In handling action details, I paid special attention to the character’s hand movements and body dynamics.

When the character’s fingers grasp, I focused on depicting the intensity of the grip. The bending angles of the first two finger joints increase significantly under force, while the curvature of the palm tightens, conveying a sense of concentrated strength.

During the character’s preparation for a forward dash with a sidestep, I added anticipatory movements to enhance the action’s logic and visual impact. This preparatory motion includes a slight backward tilt of the body, a sense of tension in the shoulders, and stabilization of the lower limbs. At this moment, the body enters a brief pause, with the accumulated energy ready to burst forth. Special attention was given to the body’s center of gravity, which leans slightly in the opposite direction to balance the force of the dash.

In designing the forward-leaning motion, I also emphasized the follow-up dynamic. Once the character completes the main forward-leaning action, their body subtly rebounds backward, creating a natural inertia effect. This small but crucial adjustment not only adds fluidity to the movement but also imbues the character with a greater sense of vitality and physical authenticity.

The handling of details between actions is especially important in animation. Eye contact between two characters, in particular, can convey subtle emotions and psychological changes, creating highly engaging dramatic effects. For example, through one character’s gaze and the other’s response, the audience can perceive the sense of mutual understanding, tension, or conflict between them.

Additionally, continuity between shots is a key aspect of storytelling in animation. To achieve seamless transitions, action-based continuity can be used as a bridging technique. For instance, the trajectory of a character’s movement at the end of one shot (such as a forward-leaning motion) can be carried over and completed in the next shot. This approach not only maintains visual consistency but also enhances the rhythm and immersion of the narrative. By employing such techniques, viewers are guided smoothly through the sequence without being jarred by abrupt transitions, allowing them to stay engaged with the characters’ actions and the story’s progression.

First, I enhanced the richness of the visuals by incorporating background elements that served as spatial references. These elements not only provided clear spatial cues for the characters but also added depth to the scenes. At the same time, these background elements played a crucial role in storytelling.

When designing camera transitions, the backgrounds became key references for positioning the characters and planning camera movements, making the transitions between scenes more seamless and natural. For instance, as the characters moved, changes in the background elements helped convey shifts in the environment and the extension of space, allowing the audience to visually follow the characters’ journey more effortlessly.

These backgrounds were not just decorative but also integral to the narrative, closely interacting with the characters to enhance the overall expressiveness and cohesiveness of the animation.

My mentor gave me some very practical suggestions for improvement, particularly on refining the details in the animation. For instance, he pointed out that the hand movements in certain scenes need to appear more natural and subtle. This includes not only the bending angles of the fingers and the positioning of the palms but also the alignment of hand gestures with the narrative context.

In addition, my mentor suggested paying closer attention to the dynamic balance in the characters’ walking animations, especially the rhythm and amplitude of their side-to-side swaying. He emphasized that the body’s motion during walking should not only reflect the character’s personality traits but also stay consistent with the overall rhythm of the animation. For example, the character Big Monkey, being confident, could have steadier steps and a more pronounced sway to emphasize their self-assurance.

When storyboarding, I paid close attention to every detail, especially the interactions between the characters. To better convey their emotions and narrative, I carefully designed their eye contact, movement coordination, and relative positioning within the frame. For example, in scenes where they exchange glances, I used subtle facial expressions and slight gestures to highlight their mutual understanding and emotional connection. In more intense moments, I adjusted their distance and posture to create a sense of tension. These deliberate choices not only helped shape the characters’ personalities and relationships but also allowed the audience to intuitively feel their psychological states.

During production, my instructor’s guidance gave me a deeper understanding of spatial relationships within the frame. He emphasized the importance of maintaining depth in composition and ensuring harmony between the characters and the background, especially in dynamic scenes where crossing the line of action must be avoided. I learned that crossing the line disrupts the audience’s perception of the characters’ positions, leading to confusion in the storytelling. To address this, I meticulously adjusted camera angles during storyboarding to ensure smooth and logical transitions between shots. These careful refinements enhanced the clarity and coherence of the narrative, making the animation more immersive while significantly improving its professionalism and visual appeal.