Film Studies and Cinematography/Project 2 - Pitch Bible

 -SPETEMBER 24, 2024

11/1/2024 - //2024 (Week 06 – Week 10)

Wang Yifan / 0368363

Film Studies and Cinematography / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media / Taylors University

Project 2 – Project 2 - Pitch Bible

INSTRUCTIONS

 

LECTURES

Week 6

Fig1.1 Class Notes,Week 6(01/11/2024)

1. Core Elements of Film Grammar

   • Framing: Arranging visual elements to convey meaning and emotion.
   • Staging: Organizing characters, props, and settings to highlight relationships.
   • Motion: How movement in a scene adds to the story.
   • Editing: Connecting shots to create rhythm and meaning.

2. Story Beats

   • Major Beats: Key events that drive the story forward.
   • Minor Beats: Small moments that add detail or emotion.

3. Shot Types

   • Examples include long shots, medium shots, and close-ups, each serving different storytelling roles.

4. Extreme Shots and Angles

   • Extreme Shots: Extreme close-ups for details; extreme long shots for setting.
   • Angles: Low angles show power; high angles show weakness.

5. Static and Dynamic Shots

   • Static Shots: Fixed camera, great for dialogue or details.
   • Dynamic Shots: Moving camera adds energy and fluidity.

6. Storyboarding

   • Visualizing scenes with drawings to plan the flow and structure of the film.

Week 7

Core Elements of Visual Language

1. Line

   • Includes thickness, direction, and length.
   • Guides the viewer's eye, conveys emotions, or illustrates actions.

2. Shape

   • A two-dimensional closed area forming basic objects.
   • Silhouette is an effective way to showcase shapes.

3. Space

   • Creates depth and layering using perspective, vanishing points, and scale.

4. Tone

   • The balance of light and dark to guide focus and set the mood through contrast.

5. Movement

   • Shown with Lines of Action or Speed Lines to convey motion and energy.

6. Color

   • Sets the mood or highlights focal points.
   • Uses complementary and contrasting colors for visual impact.

Project 2: Pitch Bible

In this project, we have to create a pitch bible document that calls for the provision of visual materials to accompany content information in the form of slide presentations. We are also required to present the pitch bible.

The pitch bible document must follow slide presentation format which the content must include:

1. Cover page with title
2. Log line and synopsis
3. Product specifications (Genre, target audience, duration, technique)
4. Theme
5. Character
6. World

Research

After understanding the homework situation, I watched some videos. I feel like these videos are great examples of how to make a Jesus Christ Bible, and Mr. Kamal also does a great job of providing us with links to previous students' work, which makes the process easy to prune.

Fig 2.1, What's in a Pitch Bible? by Surviving Animation

I especially like the RM Pitch Bible provided by Mr. Kamal. It describes the characters that will appear in the movie in great detail, including his painting style, which is worth learning.

Fig 2.2, RM Pitch Bible

References used for research:

• [RMPitchBible]
• [Captain Steward_BANTATO Studio]
• [STELLA_COSMIX]
• [How to Create a Pitch Bible with Heather Kenyon]

process

After completing my research, I started creating a PowerPoint for my pitch guide. My content in the ppt includes: cover, story summary, product specifications (type, target audience, duration, technology), story introduction, theme, character description (image and introduction), and world background description.

Fig 3.1, Progression of Pitch Bible 

Cover Page Progression

I started designing the cover; I sketched it.The cover uses mirrors and light and shadow contrast to express the character's inner conflicts and emotional changes.

Figure 3.2, cover sketch

The screen design includes a broken mirror and the interaction between the two characters, which looks like they are having a conversation or thinking.The colors use a contrast between warm and cold colors to make the picture more emotional and layered.

Fig 3.3, Rendering the Cover Page

Character Reference Progression

After completing the cover design, I started creating character references and descriptions.

Among the two protagonists I designed, the designs of Xiao Mei and 

Xiao Hei were inspired by the two sides of a person's heart - warmth and darkness.

Xiaomei is a little girl who looks gentle and a little melancholy. She wears a sweatshirt that says "Happy Every Day", but her expression is a little pensive. Her color scheme is dominated by green and warm colors, showing her casual side.

Figure 4.1, Xiaomei final version

Xiao Hei is the tougher and calmer side of Xiao Mei. Her clothes are the same as Xiaomei's, but the overall color is darker and her expression is sharper, making her look independent and powerful.

Figure 4.2, Xiaohei final version

storyline design

Figure 5.1,Xiao Mei graduates from university.

Figure 5.2，Xiao Mei in the office.

Figure 5.3, Xiaomei’s journey from school to workplace

Figure 5.4, Hard working Xiaomei

Figure 5.5, Xiao Hei in the mirror scolds Xiao Mei

Figure 5.6,Xiao Mei lets out a scream of frustration and despair.

Figure 5.7，Xiao Hei drags Xiao Mei into the mirror.

Figure 5.8，Xiao Mei is in the mirror world.

Figure 5.9，Xiao Mei realizes it is a dream.

Figure 5.10. Xiao Mei realizes her own problems and begins to change.

Final Pitch Bible

Fig , Final Pitch Bible Presentation Slides

Final Pitch Bible Video: 

YouTube link： https://youtu.be/idlCCpRecBA

REFLECTION

Experiences

For this project, I focused on creating background boards that aligned with my story’s theme. This process involved deep thinking about the story’s key elements, its overarching direction, and ensuring it was engaging with ups and downs. Once I clarified these aspects, I began drawing the background boards and later worked on storyboards, carefully considering how to design them to visually support the narrative.

Observations

This project demanded both creativity and technical skills. Extracting the story’s key elements, planning shot distribution, and creating an immersive experience for the audience required in-depth thought. My story centers on the theme of metamorphosis, so I focused on capturing the protagonist’s transformation within the visuals. I learned how to weave the theme into the design, ensuring that both the artwork and the narrative stood out.

Findings

Character design, script writing, and storyboard arrangement are fundamental to crafting compelling animations. Characters need distinct features and strong motivations to drive the story. A well-developed script ensures cohesion, while storyboards enhance storytelling through visual language. Storyboard design plays a crucial role in creating atmosphere, conveying key plot points, and engaging the audience. Understanding the target audience is equally important; tailoring content to their preferences increases the likelihood of capturing their attention.