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Video & Sound Production: Final - Visual Effects Video

Ye YingYing / 0364398

Video & Sound Production / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media / Taylor's University

Final Project - Visual Effects Video (30%)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Lectures 
2. Instruction 
3. Final Project 
4. Reflection 

LECTURES
INSTRUCTION
Project Introduction
For this final task, we were required to work in pairs to create a short video inspired by a randomly drawn tarot card. I teamed up with Komugi, and together we developed a storyline based on the theme of the card we got. The goal was to translate the symbolic meaning of the card into a one-minute (or longer) narrative video.
The project also challenged us to apply our technical skills: we needed to incorporate visual effects using Adobe After Effects, and enhance the storytelling through carefully crafted sound design using Adobe Premiere Pro. Every element, from visual composition to audio, had to support the emotional journey of the story.

Theme
Mr. Martin first asked each of us to randomly draw a tarot card as the theme of each group project,  and the theme my group mate and I received was: “Your Fears – Temperance.”
Before diving into the story, we did some research on the meaning behind the Temperance card. Typically, this card symbolizes balance, harmony, and self-restraint. It often appears when a person is seeking peace or trying to find middle ground in a turbulent situation. However, when connected to the theme of "fear," the card takes on a deeper layer, suggesting that fear often stems from extremes, imbalance, or a lack of inner calm. It reminds us that the way to confront fear may not be to fight it head-on, but to acknowledge it, find emotional balance, and face it with clarity.

With that in mind, we began developing our storyline.

Our story explores the idea that fear is not always rooted in reality, but rather in the uncertain possibilities we build in our own minds. These imagined fears often cast bigger shadows than the actual truth. However, even when the fear becomes real, the story reminds us that we are stronger than we think, and that courage, balance, and resilience can carry us through.

Synopsis
On the night before her exam results are released, a girl lies awake, overwhelmed by quiet anxiety. In her dreams, she falls into a surreal world where she shrinks to a tiny size and is chased by a towering figure. She runs, hides, and panics, convinced that being caught would mean the end of everything. But just as the giant's hand reaches her, it gently places a piece of candy instead. She wakes up to find a message on her phone saying she passed. In the end, it wasn’t the result she was afraid of but her own fear of losing the calm she had. Sometimes fear doesn’t come from what is real but from what we imagine might go wrong.

VFX Tutorial
After finalizing our storyline, we began searching for VFX tutorials that we could apply to our video. We looked for effects that could help us bring out the surreal, dreamlike atmosphere of the story, especially the scenes where the character shrinks and is chased by a giant figure. The goal was to find visual techniques that not only looked impressive but also supported the emotional tone and narrative flow of the video.


Music and Sound Effect References
While I focused on researching visual effects references, Komugi worked on collecting music and sound effect references. Since sound design plays a crucial role in setting the mood and supporting the emotional rhythm of the story, we wanted to make sure that the audio elements were just as strong and expressive as the visuals.

Visual References
While working on visual references, I focused on creating a contrast in color tone, cool tones at the beginning to show the girl's anxiety at night, and switching to warm tones at the end to represent relief and peace. I also explored size contrast, making the girl appear very small compared to the giant figure to show how fear can make things feel bigger and scarier than they really are.

Shot list
After that, I started working on the shot list, planning out the key scenes and camera angles to match the story flow and visual effects we had in mind.

Storyboard Overview
While I was finishing the touch-up of the shot list and working on the presentation slides in Canva, my group mate Komugi was in charge of drawing the storyboard.
 

We divided the tasks based on our individual strengths, which allowed us to work more smoothly and efficiently as a team. From the beginning, we communicated well, shared ideas openly, and trusted each other’s creative direction. While I focused more on visual planning, shot list, and presentation slides, Komugi handled the storyboard and sound references. This clear division of responsibilities helped us stay organized and made the whole working process enjoyable and productive.

Production Shoot
After finalizing everything, we moved on to the production shoot. Before filming, we prepared a checklist to make sure we didn’t miss any important shots. This helped us stay organized and efficient throughout the process.
We used an iPhone 13 with the default camera app for filming. The shoot took place mainly in my dorm and in the common area at DK Senza, depending on the scene setup and lighting needs.

Post-Production (Editing)
Adobe After Effects Progress
After we finished gathering all the video clips, we moved on to editing in Adobe After Effects. We divided the work and both contributed to different parts of the editing process.

I was in charge of several key scenes, including:
  • Scene 2: The transition where the main character falls into a black hole.
  • Scenes 3.1 & 3.2: The giant figure appears, and the tiny main character runs away in fear.
  • Scene 4: The character runs into a bag to hide.
  • Scene 5: The giant's hand gently offers her a candy.
We communicated throughout the editing process to make sure our visual style stayed consistent and the pacing flowed well.
In After Effects, one of the main tools I used was the Roto Brush to cut out the subjects I needed from the video clips. After making the initial selection, I used Freeze and Refine Edge to clean up the outlines and make the cutouts more precise.

I also adjusted the general properties of the layers by adding keyframes to control scale, position, and other movements, this helped create smooth transitions and added motion to the scenes. To make the perspective look more realistic, I made small tweaks to the angles and depth, especially in scenes where the size difference between the character and the environment was important.

In scenes with a cleaner background, I opted for a simpler method by using the Keylight tool to remove the background more efficiently.


Adobe Premiere Pro Progress
After both of us finished editing our individual VFX scenes in After Effects, I imported all the clips into Adobe Premiere Pro to begin the final video editing.
First, I arranged the clips in the correct sequence to match the storyline. Then, I moved on to color grading to ensure visual consistency and enhance the mood across different scenes. I also added transitions between each clip to smooth out the flow.

To further polish the video, I applied some filters and added extra visual effects, all sourced from Adobe Stock (Free). Once the visual edit was complete, I added subtitles and did a final round of touch-ups and checking.

Finally, I exported the video without audio and passed it to Komugi, she handled the music, sound effects, and overall audio design.

After Komugi completed the final audio editing, we uploaded our finished video to YouTube. We also organized and uploaded all our project materials, including the video, presentation slides, and working files, to Google Drive for submission.

Final Outcome - A Sweet Fear
We named our video A Sweet Fear because it reflects the unexpected twist in our story, where fear turns out to be less threatening and more gentle than imagined. At first, the main character is overwhelmed by anxiety, convinced that something terrible is about to happen. But in the end, what she feared the most transforms into something small and comforting, which is a piece of candy.
The word “sweet” in the title represents not just the literal candy in the final scene, but also the emotional shift from fear to relief. It’s about realizing that sometimes our fears are just in our heads, and once we face them, they lose their power. We wanted the title to capture that contrast — the darkness of fear mixed with a surprising softness.
REFLECTION
This project was a really meaningful and fun experience for both of us. We loved the idea behind our story , which is how fear often comes from our own imagination rather than reality, and we hoped that this video could maybe bring some comfort to people who are dealing with anxiety. It’s a message we both connected with personally, which made the process feel more honest and heartfelt.

Throughout the project, we really enjoyed working together. The whole process, from planning to shooting to editing, went smoothly, and we communicated well at every stage. Working with Komugi was super good. We had great teamwork, divided the tasks based on what we were good at, and also learned a lot from each other along the way. Whether it was technical skills or creative ideas, we kept sharing and supporting each other throughout.

Overall, we’re really proud of what we created, and even more grateful for the positive team experience behind it.
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