Month: April 2020

I finished the storyboard which I think is really a big progress.

And I got more information about this character: she writes her own music. I could add more things to the apart which she said her music is a big sort of therapeutic release to her. She could relax and peaceful when she is writing music the could have the contract with the later part(the school bullying) I think this animatic is a bit empty for now. Some part is too long without moving so I should add more contents.

These three frames which I think is the most important part of the animatic so I finished them first. They link together and also a contrast between two different mood.

I was thinking about how to express the school bullying scene and also had a look at some works about school bullying. This one made me empressed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPZm-B0zQN8

This film is really attractive and amazing, but the bullying scene is too directly to make the audience feel a real sense of stress and painful same as the character. I want to do it differently, just to show the shape of the bad guys. I may focus on the reaction e girls to show her pressures.

I changed the start of the story. I did some research about PTSD. There are lots of “triggers” can cause people who had PTSD re-experiencing of traumatic events like nightmares, flashbacks and painful thoughts. The reason why I put the character on the street is I want to express this kind of negative feeling will happen without warning. One second before she walking on the street just like the other people but suddenly everything change and become aggressive. But she could do nothing because the feeling is so strong.

And the part that she is enjoying the music. I keep the music bar behind her. Her expression will be more and more relaxed with music. It may show how music treats her mind.

After the tutorial, I decided to develop the character based on the figure at the right corner.

I kinda mix this figure from all of my initial design. A short hair girl with the sweater, and a headphone in her ear. It’s an ordinary girl with nothing special. I don’t want to make any exaggerated features for her. I think she becomes a special one when she starts to tell her story.

I draw a little start of the story. The girl is talking about she’d argue she had PTSD. And she feels panic and stressful frequently. I don’t know what things made her had PTSD so I just describe her feelings with shadow. The shadow represents the bad mood which is spreading through her body and finally covers her. Then the scene becomes black and transfers to the back of her locker. The next part is about her experiencing school bullying so I made this part start in front of her locker which I think is a signal of school.

I draw two different style frames which reflect the different mood of her. I try to use the opposite colour tone to express deep and relax.

For me, fear and anxiety are shapeless. They like air and water can’t be controlled by my hand. This animation made fear like a little black shadow and when people feel afraid of something, the little monster will grow bigger until cover people all which I think is a really interesting idea.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1sHAGAuceE

About the music with her. I think the audio bar is like a symbol of music. And these bars could move with the background music. And the girl sitting on the guitar( it could be other instruments) enjoying the music.

I think this girl is nearly 13-16 because she mentioned about the bullying things happened when she started secondary school. So she should be a teenager figure. And maybe I will keep the headphone with her to emphasis the different between whether she is with her music or not.

And about the characteristic, I think she is a brave girl and won’t give in. She is strong and fight with the bad mood but sometimes can’t defense it. Even was dragged into the panic and stressful situation but she will stand up and keep fighting.

When I first hear the audio of this girl I really understand her feeling although I am lucky enough not experienced these pains, I do believe that music could treat people’s broken heart. It reminds me of the song which used in a game called devotion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLCEe8RZM0M

This game talks about a sad story that happened to a poor girl. She is ill but her parents use some superstition methods to treat her. She was locked in the bathrooms about 10 days and die in there. I was really sad when I play this game but in the end, the song started playing and I saw the ending animation. The girl walking in the bright space and I don’t know whether it is heaven or not.

This part is really touching, especially the music. After suffering the dark story that happened before, I feel that my pressure and sadness is release by this song. It inspired me of this project. Because this girl thinks music is a kind of therapy to her. I think I should describe this story from the feeling of the character’s mind and body. There has a contrast between these two, so I want to emphasis how music cures her and the importance of her music.

About the style, I think the world of character’s mind should be described in the abstract and in opposite the real world will have many differences from the mind world.