This week, I finished the final version of my storyboard for the post-apocalyptic idea and started working on the previs in Maya. It felt good to lock in the story and start bringing it to life.
I began by greyboxing the environment — just basic shapes for now, but they really help me figure out the space. I added rough versions of damaged buildings, broken-down cars, and some debris to create that abandoned city feel. It’s a simple setup, but it already gives a sense of where the character is and what kind of world she’s living in.
I added the garage space with a shutter — this is where the main character starts her journey. I animated her walking out of the garage and added a little moment where she turns back and looks at it before stepping outside. It’s a small action, but I think it says a lot. She’s leaving a place that was probably safe, and now she’s heading into something unknown.
Once she steps out, I made her pause and look around carefully, like she’s checking if it’s safe. This was really important to me — I wanted to show that she’s nervous and alert, without having to say anything. It’s those subtle touches I’m trying to focus on more now, using body language to tell the story.
George gave me some helpful feedback about my camera work — he noticed that the camera was moving around a lot and suggested I keep it slower and steadier. This would help the audience focus more on the characters and the story without getting distracted. I’m going to adjust the camera moves next week to make everything feel smoother and more natural.
Another thing I added this week was a map — I drew it and included it as a prop the character uses. It’s how she’ll navigate the world, so it helps explain where she’s going and gives her a clear goal.