Art of Book - At First Sight

CON
TEN
Special thanks to Mario Kknounous and
Jud Walton for their knowledge and
inspiration. Also to Matt Doherty and
Sophie Harper for voicing the two main
characters.
TS
Research Photography 4-5
Nathan Head Photography 6
Doug John Miller 7
Nicholas Rix 8
Film and TV Inspiration 8-9
Script 10-13
Storyboards 14-27
Colour Schemes 28-29
Character Sheets 30-31
Coloured Storyboards 32-33
Panorama Backgrounds 36-37
Inside Train Backgrounds 38-39
House Backgrounds 40
Time Management 41
Coffee Shop Backgrounds 42-43
Animating 46-47
Characters 48-49
Sound, Editing and Poster 52-53
References 54
1

PRE
PRO
DUC
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3

Fig 5.
Fig 1. Fig 2. Fig 3.
Fig 6. Fig 7. Fig 8. Fig 9.
Fig 10. Fig 11. Fig 12. Fig 13.
Fig 4.
These are reference photos a found when researching train stations that I
liked, I always struggle when it comes to getting the right angles and
composition of scenes so I think reffering back to these will help. I want to
consider more obvious aesthetic scenes that will be visually pleasing to the
audience. I will probably go with a train similar to ones from Enlgand as I will
be able to create more realistic scenes, however, I do like the contrast of the
subway seats and the metal. A couple of the images show like and
atmosphere which I want to put emphasis on in my short film.
4

Nathan Head
Photohraphy (Fig 14.)
I came across this artist
when finding reference
photos. The train is
fitting with my style and
the artist has taken a
variety of different
photos allowing me to
see the trains from
different angles to
reference when building
my scenes. Although the
style is unique and
interesting I will not be
taking this into my short
film. This artist will be
used for angles for my
backgrounds.
Doug John Miller (Fig 15.)
I followed this illustrator on instagram for
a while and always like his work. I want to
take his style and incorporate it into my
background design, as I want the world to
be realistic. The line work is very detailed
but still has cartoon characteristics. I like the
colour palettes he uses as they do not over
power the designs.
I think once I have my scenes sketched out
and
organised I will be able to create this style,
I will need to consider highlights, gradients
and textures.
6

This was a short film I came across called Fuelled, they use colour to show
emotion effortlessly and it really adds to the short film to emphasise the
changes that can happen in life. (Fig 17.)
Nicholas Rix (Fig 16.)
When trying to find
character inspiration I
cam around Nicholas
Rix and really enjoyed
scrolling through his
work. The characters
are unique to him but
still feel human. I like
the sharper angles
and the different
proportions in the
body. I really want to
try and get gestures
down so I think this
simpler style with the
feet and hands would
help me out a lot.
Normal People is a show where they show the connection and tension between
two people very well, little things happen throughout to show that they care for
each other and I think this is a good reference to show my two characters
interacting. (Fig 18.)
Before Sunrise
This was a film recommended for me to watch as it is similar to my short film idea, I have
only watched the trailer for the film but I will be referencing this film because of the chemistry
and gestures that the two main characters make. I think this will make my characters
more relatable and give them personalities. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MUcuqbGTxc)
There is a scene in Fleabag where the two characters first start to talk and they
have immediate chemistry which I want in the scene where my two characters first
talk to each other. (Fig 19.)
8
9

INT. Girl’s Apartment
A young girl stuck in routine fed up with how mundane her life is. She
see’s the world in dull colours and has constant white noise flowing through
her head.
Alarm clock goes off and she smacks her hand to her phone to turn it off.
Slumps back over and grunts like she could not think of anything worse to
do.
Showering head down with no motion, checks phone for time realises she is
late.
She is making a coffee in a rush, kettle boils, fills, stirs, and then gulps
down and smacks cup down and the excess splashes up.
Grabs keys and runs out the door, we see the door close from the inside and
there is a change in lighting.
INT. Train shop
Tapping her arm as she is anxious on time as she waits in the line, pays
for her drink, checks her watch, and realises the time and spins around
without looking up.
Immediately she is faced with a wall in the form of a tall handsome
stranger.
GIRL
Sorry!!
She looks up and is breathless. She stares at him like a Greek god that
cannot possibly be real. Not realising how long she has been standing there
but she does not care. All she can see is this man everything is blurred
around him making him look like he has a halo.
The man is confused looking up at other people wondering what she is doing
and tries to get her to regain consciousness.
MAN
Are you okay? I think you dropped your keys
She clicks back into reality realising what he just said. She looks at the
floor to find her keys. Both go down to reach them when they knock heads.
Embarrassed she clocked onto the time and runs in the opposite direction to
grab her train. The man left confused behind her.
INT. Girl’s Apartment
The next day her alarm goes off and turns it off without force. She gets
her shower, has her coffee and breakfast, and checks the time. She leaves
with time to spare; we see the door close but this time it is peaceful and
not bang shut.
EXT. Train Platform
Standing waiting for her train at the coffee shop the man comes up behind
her and she turns and smile and offers to buy his coffee as an apology. He
accepts
MAN
I will have a black americano please.
GIRL
Of course.
Judging his coffee order, she turns to the counter and orders the two
coffees. He rolls his eyes while smiling behind her.
INT. Girl’s Apartment
It is the weekend so when her alarm goes off, she sits up in bed happier
than usual and goes to make her morning coffee. The environment is
brighter, and she can hear the birds chirping.
Monday comes and she springs out of bed before her alarm has even set off,
drinks her coffee, and leaves the apartment with a spring in her step.
EXT. Train Platform
Walk past each other both see each other and just smile. She carries on her
smile like it is glued to her face. He looks behind to her as she walks
past.
INT. Train Carriage
The next day, she is sitting on a busy train waiting for it to set off, he
sits beside her as there are no other seats. She blushes when she notices
but does not look at him due to nerves.
MAN
So where do you go when you leave the train?
GIRL
Me? Oh, em I work in a graphic studio, what about you?
Clearly nervous she waits for his response
MAN
I am an architect.
They carry on their conversation like they have known each other for years.
INT. Train Carriage
The next day the rain is torrential, both jump on the train and not
realising they are beside each other as they ring themselves dry, the man
pulls out a towel from his gym bag and offers it to her.
10
11

INT. Train Carriage
She is just about to miss the train as she jumps onto it last minute and
slightly trips and falls into his arms, he is holding onto the bar above
him for support. The train is full, so she looks up to him blushes and
smiles and finds her bearings and they stand in silence. Just appreciating
them being in each other’s presence.
INT. Train Carriage
The next day train is not busy today, but he chooses to sit beside her, and
they talk away. They continue to talk, and their knees are touching, the
chemistry sparks are obvious between them.
INT. Girl’s Apartment
She wakes up bright and breezy as she has been the past week, excited to
see her train crush. She looks in the mirror and applies her lipstick and
leaves the apartment.
INT. Train Station Shop
She pays for her coffee and walks out onto her platform. Head up and happy
to looking around her and smiling at anyone she sees.
EXT. Train Platform
Looking around subtly to see if she can spot him, she sees him and
immediately smiles, until she looks down slightly and sees a woman with
her arms around him smiling and laughing. He interacts with her in the same
regard. It is clear that they are a couple.
Crushed she immediately puts her head down, as the train pulls up. She
steps on and takes a seat. The white noise returns, and she tries to hold
back her tears and is annoyed she feels this way after a week.
INT. Girl’s Apartment
Next day, alarm goes off, door slams.
INT. Train Carriage
She sits and does not see him in sight.
EXT. Girl’s Apartment
The next day alarm goes off, door slams.
EXT. Train Platform
She looks around but he is nowhere to be seen.
EXT. Girl’s Apartment
Again, next day, alarm goes off, door slams.
INT. Train carriage
She is sitting twiddling her thumbs when a large presence takes up her
space. He sits down beside and smiles at her, she gives him a half smile
back and then they start to talk as the camera pans out to end the film.
INT. Train Carriage
The next day he is with his girlfriend again, sitting in the same carriage
as them she cannot help but watch them together.
INT. Girl’s Apartment
The next week her alarms goes off and she slams her hand down to turn it
off, crawls into the shower and leaves the house not slamming the door but
moving slowly like she does not want to leave, we see this from inside the
apartment. The atmosphere is tense and sad.
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13

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16 17

18 19

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24 25

STORYBOARDS
Very basic storyboarding, I usually stick to cut shots and never move the camera
but with this short film I want to do panorama of the scenes, and do transitions
between the windows of the trains if I can. I always remember reading in an
animation book, to do what a camera cannot, which makes me want to push
myself more. I want to do a lot of point of view shots to try and show the main
girls anxiety and lonliness in contrast to when she is around the man.
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27

COOL COLOUR
SCHEME
This blue palette is the complementary colours to the
one below, I want to show contrast between happy
and sad in my short film to add effect. I picked a colour
scheme I liked and then found the complementary
colours and changed the saturations for more variations
for myself.
WARM COLOUR
SCHEME
This middle row is my main inspiration for the colour
scheme and then I built the rest around that. I struggle
with getting visually pleasing colour schemes and getting
variations to surround them, I am hoping that with the
scenes and characters put together this scheme will fit
well.
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29

CHARACTER
SHEETS
With the characters I wanted then to look as life
like as possible but easy to manover for my sake.
I used inspiration from Nicolas Rix designs as I
like his angular shapes and the proportions of the
characters he designs. The feet are extremely simple
and the hands are over sized, the hands may
be an issue when
considering objects they may need to grab or hold.
Basically each scene is a different day too so I had
to consider
different outfits for each of them and their aesthetic.
Again I tried to keep these as simple as
possible so they would be easier to
animate.
With their colour schemes I just stuck with the
same colour
palette as the sets will be in so the continuity is
kept and the scenes will be more visually pleasing.
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31

COLOURED STORYBOARDS
When I went to Bolton film festival I think it was Flipbook Porductions that
showed us how they created colour storyboards as they wanted to see how
the atmospher could change throughout their short film and how well it
would work. I knew I would need to create one for this short film. In past
projects I always did focus on colour and
atmosphere but was never able to nail it. By doing this I feel like I have a
better chnace to see how the colours interact with each other and if there is
much difference between scenes.
I used the colour scheme that is a few bages before this, the more
lively colours are still quite dull however, they are more aesthetic and I do
think it helps to show a subtle contrast between the two
atmospheres I am trying to mantain.
33

PRO
DUC
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35

PANORAMA BACKGROUNDS
I really wanted to see how panorama backgrounds would look when it came to short
films. I made these with the intention to have camera movement in my short film. The
background at the bottom of this spread was going to be a panning point of view shot
showing the girl looking along the train platform and finding out her love interest was
with another woman. Unfortunately I ended up zoomed in on a section with the love
interest with no camera movement.
With the cut up cross sections of the train I wanted to make the camera zoom out
and the different cross sections come into view till you could see the two characters
through the train window. Again I ended up just zooming in on a section and having
the camera hold.
Both these ideas were halted by my time management and I do think they would
have helped to make the short film a lot more interesting and to help keep the
viewers attention. I think in the future I need to simplify my scenes to allow myself
time to make scenes with camera movements. I did really enjoy thinking of these
ideas and trying to work out how best to execute the backgrounds so that they would
work when it came down to editing.
COLOUR
Colour has always been a priority when it comes to me creating short films. In the
section above I would have talked about having two different colour schemes both
complimentary to each other but one had warmer tones and the other colder tones.
I wanted to use these different palettes to show how the main character was doing
mentally and how her love interest changed her outlook. This unfortunatelty did not
go to plan, I made the decision to colour the backgrounds in the best way I could with
both palettes and if I had time to use colour gradients to alter them to reflect the
mood but I did not have time.
36 37

INSIDE TRAIN BACKGROUNDS
I intended to create a few more backgrounds for the inside of the train so that I could
show more angles but I had to restrict my expections and work within the time I had.
I did not want to sell myself short for time on other aspects for the short film.
When it came to getting the perspectives for the insides of trains it was difficult to
find references online of typical trains. I did my best when thinking of point of view
angles to try and show that the story is from her point of view and it is how she
perceives the world.
I tried to make the background as simple as possible with still having all the main
features that you would find on a train. I left the doors empty on ones that I wanted
to show the doors opening or closing. I am hoping to use the windows to show
movement by just having fast lines rushing by them to show the speed of the train
and to bring the scenes more to life.
The colour scheme is a bit odd for the train, however I was in a bit of a bind on what
looked best with the colour palette I had originally chosens. It definitely makes the
train look more unique than it is.
For improvements I would have changed some of the angles I used, created similar
backgrounds but at a higher resolution and with a wider scope of the train so I was
not restricted when it came to changes in my original idea.
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39

HOUSE BACKGROUNDS
When coming up with inspiration for my house backgrounds I collected different
images off pinterest and merged different ideas together. I really like how these
turned out. I used a lot of different angles and perspectives to keep the scenes
interesting. I also liked the colours used as they are all cohesive with the rest of the
house.
I did want to add more clutter and plants to show more personality but did not think
it was essential so told myself I would revisit it if I had the time. I wish I added
shadows before animating as it would look a lot more realistic and like more effort
was put into them. For the windows I left clear because I wanted to add in gardens
and outside elements. All the frames are blank too which I wish I had filled in as I
went along.
TIME MANAGEMENT
As much as I planned in advance my time management was still weak. I did find that
I had improved significantly from past deadlines and I am thank ful that I have gained
skills to progress more when it comes to future work. I am always having to consider
my limitations when it comes to time management but I still want to create a lot of
work at a high standard. This is definitely my main issue, like with the amount of
separate scenes I wanted to do for this short film.
When it came to prioritsing my work load I was strict with myself that if the
deadline had came that I needed to move on with my next task and if I had time when
everything was finished that I would revisit it. This did work well meaning that I did
end up with a finished animation, with sound and I am some what pleased with its
outcome. I was not hard on myself about things that I could improve on as I knew it
was just down to poor time management and now restricting my aims.

COFFEE SHOP BACKGROUNDS
I really enjoyed making these backgrounds as I could be creative with the interior.
They turned out really well and help to create a world in my short film. I created a
cross section of the coffee shop from the front view, this helped to make any changes
to the cafe scenes easier and would have allowed for camera movement too. I like the
colour scheme used in it as it is bright and vibrant.
Adding in a coffee shop helped to create a bigger world and make the overall short
more interesting as if I only had a train platform and a house it would be quite dull.
42 43

ANIMATING
When it came down to animating a learnt a lot that I did not think I would. I started
off well with doing keyframes of a few scenes and then going into inbetweens for
them. I was working on two’s so it made my workload a lot easier. When it got closer
to my animation deadline I did have to cut down on some scenes jsut to get them
done so I could still place them in.
I stuck to just animating the bodies so I could focus on movement over facial features.
I do think this was a good idea as the work was getting done at a faster rate and I was
able to focus on one aspect. Since doing this I am going to leave some of the scene
without lips and eyes as I think the characters are small enough that the added detail
would take away from the illustrative style. On scenes where there are close ups or
conversations I am going to add faces. I have considered if I have shot myself in the
foot because now I am restricted on time will I get it done and if not does the story
still come across.
I did have to cut a lot of scenes just due to time restrictions. These were chosen based
on whether I thought I could do without them or not. This helped to ease my stresses
significantly and am thankful that I had that option.
After all the scene were outlined I went into colouring which was a pretty simple
process of just colour dropping thankfully. After this I went into shading which was a
bit more time consuming. The majority of the scenes have been shaded luckily but
there are a few that have not. Again if I have the time I will revisit them.
Initially with the additional background people I wanted to have them moving about
a lot more to show the busy train station life but I did not have the time, I instead
boiled them so there was at least some movement in them. I am happy I added them
in as it does help to make the scenes come more to life. I made them look like
shadows to emphasise the importance of the two main characters and how significant
the main character is and who she cares about.
With anything to do with trains I wanted to show movement, whether that be in the
carriage wobbling and the people correcting their stances or a train pulling into the
station and opening the doors. Sadly I was not able to do this and had to accept that it
was not going to be in my short film.
In conclusion I am very happy with the outcome of my work, I have put a lot of effort
into it and have been able to accept that all my goals were not going to be met.
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CHARACTERS
I learnt from creating character sheets for another person the importance of having a
reference image constantly to ensure continuity. I tried my hardest to keep the
characters looking the same throughout the short film. In all honesty I realised that it
sometimes depended on my mood and work flow whether I was going to achieve this
or not. I do think that the characters have detered slightly from their original
character sheet but I think I have done a some what good job at keeping them
continuous.
I wanted to use gestures as much as possible to show anxiety or nerves to help
portray what was going on. I wanted to create a lot of point of view shots from the
view of the main girl. This was to show that the short film is based around her mental
health and life.
When picking colours for their outfits I did try to consider which colours are happy,
hopeful or sad to try add some emotion into it. I did really want to incorporate colour
into this short a lot more but was unable to achieve this.
48 49

SOUND
When it came to editing my sound my original goals were to make white noise more
evident when it came to the main girls day to day life. After she meets the male
character the sound gets more cheery and hopeful, rather than the dull annoying
noises that life usually presents.
I do not think I created this as best as I could, I would have liked to have had muffled
sounds and a greater contrast between the highs and lows. I should have gone into
researching different techniques so that I could not only have a better
EDITING
With editing it took me a while to get all the scenes in place and in an order that was
clear to what was going on. I discovered also that my original story was not as clear
when everything was put together which was a bit disheartening but with time
restraints there was nothing I could do. I wanted to add camera movements and have
the train move to make the scenes more realistic but I had to be realistic with my time
schedule and the liklihood that I would have time to complete that.
The editing is very weak I will be honest it is just cuts straight into the next scene. I
would have had to do a lot more pre-production planning when it came to my
animatic so that I could create smooth transitions between scenes. Again that is down
to my own time management and something I will learn from when it comes to me
creatign any new short films or small animations.
POSTER
I really enjoyed making this poster towards the end of my project as it was nice to
create a single shot and have the title of the short film you have been working on
presented in a nice way. I came up with three concepts for my poster but thought this
best represented the storyline, two character in a train station.
I am proud of the work I have created for this short film, could it be better,
completely! But I worked hard and have seen a lot of improvement in myself and I
have learnt a lot this year about time management and stress levels. Creating the
style I went with turned out really well and it helped to show my illustrative personality
a lot more.
52

References
Fig 1: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/523050944235566239/
Fig 2: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/21/2b/41/212b415ef2ac68e81050fa99bdd06ec8.jpg
Fig 3: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/523050944235487715/
Fig 4: https://www.flickr.com/photos/gooldays/6132510932/in/photostream/
Fig 5: https://www.timeout.com/london/news/take-a-ride-on-the-piccadilly-line-in-a-restored-1938-art-deco-tube-train-022420
Fig 6: https://www.creativelocation.co.uk/
Fig 7: https://www.behance.net/collection/172941883/Moody-Winter
Fig 8: https://www.flickr.com/photos/francescarter/13349093884/
Fig 9: https://www.flickr.com/photos/40489616@N00/5841616664/in/photostream
Fig 10: https://www.aladyinlondon.com/2019/02/train-travel-uk.html
Fig 11: https://www.reddit.com/r/analog/comments/ezzi2i/morning_lights_fujifilm_tiara_fuji_c200/?utm_
medium=android_app&utm_source=share
Fig 12: https://www.flickr.com/photos/supermarke/3946340978/in/faves-annahough/
Fig 13: Movie: Marriage Story 2019, director: Noah Baumbach. Image Found: https://www.thewrap.
com/2019-gotham-awards-winners-list-the-farewell-the-lighthouse-uncut-gems/
Fig 14: Nathan Head Photography. Images found: https://nathanheadphotography.tumblr.com/
post/190647001379
Fig 15: Doug John Miller. Images found: https://www.dougjohnmiller.com/
Fig 16: Nicholas Rix. Images found: https://nicolasrix.com/
Fig 17: Fuelled, Killedthecat Productions. 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVzT6D-yhZg
Fig 18: Normal People, 2020, directed by Lenny Abrahamson and Hettie Macdonald. Series 1 episode 8.
Fig 19: Series: Fleabag, 2016-2019. Written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Directed by Harry Bradbeer. Scene:
Series 2, episode 1.
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