Note the frames completed by Zihui He (Sarah) are tagged with red block at left top corner, others are all completed by Fuliang Wang (Max)
Max’s Reflection: More story design-related reflections are mentioned in the critical appraisal that I should not repeat. Storyboard production-wise, I paid extra care in terms of compositions of the shot, alongside guiding, and the continuation of the focal point of the audience. Through the production, I discovered smoke as a handy tool in terms of guiding the audience’s focal point, for it can obscure unimportant parts and blur distractions, while its movement may then form a ladder to guide the audience to where I truly want them to focus. Foregrounds are also widely used and considered in order to give additional depth to the drawing frame. However, maintaining the continuation of the location of the probs so they don’t just suddenly appear and disappear that ruin the immersivity of the animation was quite an intellectual challenge, perhaps a more theoretical, formulaic approach may be learned or invented to aid future production to ensure it’s easier to think, but maintaining the depth of the frame.
The months-long production of storyboards significantly strengthened my understanding of composition, camera language, and how to deliver a sequence of well-filmed shots. In this decade when AI technology is rising sharply, I believe mastering these skills can ensure my authorship to be maintained regardless of how much AI may evolve and how society responds to the changes, and stories carrying my understanding of visuals can be delivered regardless of production methods.