EMPATHY

The first step is to develop two character sheets: one for an antagonist and one for a protagonist. The antagonist doesn’t necessarily have to be a person, but can be a situation. In this case, write the circumstance in detail through a paragraph. You will then create a rough character sketch of the protagonist, and if applicable, the antagonist.

 

Antagonist: is a character, group of characters, institution, or concept that stands in or represents opposition against which the protagonist(s) must contend. In other words, an antagonist is a person or a group of people who opposes a protagonist.

 

Protagonist: is the main character in any story, such as a literary work or drama.

​

All students will then break into teams of three to five people. Name your team. You will then gather everyone’s character sheets and sketches to decide/ brainstorm a storyline. Suggestion: It is at this time that each group should delegate who will write a script for the group, what the story will be (short story, commercial, movie preview), and who will storyboard. This process is up to your group. Each team is required to develop a script for a one minute animatic with the template provided.

​

From this script, students will then produce a 15-25 panel storyboard about their narrative. Students will need to hand draw the storyboards, and make sure to outline the subjects closest to the camera. Design principles and elements need to be addressed in each panel. Remember, each panel is a composition. Students will then need to scan their storyboards and trim each panel so that only the frame shows, not the words. I will allow you to digitally enhance these storyboards. Each group will then import their boards into movie editing software (IMovie/ Windows Movie Maker/ Premier). From this point forward students will then develop a 1-minute storyboard animatic using Garage band, IMovie/ Windows Movie maker, and on-campus sound recording lab. The final project will be exported as a .mov file to be screened for class critique.

​

Materials:

Character sheet

Script Template

Storyboard template

Garage band/ Audition/ Audacity/ Protools

IMovie/ Windows Movie Maker/ Premier

Sound recording lab

​

IDEATE

During this phase I created two different storyboards: one for the antagonist and one for the protagonist.

​

The protagonist storyboard is about how a toaster impulsively falls in love with a waffle iron and accidentally burns the toast he is cooking.

​

The antagonist is a cookie that is crumbling apart as it rolls across the land, leaving destruction and death behind.

​

The script written for the group selected project Space Pets combines an alternative flow for the trailer our group selected and Oscar's original storyboard. I also drew a storyboard to accompany the script created.

​

DEFINE

Within this phase, the storyboard and script was chosen through group vote. The storyboard we decided on was Oscar's Space Pets. The script that was chosen was Jacob's script.

​

PROTOTYPE

For the prototype phase, David was selected to draw the final storyboard images that were scanned into the computer. The scanned images were then used by Arturo and I to create a video sequence and soundscape to fit the images. The sounds were a combination of sounds downloaded from FreeSound.org by Arturo and I. The recorded sounds were done by Jacob, Oscar, and David. 

​

FEEDBACK

Some of the ideas discussed within class were:

• Add color, contrast, and more shadows to bring to life the images and add depth, especially shooting star scene

• Split up the narration to play at the beginning of the trailer as well as the end

• Adorable and entertaining but didn't make much sense and seems chaotic

• Needs more medium shots - too many close-up shots

• Needs more verbal arguments between the pets

• Good sounds but need better transitions

• Liked the terminator stances of the pets

​

The feedback that was used to alter our rough cut before exporting and turning in our group's final cut were:

• Split up the narration to add to the beginning as well as the end

• Edited sounds and added some extra sound effects while removing others

• Added music for last scene that transitions into the credits title screen

​