Nyctophobia - Graduation document (2021)

Graduation Project 2020
Folktales Of India
Elephant’s Nose
Sponsor
Trip Creative Services
Student
Akshata Khare
Communication Design (Animation Design)
Industry Guide Faculty Guide
Mr. Prateek Sethi Assoc. Prof. Binoj John
Graduation Project 2021
Nyctophobia
Self-Initiated
Student
Rahul Iyer
Communication Design (Animation Design)
Faculty Guide
Prof. Chandan Bhattacharya

The Graduation Project Evaluation Jury recommends
RAHUL IYER
to be awarded the Bachelor’s Degree of the MIT Institute of Design, Pune
IN COMMUNICATION DESIGN (ANIMATION DESIGN)
herewith, for the project titled “NYCTOPHOBIA”
MEMBERS:
NAME ORGANISATION SIGNATURE
on fulfilling the further requirements by *
(*Subsequent remarks regarding fulfilling the requirements :)
GRADUATION PROJECT 2021
Programme : B.Des Animation Design
Chairperson of the Jury
Jury conducted in online mode

IPR Declaration
I hereby declare that the thesis Nyctophobia is a result of my independent work and effort. I certify that to the best of my
knowledge it does not infringe upon anyone’s copyrights. Where other sources of information have been used, they have been
acknowledged. This thesis has not been submitted anywhere for any other comparable academic degree.
Student name: Rahul Iyer
Signature:
Place: MIT Institute of Design, Pune
Date: 28-08-2021
Certificate
It is certified that the work contained in the thesis titled Nyctophobia has been carried out under my supervision and that
this work has not been submitted elsewhere for a degree.
Faculty Guide Name:
Signature:
Asst. Prof. Chandan Bhattacharya
Place: MIT Institute of Design, Pune
Date:

n y c t o p h o b i a
RAHUL IYER
C o m m u n i c a t i o n D e s i g n
( A n i m a t i o n D e s i g n )
F a c ul ty G u i d e
Prof. Cha nda n Bha tta cha ry a

Acknowledgements
I’d like to start off by thanking all my faculty and peers throughout my journey here
at MIT Institute of Design, who’ve helped me become the person I am today.
I would also like to express my gratitude to Prof. Chandan Bhattacharya, my faculty
mentor for supporting me through thick and thin and providing extremely valuable
input while working on this project. I’ll also like to thank my friends and family for
helping me out during the project or even otherwise. Having supportive mentors
and family during pandemic times like is a blessing to say the least.

About The Project
‘Nyctophobia’ is a short animation film, done as part of final degree project
at MIT Institute of Design. It is estimated to be about two minutes long. As
the title suggests, the film is based on the concept of nyctophobia, which is
an irrational fear of the dark, a fear that a lot of us have had at some point in
our lives. The film attempts to address the concept of what that fear is and
the irrational and disproportionality of it. Here, sound design and
animation is used as a medium to portray what the character feels and how
the fear works. The character and backgrounds are all done in 2D.
n y c t o p h o b i a

Table of
contents
ABOUT SPONSOR
INITIAL BRIEF
01
02
PROJECT SUMMARY
INFORMATION/
DATACOLLECTION
03
04
05 ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION
06
REDEFINITION OF BRIEF AND
SETTING
OF DESIGN PARAMETERS
07
08
APPROACH AND STRATEGIES
OF
PROBLEM SOLVING
CONCEPT GENERATION
09
DETAILS OF SELECTED
CONCEPTS AND
FINALIZATION
SCOPE FOR IMPROVEMENT
OF THE FINAL
COMMUNICATION
10
11
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND
SOURCE CREDITS
12 RETROSPECTION

About
sponsor
01
MAEER’S MIT INSTITUTE
OF DESIGN
Self-Initiated Project | n y c t o p h o b i a | 1

MAEER’s MIT Institute of Design started its
operations in August 2006,
guided by the days’ leading minds in the
Indian design education, with a
plan to develop its identity as a research &
training institution of highest
international quality.
About the institute
With a decade plus of excellence and pursuance of
future aspirations, MIT Institute of Design has added
a further dimension to the programmes of design
learning. The learners and faculty mentors here have
registered their presence by winning awards in
various categories at national & international levels.
It is into this kind of stimulating and inspirational
environment that mentors from various design related
disciplines interact with the design learners and
challenge their minds to explore newer territories that
should complement and reinforce their ongoing
design learning. The mentors ensure that the level of
interaction is such that it eventually leads to a learning
that is comprehensive, sustained and focused in
depth, and directly or indirectly design related.
2 | Graduation Project 2021 | Rahul Iyer | B.Des Animation Self-Initiated Project | n y c t o p h o b i a | 3
This project is a self-sponsored project and
I chose the path of inquiry independently;
hence, I did not receive any financial
support or stipend. However, the Institute
supported me with all the infrastructure
and resources needed for me to work on
my project smoothly.

PROJECT BRIEF
02

Initial brief
The initial brief was to try and achieve a film that tackled or addressed something that dealt
with mental problems or phobias.
PROCESS
I was tasked with researching and understanding phobias and mental health problems
before settling in on a topic. Different topics were studied and the final topic was selected
after discussion and approval of Prof, Chandan Bhattacharya.
After that came settling on a suitable art style that could go along the chosen topic.
Following which there was storyboarding, character design, treatment, voiceover and
animatic.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES TO BE ACHIEVED
Main objective is to create short film (around a minute and a half long) that addresses and
tackles a mental health problem or phobia. The viewer who is able to relate to the problem
should feel a sense of comfort considering how irrational the fear is.

Project
summary
03

STRATEGY
The strategy was to make a film that conveys, addresses and fulfils the initial brief. A film that looks visually rich,
and is guided by good sound design, was top priority. Following the relevant basic principles of design and
animation, is the key to achieving a satisfactory end product.
USPS/PPDS AND RELEVANT APPEALS
The selling point of the film is showcasing how common the particular phobia or mental health condition is so as to
make issues less taboo. Unchecked or untreated phobias could have hamper people from being functional parts of
the society. The film is supposed to play down on how irrational phobias are and how normal it is to have them.
PROPOSED DESIGN METHODOLOGY
Design methodology refers to the development of a system or method for a unique situation. The key to design
methodology is finding the best solution for each design situation. Design methodology stresses the use of
brainstorming to encourage innovative ideas and collaborative thinking to work through each proposed idea and
arrive at the best solution. Meeting the needs and wants of the end user is the most critical concern. Design
methodology also employs basic research methods, such as analysis and testing. Method that promotes rational
thought; implies the adoption of sequential (but flexible) structure from problem to solution that includes all the phases
since the moment we enunciate the problem, collect information and begin the conceptual work, until the solution.
PRE-PRODUCTION : In this stage, a topic (relating to phobias or mental health), would be selected. Once we have a
fixed story and a reference art style we would start building upon the look and feel for the final film. Side by side we
would also be working upon the character designs, storyboard, animatics, rough soundtrack, script.
PRODUCTION : Once the style is decided, assets for the film would be made and later animated using softwares like
After Effects and TVP. This stage is referred to as the production stage of the film.
POST-PRODUCTION : Once the animation is complete, we reach the stage also called the post-production stage of the
film. Final sound Design would be done by the sound designer. Final compositing and colour correction is done and
side by side the show packaging i.e. thumbnail/ poster, description and credits for the film is worked upon.

Concept, Research and Development : 9th June ’21 – 19rd June ‘21
Pre-Production, Storyboarding, Animatic & Rough Sound Design : 20th June ’21 – 5th July ’21
Background Design : 6th July ’21 – 18th July ‘21
Key-framing, Inbetweening and Clean-up : 19th July ’21 – 3rd August ’21
Colour, Painting and Treatment : 4th August ‘21 – 18th August ‘21
Post-Production : 19th August ‘21 – 22th August ‘21
Changes, final touches/ Graduation documentation : 22th August ’21 – 28th August ‘21
Schedule

Information/
data collection
04

About The Product
This is an independent film that attempts to
address irrational phobias and tries to answer
the question as to ‘how to face them?’. There are
other indie films that talk about mental health and
facing your phobias in general. The most popular
one being ‘Overcomer’, by Hannah Grace, that
talks about anxiety and depression and
overcoming it.
There are also four other animated indie films on
the internet with the name ‘nyctophobia’ which
explain the concept and what the fear is, but fail
to address or mention facing your fear or tackling
it. Moreover, only one of those films is on
YouTube, the most popular video streaming
platform.
Target audience
Target is the urban audience, mainly children over
the age of 8 as the issue the film deals with,
Nyctophobia (fear of the dark) which is an irrational
fear, atleast in the urban setting.
Visual semantics
Visual semantics are the structural, cultural, communicative and social signs related to
meaning. The topic being Nyctophobia (fear of the dark) the idea was to have two
contrasting colors as the tone of the film. The darker tone to preferably have a blue-ish tint
to make the viewer feel unsafe and cold and the lighter tone a little warm-ish to induce a
sense of safety. The initial inspiration for the colours and characters on my project were
Mike Mignola’s comics.
Pattern reference
A comic book like texture was used throughout the film.
Marketing
Posting it on YouTube, Vimeo and other social media
platforms along with sending it to film festivals so as
to get maximum traction. This film is meant to be
accessible and non-profit so that the issue it
addresses could reach the masses.

Conceptual process
Following the Design Process has always been extremely important. Pre production is the back-
bone of any film. Research is paramount. I first got onto story development followed by art
development, storyboard, characterization, treatment, voice-overs, SFX, animatic, design and
animation followed by sound design and compositing.
Design language and processes
Once the story was selected, the feel of the story and the target audience is kept in mind during and
the style was then further developed on that basis. The design language of the film was set to cater
to people of all cultures and age.
Inspiration and references
The backgrounds and the character needed to
have a comic-like feel and look complex but at the
same time be easy to animate. As for animating
characters, I was instantly drawn to the music
video for Siames - The Wolf. The
boxy style felt like something worth exploring.
At the same time, the backgrounds and colour
schemes in Mike Mignola’s comics looked perfect
to go along with the character style.
I made a concept illustration for the film merging
the two styles. The finalized style was a mix of the
two styles along with some added elements like
textures and what came out was very different to
either of the two styles. (b) and (c) are some other
explorations.
=
+

Inspiration and references (Character)
The protagonist is supposed to be in a night dress. Night dress across cultures are basically
the clothes the person is most comfortable in. But the idea of ‘The’ night dress is so well
recognized in pop culture that it was a no-brainer to use it as the inspiration for our character.
Moodboard (General)
A mood board is a collection of content to translate an idea or thought
visually. It sets a specific tone for anything. Whether you're building a new
product, a campaign, or a brand, a mood board can communicate ideas
using shared design references.
These are some references I used to establish what the film could feel like.

Concept, Research and Development : ₹ 5000/-
Pre-Production, Storyboarding, Animatic and Character Design : ₹ 20000/-
Sound Design : ₹ 25000/-
Background Design : ₹ 15000/-
Key-framing, Inbetweening and Clean-up : ₹ 30000/-
Colour, Painting and Treatment : ₹ 35000/-
Post-Production : ₹ 8000/-
TOTAL : ₹ 1,38,000/-
Budget Heads

Analysis and
evaluation
05

FULFILLMENT OF THE DEFINED OBJECTIVE
The primary objective was to make an independent film that attempts to address
irrational phobias and tries to answer the question as to ‘how to face them?’.
The most common irrational fear being the fear of the dark or Nyctophobia.
EFFECTIVENESS OF CONCEPTS
Extremely common irrational phobias are often indicators of underlying anxiety issues
and this film attempts to address how common it is, so as to make it easier to share
mental health issues in general with your peers and family. The film is supposed to instill
fear initially but then a sense of pride from the courage the protagonist shows.
The flickering comic book-like textures paired with fairly unsaturated, complex lighting
does a better job of keeping the viewer engrossed in the initial part of the film where
nothing dramatic is happening.
Title Card from the film
A still from the film
A still from
the film

DESIGN PARAMETERS
Colour Palette
The topic being Nyctophobia (fear of the dark) the idea was to have two contrasting colors as
the tone of the film. The darker tone to preferably have a blue-ish tint to make the viewer feel
unsafe and cold and the lighter tone a little warm-ish to induce a sense of safety. The
desaturated blue and yellow also pulls of the feel of the film being set in the middle of a full
moon night, pretty well. Furniture is a desaturated shade of reddish-brown that provides a
good contrast to the blue and yellow. Objects of significance to the story like the refrigerator
and bottle are fairly saturated reds and blues respectively, to make them stand out.
ELEMENTS STYLE
The line work on the animations is done with a textured pencil. And texture overlay was done with a texture brush to
give the motion-comic feel.
Background style
The line work on the animations is done with a textured pencil. And comic texture overlay was done with a custom
textured brush. The backgrounds are predominantly solid colours with gradients on certain important objects in the
scene to set them apart. The hallway scenes are all done on the 3D layering option in Adobe After Effects.
Character style
The characters’ line work is fairly straight. The colours on the characters (both the man and the cat) are slightly lighter
but similar tonally to the background, but still end up standing out because of the way the characters respond to the
light the around them. Also the moving textures on the character gives him a bit of soul. The moving ‘monster’ a.k.a
darkness in the hallway is animated completely on Adobe After Effects.
A still from the film A still from the film

TARGET AUDIENCE CONNECTIVITY
Uploading the film to Youtube is the primary way of grabbing eyeballs. Being on YouTube
ensures good target audience connectivity because:
1. YouTube being one of the most used social media sites by all age groups, also the 2nd
most used search engine following Google makes it a good platform to reach the target
audience.
2. The link to the videos can be easily shared to various other social media platforms.
3. The video loads quickly as is preferred by many.
4. The audience can like, dislike, comment on the video giving us the insight on how much it
is liked/ disliked by the audience.
Sending it to film festivals around the world is also a great way of reaching an international
audience and also have a much better insight from fellow animators & filmmakers globally.

Support Technology
FOR VISUALS
1. Apple iPad Pro 2019
2. Huion Inspiroy H640p
3. Alienware 15 R3
- Core i7 7700k
- 16GB RAM
- Nvidia GTX 1070
For Sound
4. M-Audio M-track II Audio interface
5. AKG Condenser microphone

Brief
Story
Art Style
Script
Storyboard
Characte & Background Design
Sound Design
Animatic
Pre-Production Post Production
Production
Character Animation
BG Layout
In-betweening & Clean-up
Painting
pipeline
Compositing
Final Sound Design
SFX

Pre-Production
Brief & Research
The initial brief was to try and achieve a film that addressed phobias or mental health conditions. Hence I started mind
mapping to settle on an idea.
The concept of irrational/deep
dark fears was the topic that
was further explored after
review and discussion with
the faculty mentor. Now, all of
us have irrational fears. But
the challenge was finding
something that could drive the
film. Hence, I started mind
mapping all the deep dark
fears that could be a potential
idea.
The idea chosen and
approved after discussion and
review are the ones circled in
orange.
I started
mind-mapping
to land on a
suitable topic
that could be
addressed
Further mind-mapping
before fixing on a
story

Pre-Production
Brief & Research
The Mind-Map gave me a potential concept or plot that had to be built upon.
‘While going to drink water at night, the monster in the dark chases you’ – This very lingering feeling of there being a monster
in the dark, behind you is extremely common and all of us have felt it at some point in our lives. On further research I found the
medical term for it, called ‘Nyctophobia’.
What is Nyctophobia?
The dictionary defines Nyctophobia as,
‘an extreme or irrational fear of the night or of darkness.’
And that is exactly what it is. Nyctophobia is an extreme fear of night or darkness that can cause intense symptoms of anxiety
and depression. A fear becomes a phobia when it’s excessive, irrational, or impacts your day-to-day life.
Being afraid of the dark often starts in childhood and is viewed as a normal part of development. Studies focused on this
phobia have shown that humans often fear the dark for its lack of any visual stimuli. In other words, people may fear night
and darkness because they cannot see what’s around them. While some fear is normal, when it starts to impact daily life
and sleep patterns, it may be time to visit your doctor.
The symptoms you may experience with nyctophobia are much like those you would experience with other phobias.
People with this phobia experience extreme fear that causes distress when they’re in the dark. Symptoms may interfere
with daily activities, and school or work performance. They may even lead to health issues.
Different phobias share similar symptoms. These signs may be either physical or emotional. With nyctophobia, symptoms
may be triggered by being in the dark or even thinking about situations where you’d find yourself in the dark.

Pre-Production
Brief & Research
Emotional symptoms
• overwhelming feelings of anxiety or panic
• an intense need to escape the situation
• detachment from self or feeling “unreal”
• losing control or feeling crazy
• feeling like you may die or lose consciousness
• feeling powerless over your fear
Physical symptoms
• trouble breathing
• racing heart rate
• chest tightness or pain
• shaking, trembling, or tingling sensations
• lightheadedness or dizziness
• upset stomach
• hot or cold flashes
• sweating
What does nyctophobia look/feel like?
What are the common causes of nyctophobia?
The causes and roots behind a fear of the dark could be evolutionary by nature because of the number of predators that
hunt during the nighttime. Likely, the fear is not linked to the dark itself but the potential negative scenarios that could
occur in the dark.
In the dark, there is an absence of security and safety and as your eyes are not as active, your other senses become
more attuned. If someone cannot see movements around them, they are more likely to experience extreme fear as a
result. Being in the dark compromises your brains’ ability to comprehend the other senses they are experiencing and this
could be a strong agent behind nyctophobia.
It makes a lot of sense where the fear originates from.

Pre-Production
Brief & Research
What are the treatment options for nyctophobia?
Treatment of nyctophobia can differ from one person to another. For some, cognitive behavioral therapy can provide
assistance, whereas for others, medication can be helpful. Moreover, the treatment depends on the severity of the
person’s medical health.
1. Exposure therapy
It is a common treatment option where the person is exposed to certain events that can successfully help them cope with
their phobias. There may be little risk linked with this therapy; hence, it is not for everyone. Therefore, discussing the
condition with a doctor is a key factor to determine the right type of treatment.
2. Meditation
Taking deep breaths and relaxing the body can be of great help while dealing with any type of phobia.
This can help calm the mind of the person and, at the same time, eases stress and worry.
3. Cognitive therapy
Cognitive therapy is usually used in combination with exposure therapy. However, this also depends on the severity of the
person’s condition.
The therapy uses various types of facts and information to overcome fear. However, this must always be done under the
guidance of a healthcare professional to have a positive impact.
Most people who have these phobias do not talk about them either due to embarrassment or that just talking about the dark
is upsetting to them. For some, fearing darkness dictates how they live their lives. Your phobia could make you afraid to
perform certain tasks or become overly anxious when visiting certain places. A phobia of the dark is no different.
Using this research I further jumped on to deciding a story while keeping all of this in mind.

Pre-Production
Story
The main premises of the story is that most at some point in our lives we have been scared of the dark.
The worst time for that was when you were thirsty in the middle of the night. Once you’ve switched on the lights behind
you, you aren’t supposed to look back. Or the monster in the dark would get you. You run back to your room as soon as
the lights are switched off. Get on your bed and tuck yourself in tightly.
But what happens if you look back and break that one rule?
Nothing!
It is probably your pet. There is nothing in the dark.
It is just an irrational fear.
This the precisely the point the film addresses.

Pre-Production
Script
The Protagonist is tossing and turning in his bed. His throat feels parched. He is thirsty. He wakes up with a sigh. The
clock reads 3:30 am.
He walks to his kitchen, opens the rather loud refrigerator and drinks water. The water makes him more awake. He is
more aware of the surroundings now that he isn’t sleepy anymore. Fear sets an as he switches of the light behind him
in the kitchen and walks back to the hallway to get to his room. Something is following him.
He is anxious and scared.
So much so that he freezes in the middle of the hallway.
Suddenly a jolt of courage flows through him. He, instead of running back to his room and wake up next morning,
chooses to turn back and face his fear.
He turns
It is his pet cat! He breathes a sigh of relief as he looks at his cat pleased. The cat purrs and meows.
He carries her back into his room.
THE END

Pre-Production
Storyboard
A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of
pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence.
These are the finalized storyboards that were made according to the feedbacks and reviews with the faculty mentor. Guy sleeping and turns –still shot
Focus on guy changes to the
foreground (clock)
Out of focus guy rises
Guy rises and sits on bed Still shot Guy scratched his hair Guy gets up

Guy walks out of the frame - cut POV of guy walking in corridor- dissolve Guy switches on light and walks in
Guy walks towards the fridge and
grabs the handle - cut
Light sweeps across guys face - cut Still shot in the fridge- cut
Guy drink water – zoom in Guy gulps down water – cut
Guy closes door and wipes
face – still shot
Guy walks out of the frame - cut
Guy’s legs in frame walking by
camera, walks out -hold
Smoky tentacles emerge from the
dark - cut

Guy walks on anxious and stops due
to fear - cut
Guy feels something behind him and
gasps- dolly zoom shot and cut
A still perspective shot - cut
Guy turns to face off against his fears
cut
Guy finds nothing on turning and
looks down and smiles- cut
His cat meows and purrs at him - cut
Still frame of guy with cat but there is
something behind them which engulfs
everything.
TITLE & credits

Pre-Production
Character Design
A character design is the entire concept, style, and artwork of a character from scratch. This often includes
a deep look into the character’s personality to develop a visual idea of the character’s
physical features.
(b)
Number 2 was chosen
(a) Protagonist explorations
The protagonist
The protagonist is sleepy initially, then scared and anxious, then courageous, and ends up pleased relieved
and happy. He is not the bravest of the lot.
Image (a) is a set of silhouette explorations for the character. Numbers 7, 11 and 12 were the finalized choices
upon review. These three were further tweaked and developed into image (b), upon further review and
feedback of the faculty mentor. Number 2 was the final character that was chosen out of those.

Model sheet COLOUR EXPLORATIONS WITH SOME LIGHTS AND SHADOWS
The protagonist
Age: Early 20s
Height : About 5’9”
Nature : Not the
naturally bravest,
Thirsty, Anxious,
Thoughtful.

FINAL LOOK (WITHOUT LIGHTS OR SHADOWS)

Pre-Production
The cat
The cat is the protagonist’s pet whom he mistakes for a monster. The cat is (obviously) cute, inquisitive,
purring and meowing. The cat is only present
Image (a) is a set of silhouette explorations for the cat. Numbers 2, 6 and 8 were the finalized choices upon
review. These three were further tweaked and developed into more detailed line work image (b), upon further
review and feedback of the faculty mentor. Number 2 was the final character that was chosen out of those.
(a) Cat silhouette explorations
(b) Line work explorations for selected
silhouettes

Number 1 was the final look and colour of the cat chosen. Blue colour chosen was the same tint as the
character to show that both are living creatures and belong in the same world. Moreover, it is nighttime and
the colours of things in the dark seem all similar. A turnaround for the cat wasn’t a priority since there was only
one still shot with the cat in it.

Pre-Production
The monster (darkness)
Evil(?) The monster personifies darkness. So I tried giving it some form initially and did some explorations. But
then decided against it and ended up with a black shapeless smoky, tentacle-ey feel.
Some explorations that
weren’t considered

Pre-Production
Background Design
Background designers design the scenery around, or on top of, which the animation happens.
There are three scenes where the story takes place. The bedroom, hallway and the kitchen.
First thing to do was to make 3d model of what the space could look like in blender. And then use that as a reference
while composing or animating a background
Making
background
reference on
Blender
kitchen Bedroom
hallway

Pre-Production
Background Design
Shot 1

Pre-Production
Background Design
Shot 2

Pre-Production
Background Design
Shot 5 (With and without lights)

Pre-Production
Background Design
Shot 6

Pre-Production
Background Design
Shot 9 (With and without lights)

Pre-Production
Background Design
Shots 4,11,12,13,14,15,16
These shots were made by enabling 3D layer on After Effects. The assets for each side of the wall was made first
and then composited in as the background. Hence, all these shots take place inside the same space, it is just
that the camera moves around along with the character animation on a 2d plate in front.

Production
Animating, Inbetweening and Cleanup
All of the rough animation, inbetweening and clean-up were done on the Procreate and Callipeg, both on the iPad.
Callipeg
All the rough animations
and inbetweening was
done on Callipeg

Production
Inbetweening, Cleanup and treatment
Procreate
All the cleanup and
treatment was done on
procreate

Post Production
Compositing and SFX
All major compositing work was done on Adobe After Effects 2021.
The ‘monster’ was made on After Effects using the ‘Turbulant Displace’ effect.
All the shots were put together on Adobe Premiere Pro 2021 to finish the film.

Sound Design
All the ambient sounds are royalty free. The
breathing sounds, sighs and the cat’s sounds
were recorded in-house, and mixed and
mastered on Adobe Audition, Cool Edit Pro and
Ableton Live. The end-credits music in the end
is a royalty free track I found on Soundcloud.

Sound Design
The overlaying ambience
The two common ambient sounds in all the three scenes (the bedroom, hallway and kitchen) are a night ambience
track (with crickets and all that) and the sound of a clock-ticking. They are added with the necessary reverb and
other effects to match the feeling of the space and mood.
Other Sounds
Other sounds throughout the three scenes i.e, the Bedroom, Hallway and Kitchen change accordingly to give a
sense of the size of the room and the mood, and aid the movements and actions of the character, and makes sure
the scene carries more weight. For Eg.: the kitchen has a refrigerator hum along with the static sound of a light bulb.
These compliment the scene to give the viewer a sense of what the character might be feeling like.
Character sounds
There is no narration, monologue or dialogues needed in the film as, human sounds of any sort only make people
feel more comfortable. The only sense of comfort the viewer feels is when the cat appears in the film. The meowing
and purring sounds give a sense of warmth and comfort after a horrifying buildup towards the end.
The protagonist has breathing and sighing sounds mainly, and a sound of water gulping to obviously signal the
same. There is a heartbeat that starts to race, in the third act of the film, during the buildup to the climax to induce
a sense of uneasiness and anxiety for the viewer themselves. What is quite clearly intended to be the protagonists
heartbeat ends up serving as an addition to the other sounds that make up the buildup.
The monster (darkness) has the sound of a squishing slime, which plays along with the feel of there being a
disgusting and unsavoury, creepy-crawly monster behind the character, and adds to the whole feel of the film.
The buildup
The sounds that buildup to the climax, start very early, when the protagonist is gulping down water. It keeps
building up from there on till the end of the dolly zoom shot (Shot 12) where there is a sudden cut, to throw the
viewers off. The buildup has some white noise, a constant heartbeat and a couple royalty free stock buildup
sounds. They go along well to give the view a sense of discomfort towards the end.

REDEFINITION OF BRIEF
AND SETTING OF
DESIGN PARAMETERS
06

The Flickering Texture Idea
Right after finishing compositing and SFX, the flickering texture was added and that changed the look of
the whole film.
There was texture in the backgrounds in the previous version of the film, but it was static in the
background. Only the texture on the character moved, making the whole film look rather bland. Adding this
flickering texture made the film a lot more engrossing. That idea drove home the tone and feeling of the
film.
Before After
Before After

Some other changes
The shadow on the wooden plank right above the bed had different lighting in the subsequent shot. Along with some
tonal changes.
Before After
The initial design of the cat was changed after a review with the faculty mentor. The emaciated cat in the
end put on some weight. The latter felt like a better design choice, since the very characteristic of cat is, it
being cute.
Before After

Some other changes
After finishing the film, during the final review and discussion with the faculty mentor, I was suggested to add a shot
right in the beginning of the film that talks about what the concept of the film is based on, more specifically a dictionary
definition of the word Nyctophobia. This was because more people would be able to understand what the film is about,
since Nyctophobia isn’t a very commonly used term to describe fear of the dark and not everyone would understand
what the word means.
The dictionary definition was added on top of what looks like a torn-out piece of paper with an off-white colour, to keep
in sync with the tone of the rest of the film. The flickering texture the rest of the movie has, was put on this as well.
This was
the added
shot

APPROACH &
STRATEGIES OF
PROBLEM SOLVING
07

Visual language
The overall feel I aimed to achieve was for the audience to understand how irrational some common phobias like
Nyctophobia are. The film is supposed to instill fear initially but then a sense of relief in the end when he sees his pet
cat. The constantly flickering comic book-like texture makes sure that the viewer’s attention is held.

SOFTWARES USED
• Procreate for iPad : For character design, storyboarding, background design, clean up, inbetweening and
treatment. This software was used instead of Photoshop, as both of them basically are very similar, feature-wise
and moreover Procreate on iPad is way more user-friendly with it’s vastly better UI. Also, certain brushes (that went
better with the art-style I was aiming for) were available on Procreate, and weren’t on Photoshop.
• Callipeg for iPad : For rough animation, animatic, inbetweening. This was used as an alternative to the 2d
animation software on Windows, TVPaint. Both these softwares again are very similar; the former being an iPad
software, transferring files between two iPad softwares seemed to be a better and more efficient option generally.
• Blender 2.83 : For background references. Having perspective references for certain shots on 3d, helped in
composing elements in the shot better.
• Adobe Audition CC 2019 : For sound design. Easier to use and navigate personally.
• Adobe After Effects 2021 : Compositing, Character animation. This was the ideal software for compositing and
adding the backgrounds & SFX and the ‘Monster’. Also because of the ease to use and navigate personally
• Premier Pro 2021 : Credits, Final compilation. Easier to use and navigate personally. Some effects and transitions
on this video editing softwares fit the film better than others.
Graduation Project 2021 | Rahul Iyer | B.Des Animation Self-Initiated Project | n y c t o p h o b i a | 103

CONCEPT
GENERATION
08

INITIAL CONCEPTS AND EXPLORATION
Moodboard (For the failed concept)
The failed concept
After mind-mapping and fixing on the idea (refer. pg 32. and pg 33.) of
‘Nyctophobia’, there was an initial concept, storyboard and character design
that didn’t fulfil the brief after a thorough review with the faculty mentor.
This style for this concept was a direct inspiration from music video for
SIAMES’s The Wolf.

Story beats of the rejected concept
1. Guy wakes up in the middle of the night as he is thirsty.
2. Goes to his kitchen to get water.
3. Switches off the lights in the kitchen before walking back to his bedroom.
4. As he’s walking back to his bedroom, his Nyctophobia creeps in.
5. He feels like something is chasing him in the darkness behind.
6. He runs desperately, without looking back, trying to reach his room before the creature catches up to him.
7. He breaks the one rule of not looking back and looks.
8. The story ends when the creature catches up to him.
Initial
Storyboards
(rejected after
review)
1

Initial
Storyboards
(rejected after
review)
TITLE & credits
2 The characters (from the failed story)
The Protagonist
The protagonist in this story is running away from his fears instead of facing them. He,I felt, was athletic, and manly
looking but had all the fear suppressed inside of him. This didn’t get through the review stage.
The ‘Monster’ a.k.a Darkness
The idea of a monster here is an actual monster that ends up catching up to him when he looks back, instead of being
just an irrational imaginary creature.

Initial character explorations (rejected after review) Initial character explorations (rejected after review)
Why these
didn’t work
Both these versions
of the characters
didn’t work, after
discussion and
review with the
faculty mentor

element, background style and colour scheme (Why it didn’t make the cut?)
Monochrome colours with just blacks and whites along with certain saturated reds (at objects or characters that
signify danger), was the direction the first concept went especially because I felt that, that particular colour scheme
conveyed the very feel of that concept and the difference between lights and shadows better than any other colours.
Also minimal backgrounds ensured that our focus remained on the characters at all times. Hence, the animation had
to be of a higher frame rate and very fluid and high octane, so as to not throw the viewers off.
The problem with the colour scheme (that was brought out during the review) was that, the time of the day when the
story takes place (a moonlit midnight) wasn’t conveyed with just the blacks and whites.
Initial style frame
What didn’t work
After a thorough review and discussion with my faculty mentor, the final conclusion was that the story, its end
specifically, did not work. It did not fulfil the brief as it failed to show the irrationality of the fear and moreover the
character designs and colour didn’t pass the review stage either. The design of the protagonist looks too brave and
heroic, which for once does not communicate his base characteristics.

Other Explorations
Right after the story was chosen, I began exploring as to what styles the film
could be in. These are some treatment frames, colour exploration to see
what would have worked for the film.
Why did it not work?
Not enough emphasis on the features of
the character. Lacking detail. Did not
pass the review stage.
Again not enough emphasis on the
features of the character. Lacking detail or
colour. Did not pass the review stage.
The amount of detail does convey the
mood. But not enough colours. This did not
pass the review stage either.

DETAILS OF SELECTED
CONCEPTS AND
FINALIZATION
09

This was the one chosen style
Why This worked?
Emphasis on the features of
the character work. Fairly
detailed yet minimal.
The comic texture feel makes it
more visually appealing than
the ones before. The difference
between the light and dark
areas isn’t lost, between all the
colours.
This style was decided on by
the faculty mentor upon review
and discussion.
Finalized style
with some
tweaking

FINAL CONCEPT
Now that the basic tonality and style of the film had been landed, I moved on to working on backgrounds and
character animations.
Naming the film was never a question, ever since the story was chosen. ‘Nyctophobia’ very aptly conveys what the film
is.
The title design for the film contrasts the film itself in such a way that it works in favour of it. After the heaviness and
drama towards the end of the film this title gives off a calm yet eerie feel, which is quintessential for the film to end well.
nyctophobia

SCOPE FOR IMPROVEMENT
OF THE
FINAL COMMUNICATION
10

SCOPE FOR IMPROVEMENT OF THE FINAL COMMUNICATION
Looking at the final cut of the film, I felt that the fear the protagonist feels could have been depicted better visually.
More run-time of the film could have been spent on describing the fear. The impact of the relief the protagonist feels
on realizing the irrationality of the phobia, could have been achieved better that way, had the fear-horror aspect of
the film been explored more. The film should have also spent time on the part where the fear initially sets in.
Also, now reaching the right set of audience or even a considerable number of people, for a film like this, about
enough to spread change through their films, is tough for independent filmmakers. Especially while addressing
taboo topics.
CONCLUSION
I would like to conclude by saying that the process and the journey that I had while making this film was amazing and
insightful. Through this project I realized that despite a lot of people starting to address and take notice, how
stigmatized mental health still is in the world and India specifically.
I also learned a lot about concept generation, composition and process of how the film is made from start to finish.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND
SOURCE CREDITS
11

Bibliography
ABOUT PHOBIAS
• https://unitedbrainassociation.org/2021/02/22/common-phobias-understanding-irrational-fears/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phobia#Classification
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear#Fear_of_the_unknown
ABOUT NYCTOPHOBIA
• https://www.healthline.com/health/nyctophobia#:~:text=Nyctophobia%20is%20an%20extreme%20fear,day%2D
to%2Dday%20life.
• https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.psichi.org/resource/resmgr/journal_2015/Summer15JNLevos.pdf
• https://www.happybeds.co.uk/blog/adults-can-overcome-fear-dark
ART STYLES AND REFERENCES
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX44CAz-JhU&ab_channel=SIAMES
• https://hellboy.fandom.com/wiki/Hellboy_in_Hell_(series)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdlBeQqBVxM&ab_channel=ClashofClans
Sounds from
END CREDITS (royalty free)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hynSTzexVzg&ab_channel=VIVEKABHISHEK
OTHER SOUNDS (royalty free)
• https://freesound.org/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmC3Upuq7Vs&ab_channel=SoundEffects%E3%80%90FREE%E3%80%91
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1h64DaiNiY&ab_channel=GamePlayBoy
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IJHxUAOXd4&ab_channel=BdSoundlibrary

RETROSPECTION OF THE
EXPERIENCE
OF THE PROJECT
12

I honestly couldn’t tell how my four years at MITID passed. Time flew, literally. This was a place where I got to meet
talented and amazing fellow designers and I was lucky enough to make friends with some of them. I still envy at the
past me who had an amazing experience there. An experience I’m not forgetting in this lifetime at least.
The experience, knowledge, love that I have received is like no other. The institute had a major part in making me who
and what I am as a person today. The dream that I had 5 years back, now is a reality, and for that I would
like to thank all my faculties, seniors and friends for always guiding me at the right path. They have always
pushed me to do my best.
Thank you MITID

Nyctophobia - Graduation document (2021)

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