VFX408 - Concept and Pre-production Blog
Senior Thesis
10/08/2025 - Animatic Update
Shot List :
10/01/2025 - Animatic Update
09/22/2025 - Animatic Update
09/16/2025 - Animatic Update
09/10/2025 - Animatic Update
I started blocking out the shapes in Maya. I'll have to adjust the the shot length, camera angle, and the timing of the animation. The tricycle is just for a reference, and it'll be replaced when I'm done with modeling.
For the apartment, I found the floor plan and modelled the walls. I'll be adding objects and details later.
09/07/2025 - Rough Animatic
07/26/2025 - Summer Updates
Ideation :
I've always loved riding bikes since I was young, and I had one of those plastic toddler tricycles above until I got a kids bike with training wheels. I left those behind when I moved to the U.S., but I still have vivid memories of riding it in the apartment hallway. So, I wanted to create something related to it.
Story:
The family buys a tricycle for their toddler. As the child grows older, the tricycle no longer fits the child, and it gets stored in the garage area. One day, a natural disaster occurred, forcing the family to evacuate. Their home is destroyed, and the tricycle is left behind. The area becomes uninhabitable and abandoned.
Years later, the tricycle gains the ability to move on its own. It begins a journey to reunite with its former owner. There will be around two to three shots of the tricycle traveling through destroyed and abandoned environments. In the final scene, the tricycle reaches its destination and finds the lifeless body of the now-grown child.
One thing I haven't decided is the setting of the scene. I grew up in apartments for most of my life, but I am not sure that would be as relatable or visually effective for others. The second option I have is a suburban house. The tricycle would be stored in a larger garage, which might help visually communicate the opening story and disaster scenes more clearly.
Storyboard:
I am planning to show the context by using flashbacks. They will show the tricycle's memory with the child in each scene. One challenge of the flashback would be ensuring a smooth transition and maintaining a clear narrative. So, I'll be referencing the movies or games to learn and improve how flashback scenes are used in the industry. For now, I am planning to incorporate lighting changes to convey mood and memory.
Shot 1 Starts with flashback - Tricycle watches the family from the balcony - Static
Shot 2 House is destroyed - Messy floor - Tricycle strolls out of the house - Dolly
Shot 3 Apartment hallway - Tricycle moves towards the camera - Static
Shot 4 Flashback with the child - Tilt
Shot 5 Back to reality - Tricycle continues to move out of the frame - Tilt or Static
Shot 6 Flashback where the Tricycle waits for the kid in the convenient store - Static
Shot 7 Back to reality - Tricycle moves pass the convenient store - Pan
Shot 8 Tricycle finds the now-grown kid under destroyed building - Zoom in
Moodboard:
References:
Environment 1
Environment 2-1
Environment 2-2
Environment 3
