For the beginning of the shot, I would like to start with a news broadcast in a building, It shows a scene where the protagonist steals the gene ball from the biotech company. Then, several police cars drive past the front of the building. George suggested that I could add some camera shake since in many sci-fi movies, the airflow generated by large flying vehicles causes the camera to shake.
2.Adjust the time and speed of the shot:
Since I didn’t plan very well at the beginning, some shots were longer while others were over in a second, and I needed to go and balance the timing of the shots.
like in this shot below. It was hard because there were some fast action shots like the police driving by and if I increased the duration it would cause the police cars to move too slow, so I needed to go and increase the animation lines of each police car so that their routes weren’t straight and have some of the police cars leave first and have some of the police cars leave later.
Also, I need to pay attention to the sense of interaction between the police car and the camera, for example in this shot my police car is moving forward, George suggested I make the police car face the camera to appear to be chasing the protagonist.
3. Attention to move curves
George suggested that I should focus on the curve of the motion of the fly equipment, not making it too straight, and work with some camera movement.
This is the shot I modified, I adjust the movement curve and camera move, delay camera movement about 2-3 key frames after the character move.
Last week, we clarified our task planning, and Ben and Lucy helped us establish a detailed plan in Mirror. As a result, everyone had a clear objective for this week. My task was to complete the full production process of the gargoyle.
This is the task allocation table we created in the first week, but in reality, our team members and tasks have undergone some changes. For example, we didn’t strictly stick to the listed responsibilities. Therefore, the specific contributions of each person will be summarized after the final project is completed.
Asset Creation: Gargoyle
Here is the process of creating the gargoyle asset, which I have uploaded to YouTube.
It contains the entire creation process, including low-poly modeling, high-poly modeling, UV mapping, texturing, rigging, and weight painting.
I started by using the default human model in ZBrush for the initial sculpting. After researching reference images, I found that most gargoyles are associated with bats or demons—they typically have thick, muscular limbs, horns, and large, bat-like noses. I wanted to emphasize these features in my sculpt.
Looking at gargoyle designs in games like Elden Ring, I noticed that their head-to-body ratio is still relatively human-like, moving away from the traditional small demon aesthetic. In architectural designs, gargoyles often have more compact proportions, making them appear tighter and more cohesive as purely static decorations. However, in our dungeon, the gargoyle is not just decorative—it will take flight in the third layer. So, I aimed to create a balanced design that incorporates both aspects.
Modeling：
When sculpting the head, I wanted to introduce some variations to differentiate it from traditional gargoyles.
We all experimented with different early-stage designs (Since the team member responsible for the early-stage concepts disappeared—she was a classmate from the 2D animation online course—we had to create the designs ourselves.). Although some ideas were not adopted after discussion, the process of exploration was still valuable and meaningful.
First-Layer Environment Design:
I sketched some pillars, possibly entwined with gargoyles, along with a statue representing “See No Evil.” During our discussions, we initially planned to use three sets of statues to connect the dungeon’s layers, symbolizing “See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil.”
Although this design was ultimately not adopted, I believe Ben’s concept for these statues was excellent. “See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil” can serve as a moral code, representing the avoidance of evil, or as a form of satire, criticizing willful ignorance of reality.
However, we needed to reduce our workload, and Lucy felt that overly open spaces might make the overall scene feel empty. We would either have to spend a lot of time decorating it with assets or risk making the scene look sparse.
Since we discussed the idea of an unattainable treasure, I sketched a small creature design.
Environmental Creatures Concept (connect to Gothic cemeteries and treasures): First floor
Shell man：They were explorers who strayed into the dungeons, perhaps motivated by the desire for wealth or simply by curiosity. However, deep darkness and endless loss have turned them into what they are today. To avoid confronting their own desires, they retreated into their cold shells. However, the darkness within brought no salvation. Their legs have long since withered, leaving only hands to drag their bodies. Now, driven by instinct, they wander in search of golden shards to fill the void within.
Shell gold Shard：The shards of gold that had fallen from the Shell were covered with deep cracks and radiated a faint, warm glow. “The weight of gold will eventually bring down everything, including the soul.”
I wanted to design a tragic fate for outsiders like the knight—lost wanderers who unintentionally stumbled into this place but, driven by greed, never managed to leave. Over time, they retreated into their shells, their bodies deteriorating into skeletal remains.
In the end, this creature wasn’t created because we needed more representative monsters. Additionally, since the first layer is quite dark, adding shell man might go unnoticed by the audience while increasing our workload.
Story Setting
So we all discussed how to connect the story, which helped us a lot in building the scene. In the end, we decided to make the protagonist a knight who encounters an adorable furry creature in the darkness. At first, the knight doesn’t realize that the creature is actually part of this environment and tries to rescue it. However, as the story progresses, when the knight sees the surrounding plants attempting to capture the creature—and when the creature reveals its sharp fangs—he finally realizes that it belongs here.
In the final moment, the protagonist faces a crucial choice, one that determines whether he can successfully escape.
Weekly Conclusion:
In the second week, we clarified our goals, including the story logic, the protagonist’s objectives, and the assets we needed to create. Despite changes in team members leading to role adjustments, everyone adapted smoothly and adjusted their responsibilities accordingly.
For example, Anis took charge of storyboarding, acting like a director to oversee the overall pacing and coordinate the team. Lucy, although primarily responsible for character animation and rigging, also contributed to storyboarding and designed the knight’s concept. Since the team member responsible for early concept design disappeared, Qi Ji and I, who were in charge of asset creation, had to design some environmental creatures ourselves. Meanwhile, Ben collaborated with Anis on post-production and developed a method for team collaboration in UE5 without requiring the same WiFi connection.
As a result, everyone had a clear focus for the week, ensuring steady project progress.
This week, we received a variety of topics, including NHS patient care, causality in animation, and physical objects. I chose the theme of dark fantasy and gothic and joined Anis’s group. After discussion, we decided to create a three-layer dungeon. We will use Unreal Engine for the final composition and rendering.
Initially, we explored ideas related to religion and the underworld. We wanted each dungeon layer to have a distinct theme while maintaining an overarching connection. The first layer features a gothic aesthetic, the second is filled with mycelium and plant life, and the third is shaped by molten lava. This progression symbolizes a descent into the depths of the self and the subconscious—where the deeper one goes, the more chaotic and uncontrollable it becomes, ultimately reaching the core of human primal chaos.
In the first week, we experimented with different styles. I gathered a large number of reference images and uploaded them to Mirror. I’m particularly drawn to dark fantasy works like Dark Souls and Bloodborne, especially the way they depict the struggles of survivors in a ruined world. This theme resonates with me deeply, making me feel truly passionate about this project.
We only have two months, so designing the layout and ecosystem of all three dungeon layers is an incredibly challenging task. Since the dungeons need to be logically connected, this involves some level design knowledge.
The creatures within the dungeon may function as producers, consumers, and decomposers, forming a self-sustaining food cycle in the absence of external interference. Their characteristics must align with the design style of each layer, and some may even undergo periodic growth and developmental changes. For example, mimetic plants might have distinct transformations from seed to maturity, which we need to carefully consider.
With all these elements to integrate, we have a massive task ahead of us.
Later, I suggested incorporating gargoyles into each layer, as they are a quintessential element of the gothic style. Since our project is set in a dungeon, we couldn’t express gothic aesthetics through architecture. Instead, we explored the possibility of using gargoyles as a unifying visual motif.
After discussion, we decided that the gargoyles in each layer would have distinct eye colors to reflect their environment. The gothic-themed first layer features gargoyles with blue eyes, the second layer, dominated by plants and mycelium, has gargoyles with green eyes, and the lava-infused third layer features gargoyles with red eyes. This color progression reinforces the thematic evolution of the dungeon.
ref of gargoyles:
The gargoyle design was relatively convenient for us because gargoyles don’t require a growth cycle and can seamlessly adapt to the dungeon environment. This meant we didn’t have to spend too much time developing complex lore or justifying their existence within the setting.
This week, we visited the Tate Modern and captured a lot of reference materials. It was my first time using Reality Capture to process model data, which was very interesting. Meanwhile, I was also keeping up with the progress of my group project (rigging).
‘Untitled‘, Ibrahim El-Salahi, 1967 – Tate: Oil paint and enamel paint on hardboard
“El-Salahi combines African and Arab cultural motifs with elements of Arabic calligraphy. Here, strange animal and plant-like forms, faces, and skeletons emerge from the broken calligraphic lines and morph into mask-like, totemic figures. In the wake of Sudan’s independence from colonialism, El-Salahi looked to his local environment for inspiration. He developed a distinctive visual language later identified as the ‘Khartoum School. He stated, ‘I wrote letters and words that did not mean a thing. Then … I had to break down the bone of the letter.”(from Tate Modern)
Niki de Saint Phalle (1930-2002 – Born and worked France) Tirage 1961 Shooting Picture Plaster, paint, string, polythene and wire on wood
“To make her Shooting Pictures, Saint Phalle filled polythene bags with paint and enclosed them within layers of plaster and chicken wire that created a textured white surface. She invited spectators to shoot at these constructions, releasing the paint. Saint Phalle considered these shootings to be performances, or ‘happenings, which she saw as integral parts of the work just as much as the finished product. This one was shot by North American artists Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns. Saint Phalle stopped making these works in 1970, explaining ‘ had become addicted to shooting, like one becomes addicted to a drug.'”(from Tate Modern)
Salem Arif Quadri 1949 – Born India, works India and UK Landscape of Longing 1997-9 7 works on wood, muslin, acrylic paint and oil paint
“Landscape of Longing refers to Arif Quadri’s interest in spiritual quests and journeys. It evokes a map seen from above. Arif Quadri describes the work as ‘a celebration of life with all its inexplicable mysteries’. He relates the painted forms to the sinvous strokes of Islamic calligraphy. The shapes between and around each form are important to the artist. They suggest figurative elements such as female and male figures, or pods and birds. Arif Quadri is influenced by texts ranging from Sufi writings to work by Dante, the 13th century Italian poet.”(from Tate Modern)
After discussing with my teacher, I realized that my stories mainly suffer from incompleteness. For example, the cyberpunk story and the magic hat story lack a clear beginning and ending. So this week, I will refine my storyboards and start using Maya to build 3D scenes and create a previs video.
Starting with the cyberpunk city story, my teacher suggested adding a news report about the theft at the beginning to provide context for the audience. Additionally, during the chase sequence, I can enhance the tension by including police cars and shooting scenes.
Notes:
After adjustment:
Notes:
In the second scene, my teacher suggested adding a shot of the puppeteer reluctantly shedding tears over his puppets, as well as a shot showing how he eventually puts them down. This will help improve the coherence between the shots.
After adjustment:
In the third story, my teacher suggested adding a scene showing the protagonist’s loneliness, indicating her deep desire for a friend. In the end, although she doesn’t get the unicorn she wishes for, she gains many other friends instead. So, I drew the beginning and ending scenes. In the final scene, the girl happily runs outside with her animal friends.
This week, I developed three different storyboards, each exploring a unique theme and narrative style. Throughout this process, I conducted extensive research to deepen my understanding of the subjects and refine my storytelling approach. Here, I’ll share my thought process behind each concept and reflect on the challenges and insights I gained.
The Cyberpunk Escape： A High-Speed Chase
The first story takes place in a futuristic cyberpunk city. A mercenary steals a powerful gene orb, triggering a citywide lockdown. With the gates closing, she must escape before it’s too late. The entire animation revolves around a thrilling chase sequence.
Initially, I was drawn to the fast-paced, visually dynamic nature of chase scenes, inspired by action-heavy sci-fi films and games. However, while developing this idea, I realized that a good chase isn’t just about speed—it needs tension, stakes, and emotional weight. Why is the gene orb so important? What personal struggles does the protagonist face? These questions pushed me to think deeper about world-building and character motivation rather than relying solely on visual spectacle.
The Puppeteer’s Dilemma – A Story of Tradition or dream and Survival
The second story is about an elderly puppeteer, a profession that is now considered an intangible cultural heritage in China. I discovered that few young people learn this craft today because it doesn’t provide financial stability. Even in ancient times, puppeteers struggled to make a living.
This story takes place in a ruined temple during a harsh snowstorm. The puppeteer, cold and impoverished, realizes he is running out of firewood. He faces a difficult choice: should he burn his puppets to survive, or preserve his dream at the cost of his life?
Through research, I became deeply fascinated by the struggles of traditional artisans. This story resonated with me because it highlights the sacrifices artists make for their passion. It also made me reflect on the fragility of cultural heritage and how many traditional arts are at risk of fading away.
The Magic Hat – A Reflection on Gacha Games
The third story initially started as a critique of the gacha mechanics in pay-to-win games. However, after discussing it with my teacher, I realized that it could be reimagined as a more warm story with happy ending.
The story follows a young girl who receives a mysterious package containing a magic hat. She discovers that by pulling objects from the hat, she can get animals—even rare creatures like unicorns. Excited, she continues drawing, spending all the coins in her piggy bank. But no matter how many times she tries, she never gets the unicorn she wants.
This concept was inspired by the addictive nature of gacha games, where players keep spending in hopes of obtaining rare items. I initially approached the story from a critical angle, but I realized that framing it as a whimsical, childlike experience could make the message more relatable. Instead of outright condemning gacha mechanics, the story now highlights the emotions behind it—the thrill, the disappointment, and the cycle of hope and frustration.
This week, I started working on the literature review, which means I need to read through many articles and select the ones that are relevant to my topic.
This is a challenge for me because, aside from some blogs, almost no one has analyzed the tattoos in Jibaro. Therefore, I need to search for literature related to tribal tattoos in Latin America, cultural identity, identity recognition, and colonial history, and then use them as examples to support my argument.
This is some reference I plan to use:
Balvay-TattooingRoleFrenchNative-2008
Indigenous Nationalism in Bolivian Tattoo Art
Antillean Islander Space: On the Religious Beliefs and Representations of the Taíno
People
Catholicism and National Identity in Latin America
Literature Review: The Taíno — Connecting Erased Histories and Contemporary
Ethnographies Ken Chitwood
Mestizaje and the Discourse of National/Cultural Identity in Latin America
The Chicana Canvas: Doing Class, Gender, Race, and Sexuality through Tattooing in
East Los Angeles
However, due to limitations, I had to keep narrowing down the literature selection, because I needed to focus on Taino culture, Latin American tattoos, so I ended up using only these documents:
1. Chitwood, K. (2015) Literature review: The Taíno — connecting erased histories and contemporary ethnographies, Academia.edu. Available at: https://www.academia.edu/12054494/Literature_REVIEW_The_Ta%C3%ADno_Connecting_Erased_Histories_and_Contemporary_Ethnographies (Accessed: 21 November 2024).
This article help me with the background of that time from a macro perspective, it reflects the Taíno people during the colonial period of the Great Voyage and discusses how the Taíno people’s history and existence were erased by Spanish colonizers.
2. DeMello, M. (2004) Bodies of inscription: A cultural history of the modern Tattoo Community. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
This book discusses the origins, past, present and future of tattoos in a very broad span, in which it explores the semiotic value of tattoos and explains how tattoos are associated with different social classes and hierarchies.
3. Haynes, N. (2022) ‘Inking identity’, The Routledge Companion to Media Anthropology, pp. 381–394. doi:10.4324/9781003175605-38.
It explores how tattoos can serve as a medium for the fusion of urban culture and traditional culture.
4. Simons, J.W. (2015) Ink with meaning: What we can learn from the tattoos of our ancestors, CNN. Available at: https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/what-we-can-learn-from-the-tattoos-of-our-ancestors/index.html (Accessed: 03 December 2024).
It shows that tattooing is both a personal projection of self and a means of communicating deeper cultural meaning.
5. Trujillo, M.S. et al. (2021) ‘The tattoo as ancestral legacy and dichotomic element of national identity’, International Journal of Organizational Business Excellence, 1(2). doi:10.21512/ijobex. v1i2.7155.
This article explores the origins of tattoos, starting with the world’s earliest known tattooed mummy, the Tyrolean Iceman, dating back 5,300 years. It discusses tattoos as an ancestral legacy and how they function as a dichotomous element of national identity
Next, I completed the literature review and made revisions to the formatting issues based on last week’s feedback.
In The beginning, I planned to write The visual design and symbolic analysis in the short film Jibaro, after conducting my research, I realized that discussing the visual design and symbolic meaning in Jibaro inevitably revolves around the colonial background of the story. The historical context is deeply intertwined with the work, and the concept of “visual design” feels too broad. It can encompass color, costumes, character design, environment design, artistic style, props, lighting design, and storyboarding.
There are too many elements to analyze, so I decided to focus on a specific category of visual design.
After reviewing a lot of material, I gained a general understanding of the historical context and noticed something unusual—the knight’s facial tattoo.
In film or animation, facial design is often very important, and the author places the tattoo on such a prominent part of the face, which I believe must have a specific role. Since discussing this story inevitably involves the historical background, I decided to narrow my topic to
“The Cultural Significance of Tattoos in Jibaro: A Visual Narrative in the Colonial Background“
You can see that the circles in the top pdf represent the relationships between the various elements in the title. I plan to analyze the role of tattoos in Jibaro as a visual narrative tool, particularly from the perspective of the colonial background. I will explore how tattoos drive the plot and their symbolic meaning within the story.
Additionally, I aim to discuss the cultural significance of tattoos themselves and how they relate to the themes of the story.
During my research, I experienced both pain and enjoyment because it led me to explore tattoo culture and the colonial history of Latin America, topics I had never deeply considered before. This information gave me a new perspective on tattoos, and I even discovered that their origins are closely linked to tribal culture, with tattooing in the U.S. actually tracing back to South American tribes.
Although indigenous groups like the Taíno were nearly wiped out during the violent colonial process, many tattoos with tribal cultural symbols continue to be popular among young people and have become a trend. These tattoos are not only symbols of fashion but also carry deep cultural significance.
For example, the essay above mentions that Gus and other tattoo artists incorporated elements of “Bolivian” or “Andean” styles into their designs, using pre-Incan symbols, Bolivian folklore, and local flora and fauna. Through these tattoos, artists convey the culture of Bolivia and the Andes. Even though some ethnic groups have disappeared, their culture has been preserved through tattoos.
Feedback from teacher:
In format, I need to use “Chapter 1,” “Chapter 2” to label the subheadings in the main body, and categorize the images in the text into the Appendices section on the last page.
In content, I need to cite more references and complete the literature review. The literature review can support my Chapter 1 or Chapter 2, In this way, it can link the references with my topic.
