Video & Sound Production / Project 3 / Stop Motion

10.10.2023 - 10.12.2023 (Week 7 - Week 16)
Elysa Wee Qi En / 0355060 / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media / Taylor's University
Video & Sound Production
Project 3 / Stop Motion

LECTURES

All lectures were done in Exercises.

INSTRUCTIONS

Fig. 1. Module Information Booklet

Project 3: Stop Motion

For our final project, we had to get into pairs and create a 60 second stop-motion animation. We had to come up with the storyline and could use whatever medium we wanted. 

After brainstorming ideas, my partner and I eventually decided to create a storyline around Diluc, a character from the game Genshin Impact. In the story of the game, Diluc goes around the city at night and fights monsters to keep the city safe. We based the storyline off of his nightly routine, or at least what we imagine it to be.

We also decided to use paper as our medium, as we felt that was the easiest. So we came up with the full storyline, gathered some inspiration/ resources, and drew our storyboard:

Fig. 2.1. Storyboard (1/12/2023)

Due to time constraints, my partner was in charge of the shooting and I was in charge of the editing. For that, I used Premiere Pro. 

We were planning to do a narration over the visuals, however during editing we decided it wasn't necessary as the storyline seemed clear enough from the video. Instead, we recorded voiceovers for the tavern patrons and the monsters.

Fig. 2.2. Editing process (10/12/2023)

Here is the final timeline after all sound effects were added:

Fig. 2.3. Final Timeline (12/12/2023)

FINAL Stop Motion Submission

Fig. 3. A Night In The Life of Diluc Ragnvindr - Stop Motion (11/12/2023)

Google Doc:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1I7ENA6XOM9eYTJQOpANa1T55_WWBCd-33wzsv_69LAk/edit?usp=sharing

FEEDBACK

Week 11 
- The main concept of the story doesn't have to be a social issue, it can be anything we want

Week 13 
- Don't use a greenscreen, just print out the backgrounds. Or draw them yourself, it doesn't have to be detailed
- To prevent it from being boring, maybe you can add a twist somewhere. Can be in an art style change or something too

REFLECTIONS

Experience
This was a fun experience overall. I enjoyed the time I spent with my teammate to come up with the story, create the storyboard and help with what I could. Even though I wasn't involved in the shooting part of the process, I was able to help out with the editing and add in appropriate sound effects. Overall, I really love our end result and am so happy with it. Despite our late start and slow progress, and how worried we were because of it, it all worked out well in the end. 

Observations
My partner did very well at the shooting. I see that she used camera movement to establish motion blur, and did it during shooting instead of leaving it to editing. It adds something special since the shaking is at the same frame rate as the pictures. Not only that, but the natural motion blur looked really good. She also used camera movement to establish transitions, and it made the storyline clear. I think there is quite a bit I can learn from her in terms of animation and composition of shots.

Findings
The right music can really help improve the end result. The end of our story is so wholesome not just because of the visuals, but the background music as well. In fact, the music in each scene helps establish the right mood. In the first scene in the bar, the music was happy and joyful, and it helped make the scene appear comedic like we intended. Background music can really play a part in establishing the context and mood of a scene.