Thumbnails.

Out of this entire module I must admit that creating thumbnails has been my favourite part of the pre-production process to participate in. It is the point where I can really explore different scenarios and sequences which I believe will tell the narrative of the project from a visual perspective. Ironically, not just within this module but in previous work, I realised that for me the visuals always tell the story before the script. For me it is always the visuals, i.e thumbnails and doodles of scenarios and sequences which helps me to develop a story into a script, along with finer details such as dialogue and sound effects following closely behind.

Taking into account all the research I had accumulated from both online and the interview, I decided to use both symbolic and metaphorical images to drive each scenario forward, thus taking into consideration the mental, emotional and physical symptoms of anxiety and how that can be translated visually.

Examples to name but a few:

• Heavy breathing

• Increased heart rate

• Shaking

• Tiredness

• Depersonalisation

• Low self esteem

• Weight loss

From the interview notes I was also able to reflect on how I would be able to showcase their relationship and personalities through their performances, separately and with each other. I decided to draw extremely rough thumbnails concentrating on the camera shots/ angles, character poses/ gestures, actions but more importantly I was trying to metaphorically communicate an idea within the sequence rather than the quality of the image. To me it was more important to explore possible sequences and then once approved focus on a more detailed storyboard.

As time went by I realised I was not happy with the thumbnails I had produced. I felt that the initial thumbnails did not have any substance from a storytelling perspective and would therefore not adequately contribute towards the project. I felt the sequences were disconnected from each other and I couldn’t see a way to bridge them together with either another scene or shot. Taking into account how much work I had to do and also the timescale I had to complete this module I felt relatively confident I could produce better work and in doing so I decided to re-do my storyboards in an attempt to gain more clarity over the structure, this time drawing on paper as opposed to drawing on the iPad. I discovered that I worked better on paper than drawing on the iPad as the drawings, poses and ideas/ sequences came more naturally and fluently to me; I felt more confident with regards to the ideas I had developed. On reflection maybe what I needed was using pencil to paper? Perhaps this was the method of working I needed in order to produce work which I felt confident in. At this point I am unsure as to why I felt it worked so well for me but I will be using this process again on future projects.

Examples of original thumbnails used to develop the narrative of the project.

As previously mentioned in this post, these thumbnails were removed from the project.

Examples of new thumbnails for project.

(Please note these sequences are in no particular order. Structure will be done within the animatic process.