Illustration & Visual Narrative Task 4

Muhammad Baihaqi Desya / 0377271

Bachelor of Design in (Honors) Creative Media

Illustration and Visual Narrative

Class 01 Sec 03

1. Description of Inspiration

The primary inspiration for this animation project stems from a deep understanding of the concepts of "dreams" and "failure" within life's journey. Often, we tend to wait for the perfect moment or fear failure, which ultimately hinders us from taking the first step towards our goals. This video is inspired by the idea that dreams will not materialize if we merely stand still and wait. Instead, dreams begin to form and become real the moment we dare to take that initial step, even if it is uncertain or leads to a stumble.

The initial visualization of someone restless in bed with anxious "sheep" (commonly associated with counting sheep to sleep) floating around, yet with a worried expression, symbolizes the anxiety and hesitation that often precede starting something new. The transition to a scene of someone falling or tripping reflects the reality that setbacks are an integral part of the process. However, the core message lies in the importance of "keeping walking" or "keeping trying," as the true failure is to stop trying altogether. The changing colors in each scene (dark blue, maroon, light blue, bright green, black) are also designed to reflect shifts in mood and narrative progression.

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2. Moodboard

As I cannot create a visual moodboard directly here, I will describe the elements that would be present in your moodboard, which you can collect and arrange yourself:

• Color Palette:
• Dark Blue/Navy (for the initial night/hesitation scene)
• Cream/Pale White (for pillows/blankets, providing contrast)
• Light Yellow/Gold (for stars, symbolizing small hopes)
• Maroon/Dark Brown (for the "waiting for the perfect moment" scene, a somewhat serious/formal tone)
• Light Blue/Light Grey (for the "first step" scene, a positive yet still challenging/rainy tone)
• Bright Green/Teal (for the "keep walking" scene, conveying optimism, growth)
• Black (for the "stop" scene, emptiness/darkness of true failure)
• Illustration Style:
• Flat design with subtle textures or soft shadows.
• Characters with clear facial expressions that convey emotion (worried, focused, falling, running).
• Minimalist yet descriptive environments (bedroom, room with a clock, stairs, outdoor scene with obstacles).
• Typography:
• Clean, bold Sans-serif font for text overlays, easy to read. Examples: Montserrat, Lato, Open Sans.
• Large font size for prominence.
• Visual Elements:
• Consistent rain streaks across all scenes, serving as a metaphor for challenges or obstacles.
• Clouds/thought bubbles for ideas or dreams.
• Building/stair silhouettes to show a journey or obstacles to overcome.
• Clock symbol for time or waiting.

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3. Storyboard

Here's a description of the key scenes in your video, complete with visuals, on-screen text, and narration:

Scene 1: Restless Night (0:00 - 0:04)

• Visual: A woman lies in bed, appearing restless or worried. Anxious-faced sheep float around her. Rain falls outside the window. A clock next to the bed shows 2:00.
• Text Overlay:
• "Dreams" (0:00)
• "Come" (0:01)
• "Stay" (0:02)
• "Still" (0:03)
• Narration: "Dreams never come when we stay still."
• Duration: 4 seconds

Scene 2: Waiting for the Perfect Moment (0:05 - 0:08)

• Visual: A man sits at a desk, seemingly working or waiting. The room is maroon-colored. A large clock hangs on the wall. Rain is still falling.
• Text Overlay:
• "Perfect" (0:05)
• "Moment" (0:06)
• "They" (0:07)
• "Appear" (0:08)
• Narration: "Waiting for the perfect moment. They begin to appear..."
• Duration: 4 seconds

Scene 3: The First Uncertain Step (0:09 - 0:13)

• Visual: A woman walks up a steep staircase, her expression focused but cautious. The background is bright blue with heavy rain.
• Text Overlay:
• "Moment" (0:09)
• "First" (0:11)
• "Uncertain" (0:12)
• Narration: "...the moment we take that first uncertain step."
• Duration: 5 seconds

Scene 4: Stumble and Fall (0:14 - 0:17)

• Visual: A man falls or stumbles, his belongings scattering. The background is dark with heavy rain.
• Text Overlay:
• "we" (0:14)
• "fall" (0:16)
• Narration: "Even if we stumble, even if we fall..."
• Duration: 4 seconds

Scene 5: Keep Walking (0:18 - 0:22)

• Visual: A man runs or steps forward confidently, leaping over obstacles. The background is bright green with rain.
• Text Overlay:
• "Walking" (0:18)
• "Only" (0:20)
• "True" (0:21)
• Narration: "...keep walking, because the only true failure..."
• Duration: 5 seconds

Scene 6: True Failure (0:23 - 0:24)

• Visual: Black screen with rain, white text in the center.
• Text Overlay: "Stop" (0:23)
• Narration: "...is to stop trying."
• Duration: 2 seconds

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4. Script (Narration and On-Screen Text)

Audio Narration:

"Dreams never come when we stay still. Waiting for the perfect moment. They begin to appear, the moment we take that first uncertain step. Even if we stumble, even if we fall, keep walking, because the only true failure is to stop trying."

On-Screen Text Overlays:

• 0:00 - 0:01: Dreams
• 0:01 - 0:02: Come
• 0:02 - 0:03: Stay
• 0:03 - 0:04: Still
• 0:05 - 0:06: Perfect
• 0:06 - 0:07: Moment
• 0:07 - 0:08: They
• 0:08 - 0:09: Appear
• 0:09 - 0:10: Moment
• 0:11 - 0:12: First
• 0:12 - 0:13: Uncertain
• 0:14 - 0:15: We
• 0:16 - 0:17: Fall
• 0:18 - 0:19: Walking
• 0:20 - 0:21: Only
• 0:21 - 0:22: True
• 0:23 - 0:24: Stop

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5. Detailed Information

• Software Used:
• Adobe Illustrator: For creating illustration assets and characters.
• Adobe After Effects: For motion graphics animation and element compositing.
• Adobe Audition (or similar): For recording and editing audio narration.
• Video Editing Software (e.g., Adobe Premiere Pro): For final assembly, background music integration, and rendering.
• Input File Format: Illustration assets in .ai format.
• Output File Format: Final video in .mp4 format.
• Output Dimensions: Height 1920 px, Width 1080 px (Portrait/Vertical).
• Audio: Original narration recorded, and non-copyrighted or appropriately licensed background music chosen to match the video's mood. Minimal sound effects for rain and possibly footsteps/falls.
• Animation Techniques:
• Text animation (fade in/out, scaling).
• Character animation (basic movements like walking, running, falling, facial expressions).
• Looping background elements (rain).
• Parallax scrolling to add depth to scenes.
• Scene transitions based on visual cues and narrative timing.

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6. Rationale

• Message Choice: The message of perseverance and the courage to try despite uncertainty was chosen for its universal relevance. It's a valuable life lesson for anyone pursuing goals or facing challenges.
• Visual Design: The flat illustration style was chosen to maintain a clean, modern, and easily understandable aesthetic. The use of contrasting colors and color transitions between scenes aims to visually mark changes in mood and narrative progression. Rain as a consistent visual element serves as a metaphor for the challenges or obstacles always present in life.
• Text Placement: Text overlays are placed in the center of the screen with large, clear fonts to ensure that the main message is easily and quickly readable by the audience, supporting the audio narration. Text timing is synchronized with the narration to reinforce the message.
• Duration and Flow: The 15-20 second duration is ideal for social media formats like TikTok, ensuring the message is delivered concisely yet impactfully. The narrative flow, which starts from hesitation, transitions to waiting, then action, failure, and finally perseverance, is designed to build emotion and lead the viewer to a strong conclusion.
• Audio Choices: Clear and calm vocal narration helps convey the message with authority. Inspirational background music and minimal sound effects are used to enhance the mood without distracting from the main message.

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7. Self Reflection

During the process of creating this animation project, I encountered several challenges and gained many valuable lessons. One of the main challenges was synchronizing the visual animation with the audio narration and text overlays to ensure the message was effectively communicated within the short duration. This required precise timing adjustments and iterative revisions.

I learned a great deal about the importance of thorough planning, especially in creating storyboards and moodboards, as these formed a strong foundation before moving into the production phase. Consistent visual style and color palette selection were crucial for maintaining the aesthetic cohesion of the video. I also improved my skills in animation software, particularly in basic character animation techniques and transition effects.

If I had the opportunity to revisit this project, I might experiment more with variations in character movements or add more background details to enrich the visuals without making them too cluttered. However, overall, I am satisfied with the final result, which successfully conveyed the main message clearly and concisely. This project reinforced my understanding that "failure is part of the process, not the end of everything," a lesson I also applied during the animation production itself.