[ How to Create Video Works ] A 'Picture Book-like Story' Told Through Sound and Still Images ─ The Story of a Thumb-Sized Robot's Journey

SONICWARE LIVEN Evokə and BASTL Instruments KASTLE DRUM were combined to film a performance video, which was then used to create a video work composed of still images.

⊷∿Tabi⌇R⟲bo∿⊶

“Tabi-Robo” is the name I gave this work, and it is about...

a tiny robot charm no bigger than the tip of a thumb,
that reincarnates from another dimension into the real world,
and travels wherever its heart desires

――that is the story.

It is neither a video nor stop-motion animation; it weaves a story using only sound and visuals, without any subtitles or dialogue. I made it in a style that feels like

flipping through a picture book

I made it in this style.

This time, I will introduce how this work was created.

[ Table of Contents ]

[ Motivation for creation ]

While making performance videos, I eventually started to think,

“I want to create a video work
that has a story,
along with the music.”

That said, I don't have the skills or equipment to write a script and film a movie.

So, I thought of this—

a method of taking favorite shots (still images),
composing them like a picture book,
and combining them with the actual performance video.

That is the method I used.

[ About the story ]

In this work, I composed it without any subtitles or dialogue so that each viewer can interpret it freely.

This may be superfluous, but the following is the flow of the story as intended by the author during production.

① Different Dimension

The setting is a dimension different from reality.
The Tokino Master (pocket watch) and the robot are communicating via telepathy.

② Shadow Tree

A different timeline.
As it walked along the trunk on the floor of the Shadow Tree, there was a mirror.
Reflected there was a robot that looked just like it, yet was not quite itself.

Before long, when the robot in the mirror disappeared, the Shadow Tree began to rustle.
At that moment, the robot was enveloped in light and vanished somewhere.

③ Nostalgic Sound

A nostalgic electronic sound is resonating from within its body...
When it realizes it, there is a synthesizer in front of it.
When it plays the keys to see what kind of sound it makes,
a nostalgic yet unheard electronic sound rings out, and everything before its eyes goes pitch black.

When it comes to, there is a different synthesizer in front of it than before.
When it plays the keyboard connected to the plants, the sky spreads out before its eyes, and it becomes dazzling.

④ Crystal Space

Just as it thought it had warped to a space paved with crystals, the crystals suddenly began to glow, and it lost all sensation in its body...

⑤ Real World (Some Planet)

When it wakes up, it is on a leaf.
Let's go for a walk as we please: climb down the stem to the ground, climb a tree to rest, sway in the wind on a leaf, or fall to the ground.

While sleeping leaning against a pinecone, it had a dream.
'I wonder if I can meet the Tokino Master again...'

The next day, it felt somewhat sad after encountering a withered flower by the roadside, wondered 'Where is the end?' while looking up at the sky, tried climbing the 'Plateau of Lights' where lamps are lit, and soaked in the river by the water's edge.

Suddenly, it found a pitch-black cave, so it went inside and, as expected, fell down.

⑥ Mirror Room

It woke up in an unknown place, and when it walked a little, it found a mirror floating above a stone.

When it climbed the ladder and stood in front of the mirror, a robot (itself) floated out from the mirror...

⑦ Toward the Light

Just a sense of pitch darkness. There is no anxiety or worry, just the feeling of being wrapped in a gentle, peaceful light that I can feel with my whole body.

It was fun to take a walk on some planet...

A nostalgic sound is ringing in the distance again.
Eventually, the sound stops.
And then...

[ Production Process ]

⊷●⊷ Music first, video later

First, I completed the music and filmed the performance video. I started thinking about the story after that, but it was harder than I had imagined.

I tried going to a park, placing the robot charm in various locations, and taking photos to get the atmosphere I liked.

Although I could get some good shots, since I hadn't decided on a story, just lining up the still images didn't connect them into a narrative.

Even so, I continued filming, prioritizing the world-building and thinking, "It'll work out somehow."

Once I had collected a certain amount of still images,
"This one and this one might connect,"
I thought about the composition while

solidifying the story.

Once the skeleton of the story was formed, I proceeded by filming additional necessary shots.

⊷●⊷ Repeated editing and revisions

I imported the materials into Final Cut Pro X (FCPX) and proceeded with editing, switching them in time with the tempo of the music.

In actual filming, since the robot charm doesn't stand on its own, it was a series of trial and error as I fixed it with cellophane tape or fishing line and adjusted the lighting.

If the fishing line or similar items appeared in the shot, I deleted the unnecessary parts using AI functions. (It's a convenient era where you can erase things in an instant or separate them into layers.)

In editing,

• I adjusted the sequence of still images to create a flow

• I adjusted the colors to create a sense of unity

• I added movement using pans and transitions (screen transitions).

I repeated tasks like this over and over again.

Reviewing it from start to finish, refining the details... and repeating that process.

Since even a seven-minute work based mainly on still images is this much effort, I have come to deeply understand that the labor involved in producing feature-length animation or live-action films is immeasurable.

I am truly glad that I was able to complete this work without losing heart along the way.

I am truly glad that I was able to complete this work without losing heart along the way.

[ About the Music ]

⊷●⊷ Post-Classical × Folktronica

LIVEN Evoke was used as the base for soft-textured piano and electronic sounds to create a lyrical sound that evokes a sense of nostalgia, and I combined that with the KASTLE DRUM (hereinafter KD) glitch rhythms.

What I imagined was...

a sound approach that
mixes post-classical with
early 2000s folktronica.

a sound approach that mixes post-classical with early 2000s folktronica.

Regarding the post-classical elements, there might be an influence from the Icelandic artist Ólafur Arnalds whom I love and have been influenced by.

I especially love the track "Living Room Songs" from his album "Near Light", and I have listened to it dozens of times.

Ólafur Arnalds - Near Light (Living Room Songs)

⊷●⊷ How to make the piano resonate impressively

A major feature of the Evoke is that while it is a groovebox, it is equipped with sound sources based on acoustic instruments.

While typical grooveboxes are centered on drums and beats,the Evoke allows you to create ambient and cinematic tracks that focus on atmosphere and melody.

I have always loved the sound of the piano, and I own many software instruments.

Using the piano sound source built into the Evoke,

I wanted to create a song that was
lyrical and emotionally moving, with the piano as the main instrument.

That was my goal.

I started bycreating the song's energy with a piano chord progression,and then arranged the other tracks to wrap around it.

Thereverb built into Evoke has a beautiful texture,and it brought out the soft piano resonance exactly as I had imagined.

By the way, this song wasborn during the process of creating official presets for Evoke.It wasn't selected, but I liked it so much that Ibrushed it up for a performance video.

⊷●⊷ Points for Cinematic Sound Design

The main track configuration in Evoke is as follows.

While keeping cinematic sound design in mind,the song is basically built on four tracks,so I focused on the following points:

Furthermore, in addition to the post-classical atmosphere, I also added a gentle beat to enhance the story.

By placing the KD on the top right of the Evoke unit and syncing it to play a beat from the second half of the song,

I added a sense of groove and
dynamic contrast to the composition.

I achieved this.

The KD's sound is not a typical drum; it has a Lo-Fi texture, and each tone is unique.

I think the beat, which doesn't overpower the track,
blended well with the Evoke tracks.

I believe so.

[ Conclusion ]

What I felt through this production was the difficulty of maintaining a certain quality as a "video work," not just as a performance video, and finishing it as close to my image as possible.

On the other hand, there were many discoveries gained precisely because it was my first challenge;for example,

You can create a complete work by arranging still images into a picture book-style composition

or by the freshness created by incorporating actual performance scenes into the video and so on.

While it won't be a sequel in the traditional sense,

I am thinking about incorporating background music and sound effects
to achieve a more cinematic expression.

If the opportunity arises, I would like to try entering a contest as well.

Thank you very much for reading until the end.