ZHOU XINYI / 0378623
Film Studies &Cinematography
Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
1.Instruction
2.Process Work
3.Final Outcome
5.reflection
1.Instruction
2.Process Work
2.1 week1 Project 1 – Progression 1
Fig.2.1.1Project 1 – Progression 1《Day & Night》
The Pixar Short I Chose
For this project, I chose Pixar’s short film Day & Night.
At first, I thought the idea of making two characters represent day and night was quite strange. They are not normal human characters, but they both have a whole different world inside their bodies. I found this really interesting because the characters themselves are basically the story.
What I like about Day & Night is that it does not try to tell a very complicated story. Instead, it takes something very ordinary — day and night — and turns it into two characters with completely different personalities.
Why I Find It Interesting
The first thing that caught my attention was the visual style. We can see different things happening inside the characters, such as the sun, moon, people and different landscapes. So even when the characters are just standing there, there is still something happening inside them.
I also like the way their relationship changes. At first, they are curious about each other, but they also seem to dislike what they see because everything inside the other character is so different from themselves. It feels a little like meeting someone who has a completely different personality from you.
Instead of using a lot of dialogue, the film lets the visuals and actions tell the story. I think this makes the short film more memorable.
Emotional Connection
Even though the story is quite simple, I can still relate to the idea of being different from someone else.
Sometimes when I meet someone who thinks or behaves very differently from me, my first reaction might be that I don't really understand them. I might think, “Why would they do things like that?” But after spending more time with them, I may realise that we can still get along even if we are very different.
I think Day & Night shows this idea in a fun way without making it too serious or emotional.
Fig.2.1.2Project 1 – Progression 1《Day & Night》
For me, the most unique part of Day & Night is the perspective.
Normally, when we see a story about two people becoming friends, the characters are just people. But here, Pixar turns Day and Night into actual characters. Their bodies become windows into completely different worlds.
I think this is a clever way of showing the idea of “different but connected.”
It also made me realise that a story does not always need a complicated plot. Sometimes, one unusual idea can be enough to create an interesting story.
What I Learned
After watching Day & Night, I learned that a simple idea can become interesting if it is presented from an unexpected perspective.
For my own story ideas, I want to think more about ordinary things around me and imagine what they would be like if they had their own personalities or point of view.
Instead of asking, “What story should I tell?”, I think I can start by asking:
“What if I looked at something normal in a completely different way?”
I think this could help me create a story that feels more unique and less predictable.
2.2PROJECT 1: DEVELOP SHORT STORY
Week 2: Character Development
Introduction
In Week 2, we learned about character development, including external and internal features, wants and needs, obstacles, and stakes.
For my story Seen, I created a character named Zoe. She is a university student who tends to overthink when her friends do not reply to her messages. I wanted to turn this common experience into a surreal and humorous animated story.
Activity 2: External and Internal Features
Character Name: Zoe
External Features:
Zoe is a young university student with short black hair. She usually wears an oversized hoodie and comfortable clothes. She often carries her phone and checks her messages.
When she feels nervous, she keeps looking at her phone, taps her fingers, and sometimes bites her nails.
Internal Features:
Zoe is friendly, caring, and sensitive. She values her friendships and cares about what other people think of her.
However, she tends to overthink small situations. When someone does not reply to her messages, she starts wondering if she has said something wrong.
She is also afraid of being ignored or disliked by her friends.
Activity 3: Character's Want and Need
Want:
Zoe wants her friend to reply to her message because she wants to make sure her friend is not upset with her.
Need:
Zoe needs to understand that not receiving a reply does not always mean something bad has happened. She needs to stop making negative assumptions and learn to communicate directly with others.
Activity 4: External and Internal Obstacles
External Obstacle:
Zoe sends a message to her friend, but her friend reads it without replying.
As Zoe starts overthinking, small imaginary versions of her friend begin appearing in her room. Each one represents a different negative thought.
These imaginary characters keep distracting her and make the situation feel worse.
Internal Obstacle:
Zoe is afraid of being rejected or ignored by her friends. She worries too much about what other people think and often imagines the worst possible situations.
Because of this, she finds it difficult to stay calm and think logically.
Activity 6: Character Stakes
1. What choice does the character have to make?
Zoe has to decide whether to keep guessing why her friend is not replying or contact her friend directly to find out what happened.
2. What will she lose if she makes the wrong choice?
If Zoe continues overthinking, she may become more anxious and misunderstand her friend. This could create unnecessary problems in their friendship.
3. What kind of stakes are involved?
The story mainly involves internal and interpersonal stakes.
The internal stakes are Zoe's anxiety and fear of rejection. The interpersonal stakes involve the possibility of misunderstanding her friend and affecting their relationship.
Character Development
At the beginning of the story, Zoe relies on her friend's replies to feel reassured.
One day, she sends a message asking if her friend is free tomorrow. Her friend reads the message but does not reply.
Zoe starts imagining different reasons why her friend might be ignoring her.
As she overthinks, small imaginary versions of her friend appear in her room. Some look angry, some laugh at her, and others completely ignore her.
More and more imaginary friends appear until the room becomes crowded.
Finally, Zoe decides to call her friend and discovers that her friend simply fell asleep.
She realizes that she has been worrying about something that was not actually happening.
Through this experience, Zoe begins to understand that her imagination does not always reflect reality. She learns that direct communication is better than making assumptions.
Reflection
Through this week's activities, I learned that character development is not only about a character's appearance but also about their personality, motivations, and problems.
By developing Zoe's character, I understood how her fear of rejection influences her actions and decisions.
I also learned how animation can be used to show a character's internal emotions. In my story, the imaginary versions of Zoe's friend represent her negative thoughts.
I think this makes the story more interesting and helps the audience understand Zoe's feelings in a visual and humorous way.
2.3 Project 1 — Week 3: Story Development
Introduction
In Week 3, we focused on story development and learned how to organize a story using the three-act structure.
For my Project 1, I continued developing my story Seen. The story was inspired by the experience of sending messages to friends and not receiving a reply.
I wanted to show how a small situation can become a big problem when someone starts overthinking. To make the story more interesting, I added a surreal element where the main character's negative thoughts turn into small imaginary versions of her friend.
Story Title: Seen
Genre: Surreal Comedy / Slice of Life
Theme: Overthinking and Miscommunication
Main Character: Zoe
Act 1 — Beginning
1. Once upon a time...
There was a university student named Zoe. She was a friendly and caring girl, but she often worried too much about what other people thought of her.
She valued her friendships and was afraid of being ignored or disliked.
2. Every day...
Zoe often chatted with her friends through her phone. Whenever she sent a message, she would check her phone frequently and wait for a reply.
If someone took too long to respond, she would start wondering if she had said something wrong.
3. Until one day...
One evening, Zoe sent a message to her friend asking, "Are you free tomorrow?"
A few seconds later, the message showed "Seen", but her friend did not reply.
Zoe waited for a while and began to feel nervous.
Suddenly, a tiny version of her friend climbed out of her phone.
Act 2 — Conflict
4. Because of that...
Zoe was shocked when she saw the tiny imaginary friend standing on her desk.
The little character crossed her arms and looked at Zoe angrily.
Zoe started wondering if her real friend was upset with her.
Soon, another tiny friend appeared and began laughing at her.
5. Because of that...
The more Zoe overthought the situation, the more imaginary friends appeared in her room.
Some looked angry, some ignored her, and others whispered to each other.
Zoe tried to push them away and put them back into her phone, but they kept multiplying.
Her room slowly became crowded with these imaginary characters.
6. Because of that...
Zoe became increasingly anxious and frustrated.
She tried to ignore the imaginary friends, but they continued making noise and distracting her.
Finally, she realized that she could not solve the problem by imagining more possibilities.
She decided to call her friend directly.
Act 3 — Resolution
7. Until finally...
Her friend answered the phone with a sleepy voice and said, "Sorry, I fell asleep."
Zoe was surprised and realized that she had been worrying about something that was not actually happening.
Suddenly, all the imaginary friends stopped moving and disappeared one by one.
Zoe finally felt relieved.
8. And ever since then...
Zoe began to understand that not receiving a reply did not always mean something negative.
She learned that it was better to communicate directly instead of making assumptions.
However, after the phone call, her friend sent another message asking, "Why did you call me?"
Zoe replied, "Nothing."
The final scene shows a tiny imaginary version of Zoe climbing out of her friend's phone.
This ending suggests that overthinking can happen to anyone.
Moral of the Story
Don't let your imagination create problems that may not exist.
The story shows how overthinking can turn a simple situation into something much more complicated. It also reminds us that direct communication can help prevent unnecessary misunderstandings.
Reflection
Through this week's activities, I learned how to develop a story using the three-act structure.
I understood how to create a clear beginning, conflict, and resolution. I also learned that a simple personal experience can become an interesting animated story by adding creative and surreal elements.
For Seen, I used the imaginary characters to represent Zoe's negative thoughts. This helped me turn an internal conflict into something the audience could see.
I think the ending makes the story more humorous because it shows that even after Zoe learns her lesson, the same misunderstanding can happen to someone else.
2.4 Project 1 — Week 4: Screenwriting
1. Story Title
Seen
Genre: Surreal Comedy / Slice of Life
The title Seen refers to the read receipt that appears when someone reads a message. It is a simple word, but it represents the main conflict of the story.
2. Logline
When Zoe's friend reads her message but does not reply, her overthinking brings tiny imaginary versions of her friend to life, forcing her to face her fear of being ignored and find out the truth.
3. Synopsis
Zoe is a university student who often overthinks when her friends do not reply to her messages. One evening, she sends a message asking her friend if she is free tomorrow. Although the message is marked as "Seen", there is no reply. Zoe begins imagining that her friend is angry with her.
Suddenly, tiny imaginary versions of her friend appear from her phone. As Zoe becomes more anxious, the little characters multiply and fill her bedroom. Unable to control them, she finally calls her friend and discovers that she simply fell asleep.
The imaginary characters disappear, and Zoe realizes that her assumptions were wrong. However, when her friend later asks why she called, Zoe replies, "Nothing." In the final scene, a tiny version of Zoe appears from her friend's phone, suggesting that overthinking can happen to anyone.
4. Theme
Overthinking and Miscommunication
The main theme of Seen is that overthinking can create problems that do not actually exist.
The story shows how people sometimes misunderstand others because they make assumptions instead of communicating directly.
Through Zoe's experience, I wanted to express that we should not always believe our negative thoughts without knowing the truth.
5. Character Description
Character Name: Zoe
External Features:
Zoe is a young university student with short black hair. She usually wears an oversized hoodie and comfortable clothes. She often carries her phone and checks her messages.
Internal Features:
Zoe is friendly, caring, and sensitive. However, she tends to overthink small situations and worries too much about what other people think of her.
Want:
Zoe wants her friend to reply to her message because she wants to make sure her friend is not upset with her.
Need:
Zoe needs to understand that not receiving a reply does not always mean something negative. She needs to learn to communicate directly instead of making assumptions.
External Obstacle:
Her friend reads her message but does not reply. Small imaginary versions of her friend begin appearing in her bedroom and make the situation more chaotic.
Internal Obstacle:
Zoe is afraid of being ignored or rejected by her friends. She often imagines the worst possible situations.
Character Arc:
At the beginning, Zoe depends on her friend's replies to feel reassured. As the imaginary characters begin to fill her room, she becomes increasingly anxious.
Finally, she decides to call her friend and discovers the truth. She begins to understand that her imagination does not always reflect reality.
6. World Description
The story takes place in the present day, mainly inside Zoe's bedroom at night.
The bedroom is a normal and comfortable space with a bed, desk, phone, and other everyday objects.
The world is mostly realistic, but it includes a surreal element. Whenever Zoe starts overthinking, tiny imaginary versions of her friend appear from her phone.
Each imaginary character represents a different negative thought. The more Zoe worries, the more characters appear.
The atmosphere gradually changes from peaceful to chaotic as the imaginary characters fill the room. When Zoe discovers the truth, they disappear, and the room returns to normal.
7. Beat Sheet
Beginning: Zoe sends a message to her friend and waits for a reply.
Conflict: Her friend reads the message but does not reply. Zoe begins overthinking.
Rising Action: Tiny imaginary versions of her friend appear and multiply, creating chaos in her bedroom.
Climax: Zoe becomes overwhelmed and decides to call her friend directly.
Resolution: She discovers that her friend simply fell asleep, and the imaginary characters disappear.
Twist: After Zoe replies "Nothing" to her friend's question, a tiny version of Zoe appears from her friend's phone.
8. Screenplay — Seen
INT. ZOE'S BEDROOM – NIGHT
ZOE lies on her bed, holding her phone.
She types a message.
PHONE SCREEN: "Are you free tomorrow?"
She presses SEND.
A few seconds later, the message changes to "Seen."
Zoe smiles and waits.
She checks her phone again.
Still no reply.
She puts the phone down, but quickly picks it up again.
Suddenly, a tiny hand appears from the phone screen.
A MINI FRIEND climbs out and stands on her desk.
The little character crosses her arms and looks angry.
Zoe stares at it in shock.
Another MINI FRIEND jumps out of the phone and starts laughing.
More tiny friends appear.
Some whisper to each other. Others ignore Zoe or point at her.
Zoe tries to push them back into her phone.
However, more and more characters continue appearing.
The little characters run across her desk, jump on her bed, and surround her.
Zoe covers her ears.
She looks at her phone and takes a deep breath.
She presses the CALL button.
The tiny characters suddenly stop moving.
FRIEND (V.O.)
(sleepy)
"Huh? Sorry, I fell asleep."
Zoe freezes.
She looks around her room.
One by one, the imaginary characters disappear.
Zoe lets out a sigh of relief.
She ends the call and lies back on her bed.
Her phone vibrates.
PHONE SCREEN: "Why did you call me?"
Zoe hesitates for a moment.
She types a reply.
PHONE SCREEN: "Nothing."
CUT TO:
INT. FRIEND'S BEDROOM – NIGHT
The friend looks at her phone, confused.
Suddenly, a tiny hand reaches out from the screen.
A miniature version of ZOE climbs out.
CUT TO BLACK.
THE END.
9. Reflection
Through this week's lesson, I learned how to develop a story into a screenplay. I understood the differences between a logline, synopsis, and script, and how each part helps explain the story.
I also learned the importance of visual storytelling. Instead of directly explaining Zoe's emotions, I used her actions and the imaginary characters to show her anxiety and overthinking.
Writing the screenplay helped me think more clearly about what the audience would actually see on screen.
I think Seen works well as a short animated story because it uses a simple everyday situation and turns it into something surreal and humorous.
2.5 Project 1 — Week 5: Visual Language
Part 1: Story & Screenplay Development
1. Process
First, I organised my story ideas into a document, including the main idea, character, inciting incident, conflicts, want and need. I also included the logline, synopsis, theme, character description and world description.
After that, I prepared my final screenplay. I followed the standard screenplay format by adjusting the scene headings, action descriptions, character names, dialogue and transitions.
I also changed the paper size to Letter, used Courier New 12 pt, and adjusted the margins and line spacing.
Finally, I exported both documents as PDF files.
2. Final Outcome
I completed two documents: Seen Story.pdf and Seen Script.pdf.
The story document explains my idea and character development, while the screenplay shows how the story will be presented through actions, scenes and dialogue.
3. Reflection
Through this process, I learned how to organise my story into a clearer structure and present it in a professional screenplay format.
Formatting the screenplay in Microsoft Word was a little challenging, especially adjusting the positions of character names and dialogue. However, it helped me understand the difference between writing a story and writing a screenplay.
Part 2: Visual Language Exercise
1. Introduction
For this week's Visual Language exercise, I learned about six visual elements: line, shape, space, tone, movement and colour.
For the final exercise, I chose the emotion Trapped and created a rough sketch based on my Project 1 story, Seen.
2. Process
I drew Zoe sitting on her bed, holding her head while being surrounded by many tiny imaginary versions of her friend.
I placed Zoe in the centre of the composition to make her the main focus. The small characters around her have different expressions and actions. Some are laughing, some look angry, and others are pointing at her.
I also drew a phone on the left side, with tiny characters coming out of the screen. This connects the illustration to my story.
I used overlapping shapes, diagonal lines and crowded spacing to create a chaotic feeling. I also added darker pencil strokes and shading around some areas to create contrast.
I decided to keep the drawing in black and white because I wanted to focus more on the composition, expressions and line work.
3. Final Outcome
My final sketch shows Zoe surrounded by her own imaginary fears. The crowded composition makes her look trapped, while the different expressions of the small characters represent her overthinking.
Although I did not add colour, I used lines, shapes, space, tone and movement to communicate the emotion.
4. Reflection
Through this exercise, I learned that visual elements can communicate emotions without using dialogue.
I found that the placement of characters and the amount of space in a composition can strongly affect how the audience feels. By filling the frame with many small characters, I was able to create a sense of pressure and anxiety.
I also realised that a drawing does not always need colour to express an emotion. Line work, shading and character expressions can also help tell the story.
Overall, this exercise helped me understand how to use visual language in my animation project.
2.6 Project 1 — Week 6: Story and Character Design Revision
1. Introduction
In Week 6, I continued developing my Project 1, Seen. This week, I focused on improving my story and script based on my lecturer's feedback.
I also worked on simplifying the character design and composition to make the animation easier to complete within the remaining time.
2. Process
Part 1: Story Revision
After receiving feedback, I decided to reduce the number of imaginary characters in my story.
In my original idea, many miniature versions of Zoe's friend appeared from her phone and gradually filled her bedroom. However, this would require a lot of character drawing and animation.
To simplify the story, I changed the idea to only two miniature characters: a Good Mini Friend and a Bad Mini Friend.
The Good Mini Friend represents positive and rational thoughts, while the Bad Mini Friend represents negative thoughts and fear of rejection.
This change allows me to show Zoe's internal conflict more clearly without using too many characters.
Part 2: Script Revision
I also revised my screenplay to make it shorter and more suitable for a short animation.
I removed unnecessary actions, repeated scenes and the part where many miniature characters appear and surround Zoe.
In the new script, the two miniature characters have a short conversation. One tries to reassure Zoe, while the other makes her more anxious.
I kept the main storyline and the ending where a miniature Zoe appears from her friend's phone.
Part 3: Character Illustration Revision
Since I reduced the number of miniature characters, I also needed to revise my previous illustration.
In the original drawing, Zoe was surrounded by many small characters. For the new version, I planned a simpler composition with Zoe sitting in the centre and only two miniature characters beside her.
The Good Mini Friend has a friendly expression and gentle movements, while the Bad Mini Friend looks angry and points at Zoe.
I used a black-and-white reference sketch to explore the new composition. I will use it as a guide when creating my own revised illustration.
[Insert revised composition reference sketch here]
[Insert my own revised drawing here after completion]
3. Feedback
During Week 6, my lecturer gave me feedback on my story and script.
She suggested reducing the number of miniature characters because I only have four weeks left to complete the animation. Instead of using many small characters, she recommended keeping just two: one representing positive thoughts and the other representing negative thoughts.
My lecturer also mentioned that my script was too long and needed to be shortened.
Based on her feedback, I simplified the story, reduced unnecessary actions and revised the screenplay.
5. Reflection
Through this week's revision, I learned that a good story does not always need many characters or complicated actions.
At first, I wanted to use many miniature characters to show Zoe's overthinking. However, I realised that this idea would be difficult to animate within a limited time.
By reducing the characters to two, I can still express Zoe's positive and negative thoughts in a simpler way.
I also learned that simplifying the script is important when planning an animation project. It helps me focus on the most important scenes and manage my production time better.
Overall, this revision made my story clearer and more practical to animate.
3.Final Outcome
5.reflection
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