2.1 Advanced and Experimental 3D Computer Animation Techniques/ Sessions with George

WEEK 1 Mise En Scene

This week, we explored Mise en Scene, focusing on how composition, lighting, color, and staging convey story and mood. These principles will guide our previs production to create visually compelling scenes. We also began brainstorming the story and world-building for our FMP and started creating storyboards. I came up with three story ideas in total and focused on refining one called NUO. Below is my initial concept.

World-Building & Visual Planning

1. Setting & Time Period

The story is set in an alternate-era China, blending historical aesthetics with supernatural elements.
It is a world where rituals hold real power, and spirits coexist with humans, influencing daily life.
The society follows traditional customs, but hidden within it are witches, spirit mediums, and exorcists, who act as intermediaries between the living and the dead.

2. Protagonist & Role

Hua (花= flower) is a renowned Nuo opera dancer in her region and also a witch with the ability to communicate with spirits through dance.
She uses intricately designed masks as her primary weapons, each mask embodying a different spiritual power.
Her role in society is twofold: a performer who entertains and a guardian who protects villages from malevolent forces.

3. Nuo Dance & Cultural Elements

Nuo dance, also known as ghost opera, is one of the oldest Han Chinese ritual performances.
Traditionally, it is performed to exorcise evil spirits, ward off plagues, and bring divine blessings.
In the film, Nuo dance is depicted as a sacred and powerful practice, where each movement carries symbolic and mystical significance.

4. Narrative Focus & Key Scenes

The film will focus on Hua’s journey as a guardian, showcasing her battles against malevolent spirits.
Key scenes will include ritual performances, exorcism sequences, and moments of spiritual transformation.
Through these sequences, the audience will witness the intersection of art, faith, and supernatural forces.

5. Visual Style & Atmosphere

The film will use high contrast and rich saturation to create a mystical and theatrical atmosphere.
Deep shadows and vibrant colors will enhance the supernatural elements of the story.
The flowing movement of fabrics, masks, and smoke will emphasize the elegance and danger of Hua’s dance.

6. Camera & Composition

Dynamic camera movements will follow Hua’s dance, creating a sense of fluidity and rhythm.
Wide shots will establish the grandiosity of ritual performances, while close-ups will capture Hua’s emotions and intensity.
The interplay between light and darkness, movement and stillness will shape the visual storytelling.

Final Vision

This film aims to immerse the audience in a world where ritual and reality merge, where dance is both an art and a weapon. Through its unique cultural aesthetics, strong visual contrast, and symbolic mise en scene, it will craft an experience that is both visually stunning and thematically profound.

WEEK 2 World Building and Storyboards

This week, we created storyboards for three stories, with a strong focus on camera movement and composition. Storyboarding is a challenging step for me, but organizing and visualizing scattered ideas from my mind is undoubtedly an effective process.

I also gathered various reference videos, including Nuo dance performances for movement study, as well as cutscenes from games and character background shorts for shot composition and pacing. My goal is to create a project similar to a game cinematic short film.

Story 1 Nuo

Mood-board

Story 2 Interesting Planet

Story 3 Plastic Bag

WEEK 3 Telling stories through the camera

Based on last week’s feedback from George, I revised the Nuo storyboard and am now preparing to start the previs production. I plan to focus on creating some of the shots and actions I find most interesting first, without following the sequence.

This is my first time creating an animation that includes dance, and the biggest challenge for me is making the character’s movements graceful while staying true to their personality.

I have compiled and combined clips from different dance videos, analyzing their rhythm to prepare for the spline stage. For blocking and keyframes, I selected the frames with the most exaggerated and expressive movements.

WEEK 4 Establishing Characters

There haven’t been any major changes to the character design of my protagonist, Hua, but I do plan to incorporate elements of the red spider lily (彼岸花 Flower of the Other Shore). In Chinese culture, the red spider lily is seen as a flower that bridges the gap between life and death. According to folklore, it is believed to guide the souls of the deceased, and its scent is thought to awaken the memories of the dead, symbolizing the boundary between life and death. The meaning of the red spider lily varies across different regions, often being associated with mourning and rebirth.

I believe adding this vibrant red flower will greatly enhance both the character’s development and the visual impact. I also hope to incorporate abilities related to the red spider lily for Hua, adding a deeper layer to her character and abilities.

WEEK 5 First draft second feedback

The adjustments needed for this shot are camera speed and action timing. The preparation before the flight motion should be longer and have a greater range, while the camera movement should be slightly slower than the action to enhance the flow.

The adjustments needed for this shot are the character’s movement and camera motion. The action can be referenced from Hela putting on her mask in Thor to make the character’s personality more distinct and expressive.

WEEK 6 Animation analysis

Differences Between Dance Animation & Everyday Motion Animation:

Rhythm & Flow – Dance follows a musical beat with fluid, choreographed movements, while everyday actions are more spontaneous and natural.
Exaggeration & Expression – Dance is stylized and expressive, whereas regular actions are subtle and realistic.
Body Coordination – Dance involves full-body engagement and strong silhouettes, while daily movements are often smaller and more isolated.
Anticipation & Follow-through – Dance has graceful transitions, while regular actions have quicker, more functional movements.
Camera & Composition – Dance requires cinematic framing and smooth camera work, whereas daily actions prioritize storytelling and function.

WEEK 7 Tutorial

This week, George helped refine the camera animation for the drumming shot. He used the Translate XYZ‘s curve editor to enhance the camera impact, better matching the rhythm of the drumming. Additionally, fake shadows were added to the drum surface to make the drumsticks’ strikes more visible. I found these adjustments very useful and effective.

This is one of my favorite shots, as the character’s movements interact well with her weapon. In the later stages of production, I plan to add VFX to create a more dynamic and visually striking effect.

WEEK 8 Tutorial

This shot has some issues. First, the initial framing should be closer to the character for a smoother transition from the previous shot. Second, the camera shouldn’t move before the character does, as it makes the movement feel predictable. A better approach is to use subtle camera rotation to follow the character naturally. I’ve noticed this issue in multiple shots, so I should keep it in mind moving forward.

The issue with this sequence of shots is that some actions don’t transition smoothly, such as the final shot where the character suddenly starts flying, while the previous shot only shows her standing still. Add a subtle anticipation movement in the previous shot, such as a weight shift or slight crouch, to hint at the takeoff. Also, ensure a smooth motion overlap between shots to create a seamless transition.

WEEK 9 Finishing touches

This week, I completed the spline for the first segment of the animation to better set up the camera movement and composition. The timing of this segment needs some adjustments; for example, some of the dance poses can be emphasized with pauses or changes in camera movement to enhance the impact and visual effect. I also experimented with different angles. After reviewing the overall previs of my short film, I noticed that some of the perspectives and compositions are quite similar. I feel that for expressing different emotions or areas that could change, I should try more varied camera techniques.

WEEK 10 Final Previs

Reflecting on my FMP journey, the previs stage provided an essential foundation for understanding the visual language of storytelling. Through experimentation with composition and camera movement, I gained a deeper awareness of how visual framing affects narrative rhythm, emotional tone, and character emphasis. For example, I learned to use low-angle shots to emphasize character power, and how subtle tracking movements can enhance a scene’s sense of immersion.

However, looking back critically, there were several areas that required further refinement. Some of my early compositions were too static or symmetrical, lacking the dynamic tension needed to drive the story forward. Additionally, my camera transitions were sometimes abrupt or overly complex, which distracted rather than supported the narrative. I also realized that I hadn’t fully considered how editing rhythms could guide the viewer’s emotional response.

Moving forward, I plan to apply a more intentional approach to visual storytelling in my final rendered animation. I will focus on pacing, balance, and the relationship between camera movement and character animation. This critical reflection helped me not only identify my technical limitations but also clarify the kind of emotional impact I want to deliver through my final piece.

I’m especially grateful to George for his support during the previs stage. His feedback on shot transitions and visual composition helped me improve the clarity and flow of my scenes, and encouraged me to think more critically about camera work and storytelling.

WEEK 11 Advanced Body Mechanics and Pantomime

This week focused on the fundamentals of acting through the body—particularly using pantomime to convey clear, expressive narrative without dialogue. I learned that pantomime involves storytelling through expressive body and facial movements, commonly seen in dance, slapstick, and physical comedy. It’s an essential skill for animators, especially when working with non-verbal or stylized characters.

One of the key takeaways was the importance of clear staging. Before animating, I now consider four core elements: characters and props, camera setup, physical action, and the core idea of the shot. I was reminded to focus on one idea at a time, making sure the audience isn’t overwhelmed and the action reads clearly.

The session also emphasized planning techniques, including:

Shooting video reference from multiple angles and matching the camera’s perspective.
Drawing thumbnails to capture the key poses and physicality of the movement.
Breaking down the video frame by frame to better understand weight, balance, and timing.

The workflow checklist was especially helpful in structuring my approach. It made me more intentional with the planning phase and encouraged iterative sketching and referencing before diving into 3D blocking.

I’ve started planning a short animation (5–10 seconds) with heavy physical interaction, focusing on realistic but slightly exaggerated movement. This week’s learning sharpened my attention to body weight, timing, and the emotional potential of physical action without words.

Week 12 Blocking and Development

This week focused on blocking, which I’ve come to understand as the skeletal foundation of an animation—defining the key storytelling poses and establishing the timing between them. As the tutor said, it’s like sculpting clay: starting rough, but with clear intention.

I began the week with a shot idea involving a character angrily arguing and throwing an object. After discussing it with George, we decided to push the idea further to make it more entertaining and unexpected: the character now tries to punch the other person out of anger but ends up slipping and falling instead. This version added an element of surprise and comedy, which made the acting more expressive and the physicality more interesting.

Applying what we learned in class, I focused on:

Posing in the perspective view rather than the shot camera, to ensure strong silhouettes from all angles.
Drawing on video reference and thumbnail sketches to plan out the action beats.
Paying attention to finger and hand gestures in my key poses, as they significantly enhance the emotion even at an early stage.

One helpful tip I applied was reusing similar poses with slight rotation/translation adjustments—it saved time and helped me focus on storytelling clarity. I also began experimenting with IK/FK switching for more control over limb motion, especially when planning the fall.

My current blocking is far from perfect, but the transition from anger to imbalance and the comedic fall are now readable, and I’m excited to refine the motion in the next pass.

WEEK 13 Spline

Before this session, I thought blocking was just about placing characters into key poses. But during our session, I learned how much more depth there is to it — especially when we move into blocking plus.

What stood out most was the concept of moving holds. Adding subtle motion — like a tiny head shift or the rise and fall of a breath — can keep the character alive even when they’re not doing much. I experimented with copied pairs for this, and it made a huge difference. My characters no longer felt like statues between actions — they felt like they were being, not just doing.

We also talked about breakdowns and arcs, and I realized how important it is to understand the movement between poses. A simple arm movement became more convincing once I focused on how it traveled through an arc, rather than a straight path. This session taught me to think not just about what my character is doing, but how they’re doing it and why.

I used to dread feedback because I wasn’t sure what to do next, but now I actually look forward to refining my blocking. I feel like I’ve unlocked a new level of awareness.

WEEK 13 Spline Refine

Cleaning Up With Purpose

When I first hit the spline button, everything fell apart — timing was weird, spacing felt off, and my clean blocking looked messy. But thanks to our session on spline, I realized that this is normal — and fixable.

I learned that spline isn’t just a technical step — it’s a deliberate clean-up process. It’s like polishing a sculpture: the shape is already there, now it’s about refining it with care and precision. What helped me most was learning to clean from the root outwards — starting with the COG, then the legs, spine, and so on. Before this, I’d clean things in a random order and then wonder why everything kept breaking!

We also discussed how the computer only does what we tell it, and I saw firsthand how poor curve control led to floaty or stiff motion. By adjusting the tangents manually and focusing on timing, spacing, and arcs, I was able to bring back the energy from blocking — but now with smoother transitions.

I’m still working on mastering the graph editor, but I’ve stopped fearing it. Spline is no longer “the dreaded step” for me — it’s a chance to fine-tune and elevate my animation.

WEEK 14 Lip-sync Reference and Planning

Acting Through Animation — Making Emotion Believable

In our Intro to Acting session, I gained a completely new understanding of performance in animation. This wasn’t just about hitting facial expressions or lip-sync — it was about empathy, intention, and storytelling.

One of the most valuable exercises was planning a close-up dialogue shot. I had to ask myself: What happened before this moment? What does my character feel, and how do they show it? I listened to the dialogue repeatedly and recorded multiple references. I realized how important it is to internalize the emotion — not just animate it mechanically.

The three keywords our tutor shared — Clear, Sincerity, Simple — stuck with me. They’ve become a checklist I return to during every pass. I also learned how easy it is to fall into cliché acting, so I tried different takes to explore more honest and nuanced performances.

Another big challenge was syncing facial performance with subtle body motion. It was a small shot, but I had to make every eye dart and jaw movement count. It really pushed me to animate with intention.

This session made me more confident in using animation to tell human stories — not just create movement, but create feeling.