Youtube: Behind the Scenes
A brief look into the process behind my process videos.
They’re time consuming endeavours for sure — depending on complexity, editing can take weeks. In the end, what makes them worthwhile is how they allow me to reconnect with interests I set aside after pursuing animation. I get to dabble with photography, graphic design, connect more deeply with history and literature, then combine them in a meaningful way. A lot of learning that feels like play.
One of the tidier pages in my notebook.
Research & Scripting
Research is fairly central to most of the process videos I make. At least for me, when I’m feeling stuck, my process involves looking outside of the animation industry to gather inspiration. I’ll often use what I learn to reshape my initial idea into a more robust concept.
The script revision process always involves 1) getting second opinions from friends to see if my explanations make sense, and 2) cutting down redundancies and runaway thoughts. I hate cutting out fascinating tidbits, but I prefer my videos nutrient-dense.
Photography & Graphics
Creating Sets
Sometimes, to vary the visuals, I’ll arrange and photograph some sets. To create sets, I’ll use whatever materials I can find at home. The books on my shelf, gifted (and unused) tea sets, construction paper from middle school projects, my mother’s scarf collection, etc. For the most part, I like to keep setups quick and simple. They’re backgrounds after all and shouldn’t compete for your attention.
Case Study: Circe (Book Cover Redesign)
Super simple set ups, but tiny details like the variety of textures (leather, paper, wood, & ceramics) make the flat image a little more engaging.
I don’t stick with too strict an aesthetic (except for religiously using the Futura font). I’ll change it up each time to match the topic of discussion — it’s just more fun that way. For Circe, I wanted my sets to reflect the environments described in the book: a witch’s workspace, an enchanted home, nature teeming in every corner. I chose props with earthy textures, collected plants from a nearby forest, and scoured kitchen cabinets for interesting tools.
Zooming In
The nature described in Miller’s novel is lush and invites discovery. However, the forest I lived nearby was small and bare after a long winter. Before turning back, I realized that by zooming into patches of green, I could find more dramatic compositions and create the impression of a lush forest.
By placing a figure into these photographs, the miniatures felt like worlds on their own. Mossy rocks turned into cliffs, and delicate clovers became tropical, umbrella-sized leaves.
Case Study: Pretty Gentlemen
Pretty Gentlemen is a video about a multitude of topics: 1700s art, fashion, and the French Revolution. To craft its look, I drew from an array of inspirations, new and old. I thought it’d be interesting to marry the aesthetic of modern fashion magazines with baroque / rococo patterns. This approach also fit with one of the video’s overarching themes: considering past and present perspectives to create new ones.
Figure illustration by Janelle Feng
Figure illustration by Janelle Feng
Tools
Editing - Premiere Pro, After Effects
Art & Graphics — Mostly Photoshop, sometimes Procreate
Animation — Mostly TVPaint, sometimes Toon Boom Harmony, Clip Studio Paint, or Procreate
Camera - Canon EOS 80D, whatever model of iPhone I currently own
That’s it for now! There’s a lot more to discuss, but I think I’ll save it for a future video…