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Since I have not make pixel art before, I need to study from 0. This channel is focusing on making pixel art for game. He have both tutorials on how to start, what to aware of, and also analyzing the color scheme inside pixel art game.

I learned how to used limited pelleted to the game, and how to connect each limited palette color by using color ramp.

Pixel art is different from Full CG since it is pixel and the size is very small, every dots is important.

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Catch me live on twitch: Mon - Fri 1-6pm (GMT+10) Twitch: http://twitch.tv/adamcyounis
Twitter: http://twitter.com/adamcyounis
Discord: https://discord.gg/9WkRG7s
Become a Patron at https://www.patreon.com/adamcyounis Check out my game Insignia at http://uppon-hill.itch.io/insignia

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This video helps me to know what I need to be aware of while doing my work. Since each line is important, it is important to have the right of the line in the line out process.

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My Personal Do's and Don'ts of Pixel art! (How I make pixel art!)

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Process of creating story boards and storybeats.

What to focus on on the on the story boards process in order to tell the story.

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The video talks about how RPG maker games create horrors, although they are pixel art styles. Some are using jump scares, atmosphere, etc.

Most of the horror RPG games portray characters's traumatic experiences, which the video explains how they narrate.

This video also helps me to illustrate the map and how other games use dreams as the perception of their traumatic experiences.

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RPG Maker Horror Games, Surrealism, and Trauma

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How Yume Nikki create dream world design

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How Yume Nikki create dream world design

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Yume Nikki is one of the game which portrays character traumatic experiences through her dream. Each of the map will give some hints what happened to her. I like how they did not tell it directly what happen, but the player can still guest by using visuals in the game to connect the dots.

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Adam by Eve: A Live in Animation | ตัวอย่างภาพยนตร์อย่างเป็นทางการ | Netflix

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Trailer story telling study

Using story narrative graph and study how the this trailer tell story through visuals.

More information is in RVJ pg, 39

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Adam by Eve: A Live in Animation | ตัวอย่างภาพยนตร์อย่างเป็นทางการ | Netflix

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Trauma and Recovery | An Overview of OMORI

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OMORI is a game which portray how main character Sunny have escape from his traumatic experiences through his dream.

This video tell how the game told a 5 stage of griefs of the game which portrays how Sunny use his dream to move on with his traumatic experiences.

This gives me the plot idea for my thesis on how they using dream as something that can haunt you or can heal you as well.

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Trauma and Recovery | An Overview of OMORI

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The psychology of post-traumatic stress disorder - Joelle Rabow Maletis

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The analysis is in RVJ pg, 26

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The psychology of post-traumatic stress disorder - Joelle Rabow Maletis

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Sample screenshot of how the game would be

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Making the gradient to look the same as the main draft in AE

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After discussing with Ajarn, Adisara, we think dark blue color will make the character value similar to overall map too much. We decided to use light blue to make character stand out instead.

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Contact with Ajarn from sound design and contact with his student

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Contact with Ajarn from sound design and contact with his student

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For sound design, I had asked Ajarn from sound design workshop to suggest me people who can make a sound design ans music for the trailers for me.

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Major Project - Submative Assessment - Piraya Chiranakorn

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Small testing for table assets

At first, I wanted to add a gradient to add detail, but it did not match the map since the map has a mostly minimal design. So I changed it to not have a gradient and focused on putting brightness and darkness through lines around the table.

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Napassha volunteered to help me animate the eye creature's tentacles, so I requested that she help me with the rough, then I was going to clean it up by myself.

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At first, I asked Aj and Adisara to help me choose the design, and we chose the blood one because it makes the map look more scary and the broken roof is too neat in terms of layout in the broken part.

During the render part, my light behind the character is too strong, so she suggests I lower the opacity of the pink light at the back for the audience to focus on the character more.

The eyes did not have occulsion shadow, so I add it after getting the comment.

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Sound pacing check.

At first, the sound when water is dropping comes, then the quote "it's all your fault" comes immediately, so it has no pacing. Then we decided to change and make the water drop sound fade out, then the talking sound comes in.

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The window silhouette need to be more clear

The map value is too similar with the character, so make it brighter or darker to get more mood to horror game as well.

Walk cycle -> although it is chibi style, but we need to think about the joint when character is walking.

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References for rendering map and color scheme

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References for rendering map and color scheme

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After getting comments I had list out the scenes I want to show in the trailer.

Item - classroom

walking/running from monster - hallway + canteen

hiding - bahtroom

other map - rooftop

main scene - art classroom

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The second final animatic Ajarn had suggested that I make the ratio of the whole video the same in both the animation and the game, so I decided to make the size of the animation and the game the same for the whole trailer.

Second, I had tested the map color twice. Ajarn had suggested that I add contrast between the map and character, so I made the character  brighter than the map.

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The overall pacing is better

The game scene might be too less, try to list what mechanics in the trailer you want to show in the trailer.

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First animatic testing

Edit character move while breathing (because when people moving their head and body will also move as well.)

expand the character to make character near the screens.

When open the door, making the animatic to have step to make audience knows what to focus first, so change pacing when character open the door to be 1. open door -> eyes open

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I edited the story to give the audience a better hint of what happened in the story. However, when I try to edit this, it makes the trailer too complicated because I'm not sure which part I want to focus on and what information I want to hint at. Ajarn and Adisara had suggested that I make the trailer simple and think about the sentence that you want to hint at about the character relationship that causes the main character to feel guilt about the incident. Then she gave me a suggestion of thinking of settings and creatures that can relate to Id, Ego, and Superego that may help me to clearly know how each creature and character will relate to the MC traumatic experiences.

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First consult during open of 2nd semester

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First consult during open of 2nd semester

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Testing 3D Eyeballs for Scene 6

I choose to utilize this approach rather than drawing frame by frame because it can take a while to draw. This method cuts down on the amount of time needed to create the eyeball scene, thus even if my after effects crashed twice, it was still worthwhile.

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This room had been working in process since first semester, I had change color scheme to match with other map, and will add gradient and add glow effect again during animation process.

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Last edited of hallway map

change brightness to match with horror game concept

Edit window silhouette to become more clear.

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When creating the classroom map, I had to produce numerous color changes because the entire game needed to have the same color scheme. In this time lapse, the color is more neon compared to the final version.I had discuss with Ajarn Adisara the way the contrast and value in the sketch was too similar and were inconsistent with the hallway's value. As a result, I changed the color to be less neon and concentrated on making the entire map have the same color scheme.

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I used Rotoscope animation technique as references for pacing of the animation. The video was the tooked by myself.

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I using this method since I do not have strong fundamentals to directly draw my design in another perspective cleary, so I made a 3D models to able to draw it in CG scene in animation.

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MILGRAM -ミルグラム- / アマネ「粛清マーチ」第二審MV

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Milgram project is telling story of people who have mental disorder or character who have distorted mindset which makes character to view the world in their illusion.
I use this project to help me references the world between real world and illusion.

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MILGRAM -ミルグラム- / アマネ「粛清マーチ」第二審MV

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The LSD: Dream Emulator Iceberg Explained | Anomaly Analysis #17

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LSD Dream Emulator is one of the famous games in which tons of anomalies appear in the game and represent something.

The anomalies in our dreams mostly portray something we fear or something we do not want to see. This helps me to create a creature in the game, and what I want to use a creature as is what the character has experienced.

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The LSD: Dream Emulator Iceberg Explained | Anomaly Analysis #17

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Interview - คุมฟิล์ม สำหรับ Primary Soruces

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『チェンソーマン』第５話ノンクレジットエンディング / CHAINSAW MAN #5 Ending│syudou 「インザバックルーム」

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Study on how they use symbolism to tell the story.

Study on using vivid color scheme in the animation.

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『チェンソーマン』第５話ノンクレジットエンディング / CHAINSAW MAN #5 Ending│syudou 「インザバックルーム」

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Copy of Edit Animatic with sound Final.mov

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First screenshot sample

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Learning the workflow of background artist

Getting critique for Major Project work

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Learning how to mix and arrange sound in logic pro by using free source (soundly)

How to find keyword for sfx

Get contact for sound designer

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Market Survey

How they decorate the booth (For exhibition decoration study)

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Inside game color and screenshot sample test

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Inside game color and screenshot sample test

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The old design progress was explained in RVJ page 55 - 59

For this semester, I changed the color to blue - purple - red because blue can represent death and remorse red can represent anger or danger, and purple represents mystery. I want to use blue as the main because I also want it to have some underwater images in the game.

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How to portray character trauma in the story

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How to portray character trauma in the story

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Perfect blue is one the movie which portray character delusion along with the terrifying story plot. This help me to understand how to make character looks like they are seeing their traumatic experiences or their nightmare. The illusion and the another self of the character can portray that they want to delete themself or want to run away.

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Eye creature - representing fear of anxiety

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Eye creature - representing fear of anxiety

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Testing out the size for sprite, lastly I choose 4x4 (32x4) since it will make the size match with proportion of the RPG Maker size 816x624. I choose this size since the map will be a lot bigger, so if the sprite is too big, it will make the map to exaggerated the size more.

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Character Design Process

The Previous design process is mentioned in my old RVJ.

For this year, I cut out the long hair part because Aj, Damian had suggested me that since the character is gloomy and lack of self-confident he will not put a flashy hair styles or outfit on himself.

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The first draft is from last semester, the process is shown in RVJ page 60 - 61

I added some flashbacks and more hints of the game to let the audience get a hint of the story behind this mysterious world that the characters are facing.

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Sketches of the map that will appear in the book and trailer.

I laying out what the game play will have and what map will show each game play in the trailer (top-left note).

The main map I going to do are toilet (for hiding scene), Classroom for item scene, hallway for running scene. Others are for showcase in the concept artbook.

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The Eye creature design is developed from last semester's design. I had asked Aj.Damian about how to make the design look more creative. He suggested I try to mix the species in the creature to add more function to the character and also by adding thick legs to the creature, the audience will able to sense how scary the creature is (For example, they can grab us or have sharp teeth that can bite us).

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Analysis what makes horror game scary using Little Nightmare as case study

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Analysis what makes horror game scary using Little Nightmare as case study

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Cover image via

What is it exactly that makes the music sound so scary? Let's dive into the theory behind horror scores to uncover why they strike fear.

We're all familiar with the type of music that plagues horror films. The moment a twisted score starts to play, we know the fate of the on-screen characters isn't looking too good. But have you ever wondered what it is exactly that makes soundtracks so haunting?

As a composer myself, writing music that makes the audience uncomfortable and has an eerie tone to it is something I thoroughly enjoy. Let's take a moment to explore the techniques composers use to achieve this particular sound world and how to use these theories to your advantage when adding scores to your own horror film.

The Power of Dissonance

Dissonance refers to a lack of harmony in music. Dissonance in music will make your audience feel uneasy and it helps to create tension and a sense of motion in compositions. Typically, you have Major and Minor tonalities in music. Major commonly provides a positive and happy mood, while minor is associated with the feeling of sadness or darkness.

This is all to do with the Intervals between each of the notes in any given tonality: in a minor key, the notes are lowered, which greatly changes the overall vibe.

Dissonance is a staple technique used in horror soundtracks to elevate that discomfort and fear. This is achieved by two or more tones played together, which don't sound very pleasant to the ear. In Western Classical Music Theory, the dissonance is usually resolved to lift the tension, but in this case, it's permanently there, lingering.

An example of dissonance is found in Bobby Krlic's Soundtrack for the film Midsommar. The soundtrack "Gassed" begins with a long sustained violin note while another enters, moving around the home note in complete dissonance. Jarring right?!

Contrast and Transition

The contrast principle states songs should present opposing ideas as it progresses. Whilst Midsommar has its dark and scary sound world, Bobby Krlic also uses tonalities that sound more hopeful yet still have a disturbing undertone. This is achieved by transitioning between contrasting passages. Towards the end of the film there is both a sense of relief but also sheer disturbance; the music perfectly conveys this.

The piece "Fire Temple" is initially calm, with soft strings playing slow chords. While it has a long build-up, it turns sour with the introduction of tremolo (rapid repetition of notes) and high strings that sound like screams. This blend between two opposite sound worlds leaves a distressing feeling, just like what you see on the screen.

Harsh Textures and Pulsating Rhythms

Musical texture is how the layers of sound are built and how they interact with each other. It's very similar to how you would feel a tactile object with your hands. The smoothness of a soft blanket is comforting, but the texture of a bed of nails is much less welcoming. This is the same in sound.

The combination of textures includes low drones with eerie whispers of other sounds, thicker chordal textures with harsher sounding chord progressions, and high-pitched instrumental screeches. Many soundtracks will have sudden outbursts to compliment jump scares.

The most famous is Bernard Herrmann's score for the Shower Scene in Psycho. Not only are the high-pitched strings playing in complete dissonance, but they are playing every note accented, at a loud dynamic, most likely played at the heel of the bow for a grittier and gnarly sound. The constant rhythm imitates the stabbing effect, another way to implement indefinite fear!

One of the more popular compositional techniques used is . The slow and low development gives a dark ambient texture, which contributes to building tension. To further enhance this, putting a pulsating rhythm over the top can also add anticipation and also gives the effect of a heartbeat.

Composers can play around with this idea by altering the rhythm; having an irregular heartbeat rhythm could heighten anxiety, but also keeping a constant rhythm can also do the same. Howard Shore, who composed the score for The Silence Of The Lambs, uses this technique. Not only is the harmonic language scary with its dissonant nature, but the addition of the timpani over the chord sequence highlights the angst of what is happening on screen.

Pulsating rhythm can also be interpreted in the Jaws theme. John Williams composed a staple chromatic motif, alternating between two notes half a step away from each other, gradually accelerating as if a giant shark is about to attack!

Instrumentation

Amongst all the technical musical features already discussed, let's not forget the choice of instruments. While there are a vast amount of instrumentation choices, a popular choice is the String Family. It offers a very versatile palette of tones, textures, timbres, and dynamics to incite fear. The lower strings (Double Bass and Cello) can play very low rumbling drones, with the ability to build dynamically by adding more pressure to the bow.

The higher strings (Violins and Violas) can play alarming passages, imitate screeches, screams, and even stabs! The use of the bow can change the sound in many ways: playing nearer the heel of the bow for a sharper timbre, playing nearer the bridge for a glass-like sound (known as sul ponticello), and rapidly repeated bow strokes for a quivering sound (known as .

Not only are acoustic instruments used, but the wonders of music technology have further stretched the possibilities of finding other sounds to create a scary atmosphere. The creation of DAWs (digital audio workstations) allow composers to enhance the listener experience by including more immersive sound worlds. The methods of audio editing have made the composition process much more exciting as creating that horror soundscape with more available parameters can ultimately take the listener into that other world.

Going back to Midsommar, the track "Hålsingland" has this incredible slow pulsating drone, accompanied by sinister waves of sound, which was only made possible through current music technology.

Synthesizers provided a wider range of sounds to explore. John Carpenter, who scored and The Thing, showcases the synthesizer's versatility in creating spooky soundtracks. Most recently, Stranger Things have resurrected that early synthesizer sound in the horror scene, not only taking us back to the 80s but still achieving that creepy feel to it.

So, next time when you decide to have a horror movie night, listen out for those dissonant riffs, the jarring textures, and pulsating rhythms, and allow them to inspire the perfect musical theme for your next horror film or short. Study how they move you to feel uncomfortable and how they work within the edit and the story. This will no doubt take your spooky scene to the next level.

If you would like to explore PremiumBeat's range of Midsommar-inspired music, check out this playlist.

Cover image by jesadaphorn

For more on music, check out these articles:

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Music and Horror: What Makes Music Sound Scary

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What is it exactly that makes the music sound so scary? Let's dive into the theory behind horror scores to uncover why they strike fear. What is it exactly that makes the music sound so scary? Let's dive into the theory behind horror scores to uncover why they strike fear.

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Major Project - Formative Assessment - Piraya Chiranakorn

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Interviewing Uri - What makes horror game scary

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Brief and animatic with story board for the sound composer to understand the project

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The pacing will be between ambience sound like underwater feelings and intense sound to create the tension to audience.

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Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

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First animatic test, the ratio of the video is still not confirm in this one, but the final product will be in the square ratio to make animation match the game display.

The pacing I want to play with ambience sound, silence, and the sudden tension in the music to make viewer a little bit scared. The trailer is mainly showing game play, however, the trailer will also have some hint of what happened in the story.

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First draft of animatic with comission sound

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First draft of animatic with comission sound

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adding sound track and edit sound effect

The final one is in Animatic session

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This video help me to decide what size I will use for the game, since RPG maker size if fixed, I need to know the proportion between character sprite and map size.

(The explanation about proportion is in my work process)

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What Canvas Size Should you use for Pixel Art? (Pixel Art Tutorial)

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Timelpase of making blood and bone in the map

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Timelpase of making blood and bone in the map

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Animation trailer project helping me to study about pacing and the impact of how the quotes in trailer impact the story and what to show to audiences.

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Submmative Assessment Presentation - Punt

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Submmative Assessment Presentation - Punt

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Piraya Chiranakorn - Career Plan Template

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Piraya Chiranakorn - Career Plan Template