Behind the Scenes of AI Drama Production | Ep 13: The Time the 190cm Gorilla Section Chief Was the Most Scared (Production Memo)
Ep 13 is a new variation of the E2 engine (Section Chief Gap). The gag aims for a sense of security and relatability by showing a 'tough-looking person being scared,' with the key being an off-screen direction that never shows the cockroach on screen.
The Story This Time
Cut 1: Section Chief Gorilla is suddenly crouching on his office chair. When Tanaka-san calls out, '...Section Chief?', the Chief sharply snaps back, 'Stop it,' 'Don't come over here.'
Cut 2: As Sato-kun and Ito-san are chatting about 'What should we have for lunch today?', Suzuki-san says a single word: 'Ah.' Everyone silently looks toward the floor.
Cut 3: When Suzuki-san quietly says, 'I can use AI to call an exterminator,' the Section Chief replies, '...Please do.' The scene ends with Tanaka-san saying, 'Section Chief, you're so lame, lol.'
The cockroach never appears in the frame. By having everyone look in 'that direction,' the direction relies on the viewers to fill in the blanks in their own minds.
Why this gag?
We chose 'Section Chief Gorilla afraid of bugs' as an angle that wouldn't overlap with existing E2 gags (being stiff with clients, fighting the Department Manager in his sleep, loving sweets). We also aimed for a wide appeal that would allow people who are afraid of bugs to naturally comment.
What we did
- Designed the direction so that the cockroach is off-screen (outside the frame), with everyone getting scared without it ever appearing. 'Invisible fear' stimulates the viewer's imagination more.
- Designed Cut 1 to also be used as a hook (place the first 3 seconds at the beginning -> main story Cut 1 -> Cut 2 -> Cut 3), keeping the Veo generation to 24 seconds total (3 cuts x 8 seconds).
・Added a "few seconds of silence" in Cut 2 where everyone looks at the floor to create the feeling that they are looking at something.
・Suzuki-san's line, "I can use AI to call an exterminator," functions as a natural way to use AI in this series.
Mistakes made
① Gorilla Section Chief ends up "standing" on the chair instead of "crouching"
The action of "crouching down and shrinking his body" was difficult, and he ended up just standing on the chair. I solved this by specifying the posture in detail: "crouching on desk chair seat, hands gripping chairback, body drawn in, instinctively making himself small." For some reason, his clothes started coming undone, but... I decided to leave it as is.
② Everyone's gaze is scattered in the "looking at the floor" cut
I couldn't get a unified gaze where "everyone looks in the same direction (bottom left of the floor)." I explicitly specified a single focus point: "all characters turn gaze simultaneously toward floor, LEFT side of frame, eyes locked on same off-screen point." However, it didn't work well, so I settled on the method I used last time where everyone looks in the same direction.
③ Suzuki-san moves before saying "Ah" in Cut 2
Suzuki-san performed some other action before the single line "Ah." I specified the beat from stillness to the single word: "Mx. Suzuki remains completely still, then delivers ONE word."
④ Tanaka-san's laugh for "Section Chief, that's so lame lol" becomes exaggerated
It turned into a burst of laughter, and I couldn't get that subtle chuckle feel. I specified the scale of the laugh: "suppressed laugh, hand over mouth, shoulders shaking slightly — NOT a loud burst."
Lessons learned
・"Directing by not showing" can maximize the viewer's imagination while also avoiding Veo's policy issues. Trying to show a cockroach would have also carried the risk of being blocked by people who dislike insects.
• "Unifying the direction" of emotions (everyone looking at the same thing) is easier to convey by showing everyone in a single shot rather than switching cameras.
• Since scenes with all 5 people are impossible in Veo, strictly manage the STRICT CHARACTER COUNT for each cut. Specify 2 people for Cut 1, 3 people for Cut 2, and 3 people for Cut 3.
The Gorilla Manager's world will continue in future episodes.
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