Film Studies and Cinematography | Final Project
|| Tee Zi Tong, 0366165
|| Film Studies and Cinematography | Final Project
|| Week 10 - Week 14
This project required me to prepare thumbnail sketches, storyboard, and animatics based on my short animation story The Star Who Stayed.
THUMBNAIL
In the previous project, I had already developed the characters Fira (the fallen star) and Lumo (the ladybird), as well as the forest setting. For this final project, I started thinking about how to visually compose the story through thumbnails and storyboard panels.
I began by drawing very rough thumbnail sketches to plan the overall story flow, camera angles, and emotional beats of the animation. At this stage, I focused more on composition rather than details, such as where Fira would be placed in the frame and how darkness would surround her.
After that, I explored different compositions for the forest environment, especially focusing on how the forest looks during the day compared to night. I sketched different lighting ideas to show how the forest becomes completely dark at night, which is important for the story conflict.
Once I was clearer about the story flow, I refined the thumbnail by adding simple descriptions under each panel. After several adjustments, I finalized the thumbnail layout that clearly showed the beginning, conflict, and resolution of the story.
STORYBOARD
After completing the thumbnail, I started working on the storyboard. I first created a basic storyboard draft following my script, translating each key moment into panels.
During Week 12, I showed my storyboard progress to the lecturer and received feedback. Based on the feedback, I realized that some scene transitions were unclear and the emotional flow needed improvement, especially during the night scenes.
To improve this, I reworked the storyboard using a proper storyboard template. This helped me organize shots, scene numbers, and descriptions more clearly. I also adjusted some scenes to better show Fira’s emotions and Lumo’s danger in the dark forest.
Fig 1.3 Refined Storyboard PDF
ANIMATICS
After finalizing the storyboard, I started drawing each storyboard panel more cleanly in Procreate. I kept the drawings simple, focusing on clear poses, expressions, and lighting instead of details.
Once the drawings were done, I imported them into After Effects to create the animatic. I animated simple movements such as camera pans, fades, and slight character movements to make the story flow better.
Key Animation Scenes
Scene 1: Night Sky to Forest
I animated the transition from the starry sky to the forest by slowly fading into darkness and zooming down to where Fira falls.
Scene 2: Fira Hiding Under Leaves
I used opacity changes and slow movement to show Fira hiding and becoming dimmer at night.
Scene 3: Lumo Visiting Fira
For this scene, I animated Lumo moving gently around Fira, even when she remains still. This helps show that Lumo keeps accompanying her even when she does not respond.
Scene 4: Lumo in Danger
In this scene, Lumo falls into a hole filled with water. I animated his movement using position and scale to show struggle. I also darkened the environment to emphasize that the forest has no light at night.
Scene 5: Fira Shines Again
This is the emotional climax. I animated Fira’s light slowly growing brighter, spreading through her cracks. I used glow effects and opacity changes to show her inner light returning.
SOUND & EDITING
After completing the animatic in After Effects, I imported all footage into Premiere Pro. I added background music and sound effects such as wind, forest ambience, and subtle emotional tones.
Because my story relies heavily on emotion rather than dialogue, I focused on sound to support the mood instead of heavy animation.
FINAL OUTCOME
After making final adjustments to timing, transitions, and sound, I exported the final animatic. This animatic clearly shows the story flow, emotional arc, and key moments of The Star Who Stayed.
Fig 2.1 Final Animatic
REFLECTION
Through this project, I learned how thumbnails, storyboards, and animatics are essential in visual storytelling. Even with simple drawings, a clear structure and good planning can communicate emotions and story effectively. I also improved my understanding of After Effects and realized how important organization is when animating multiple panels.
Although there is still room for improvement, especially in drawing skills and movement, this project helped me gain confidence in translating a story idea into a visual narrative.
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