Starfall (2025)

Starfall (2025) is a 2 minute and 30 seconds graduate film by Rachel Poon. This document contains character design sketches, finalised design and character turn arounds for the 2 main protagonists Cadence and Star, script, environment designs and storyboards for your reference.

Transcript

1. Contect details: Email: rachel.hw.poon@gmail.com s4105356 Rachel Poon MAJOR PROJECT PROPOSAL Starfall
2. Description Synopsis: Cadence, an artist experiencing a creative bottleneck and burnout, moves to a cottage studio beside a grassland in the rural areas of her country. As she encounters a mysterious girl who a fallen meteorite gave birth to, Star, they embark on an imaginative visual journey that blends reality with fantasy. Through diving into the mind of the innocent and cheery younger version of herself, Star inspires Cadence to listen to her intuition and embrace ideas around her without being bound to logic, internalised expectations and criticisms. Towards the end of their journey, Star disappears, leaving a star-shaped fragment as a remembrance of the importance of Cadence’s self-expression. Production Type: 2D frame-by-frame animation Production Methods: 1. TV Paint 2. Toon Boom Harmony 3. Adobe After Effectss Duration: 3:00 - 4:00 minutes Genre/style: Coming-of-age, Slice-of-life, Drama
3. Description Aims and Outcomes: My aim is to depict the struggles many young adults experience and inspire audiences to be their authentic selves when exploring new ideas through the differences in beliefs and perceptions presented in Cadence and Star. I want my viewers to understand that the possibility of creating “a good design” does not merely depend on concrete terms, but can come innately from our individual identities, because each one of our ideas should be treated as valuable and unique. Objectives: Starfall’s narrative emphasises how revisiting childhood and regaining an ever-growing child-like creativity is crucial when a person is being burdened with internalised expectations, experience, criticisms and knowledge they gained through life. Conceputal basis: Starfall explores how a person’s upbringing and past experiences shape the way they perceive things. The journey that the protagonists both went through carry implications of the concept of harsh inner critics by using metaphors such as snakes growing out of hair or the stream of thoughts being a literal stream with fish representing small ideas. The film also bases on the concept of self-talk and techniques of self-help referencing to counselling and mental health illness. It also draws concern around how destructive issue of Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, an intense emotional sensitivity to perceived criticism, can be through demonstrating Cadence’s thought processes and her inner maladaptive beliefs.
4. Description Audience: Since it is a coming-of-age story, it is most suitable for teenagers or young adults (15-35 years old) who probably might have some experience with creative bottlenecks, or being discouraged by burdens and societal rules, and will resonate with the frustration and hopelessness in the situation the protagonist is facing. This film might inspire especially artists and anyone who works in the creative industry to continue creating and let them remember how much talent, hopes and dreams they had when they were younger. Key words: Calming, bittersweet, acceptance, contemplative, wonder, slow, gentle, orchestral, expressive, melodic, cadence Rationale: In the realm of film or animated works, not many creators aspire to create works that discuss self-help in regard to understanding more about ourselves, why we feel the way we do, through retreating into the inner world and reconnecting to your past self. Therefore, I wanted to raise awareness in the world on the importance of self-appreciation and self-awareness, as these ideas have helped me immensely in getting through my troubles in life. I also want to realistically and expressively portray my struggles as an artist, since the rise of social media platform has shaped society into glorifying and creating a fake perception of what an “standard” life of an artist should look like.
5. Script:
6. Script:
7. Production Timeline/ Schedule:
8. Cadence Model Sheet: (Before)
9. Cadence Model Sheet: (After)
10. Star Model Sheet:
11. Cottage Studio: Before
12. Cottage Studio: After
13. Concept art
14. Concept art
15. Style frame
16. Sketch Book
17. Sketch Book
18. Sketch Book: Notes
19. Sketch Book: Notes
20. STARFALL_C2 Boards:156|Shots:156|Duration:5:12 | Aspect Ratio: 16 : 9 DRAFT:JUNE27,2025 camera shakes crumpled paper is being thrown at a bin, but it bounces off and doesn't go in, rack focus to our protagonist Page: 1 / 8 1A 6A 16A 11A 2A 7A 17A 12A 3A 8A 13A 18A 4A 9A 19A 14A 5A 15A 10A 20A 0:00 0:10 0:20 0:30 0:02 0:12 0:22 0:32 0:04 0:14 0:24 0:34 0:06 0:16 0:26 0:36 0:08 0:28 0:18 0:38
21. STARFALL_C2 Boards:156|Shots:156|Duration:5:12 | Aspect Ratio: 16 : 9 DRAFT:JUNE27,2025 hello Page: 2 / 8 21A 26A 31A 36A 27A 37A 22A 32A 38A 28A 23A 33A 24A 29A 34A 39A 25A 30A 35A 40A 0:40 0:50 1:00 1:10 0:42 0:52 1:02 1:12 0:44 0:54 1:04 1:14 0:46 0:56 1:06 1:16 0:48 0:58 1:08 1:18
22. STARFALL_C2 Boards:156|Shots:156|Duration:5:12 | Aspect Ratio: 16 : 9 DRAFT:JUNE27,2025 Broke 180 rule, don't know how to fix Page: 3 / 8 41A 46A 51A 56A 47A 42A 52A 57A 53A 43A 48A 58A 49A 59A 54A 44A 45A 55A 50A 60A 1:20 1:30 1:40 1:50 1:22 1:32 1:42 1:52 1:24 1:34 1:44 1:54 1:26 1:36 1:46 1:56 1:28 1:48 1:58 1:38
23. STARFALL_C2 Boards:156|Shots:156|Duration:5:12 | Aspect Ratio: 16 : 9 DRAFT:JUNE27,2025 don't know how to deal with this process wise, seems to be too ambitious, any toned down version of this will help. - this scene, the showerhead spits out pink dye to dye Cadence's hair Page: 4 / 8 76A 61A 66A 71A 67A 62A 72A 77A 68A 73A 78A 63A 74A 69A 79A 64A 65A 75A 70A 80A 2:00 2:10 2:20 2:30 2:02 2:12 2:22 2:32 2:04 2:14 2:24 2:34 2:06 2:16 2:26 2:36 2:08 2:28 2:18 2:38
24. STARFALL_C2 Boards:156|Shots:156|Duration:5:12 | Aspect Ratio: 16 : 9 DRAFT:JUNE27,2025 very cramped workspace, not much space to breathe, tight composition why? Page: 5 / 8 91A 96A 86A 81A 87A 97A 82A 92A 83A 93A 98A 88A 94A 84A 89A 99A 85A 95A 90A 100A 2:40 2:50 3:00 3:10 2:42 2:52 3:02 3:12 2:44 2:54 3:04 3:14 2:46 2:56 3:06 3:16 2:48 2:58 3:08 3:18
25. STARFALL_C2 Boards:156|Shots:156|Duration:5:12 | Aspect Ratio: 16 : 9 DRAFT:JUNE27,2025 transition to 103A boat ride Page: 6 / 8 116A 101A 106A 111A 117A 102A 107A 112A 113A 118A 103A 108A 119A 114A 104A 109A 115A 105A 110A 120A 3:20 3:30 3:40 3:50 3:22 3:32 3:42 3:52 3:24 3:34 3:44 3:54 3:26 3:36 3:46 3:56 3:28 3:48 3:58 3:38
26. STARFALL_C2 Boards:156|Shots:156|Duration:5:12 | Aspect Ratio: 16 : 9 DRAFT:JUNE27,2025 Page: 7 / 8 131A 136A 121A 126A 137A 132A 127A 122A 138A 133A 128A 123A 134A 139A 124A 129A 140A 130A 135A 125A 4:00 4:10 4:20 4:30 4:02 4:12 4:22 4:32 4:04 4:14 4:24 4:34 4:06 4:16 4:26 4:36 4:08 4:28 4:18 4:38
27. STARFALL_C2 Boards:156|Shots:156|Duration:5:12 | Aspect Ratio: 16 : 9 DRAFT:JUNE27,2025 Page: 8 / 8 141A 146A 151A 156A 147A 142A 152A 143A 148A 153A 149A 144A 154A 145A 155A 150A 4:40 4:50 5:00 5:10 4:42 4:52 5:02 4:44 4:54 5:04 4:46 4:56 5:06 4:48 4:58 5:08