unnatural.
When she tries to persuade Snow White, the witch leans her body forward towards the window, almost as if she is trying to enter Snow White’s space. Although she tries to behave kindly, her body language remains intrusive. Eventually, she even reaches her arm through the window to offer Snow White the apple.
In contrast, Snow White’s raised inner eyebrows and gentle expression make her appear innocent and vulnerable. At first, she avoids the witch’s gaze and stays further inside the house. As she gradually lowers her guard, however, she moves closer to the window. This physical movement towards the witch shows that she is beginning to trust her.
The animals react very differently. They immediately hide or run away when they see the witch. Their frightened body language warns the audience that she is dangerous, creating a contrast with Snow White, who gradually begins to trust her.Overall, their body language creates a clear contrast between the witch’s manipulative and threatening behaviour and Snow White’s innocent and trusting nature.
4.Lighting and Colour
The witch’s room uses low key lighting, with most of the environment shown in grey and black tones and strong areas of shadow. The light is mainly focused on the witch and the poison apple, drawing the audience’s attention towards them. The apple is first covered in bright green poison before turning into a vivid red apple. Its attractive colour makes it look tempting, even though it hides danger. The shadows around the room also strengthen the threatening atmosphere.
In contrast, the dwarfs’ cottage uses more Natural Lighting and feels much warmer and more lively. Although the interior is still quite grey and rustic, the natural light, greenery outside and Snow White’s bright clothing give the scene more life. When the witch appears, however, her shadow first falls across Snow White and then gradually spreads across the room. This makes it feel as though danger is slowly entering what was originally a safe space.
Snow White is initially shown in the light, but after the witch appears she becomes surrounded by shadow, which foreshadows the danger that is about to affect her. Although the witch is standing outside in natural lighting, from inside the house her face and body remain dark, keeping her appearance threatening and mysterious.
The red poison apple also stands out strongly from the other duller green apples in the basket, making it the main focus of the audience’s attention.At the end of the scene, the green leafy tree filled with small colourful birds creates a lively and peaceful image. This contrasts sharply with the bare tree branches, dull yellow-grey background and the two large vultures, which create an ominous and threatening atmosphere.
5.Positioning of characters/objects within the frame
At first, the witch and Snow White are shown in separate shots rather than appearing in the same frame. Both characters are usually placed near the centre of their own shots, but Snow White looks upwards when speaking to the witch, suggesting that the witch is positioned slightly higher than her. This creates a sense of imbalance between them.
The window forms a very clear visual boundary between the two characters. At first, the witch is framed outside the window, almost as if the window is separating Snow White’s safe space from the danger outside. Snow White initially stays further inside the cottage, but as she gradually lowers her guard, she moves closer to the window. Only then do the two characters begin to appear together in the same frame. This change in positioning visually reflects Snow White becoming more trusting of the witch.
The witch also gradually occupies more of the frame. When Snow White finally reaches the window, the camera moves outside and the witch’s body fills roughly half of the composition, making her presence feel much stronger.
The poison apple is also positioned very deliberately. Earlier, it is shown in a close-up, making it an important visual focus. Later, when the witch takes it from the basket, the apple moves with her hand from the right side of the frame towards the left, into Snow White’s space. This movement makes the apple feel like the danger is physically crossing the boundary between the witch and Snow White.
The animals do not remain around Snow White. Instead, they hide outside behind objects or in the trees, leaving Snow White more isolated when she faces the witch.At the end of the scene, the two large vultures are placed prominently in the centre of the frame. Their size, central position and sinister expressions make them immediately noticeable and create a strong sense of danger and foreshadowing.
6. What role does the shot choice (Cinematography) play in the scene.
The cinematography helps direct the audience’s attention and show the changing relationship between the characters.
Close-up shots are used for the poison apple and the process of making it. The Close-up directs the audience’s focus towards the apple and emphasises the danger it represents.
Medium Shots are used frequently throughout the scene. In the first section, a Medium Shot allows the audience to clearly see the witch’s actions while she prepares the poison. In the cottage scene, Medium Shots allow us to see both the characters’ facial expressions and body language, helping to show their relationship.
During the conversation between the witch and Snow White, the camera repeatedly cuts between the two characters rather than showing them together at first. These cuts maintain the visual separation between them and reflect Snow White’s initial caution. When Snow White finally trusts the witch and accepts the apple, they appear together in the same frame, visually showing that the distance between them has been reduced.At the end of the scene, the vultures are shown in a closer shot and placed prominently in the centre of the frame. This makes them appear more threatening and creates a stronger sense of danger and foreshadowing.
Research Activity 2
Can you describe the mise-en-scene in this picture? How are the characters placed in the frame?
The two characters are positioned in the centre of the frame, lying parallel to each other on a double bed. Although they are physically very close, they do not touch or look at each other, creating a strong sense of emotional distance.
Their body language reinforces this separation. The woman holds her arms across her chest, which makes her appear closed and uncomfortable. The man also keeps his hands to himself rather than reaching towards her. Both characters stare upwards at the ceiling with tired and unhappy expressions, suggesting that they are each absorbed in their own thoughts.
The bed itself also helps communicate their relationship. The two separate blankets create a visible line between them, almost dividing the bed into two individual spaces. This visual separation reflects the emotional gap between the characters.
The scene uses a high angle shot, with the camera looking directly down at the two characters from above. This allows the audience to clearly see both their physical closeness and their lack of interaction. The hotel room appears orderly and symmetrical, but the characters themselves feel disconnected.Overall, the mise-en-scène creates a contrast between physical closeness and emotional distance. Even though the characters are lying beside each other, their positioning, body language and the division of the bed suggest that there is a barrier between them.
Research Activity 3
1.Can you describe the relationship between the characters?
The relationship between the two characters feels unequal and uncomfortable. Although the main character is the mistress of the house and Mrs. Danvers is the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers appears to have more control in the scene.
The main character looks nervous and confused, and she seems eager to please Mrs. Danvers. In contrast, Mrs. Danvers remains calm, cold and emotionally distant. This makes the main character appear insecure, while Mrs. Danvers seems much more confident and authoritative.
2.How do we know what the relationship is?
We can understand their relationship through their body language, facial expressions and positioning. The main character is sitting down and has to look up at Mrs. Danvers, which makes her appear less confident and less powerful. She also looks nervous and seems to speak in a way that tries to please Mrs. Danvers.
In contrast, Mrs. Danvers remains standing and looks down at the main character. Her expression is calm and cold, and she speaks in a distant manner. This makes her appear more dominant and in control, even though she is the housekeeper.
The difference in height and posture between the two characters therefore creates a clear sense of imbalance in their relationship.
3.Can you describe how the mise-en-scene works together to tell us what the relationship is?
We can understand their relationship through both the cinematography and the characters’ behaviour.
The camera language creates a clear power difference between them. The main character is often shown in a high angle shot, making her appear smaller and less powerful, while Mrs. Danvers is shown in a low angle shot, making her seem more dominant and intimidating. The camera also cuts between the two characters, allowing the contrast in their expressions, positions and levels of confidence to become clearer.
Their behaviour reinforces this imbalance. The main character appears nervous and eager to please Mrs. Danvers, while Mrs. Danvers remains calm, cold and emotionally distant. She speaks in a controlled manner and simply walks away after finishing what she wants to say, which makes her seem confident and in control of the situation.
Together, the high angle shot, low angle shot, character positioning and contrast in body language make the relationship feel unequal, with Mrs. Danvers holding more power in the scene.
Research Activity 4
1.Can you describe the mise-en-scene in this picture?
The scene takes place on a busy street that appears to be part of a market. There are many people around the main character, but none of them interact with her. She also appears to be the only woman visible in the crowd, which makes her stand out and seem more isolated.
The main character is positioned in the centre of the frame. She looks to the side while holding her headscarf with one hand, and her facial expression and body language suggest that she feels nervous and uncomfortable.
The environment also contributes to this uneasy mood. The street is crowded with people, buildings and objects, while many electrical wires cross above the character’s head. One of the lines passes almost directly over her, creating a sense of visual pressure. The large basket or load on the left side of the frame also makes the space feel more crowded and enclosed.
Overall, although the street is busy and full of people, the main character appears emotionally isolated. The crowded environment, her central position and her anxious body language create a tense and uneasy atmosphere.
2.What type of shot is it?
Medium close-up
3.What is the camera angle?
Eye-level shot
4.Where is the character located in the frame?
The main character is positioned in the centre of the frame, making her the main visual focus. The people around her remain in the background and at the sides, which further draws attention to her.
5.What is she wearing?
She is wearing a bright red headscarf and green clothing. These vivid colours contrast strongly with the darker grey and brown clothes worn by the people around her, making her stand out clearly from the crowd.
However, this bright appearance contrasts with her nervous expression and closed body language. Although her clothing makes her visually noticeable, she seems to be trying to make herself less noticeable by holding her scarf close to her body and looking anxiously to the side. This contrast may be a deliberate choice to emphasise her discomfort and vulnerability within the crowd.
6.What is the depth-of-field?
The image uses a deep depth of field. The foreground, midground and background are all relatively clear, so the audience can see both the main character and the busy street around her.
This keeps the crowded environment visible and helps emphasise that, although she is surrounded by people, she still appears isolated and uncomfortable.
7.Describe the colour palette?
The colour palette is mainly made up of muted grey, brown and beige tones. In contrast, the main character wears bright red and green, which are much more saturated than the colours around her.
This strong colour contrast makes her stand out from the crowd and draws the audience’s attention towards her.
8.Describe the lighting?
The scene uses natural lighting with light coming mainly from the side. It appears to be late afternoon, as the sunlight is warm and low.Part of the character’s face and body is lit by the sunlight, while the other part remains in shadow. This contrast between light and shadow adds to the uneasy and uncertain mood of the scene.
Key Learning Points
This course explored how visual elements are used to guide the audience and communicate meaning in film and animation.
Composition and Framing
Composition techniques such as the Rule of Thirds, Golden Ratio, leading lines, symmetry, negative space, and foreground, midground and background help create visual balance and guide the audience’s attention. Framing determines what is included within the camera’s view.
Mise-en-scène
Mise-en-scène refers to the arrangement of visual elements within a scene, including settings, props, costumes, lighting, colours, character expressions and positioning. Each element can communicate information about a character’s emotions, relationships and social status.
In The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), symmetrical composition, carefully arranged props, distinctive costumes and vibrant colours work together to create a unique visual style and communicate the film’s atmosphere.
Staging and Blocking
Staging and blocking control how characters move and interact within a space. Character positions and movements can reveal emotions, show power relationships and direct the audience’s attention.
Screen Direction and Camera Language
The 180-degree rule helps maintain spatial continuity between shots. Camera distance and angles also influence how the audience perceives a character. For example, close-ups emphasise emotions, while low-angle shots can make a character appear more powerful. Camera movements, such as panning, tilting and tracking, also help tell the story.
Reflection
After attending this course, I learned that every shot in film and animation is carefully calculated and designed. In the past, when watching films, I might have focused mainly on the plot and dialogue. However, I now realise that nothing on screen is accidental. As mentioned in my notes, “The greatest anathema to dramatic tension is arbitrary behaviour!” Every prop placement, every angle of light, and every movement of an actor subtly communicates the characters’ underlying intentions and the emotions of the story.
I was particularly impressed by the idea that “staging makes physical what is internal”. I learned how directors can use simple spatial relationships, such as who is standing or sitting, or the relative size of characters within the frame, to quickly establish complex power dynamics between characters. This is a highly effective and sophisticated technique in visual storytelling.
Furthermore, the explanation of the 180-degree rule and screen direction answered a question I had wondered about for a long time. I finally understood why, even when scenes change frequently, we can still clearly follow who is talking to whom and which direction a character is running in. When this rule is broken, the audience may subconsciously feel confused.
Overall, this course has taught me the basic visual language needed to “read” a film, from the Golden Ratio in composition to the psychological effects of different shot sizes. This knowledge will not only change the way I watch films and animation in the future, but also provide a solid methodological foundation for my own visual storytelling and animation practice.
This lesson helped me understand that 3D animation is a gradual process, rather than simply moving a character between keyframes. I also learned a lot about video references. In previous projects, I often found it difficult to find suitable references, which made the animation process more challenging. This workshop showed me that animators don’t just imagine movements from scratch; they can act them out themselves and use the recordings as references. In future projects, I will use this method to support my animation process and make my work more effective.
1. Shot Planning
Good planning is essential for a successful animation. Before starting, it is important to prepare video references, organise assets and set up the scene properly.
Video Reference
I learned that video references help us understand four key aspects of animation: timing, layout, weight and acting. When recording references, it is useful to try different versions of an action, use a camera angle similar to the final shot and keep the face visible to study facial expressions.
Before importing reference videos into Maya, they need to be converted into image sequences. The frame rate (FPS) and file naming format should also be checked to ensure everything works correctly.
Setting Up the Scene
Before animating, all necessary assets should be prepared, including character rigs, environment models, audio files, cameras and video references. In Maya, the project directory, resolution, plugins, preferences and rig settings also need to be configured.
2. Animation Stage
The animation process gradually develops from simple poses into smooth, detailed movement. Each stage focuses on a different part of the process.
Layout: Establish the camera angle, staging and overall timing of the shot.
Rough Blocking: Create the main key poses and breakdowns to define the basic action and timing.
Blocking: Add more poses and in-betweens while keeping the animation in stepped mode, making it easier to check the poses before refining the movement.
Blocking Plus: Start adjusting animation curves in the Graph Editor to improve the motion.
Polish / Animation: Switch to spline curves for smoother movement, refine the timing and spacing, and add frame-by-frame details to create a more polished result.
Assignment
1. Pendulum
Light pendulum
Timing: Faster movement and quicker reactions.
Spacing: Wider spacing during fast movement and closer spacing when slowing down.
Inertia: Less visual sense of weight; changes direction more easily.
Overlapping: Can start moving or change direction earlier than the heavy pendulum.
Arc: The ball at the bottom swings through a wider arc, and the string swings and wobbles along with the ball, creating a looser and more flexible movement.
Heavy pendulum
Heavy Pendulum
Timing: More deliberate movement, with a stronger sense of weight.
Spacing: Gradually accelerates during the swing and slows down near the turning points.
Inertia: Stronger sense of momentum; movement feels harder to stop or redirect suddenly.
Overlapping: Can start moving or change direction later to create a delay in the motion.
Arc: The ball at the bottom swings through a smaller arc, and the string stays taut and relatively straight as the heavy ball pulls on it.
During the session, I learned how to animate objects in UE by changing their positions over time and using Auto Key to automatically create keyframes. This helped me understand how keyframes control movement and how animation can be created directly within Sequencer.
I also learned how to create and position a camera, adjust its settings and control its movement within the scene. By using a Camera Rig Crane, I explored how to adjust parameters such as Pitch, Yaw and Arm Length to create different camera angles and movements.
1. From Traditional Filmmaking to Virtual Production
This workshop explored how traditional filmmaking concepts can be translated into Unreal Engine (UE). By comparing physical film sets with digital environments, I learned how familiar film production processes can be applied to virtual production.
In UE, a project corresponds to a filming location, a level represents a stage, and sub-levels organise different sets within an environment. Props and actors are represented by Static Mesh and Skeletal Mesh Actors, while lighting, cameras and visual effects are managed through digital tools such as Components, Blueprints, Control Rigs and Niagara.
2. Translating Film Structure into Sequencer
Traditional film structures, from the overall film to individual shots, can be organised in UE using nested Level Sequences. A Master Level Sequence controls the overall film, while individual Shot Level Sequences manage specific shots.
This structure helps organise complex scenes and makes it easier to manage camera movements, timing and editing within a virtual production workflow.
3. Different Filmmaking Workflows
The workshop introduced several ways to translate traditional filming techniques into UE:
Master Scene Technique: A linear workflow that uses a master sequence, multiple cameras and an editing track to organise a scene.
Triple Take Technique: A non-linear workflow that uses nested sequences and the Take system to manage repeated performances and overlapping actions.
Collaborative Workflow: Sub-levels, sub-scene tracks and visibility tracks allow multiple artists to work on different elements of the same project.
These approaches demonstrate how UE can support both traditional filmmaking methods and collaborative digital production.
4. Understanding Sequencer
Sequencer is UE’s built-in cinematic sequencing tool. It can be used for pre-visualisation, creating individual shots, producing complete cinematic sequences and developing game cutscenes.
It allows artists to combine animation, camera movement, timing and editing within a single digital environment.
Narrative structure provides the foundation of a story. Different storytelling models, such as the Three-Act Structure, Freytag’s Pyramid and the Hero’s Journey, offer different ways to organise events and develop conflict.
A common narrative pattern is the movement from equilibrium to disequilibrium, followed by a new equilibrium. An event disrupts the protagonist’s ordinary world, forcing them to respond to challenges and eventually reach a resolution.
Stories can also explore deeper themes, including maturation, redemption, education, testing and disillusionment. These themes help connect external events with a character’s internal journey.
2. Character Development and Storytelling
Characters are essential to the development of a narrative. The protagonist drives the story through their decisions and actions, while the antagonist creates obstacles that challenge their goals.
Other characters, such as mentors and sidekicks, can provide guidance, support or contrasting perspectives. Their relationships help develop conflict and reveal different aspects of the protagonist’s personality.
I learned that character development is not only about what happens to a character, but also about how they respond to challenges and change throughout the story.
Good Will Hunting (1997) — This scene shows how trust and understanding can help a character overcome emotional barriers and grow internally.
3. Film Language and Editing
Editing is more than simply connecting shots. It shapes how audiences understand a story, experience time and space, and respond emotionally to the images.
Four important relationships between shots are:
Graphic: Visual connections created through composition, shape, colour or movement.
Rhythmic: The use of shot duration and timing to control the pace of a sequence.
Spatial: The creation of spatial relationships through establishing shots and cross-cutting.
Temporal: The manipulation of time through continuity, flashbacks, montage and omission.
Effective editing often feels invisible because audiences remain focused on the story rather than the transitions between shots. At the same time, the timing and arrangement of images can guide attention and encourage audiences to actively interpret what they see.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) — The match cut from a bone to a spacecraft connects humanity’s earliest tools with advanced technology, showing how editing can convey the passage of time and human evolution.
4. The Unique Potential of Animation
Animation shares many storytelling principles with live-action cinema, but it also offers greater freedom to transform images and represent abstract ideas.
Through metamorphosis, symbolism and visual metaphor, an animated image can change into something entirely different, allowing a transition to communicate an emotion, concept or narrative development.
Rather than simply reproducing reality, animation can create its own visual logic. This makes it particularly suitable for exploring psychological experiences, philosophical questions and imaginary worlds.
Paprika (2006) — The surreal dream parade transforms ordinary objects and characters into fantastical imagery, demonstrating how animation can visualise dreams and blur the boundaries between reality and imagination.
5. Reflection and Application to My Practice
These readings helped me understand the relationship between narrative structure, character development and visual storytelling.
A strong story needs more than an interesting concept. Its structure should create meaningful progression, its characters should generate conflict through their choices, and its editing should guide the audience’s understanding and emotions.
For my own animation practice, I want to explore how visual transitions, timing and symbolic imagery can communicate ideas beyond dialogue. I am particularly interested in creating work that encourages audiences to reflect on a subject while also forming an emotional connection with the story.
Reading
Film Theory and Analysis: Insights from Feminism
Reading Film Theory and Analysis made me realise that films are not merely a form of entertainment, but also reflect broader social and cultural ideologies. The approach that resonated with me most was feminist film analysis within the contextualist approach.
Traditionally, women in cinema have often been portrayed through stereotypes, such as weak characters defined by the gaze of others or one-dimensional villains. This reading helped me understand the power of a creator’s perspective in shaping how audiences perceive women. Contemporary filmmaking increasingly challenges these outdated stereotypes by presenting female characters as independent, complex individuals with their own agency.
This has inspired me to challenge gender stereotypes in my future work and create female characters with authentic inner strength. I hope my work can be not only visually engaging but also communicate contemporary values of equality and diversity.
