Categories
| Shot No. | Scene Description | Camera Setup & Movement | Atmosphere & Visual Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Preparation Scene 1: A fixed camera records people cleaning the room, wiping the table, and hanging balloons and ribbons. The protagonist hasn’t appeared yet. | Fixed camera (corner of the room), slightly wide framing, no character faces shown. | Soft daylight; the sounds of tape tearing and chairs moving create a natural, relaxed atmosphere. |
| 2 | Preparation Scene 2: Continuing from the same fixed angle. The people preparing the party place the cake, gifts, and cards on the table, then leave the frame. | Fixed camera, steady composition with slight depth changes. | The table gradually becomes fully arranged; light dust particles shimmer in the air, enhancing a sense of everyday warmth. |
| 3 | Protagonist Enters & POV Shift: The protagonist (no face shown) walks into frame, adjusts the table setup, then reaches out to pick up the camera — the perspective changes to handheld. | Transitions naturally from a fixed shot to a handheld view. | Feels like a “camera handover”; the slight movement adds realism and personal touch. |
| 4 | Cake Close-Up (“Showing Off” Moment): Handheld camera focuses on the birthday cake, slowly moving closer to capture its delicate details. | Handheld shot, slight shake as if casually recorded. | Focus on candles, frosting, and small decorations, expressing pride and joy. |
| 5 | Transition Shot: The protagonist’s hand unintentionally covers the lens, creating a brief black screen that serves as a natural transition. | Hand covering the lens → short blackout → next scene. | Feels like an authentic filming accident, creating a smooth, organic cut. |
| 6 | Celebration Moment: After the blackout, the camera focuses on the cake again. People’s hands clapping enter the frame (no full figures shown) as “Happy Birthday to You” plays. Only the protagonist’s lower body or hands are visible. | Handheld, slightly dynamic framing. | The sound and light create a joyful atmosphere, while the tight composition subtly suggests emotional tension. |
| 7 | After the Party: The camera cuts to the aftermath. The cake has been eaten, and the table has been tidied up. | Fixed or slow handheld pan. | The space feels calm and empty, suggesting the end of the event and the quiet after celebration. |
| 8 | Closing Shot: The lights come on again. Filmed from the same corner angle as the opening shot, showing an empty room — visually echoing the beginning. | Fixed camera, no movement. | Leftover crumbs, extinguished candles, faint smoke — a still and reflective mood, with traces of warmth fading into silence. |
In-class Learning
WEEK4
In the fourth week, we mainly learned about materials in Unreal Engine. We further mastered various detailed parameters in the Material Editor as well as several special material instances, and also understood which nodes the different channels of various textures should connect to. Besides, we learned the method of converting node parameters in materials into parameters in material instances, so that there is no need to reopen the original materials to adjust nodes every time, nor to save the operations frequently.
While sketching, a thought suddenly struck me — wouldn’t it be interesting if I turned it into a scene with a sense of dilapidation?
Right now, I haven’t figured out the main camera movements for the video yet; I’ve only settled on an overall atmosphere. The first atmosphere I’m going for is a messy, cluttered, and even somewhat shabby birthday celebration.
However, I also feel that this version might lack the warmth and festive vibe that a birthday scene should have, making it seem a bit emotionally distant.
So I’m also considering preparing a relatively neat version later. This neat version will likely be closer to the authentic birthday atmosphere, allowing people to truly feel that they are celebrating.
These are the reference materials I’ve prepared—all photos of birthday parties in China during the Y2K era.
I really love this retro vibe, and this atmosphere feels very familiar to me, because it’s exactly how my birthdays were like when I was a kid.
In-class Learning
WEEK3
During the third week of classes, we learned about Sequence in Unreal Engine, mastered the basic operations of creating shots and building shot layers within the Sequence, while also getting to know core basic functions like shot animations and animation curves. We also practiced related operations such as adjusting shot movements and setting camera parameters through hands-on exercises using the built-in scenes in UE.
Concept
This idea came from a normal, everyday thing — a birthday.
We usually think birthdays are happy and celebratory days. But I started to wonder if they have another side too.
Every birthday seems to tell us, “You’re one year older now.” And because of that, we should be more mature and take more responsibility.
Behind this soft reminder, there is actually a kind of social expectation — an idea of what kind of person we should be.
What I want to say is this feeling: a birthday is not just a time to celebrate. It’s also a time when people expect or ask us to grow up.
This mix of sweetness and pressure, and warmth with a little unease, feels interesting to me. And it’s something I want to show through pictures.
Creative Process
This time, I’m not planning to tell a story through narration or interaction. Instead, I want to create a scene – showcasing video that expresses this tension purely through visual effects.
At first glance, the scene should give people a bright, lovely and celebratory feeling.
But when the audience looks closely, they may find a hint of discomfort from the lighting, the sense of space or the relationship between objects.
Some of these details will include symbolic objects, such as models representing the pressure of buying a house, or trophies and books symbolizing academic competition.
I hope that through these seemingly gentle details, the audience can feel the tension beneath the surface – the kind of sweetness that hides anxiety.
In terms of style, I’m still exploring. It may include elements of a typical Chinese family, or tend more towards a dreamy, surreal look,
so that “celebration” and “pressure” can form a visual contrast.
Overall, I hope this work can guide the audience from the lively, festive surface to reflection, allowing them to experience the subtle tension between growth and social expectations.
In-class Learning
WEEK1
In the first week, we learned some basic knowledge of the UE engine. We also learned how to install the Epic Games Launcher, and how to switch between the university computers and our personal devices. Our teacher recommended that we’d better use the same version of the UE engine as the one on UAL computers, so we should download the same version.
WEEK2
In the second week, we continued to get more familiar with the UE5 engine. We learned many basic functions, such as the viewport, details panel and content browser. We also knew about some key features of UE5, like ray tracing, Lumen and Nanite. After that, we learned how to import assets from Quixel Bridge, some basic operations of the material editor, as well as basic work with levels and sublevels, which can keep our projects tidy.
Categories
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Research Activity 1
1.Settings & Props
The Witch’s Scene: The scene design of the witch making the poisoned apple is highly consistent with the storyline. The overall atmosphere leans dark, fully reflecting the witch’s sinister and treacherous personality. Set in a castle-like environment, the spatial structure and lighting create a mysterious and dangerous vibe. The set also incorporates many classic witch elements, such as potion cauldrons and vials. These details enhance the character image, allowing the audience to feel an “evil” aura at first glance. The design of the poisoned apple also echoes the overall visual style, achieving great unity in both visuals and emotion for the entire scene.
Snow White’s Scene: In contrast, Snow White’s scene is bright, warm, and vivid with fairy-tale charm. It exudes a lighthearted and joyful feeling, forming a sharp contrast with the witch’s dark setting. The design of her cottage and the rural scenery is full of life, presenting a pure and beautiful world. This strong contrast not only highlights the differences between the characters but also intensifies the story’s dramatic conflict, enabling the audience to more intuitively perceive the opposition between good and evil, light and darkness.
2.Costume, Hair & Make Up
In this clip, both the princess and the witch have extremely classic images. Snow White has a fair complexion, rosy lips, and a round, clean facial shape that looks particularly innocent. Her hair is dark, short, and curly, neatly framing her face, paired with a red bow headband—this look instantly evokes her naive and kind personality. Her costume colors are also vivid: a blue top, a yellow skirt, and red accents. This combination of high-saturation colors gives a warm and bright feeling, perfectly matching the image of the “kind princess” in fairy tales. The overall styling makes her appear both pure and full of vitality.
The witch’s look is completely the opposite. She wears a dark, large cloak made of thick, dull fabric, creating an eerie and cold vibe overall. Her hair is grayish-white, hanging loosely and looking dry and messy. For her makeup, her skin tone is pale gray, with obvious wrinkles covering her face, a long and pointed nose, and deep-set eye sockets—all of which convey her elderly and sinister temperament. The overall styling perfectly embodies the classic “witch” image and forms a sharp contrast with Snow White’s bright and pure look.
3.Facial Expressions & Body Language
In this clip, the witch’s facial expressions and body language are highly exaggerated. She makes large, dramatic movements and often performs sinister, eerie actions—such as sniffing out the Seven Dwarves’ scent with her nose or teasing her pet with the poisoned apple. These details reinforce her cunning and vicious nature.
When speaking or acting, her expressions shift drastically—her eye and mouth movements are sharp and distinct. Overall, she exudes an exaggerated yet slightly comical vibe, a stylistic choice that perfectly highlights her evil essence and the dramatic tension of the scene.
In contrast, Snow White’s movements are gentle and elegant, with delicate, soft body language that reflects her kind and innocent personality. Her demeanor carries an air of grace and good breeding, making her feel warm and approachable.
4.Lighting and Colour
In terms of lighting and color, the witch’s scene is overall dark-toned, using rich yet dull colors such as olive green and dark gray, with dim lighting. These designs create a gloomy and mysterious atmosphere, reflecting the witch’s sinister and dangerous nature.
In contrast, Snow White’s scene features bright and brisk colors, with brighter lighting. These designs evoke a warm and fairy-tale-like atmosphere, reflecting her kind and innocent qualities.
5.Positioning of characters/objects within the frame
Shot of Poisoned Apple Production: In the shot, the poisoned apple is positioned at the exact center. A hand extends from the top of the frame, suspending it in the green potion. The central composition makes the poisoned apple the visual focal point, emphasizing its core status in the scene. The surrounding potion spreads radially, suggesting that danger is diffusing, and meanwhile, it reflects the crucial production stage of the witch’s evil plan.
Shot of the Witch at the Window: The witch almost fills the entire window frame, with her hands resting on the windowsill, her head leaning forward, and her eyes fixed outside the frame. The window frame confines her within the shot, implying both her act of peering and her presence as a threat. The full-frame composition heightens the sense of oppression, highlighting her aggressiveness, and forms a sharp contrast with the bright environment outside the window.
Shot of the Animal : Various animals—squirrels, rabbits, deer, and raccoons—are scattered in different corners of the frame. Some peek out from containers, while others gather on the ground, forming a loose group. This layout simulates the random distribution of animals in a natural environment, creating a lifelike and vibrant atmosphere. At the same time, it depicts their role as observers, laying the groundwork for the subsequent plot.
6.What role does the shot choice (Cinematography) play in the scene.
Shot selection guides the audience’s attention through composition, shot size, angle, and movement, highlighting key characters or props to help the audience understand the plot and character intentions. Meanwhile, it can convey the psychological states and personality traits of characters, create specific emotional atmospheres, and support the development of the narrative.
Research Activity 2
Can you describe the mise-en-scene in this picture? How are the characters placed in the frame?
Description of Mise-en-scène
Setting
The scene is set in a bedroom. The bed, items beside the bed, slippers, and a suitcase clearly indicate that this is a private space. The lighting is soft, with a slightly dull tone, creating an atmosphere that prompts introspection.
Costumes
The male character wears a dark blazer, a light-colored shirt, and khaki pants, featuring a formal and understated style. The female character is dressed in a red jacket, a patterned top, and a blue skirt, with her arms crossed, conveying a sense of wariness or restraint.
Props
The slippers on the floor, the suitcase, and the bed itself are prominent props. Together, they create a domestic, intimate yet slightly distant spatial feeling.
Character Placement
The two characters are positioned side by side on the bed, seemingly engaging in a conversation or, conversely, having no interaction at all. The woman has her arms crossed, while the man, though relaxed, appears detached. The bed and the characters are centrally framed, directing the audience’s attention to their state and making them the visual focal point of the scene.
Research Activity 3
1. Description of the Character Relationship
The two characters are most likely in a master-servant relationship: the lady on the left corresponds to the “master” identity, while the lady on the right leans more towards the “servant” role, with a clear hierarchical difference reflected in their states.
2. Basis for Judging the Relationship
The judgment is mainly based on the dual contrast of clothing styles, expressions, and overall states:
In terms of clothing styles, the lady on the left is dressed in bright, glamorous, and exquisitely designed attire that exudes elegance. In contrast, the lady on the right wears formal and neat clothing with a simple and practical style, which is more in line with the work attire of servants in mansions, without redundant decorations—creating a distinct contrast between their clothing styles.
Regarding expressions and states, the lady on the left appears relaxed and at ease with a calm demeanor that suggests control over the situation. Meanwhile, the lady on the right has a serious expression, behaves cautiously and restrainedly, and shows obvious reserve and deference. This difference in states also aligns with the identity positioning and interaction mode between a master and a servant.
3.
Lighting: The lighting on the maid on the right is soft with a slight backlight effect, blurring her outline and relatively weakening her presence. In contrast, the lighting on the mistress is more concentrated and clear—this not only highlights her image but also gives her greater visual weight in the frame. Rather than deliberately emphasizing dominance, it naturally elevates her core status through the contrast in lighting.
Composition: The mistress is positioned at the central core of the frame. This layout immediately draws the audience’s attention, making her the visual focal point.
Spatial Setting: Details in the scene clearly indicate this is a private space. The setting of an intimate environment guides the audience to associate it with “a master and servant interacting in a private domain,” adding contextual depth to the presentation of their hierarchical relationship.