
AMARA'S JOURNEY
2nd year Project Management: Based on a script, work in groups and in project mode on the CONCEPT & PRE-PRODUCTION phase, up to the finalized animatic
To summarize the chronology of the pre-production phases, I propose the following diagram. The rest of the page develops each part.

SCRIPT SELECTION
The initial statement for all students was as follows:
'Write a script with:
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A text of between 10 and 20 lines
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A list of definitions of the various elements making up the body of the script: subject, opponent, dramatic proposition, etc.
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Possible visual references - Moodboard'
(For information, this is the script I originally proposed → )
But that is not the scenario that was chosen, which is the following one, written by Anna Martini:
'Althéa'
Amara, mère veuve, a perdu sa fille Althéa deux ans plus tôt lors d’une attaque de leur village que personne n’a su expliquer.
Une nuit, lors d’un rêve, elle aperçoit le sommet de la montagne à côté de son village.
Guidée par son intuition, elle décide le lendemain de gravir cette montagne qu’elle voit dans ses rêves. Arrivée au sommet, elle aperçoit une boussole, mais celle-ci ne semble pas indiquer le nord, ainsi qu’une fiole contenant un liquide vert. Sans hésitation, elle se met en route, sans s'apercevoir qu'elle est suivie par une silhouette lui ressemblant étrangement.
Sur son chemin, elle a l'impression que sa route est déjà toute tracée. En effet, l'esprit bienveillant manie dans son dos la nature pour faciliter son passage. Finalement, après des semaines de voyage, la mère veuve arrive dans une vallée verdoyante cachée au cœur de la montagne. Là, elle entend une voix d’enfant : “MAMAN !”. Elle tourne la tête et voit sa fille, Althéa, accrochée dans les arbres par les mains et pieds.
Soudainement, le sol se met à trembler, le ciel d’obscurcir et la végétation mourir. Sa fille change d’expression, ses yeux rougissent et elle lui dit alors d’un ton beaucoup plus menaçant “J’ai cru que tu ne viendrais jamais, où étais-tu ce soir-là ? Qu’importe, te voilà maintenant. Une fois vos 2 âmes consumées, plus rien ne pourra m’arrêter”. Des lianes commencent à enrouler le pied de la mère, mais elle réussit à les couper avec son épée. Les arbres lui tombent dessus, l’herbe pousse d’un coup et brouille la vision sur sa fille mais elle ne perd pas espoir et continue de se battre. Amara arrive enfin au niveau de sa fille qui semble endormie. Elle coupe les lianes qui la retiennent prisonnière. Elle la porte sur son dos mais se fait attraper par d'autres lianes. Elle se retrouve alors attachée à un arbre, voyant le corps de sa fille se faire ensevelir par les lianes.
Une voix douce résonne dans sa tête “verse la fiole, libère la”. Amara réussit in extremis à ouvrir la fiole et verser le contenue par terre. En une demi-seconde, de grandes flammes vertes se mettent à brûler les lianes qui l'attachent. Elle tombe au sol et court vers Althéa. Elle libère sa fille des lianes et court le plus vite possible pour fuir les flammes et la végétation.
Tout à coup, une énorme pluie se met à tomber sur la zone incendiée, éteignant le feu en un rien de temps. La silhouette qui la suit depuis le début apparaît enfin en face d'Amara, c'est sa mère qu'elle n'a jamais connu. Elle lui dit "Ma fille, j'ai été séparée de toi, emportée par le mal, je ne suis plus physiquement de ce monde mais je veille sur toi et Althéa depuis toujours. Maintenant qu'elle est sauvée et que ce démon est tombé, je vois enfin le bout du tunnel". Sur ces mots, la silhouette s'efface laissant Amara bouche bée. Elle n’a pas le temps de reprendre ses esprits qu'Althéa se réveille enfin. Elles se serrent fort l’une contre l’autre et Amara lui promet de ne plus jamais la lâcher.
Corresponding Moodboard:

SCRIPT REWRITING
From the synthetic scenario to the sequence scenario:
'Form 3 working groups:
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Each group will rewrite the scenario in a series of sequences
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The format for presenting the sequence series will be a table with the following columns: Sequence number + name / Sequence type / Estimated duration / Sequence description (actions, ...) / Setting (location, day/night, ...) / Characters
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Also position the fundamental stages of a screenplay: Exposition, inciting incident, plot point, climax, denouement'
The groups were as follows, and I was in Group 2:
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Group 1: Damien Mormiche, Arnaud Massinon, Romain Thevenon, Gregory Legeais, Grégoire Leydier, Benjamin Belloir, Léa Guerber
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Group 2: Pascal Robin, Romain Kaptur, Etienne Portuguez, Megan Larcher, Alexandre Gittens, Asma Atabet
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Group 3: Yann Etrillard, Ilona Ribeiro, Anna Martini, Julien Chevalier, Sylvain Alessandri, Alexis Desabres
The first concerns of our Group 2 team were to provide additional elements for the coherence of the scenario and to clarify the construction of the sequences.
Here are a few examples:
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The chosen universe is of the fantasy type, closer to the Amerindian style
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Amara's background is clarified, as she comes from an ancestral line of shamans, able to communicate with spirits
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Amara will be presented as having the gifts of visions and communication with animals
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The timeline has also been reworked, with the adventure starting the day after Amara's daughter is kidnapped.
The scenario, rewritten in sequences, is as follows (click to browse)::
In total, the rewrite proposes a breakdown of 9 sequences for a total time of 6 min 20 sec.
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Sequence #1: Exposition / 1 min / → Althea's abduction during a night in the village
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Sequence #2: Inciting incident / 30 s / → Amara's vision
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Sequence #3, #4 & #5: Plot point / 2 min / → Artifact recovery, spirit-led journey, arrival in the heart of the dark valley where Althea is held prisoner
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Sequence #6: Rising action / 30 s / → Fighting the evil entity
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Sequence #7: Climax / 1 min / → Hampered, Amara finally defeats evil
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Sequence #8 & 9: Resolution / 1 min 20 s / → Nature reclaims its rights in the valley, and the protective spirit makes its presence felt.
The corresponding Moodboard by Group 2 is presented below (click to browse):
You can consult the complete scenario rewriting by Group 2 in the following document:
These graphic choices are designed to match the script, but also to provide shots where landscapes are emphasized, creating interesting visuals.
At the end of this phase, the Group 2 scenario was selected for the rest of the project.
DESIGN & ASSET PROPOSAL
Based on Group 2 sequences:
"Each group proposes designs & assets for all the groups and an animatic as follows:
3D animatics will be produced using Unreal's sequencer'
This section focuses on the selection of Design & assets.
Group 2 therefore concentrated on finding designs and assets for the main characters, and you can view the Group's selection below (click to browse):

You can consult the complete selection with links to assets in the following document:
After a project meeting with all the groups involved, it became clear that the choice of characters had to match the general design chosen by Group 1 (stylized environment). The same applied to assets for Group 3.
We therefore decided to set up a file containing the selected assets, highlighting those used by all the groups, in order to prioritize selection and modeling if necessary.
The file started by the students, completed and edited by Damien Mormiche from Group 1 can be viewed below (scroll to browse):
Here is the complete database document if you wish to consult the various asset links:
In addition, all available assets have been grouped together in dedicated folders on the FTP made available to students.
The aim of this design and assets research was to create the animatics for sequences 3 (Amara climbing the mountain and searching for artifacts) and 4 (Amara's journey to the valley where his daughter is being held).
To meet the needs of Group 2, I proposed to make models of the vial containing the greenish liquid described in the scenario, as well as the compass used by Amara in her quest.
In general, here are all the assets used by Group 2 to create our animatic:
FIRST 3D ANIMATICS
As a reminder, the two sequences to be represented in an animatic by Group 2 are #3 & #4:

For this animatic proposal, 3 Unreal projects were created:
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One by myself for sequence 3
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One by Alexandre for the main part of sequence 4
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One by Asma for the last shot of sequence 4
The first version was created using simple geometry for the blockout and characters obtained for free from the Epic Games MarketPlace or Mixamo.
For sequence 3, the characters used are Mixamo's Arissa for Amara and the deer from the ANIMAL VARIETY PACK free on Epic. Animations were used in the Unreal sequencer, as were character and camera position modifications.
The result is shown in the video below:
ANIMATIC - VERSION #1 (Click to watch)

In this first version, a number of shot construction problems appear.
Sequence 3:
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In shot #1, for example, the camera is too high and the characters barely visible;
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In shot #3, the camera axis needs to be adjusted to match the next shot;
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In the following shots, the 180-degree rule is not respected.
Sequence 4:
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Amara is not presented as moving in the same direction in the various shots + 180-degree line not respected.
The team therefore corrected the construction of the shots. A second animatic was then produced, this time incorporating the village set created by Group 1 (Gregory Legeais).
ANIMATIC - VERSION #2 (Click to watch)

In this second version, the stage is set and most of the assets are present. However, the shots remain too neutral to convey the messages of the scenario.
Sequence 3:
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Shot 2: the camera is far away, neutralizing both the characters and the mountain;
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Shot 5: the low-angle is not sharp enough, and the impression of a climb is not felt;
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Between shots 5 and 6, a shot of the scree is missing;
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Shot 7: the 180-degree rule is not respected;
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Shot 8-9: camera angle to be adapted to previous shots to be reworked.
Sequence 4:
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In the penultimate shot, Amara should have a more curved trajectory to bring her to the same angle as the last shot.
Below is the third version of the animatic, corrected by the team.
ANIMATIC - VERSION #3 (Click to watch)

In the third version, the majority of the changes ensure the consistency of the animatics. For the last version of the animatic, we've asked you to think about the synergy between the shots: each shot should announce the shots to come and introduce the elements of understanding needed for the story. The points to be corrected are as follows:
Sequence 3:
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Shot 2: the camera movement should be upward to magnify the mountain;
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Shot 3: Use a fixed camera and show Amara's preparation;
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After shot 5: add a shot where the characters leave the field to create a temporal ellipse;
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Shot 6: Densify the scree and suggest a way of crossing the impasse;
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Shot 9 and 10: Give the impression that the artifacts are hidden from common view;
Sequence 4:
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Take Amara out of the picture in the penultimate shot, before finding her again in the valley.
The next section presents an analysis of the shots, before presenting the latest version of the Group 2 animatic.
SHOTS ANALYSIS & LAST ANIMATIC
Before presenting the latest version of the animatic, you'll find in this section a plan analysis to give some examples of the evolution of our animatic and the corrections made.
CLICK ON THE DIFFERENT VIDEOS TO SEE THE EVOLUTION BETWEEN ANIMATIC # 1 AND ANIMATIC #4 SHOTS
SHOT ANALYSIS #1: The preparation phase (CLICK TO WATCH)
SHOT ANALYSIS #2: The climb phase (CLICK TO WATCH)
SHOT ANALYSIS #3: The separation (CLICK TO WATCH)
SHOT ANALYSIS #4: The artifacts (CLICK TO WATCH)
The necessary modifications to ensure the consistency of the shots were made and the assets corresponding to the selected graphic style were added.
The final version of the animatic proposed by Group 2 is as follows (soundtrack added by Megan Larcher):

For Amara's preparation and climb phase in sequence #3, shots are intentionally short, averaging 2.5 sec.
Once the artifacts have been recovered, Amara's journey in sequence #4 is more contemplative, and shots are deliberately longer (except for the exchange with the owl), averaging 4 s.
SUMMARY OF REALIZATIONS
My achievements for the follow-up of this project:
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Meeting animation
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Meeting agendas with schedules and agendas
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Distribution of tasks to keep pace with project progress
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Drafting of meeting minutes (team review)
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Drafting of project phase documents (scenario, choice of design and assets, with team review)
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Share documents in a Google Drive folder created for the project
My realizations for the completion of this project:
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Animating sequence 3 on the Unreal sequencer (with team support)
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Character animation for sequence 3 (Amara, the deer, the compass, the owl, all with the team's support)
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Production of potion and compass models on Blender
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Editing of all shots on Blender's video sequencer
Thank you for your attention!





































































