This page details the conceptual intent and design strategy of Layers In History as part of an MFA research project.
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Inspiration
Scientific Features Into My Artistic Interpretaion
Story
The Background music ‘Danse Macabre’ is inspired by a poetry written in the Black Death, showed people cheerfully accepting mortality rather than fearing it.
Inspired by this cheerful acceptance of death, this animation turns a geological event into a simple, imaginative story.
SCENE 4 : Ancient Ant
Ants wake an ancient ant deeply preserved in amber.
SCENE 7 : Collapse
A massive quake collapses the ground, and the ant colony became fossils written in the history.
SCENE 2 : Ant Next
Group of ant going on a field trip to an fossil exhibition hidden deep within their tunnels.
SCENE 3 : Cave Mural
In the top layer of earth, Cenozoic Era, the ants discover cave paintings made by early humans.
SCENE 5 : Dinosaur
They rouse the skeletal remains of dinosaurs, and playing a symphony by tapping upon the bones.
SCENE 6 : Paleozoic ocean
The ants with Ammonites drift through the waters of the Paleozoic ocean.
Harvester Ants builds grandiose ant nest with dozens of chambers and tunnels.
Directed like a labyrinth with randomly tangled structure and organic texture, which is enveloped by natural light source from the top.
When insects trapped in tree resin, it becomes amber fossils. Sphecomyrma had an angular body, curved antennae, and wings.
A fantastical world with massive, multicolored geological layers and tall cacti, while the tiny ants themselves are barely visible.
Multiple fossils embedded together in a single layer reveal their forms and cross-sections.
The layers of rock are made of different materials, so cliffs show many colors
I used to build physical clay models to use as references for my previous animations
Crafting Handmade Reference
Clay, fossils = Earth Material
Fossil and Ancient Creatures
Sharp cactus
A fuzzy felt toy you want to touch
Matching Subject Matter with Visual Medium
3D Result using Blender
2. REFERENCE CREATED WITH AI
1. SKETCH
3. 3D PRODUCTION
Chat GPT Prompt :
Refer to this sketch, re-create image with Clay animation style
3D Creation using Blender
3D Creation using Blender
Storyboard Sketch
Storyboard Sketch
Prompt :
Refer to this sketch, re-create image with Clay animation style
AI-generated clay references
Shape Keys for Expressions
Deforming the mesh to mimic physical clay shaping, rather than using traditional facial rigging.
AI-Generated Turnarounds
Creating multi-view references for 3D modeling.
Prop-Inspired Design
Using craft materials like toy marbles for the octopus's eyes, inspired by traditional puppet making.
Bendy Bone Rigging
Following the form of flexible wire armatures used in real stop-motion puppets.
Image-to-Video AI
Generating Animation from keyframes and manually refining distorted frames following traditional stop-motion composition
Targeted Detail Enhancement
Using Photoshop's partial image editing AI tools to meticulously correct scenes lacking detail.
3d Techniques applied for handcrafted aesthetic
AI collaboration for enhanced quality and Speed
While using Text-to-Video for key frame is not recommended due to consistency issues, it is highly effective for specific scenes that require a distinct stylistic shift, significantly reducing production costs.
Gemini Prompt :
Make the rock texture feel palpable and add details as if they were embedded in the rock
Add reference image
when you want a sudden art style shift
Add reference image
Photoshop:
Adding more texture details, Color correction
Open Art:
Accurate upscale
Photoshop:
Overlay the image
Chat GPT Prompt :
Make it like a hand-drawn craft, fossil assemblage
My technical Improvement
Concept / Storyboard
JUNE 10
Design
2025
2026
JUNE 30
Generative AI is also developed
Style frame in July
3D modelling for base
AI image Generation
Final cut in November
SEPTEMBER
PRODUCTION TIMELINE
Prompt : Make them look like handcrafted clay, with parts of their bodies buried in the clay. The clay color is a light mix of light green and yellow. Don't let the shadows be too dark.
Image to video AI tools are used in few sence
Previz
Character Rigging
OCTOBER - NOVEMBER
VFX /Composition
Nano Banana, Kling 2.6
and Gen-4.5 are Released
NOVEMBER
Characters and Props Modeling
Style Frame
JULY - STEPTEMBER
Character Animation
OCTOBER
Color Correction
DECEMBER
Highlighting the panicked appearance of the suddenly fossilized ant, within a arm and classic feeling of the amber.
A cross-section of the strata reveals characters from each period at a glance, visually showing timescale.
Can we turn heavy geological information into a fun, animated story?
Why Handcrafted aesthetic?
How I made a reference for 3D animation with Clay style before?
Material Metaphor
Audience feel as if they can physically touch characters
Tactile Intimacy
Before you read….
Stylized design makes it feel more approachable
Reducing Fear