Storyboard & Animatic

        It is my opinion that one of the major issues Fiona and I faced during this project is that we did not have a final storyboard and animatic to work with earlier. This is largely due to the fact that we did not settle on the interview we were to use until fairly late into the project. Consequently, although we had a rough idea of the kind of scenarios we would need, we did not have a definitive shot list, or fixed idea of what props would be needed to fill each shot (which did mean that the modelling process was quite drawn out as more and more props needed making).

        Once we had settled on an interview, Fiona began piecing together a storyboard, using some of the frames I had sketched out previously, and adding in some new shots to correspond with our vocal track. As we are rapidly running out of time we have come to the conclusion that it would be more sensible for us to use atmospheric stills and slide the camera through the set rather than attempt to produce a fully animated short. While I would love to see our characters in motion, we have to bear in mind what will be achievable in the time remaining. Consequently we have reused some shots, such as the long shots of the silhouettes against the door frame. While this is due mostly to being economical, we also felt that using the same set up to show the characters arriving and leaving would show how they have almost become desensitised to their work, due to witnessing the same scenes day in and day out.

        I am thankful that Fiona included a considerable number of annotations pertaining to the lighting she envisaged using in each shot, as lighting and cinematography (as well as editing and many other technical tasks) are not particularly my forte. Should the need arise for me to shoot any scenes on my own, I will have a good idea of her artistic vision.

        I am really impressed with the animatic that Fiona produced from the above storyboards. The combination of images and soundtrack seems to be very effective at evoking a reaction of horror and discomfort from viewers (judging from the responses of those who have viewed the animatic). I am optimistic that the film will look even better as the storyboard panels are replaced by shots and stills of our set. Hopefully, the moody and atmospheric lighting, not to mention our carefully constructed set, will further contribute the the emotional impact of the soundtrack.