Month: January 2026

Overview

This week was important for me because I not only learned new story structures, but also revised the ending of my previous Hunter to Prey assignment based on the feedback from the tutor. The tutor pointed out that my original ending did not fully match the brief. The requirement was that the prey should become the hunter, but in my first version, the prey experienced the loop and failed to escape, while still remaining in the position of the prey.

Film Narrative Hierarchy

The film narrative hierarchy diagram in the PDF shows how a story can be divided from large to small parts. A story can be divided into acts, then sequences and scenes, and finally into shots and beats. This structure is very useful for 3D animation and previs because it reminds me that a shot should not exist by itself. Each shot should support a scene, each scene should push the sequence forward, and the sequence should serve the whole story.

Three-Act Structure

The three-act structure divides a story into Setup, Confrontation and Resolution. In Act One, the story introduces the character and the world. In Act Two, the conflict becomes stronger and the character faces more obstacles. In Act Three, the story moves towards the result.

Hero’s Journey

Five-Act Structure and Freytag’s Pyramid

Dan Harmon’s Story Circle

My revised Hunter to Prey story is closer to this structure. At the beginning, the prey is in a passive position and only wants to escape. He enters the corridor and keeps searching for an exit. He then finds that he cannot truly leave. The price he pays is his mental stability, because the loop keeps breaking him down. Finally, he returns to the same space, but he is no longer the same prey. He becomes a character who actively fights back.

Kishōtenketsu

The class also introduced Kishōtenketsu. This structure focuses more on a change of perspective and a twist, rather than only depending on strong conflict. Its four stages are Ki, Shō, Ten and Ketsu. For my story, the Ten stage is very inspiring because my original idea also focused on a final twist.

This week we also received feedback on the previous Hunter to Prey assignment. The tutor said that my earlier ending moved a little away from the assignment theme. The brief was about Hunter to Prey, which means there should be a power shift between the prey and the pursuer. In some way, the prey should become the hunter.

In my original version, the prey was trapped in a looping corridor. The audience would discover at the end that he did not really escape. However, he was still being chased and controlled. In other words, the old ending was more about “the prey can never escape”, rather than “the prey becomes the hunter”.

Revised Ending

Based on the feedback, I changed the ending. In the new version, after many loops, the prey slowly goes mad. He repeats the same process: running, failing, and returning to the starting point. After this repetition, his mental state breaks down.

Week 2 was mainly divided into two parts. The first session focused on the lecture about Story Basic and a group storyboard exercise. The second session focused on the Previs assignment, “Hunter to Prey”, including group storyboard planning and video production. Compared with Week 1, which focused more on camera language, this week focused more on story structure, causal logic, character motivation, and how to develop an idea into a story that can be shown through shots.

The Causal Chain of “Therefore / But”

The tutor explained that the beats in a story should not only be connected by “and then”. They should be connected more by “therefore” or “but”. In this way, the story feels like the result of the character’s own desire, weakness and choices, rather than something pushed by random external events.

This helped me understand character agency more clearly. Even in a very short story, the character should still have their own goal and choice. The audience does not only want to know “what happens next”. They also want to know why the character makes a choice and what consequence this choice will bring.

Conflict, Drama and Story

The class also introduced the idea that Conflict = Drama = Story. A story begins when a character’s expectation or desire meets an obstacle in reality, and this creates conflict. The conflict can be external, such as a chase, danger or an environmental obstacle. It can also be internal, such as fear, hesitation, obsession or a wrong judgement.

The lecture gave us three useful questions: Who is it about? What do they want? Why can’t they have it? These questions can help me quickly define the main character, the goal and the obstacle at the early stage of story development. They also help prevent the story from becoming only a random collection of events.

The SWBST Story Structure

The class also introduced the SWBST structure: Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then. This structure helps me turn a simple idea into a complete story. It asks: Who is the main character? What do they want? What obstacle do they meet? What choice do they make? What result happens at the end?

This method is very useful for the early stage of storyboard and previs planning, because it helps me check whether the story works before designing the shots. If the “wanted” and “but” are not clear, even if the shots look good, the audience may still not understand why the character is acting.

Class Exercise: Ladder, Flooding and Disappearing

In the first session’s class activity, we worked in pairs to develop a storyboard idea. Based on the three keywords “ladder”, “flooding” and “disappearing”, I came up with a story about a bubble.

In this exercise, I was mainly responsible for the story concept and the overall storyboard design. I tried to make the three keywords have a real connection, instead of simply placing them separately into the story. I also wanted the ending to give the audience a clear twist. My idea was that the bubble first uses the ladder to struggle against the flood, but it still fails and disappears into the water. However, at the end, there is a reversal: the bubble is blown out from a fish’s mouth and is reborn.

This week’s course focuses on Cinematography: Layout, Composition, and Camera Language. The lesson primarily explores camera language in 3D animation and film shots, covering topics such as shot composition, focus, focal length, spatial geometry, and camera movement. At the beginning of the class, a crucial question was raised: “Where do you put the camera?” This emphasizes that before designing a shot, we must first consider what the scene truly aims to convey and what message we want the audience to receive.

This made me realize that the camera is not merely recording characters or scenes, but is an integral part of storytelling. The position, angle, and composition of shots all influence how audiences interpret the narrative. In 3D animation production, camera choices are equally important, as they determine what the audience sees, what they don’t see, and when they see it.

The session divided camera language into several main areas: focus, focal length, geometry and movement. These elements work together to control the visual information

Focal length decides how much space is included in the frame. It can also affect the visual relationship between the character and the environment. The examples in the lecture showed how different focal lengths can change the appearance of a face and the sense of space.

Focal length is not just a technical setting. It can also influence the feeling of the scene. A wide-angle lens can make the space feel more exaggerated and may create a sense of instability or pressure. A longer lens can compress the space and make the frame feel more focused.

Geometry in Frame

Frame geometry is about the structure inside the image. Through lines, symmetry, triangular composition, framing and perspective, the image can become more organised and can also express the character’s situation.

Camera Movement

In the camera movement section, the class introduced several common camera movements and effects. Handheld camera can create a feeling of realism, tension or chaos. Whip pan can show a direct connection between two spaces or actions. Arc shot can move around a character and make the character feel like the centre of the scene. Establishing shot can help the audience understand the space and environment.

Through these examples, I understood that camera movement should not only be used to make a shot look more complex. It should support the story and the emotion of the scene.

5 + 5 Challenge Storyboard

The assignment for this week was the 5 + 5 Challenge Storyboard. The purpose of this task was to practise telling a clear story within a very limited time. Since there are only five shots, every shot needs to have a clear function. Each shot may need to show who the character is, where the scene takes place, what is happening, how the emotion changes, and what the final result is.

Storyboard 5+5