This week focused more on story structure and how to develop a clear narrative before moving into previs. We started by looking at the basics of story and how a scene should not just be a list of things happening. The lecture explained the difference between a chronicle and a narrative: a chronicle is just “this happened and then this happened,” while a narrative is a sequence of events that have meaning and consequences. This helped me understand that a strong story needs cause and effect, not just random actions.
One of the main ideas from the session was the difference between “and then” and “therefore / but.” Instead of writing a story where events just follow each other, we learned that each beat should happen because of the previous one, or create a new obstacle. This made me think more about how a character’s choices should push the story forward. The session also introduced the SWBST structure: Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then. I found this useful because it gives a simple way to check if a story has a clear character, goal, conflict, action and resolution.
In class, we also did the Story Pitch activity. We had to create different story ideas using the SWBST structure, then choose the strongest one and explain it to someone else. This was helpful because pitching made me realise if the idea actually made sense. When you have to explain the story out loud, it becomes easier to see if the logic is clear or if some parts feel random.
We also had the Cinematography Analysis assignment. For this task, we had to choose a 1–2 minute clip from a film that we found visually interesting and analyse how the cinematography supports the storytelling. I chose a scene from The Hunger Games, because the visual language clearly shows power, control and vulnerability. In SyncSketch, I analysed different frames and looked at elements such as composition, camera angle, lighting, framing and how characters were placed in the scene. For example, the symmetrical and centred compositions helped show the authority of the Capitol, while close-up framing made certain moments feel more personal and emotionally intense.
https://syncsketch.com/sketch/U6TLOfSTk6k4
On Friday, we worked on the Previs – Hunter to Prey assignment in Maya. The theme was about showing a dramatic power shift between two characters or more. The focus was not on final lighting, textures or polished animation, but more on story, rhythm, timing, spacing and camera language. This connected well with the story lecture, because we had to make sure the scene was not just a random conflict, but had a clear setup, action and resolution.
We also generated storyboard images to get a more visual idea of what we wanted to create. This helped us understand the framing, camera angles and overall mood before starting the previs in Maya. By using these images as visual references, we could make clearer decisions about how to show the shift from hunter to prey and how to build tension throughout the scene.
After presenting our Hunter to Prey previs, we received feedback on both the camera work and pacing of the sequence. One of the main suggestions was to make certain shots longer in order to give the audience more time to understand the action and build suspense. Ting also recommended using smoother camera curves during the ball sequence rather than relying on very fast zooms, as some of the camera movements felt rushed.
We were advised to slow down the zoom-in and spread it across a longer duration, creating a more gradual sense of tension. Another point of feedback was to improve the relationship between camera distance and shot length, ensuring that the pacing of the camera movements matched the scale of the action on screen.
The camera should also better follow and catch up with the ball during the sequence, helping the audience focus on the key action. To strengthen the dramatic impact, we were encouraged to increase the visual contrast between calm and intense moments and to introduce a stronger camera reaction when the character falls. Finally, the ending should move closer to the character with a tighter framing, and the street should be shown again to provide a clearer sense of location and resolution.
I also found a reference video of someone throwing a ball, which helped me better understand the body movement, timing, weight shift and follow-through of the action.
These changes will help create a stronger feeling of suspense and make the hunter-to-prey transformation more visually engaging and easier to follow.