Early Experiments

Before starting the final project, we completed a series of small exercises that introduced different aspects of filmmaking. Although they were not directly connected to the Rashomon effect, they helped me experiment with cinematic storytelling, editing, perspective, and visual language. These exercises became a useful starting point for developing my final animation.

1-A short film about a day in a life in two different durations:

I made a short film on my iPhone about insomnia. The assignment encouraged me to think about rhythm, and how much of a story can be communicated within a very limited duration.

2-Perspective & Light, creating two versions of the same scene while changing only the lighting and camera perspective:

I used this assignment to experiment with AI image and video generation tools (I created the images in ChatGPT (GPT-5) and then generated short videos from them using Veo). This experiment  helped me understand the possibilities and the limitations of current AI image and video generation.

3-Film Opening, Storyboarding the opening sequence of an imaginary film:
I created a hand-drawn storyboard about a woman who discovers that it is the last day of the world. Instead of panicking, she decides to confront her boss and finally do something she has always wanted to do. This exercise showed me how quickly a storyboard can turn an idea into something visual, making it much easier to develop and refine in the next stages of the process.

1-Insomnia

2-Perspective & Light

3-Film Opening

Inspiration

The Fall is inspired by Anatomy of a Fall directed by Justine Triet. The film begins with Samuel being found dead in the snow below his chalet, leaving the question of whether it was a suicide or a murder. Instead of presenting a single truth, the story unfolds through different perspectives: his wife, his son, and even their dog become witnesses who each perceive and interpret the event differently.

Concept

I want to tell the story of a fall.

Perspectives

A crow, an accidental observer.

A neighbor, whose observation quickly turns into judgment.

Her partner, whose perspective is shaped by memory, and uncertainty.

Process

-Script Development

Writing the initial short script and defining the narrative structure.

-Animatic

Creating a simple storyboard and developing the first version of the film using AI-generated voice recordings.

-Drawings and Assets (Defining the Visual Style)

Developing the visual language of the film through character drawings, backgrounds, textures, and other visual assets.

-Sound and Voice Collection

Gathering and refining sound elements, voice recordings, and atmospheric details to support the narrative.

-Animation and Editing

Bringing all elements together through animation, timing, compositing, and final editing.

Rough Storyboard

Movement and The Visual Style

Given the project's limited production time, I had to carefully consider the complexity of movement and avoid overly ambitious animation choices. For each scene, I asked myself: What is the most important element that needs to move? and What is the simplest and most effective way to create that movement?

As a starting point, I decided to create a continuously moving, fluid background throughout the animation. This helped maintain a sense of motion and atmosphere, even in scenes where the characters themselves had limited movement. Since falling is, by nature, a sudden and intense action associated with tension and stress, a red expressive moving background can support the emotional impact of it.

For the characters, I used a monochromatic color palette to prevent them from becoming visually dominant. The intention was to keep the focus on the fall itself. The main character of the story is not the woman, but the incident_the fall as an event. Every visual decision was made in service of emphasizing this central moment.

Textures

Characters

Locations

Props

Reflection

This was my first animation project and an opportunity to explore animation as a storytelling medium rather than focusing on technical perfection.

The project changed considerably during production. The original concept included five perspectives, but I reduced it to three to create a clearer rhythm and complete the film within the available time. During production, I also simplified several planned camera movements as I learned the workflow of After Effects and adapted the animation to techniques that were both achievable and visually effective.

Working with limited animation became a creative decision rather than simply a limitation. Combining hand-drawn artwork with digital compositing allowed me to create a visual style that supported the fragmented narrative while remaining manageable within the project's timeframe.

This project gave me a complete introduction to the animation pipeline—from storyboard and animatic to compositing, sound design, and final export—and established a workflow I would like to continue developing in future projects.