Logbook
Introduction
This project is about depression disorder. I have this idea since I was in Higher Diploma. At that time I very want to write the story was about me. So, when I went back to see the content of the idea, I found that I was depressed at that time. Because I feel the anxiety and sadness in the script which come from my family, relationship, and schoolwork. And it made me depressed for half a year.
Therefore, I intend to face this disease and study the reasons behind it. I hope that through this project, more people can understand the inner world of people with depression.
Contextual Research
Major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as clinical depression, is a mental disorder characterized by at least two weeks of pervasive low mood, low self-esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. The most common time of onset is in a person's 20s. The course of the disorder varies widely, from one episode lasting months to a lifelong disorder with recurrent major depressive episodes. There is an obvious sense of anxiety. More serious cases will appear auditory hallucination, victim delusion, multiple personality and other schizophrenic symptoms. It can negatively affect a person's personal life, work life, or education as well as sleeping, eating habits, and general health.
According to the data released by the World Health Organization in 2019, the total number of patients with depression in the world exceeds 350 million, which is becoming the second largest killer after cancer. Depression is a disease, not "unhappy", not "a thought", not "hypocritical". But it's easy to classify these as normal emotions.
Wikipedia contributors. (2022, May 8). Major depressive disorder. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_depressive_disorder&oldid=1086779015
SZNEWS.COM.(2020, Sep 13).不是“不开心”而是疾病，如今抑郁症将纳入体检项目.
from https://www.sznews.com/news/content/2020-09/13/content_23550772_0.htm
Research
In order to make my work more accurately express the inner world of patients with depression, I read a lot of relevant books, films and comic. In addition to feeling the emotion in the film, I pay more attention to find the narrative mode in this type of film, and how to express it so that the audience can enter the role and feel this emotion.
The following is what I think is an important reference for my project when I do research.
L'Étranger
Also published in English as The Outsider, is a 1942 novella by French author Albert Camus. Its theme and outlook are often cited as examples of Camus' philosophy, absurdism, coupled with existentialism.
Wikipedia contributors. (2022, April 23). The Stranger (Camus novel). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Stranger_(Camus_novel)&oldid=1084298176
Theme Description
In order to understand why young people feel depressed, I did a mind map analysis. So I intend to combine some of my own experience to design this project framework.
Then I decided to use animation as a format to do this project, because animation can educate the audience through entertainment, transfer emotion efficiently, implement colorful and creative animated videos to effectively communication with the audience.
(Mind map)
Preparation
Goals
• Improve my skills in drawing various character movements
• Improve my storytelling skills
• Enhance my expression of artistic conception in the scene of story
• Enhance my 3D modeling skills in C4D
Study Plan
• Learn the 3D modelling projection technic
• Learn the importing Google Maps 3D models data technic
• Learn the combination of 3D model and 2D image
• Learn how to put 2D animated characters on video
Story Concept Settings
This story is about the boy who grew up in a single parent family in Hong Kong. His mother often works overtime, so he is always alone. But then a good friend appeared in his life and play with him, so he don’t feels lonely either and had a memorable childhood. But with the passage of time, the good friend gradually disappeared in his life, and the main character is going to face the high school graduation exam. He thought that hard working equals reward, but the result is disappointed and sad. The great pressure forced him to accept the reality, and all the beauties and expectations were like dreams. Finally, he found that his best friend in childhood was just himself in the mirror, just imagination. So he wanted to choose another way to accept reality.
Storyboard
This storyboard took me a lot of time to conceive, and here you need to conceive the story framework and narrative approach. In addition, I have to conceive every scene and draw it to ensure that each scene is consistent with my imagination.
So I decided to tell the story in flashbacks, interspersed with memories of the protagonist‘s past. The memory part will use montage to tell the story.
Animatic
In order to achieve the animation I want, I decided to put all the pictures together to make an animatic to ensure that each scene can be connected smoothly. And I also add music to control the flow of the story. This process also takes a lot of time to design and edit music and add sound effects.
Character Design
The unified feature of the protagonist is blue hair, and blue represents depression. The whole animation describes the protagonist‘s three life stages: childhood, middle school and graduation. Therefore, I will separate these three stages with three different painting styles.
These three styles also represent different meanings：
His childhood was painted in bright colors, which means that his childhood was colorful, happy and memorable.
His middle school uses darker colors to draw, which means that his middle school is stressful, heavy and listless.
After his graduation, that is “now”, the painting method is more detailed, which means that it is realistic and stray.
Background Design
In order to better reflect the story that took place in Hong Kong, I chose Man Wah Sun Chuen, an old district building in Hong Kong, as the main location. Its alternative architectural style makes it incompatible with the surrounding buildings and has its own characteristics.
There are eight composite buildings in this old-fashioned residential estate, it is a popular building type in Hong Kong from 1950s to 1960s. The architectural style integrates modernism / international style / Bauhaus elements.
Wikipedia contributors. (2021, September 3). Man Wah Sun Chuen. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Man_Wah_Sun_Chuen&oldid=1042102114
(Details)
In this part of making background, I mainly use Cinema 4D to build 3D models.
In order to restore the appearance of Man Wah Sun Chuen, I refer to aerial filming videos on youtube, which are very helpful to me.
Then I use 3D modeling projection technic that I have learned to project the picture on the model.
Project in 3D model
In order to make the scene closer to reality, I learned a technology on the Internet, adding the 3D model in Google map to C4d and integrating it into my background.
Character Animatic
For character animatic, because I am not good at animatic characters, so I use 3d model as a reference to draw the character movement farm by farm. Many character body movements refer to the information on the Internet. If I can't find the movement that I want, I will record my body motion as a reference.
Post Production
This animation mainly make with AE. In addition to editing the video, I also makes some lens effects, such as blur and lens shaking. In the music part, I use Au for mixing and sound effect balance.
Reflection
For me, I am not satisfied with the results of the artfact, but I am satisfied with the whole production process. Because after this experience, I have mastered a lot of technology and knowledge. More importantly, I have improved my expression of artistic concept in the scene of story.
The show up of artfact is not as good as I thought. I think my characterization is not good enough, and my drawing on character dynamics is not exquisite and smooth enough. So the drawing is a direction I want to improve. It is worth mentioning that I think I have done better in designing story frames, storytelling and narrative approach. Of course, there is room for improvement.
This animation took two and a half months to complete, more than two weeks to make the model and spent a lot of time studying the technic. It also took a lot of time to conceive. And in the whole production project, not everything goes well. Sometimes you will struggling, worrying and facing some difficult problems.
For example, when I was making the storyboard animatic, I spent 8 hours to select music which is suitable for this project; how to combine 3d background with 2D characters; balance the conflict between 3D and 2D in the screen; the drawing angle of characters, etc.
And not all the materials you prepared can be used in the project. For example, the VO(Voice Over) I have written is discarded because it can't match the animation; I want to make a montage transition with real scene materials combined with 2D characters. I also abandoned it because I can't master the combination skills and these materials can't match other scenes.
VO(Voice Over)
Some real scene materials
Video test with VO
Final Thoughts
In short, this project has given me a new understanding and insight into depression. In the process of production, it is a very fulfilling thing to learn and achieve the goals set by myself. This experience makes me understand again the importance of research and development, which is a process that must be passed through for a successful project, and it is also very important for me. In fact, I wanted to do this project a long time ago. Now I have finally completed one of my wishes, which can be regarded as an gift for myself.
After the production, I sent my works to some friends around me and got different feedback. It is worth mentioning that I received feedback from several friends with mental illness. And they understand the meaning I want to express through this animation, which makes me surprised and full of sense of achievement.
‘If you want to get rid of the negative emotions of sadness, the first thing you need is to face the reality calmly.’ just like what I said.
Through this project, I completed my study goals, including improved professional skills and my expression of artistic conception . I hope the experience and ideas learned in this project can help me continue to improve.