Case Study
PROJECT
Senior
Capstone
MY ROLE
Story, Design, 2D Animation,
Sound Design, Compositing
I brought the short film "Little Bunny’s Cloud Adventure" to life as my senior capstone project during my undergraduate BFA in 2D animation.
Starting back in September 2019, I poured my creative energy into the film until its completion in May 2021. All along the way, I took on multiple roles: shaping the story, designing visuals, animating scenes, and weaving in the perfect soundscape. As part of the program, I engaged in panel reviews, where both faculty and fellow students shared feedback and guidance. This collaborative process helped me refine and enhance the quality of the film.
Little Bunny's Cloud Adventure
2021 Senior Capstone Film
Pratt Institute Digital Arts BFA
The sun has set and it’s time for Little Bunny to go to sleep. Disgruntled and stuck in his bed, he prepares for a night of boredom. But once Little Bunny’s eyes close, he finds himself in a realm filled with colorful clouds, shooting stars and his favorite stuffed piggy come to life! Little Bunny hops through the sky with glee, but he doesn’t know about the spooky cloud monsters lurking around until it’s too late. How will Little Bunny find his way through this mysterious and enchanting world? Well, what’s a bunny to do but leap?
The story in Little Bunny’s Cloud Adventure is inspired by my real life and the imagination game my mother invented called The Cloud Room. As a child, when I was too energetic to go to sleep, my mother would have me imagine all kinds of fun adventures I could experience in a world filled with clouds. With my energy focused on thinking about all the fun leaps, twirls, and flips I could accomplish in this magical realm, sleep would eventually find me. The themes in the film are centered around the infinite nature of a child’s imagination, facing one’s fears with the help of a small stuffed animal friend, and learning to grow.
Featured in the Pratt Institute best of DDA Animation 2021
Film Process
Character Design
Character design began with quick sketchbook drafts, followed by several rounds of refining the appearance of my central character.
I prioritized rendering the character efficiently and considered the animation software. I used simple shapes to accommodate repetitive drawing and balanced desired textures with ToonBoom Harmony's limitations.
Color + Environment
The journey of choosing the film’s color palette went through different stages. At the start, I played around with the idea of making the two different story realms stand out by using totally different colors for each one.
This led to the creation of two differing color schemes – one for the "Dream" realm and another for the "Reality" realm.
The way I approached colors and the environment shifted as I considered a gentle shift in the sky's hue from pink to purple, mirroring the character's growing sleepiness. I put this idea to the test in a short "Zine" project that showcased my character and the world. It was a playful experiment that helped me fine-tune the concept.
Expression/Gesture
I wanted to really understand how my character would move and come to life, so I used a lip sync assignment to play around.
My goal was to capture all the sassiness, charm, and personality I had in mind for the character. To make it happen, I chose a sound snippet from "Charlie Brown" and and animated a lip sync sequence that matched the vibe.
Animation Tests
As a means of showing the faculty our ability to bring our envisioned film to life within our designated timeframe, we embarked on the creation of 10-second "vertical slices." These preliminary tests marked the initial stage of our comprehensive animation process, allowing us to gauge the visual treatments intended for the final film.
These are my two vertical slice tests, which provide insight into the visual evolution from its inception to the polished film treatment that unfolded over the span of a year and a half.
© 2024 Mia Bawale