Not only that obstacle that was referenced, but also the plot twist that the main character got betrayed by his trusted companion. In the case of my story, the main character got betrayed by his manager and it caused his lost against the antagonist. In comparison with the referenced movie 8 mile, the main character was promised to get a record in a studio but instead, his friend was having sex with his girlfriend in the studio. The betrayal fuels both main character to have a revenge, in the case of my story, the main character challenge the antagonist in a championship match at the main event, while the main character in 8 mile challenge the whole gang to a rap battle that he never wanted at first.

Conclusion

Main Movies' references

8 Mile

Creed II

Real Steel

Real Steel and Creed inspired me on the main character's obstacles and motivation.

While 8 Mile inspired the plot twist on betrayal and vengeance motivation.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_Steel

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creed_II

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8_Mile_(film)

Reference to support the idea of "Hero Arc's Storytelling Structure" = The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers by Christopher Vogler

Specific chapter/content that supports the idea

• Part Two – The Stages of the Hero’s Journey

  • “Tests, Allies, and Enemies” → Explains how the hero faces disadvantages and trials that force him to adapt and grow, often with the help of mentors or allies (fits your protagonist’s size/strength disadvantage in wrestling, and the teamwork/coach angle like Creed II and Real Steel).

  • “The Ordeal” → The central crisis where the hero faces their greatest fear or setback. This aligns with your betrayal plot twist (the manager’s betrayal like in 8 Mile), which devastates the hero before fueling their revenge/redemption drive.

  • “Resurrection” → The final stage where the hero emerges transformed, ready to face the climax (your championship match).

How to apply it

• The “disadvantage” aligns with the Trials stage (where the hero must develop skills and strategies).

• The “betrayal” is the Ordeal, which pushes the hero to his lowest point before transformation.

• The “revenge championship” aligns with Resurrection + Return with the Elixir (hero proves transformation and brings resolution).

= Ben10 Omniverse (2D Animation&Motion)

= One Piece (Impact Frame)

= Vinland Saga (Action) Specifically Thorfinn vs Thorkell (Vinland Saga)

• Justice League: War (Art Style)
  Using anatomical clarity, weight, staging, anticipation etc. (from Thomas & Johnston) lets wrestling moves be shown with seriousness and impact. The style signals to audience that fights are not cartoon-slap but physically demanding and meaningful.

• Ben 10: Omniverse (2D Motion)
  Exaggeration, timing & spacing keep the motion fun, expressive, emotionally readable. Theory says viewers engage more when motion shows struggle/failure; your training/grind scenes can use that to build empathy.

• One Piece (Impact Frames/Visual Punctuation)
  Lamarre’s “exploded view”, sudden shifts, and anime visual punctuation support using impact frames to mark milestones (first successful throw, overcoming dominance). The theory shows these break in visuals catch emotional attention.

• Vinland Saga (Action / Thorfinn vs Thorkell)
  Combats that show adaptation, incremental improvement (solid staging, timing, follow-through) model the hero’s growth. Also emotional weight through facial/body motion helps viewers feel the pain and triumph — supported by perceptual expression studies.

Researches

• 1. The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation

  • Relevant content: Chapter 3–4, The Principles of Animation → especially Anticipation, Squash and Stretch, Staging, Timing & Spacing, Follow-Through & Overlapping Action, Solid Drawing.

  • Explains: How movement preparation, exaggeration, and clarity of staging make actions feel weighty, believable, and emotionally legible.

  • Supports: Wrestling moves (suplexes, grapples, slams) gain impact through anticipation and follow-through; solid drawing and staging keep anatomy clear so audiences can follow complex holds.

  2. The Animator’s Survival Kit (Richard Williams)

  • Relevant content:

    • Part II, Timing and Spacing → shows how rhythm changes distinguish clumsy vs smooth motion.

    • Part III, Walks, Runs, Flexibility → explains anatomical mechanics in stylized characters.

    • Part IV, Dialogue & Acting → links body language and timing to emotion.

  • Explains: Practical tools for animators to achieve smooth motion, readable weight, and expressive body performance.

  • Supports: Wrestling sequences can shift tempo to show progression: slow/clumsy beginner → sharp/snappy pro. Acting/body cues in holds and submissions express struggle and grit.

  3. The Anime Machine: A Media Theory of Animation (Thomas Lamarre)

  • Relevant content:

    • Chapter 2, The Exploded View → impact frames, multiplanar images, sudden stylistic ruptures.

    • Chapter 4, Compositing and Layers → how anime builds intensity by layering effects.

  • Explains: Why anime uses sudden breaks in visual flow (impact frames, compositing tricks) to heighten emotion and intensity.

  • Supports: One Piece–style impact frames can punctuate key underdog milestones; layering effects amplify wrestling moves (rope slams, throws) into epic moments.

  4. The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning (2nd ed., 2014)

  • Relevant content: Chapter 24, Animation Composition Principle in Multimedia Learning (Rolf A. Zwaan, Richard Lowe, Wolfgang Schnotz, Michel Boucheix).

  • Explains: How learners (or viewers) mentally build models from sequential animations; breaking motion into meaningful segments enhances comprehension and engagement.

  • Supports: Training montages → audiences can track growth when each wrestling attempt is staged as a clear “unit” of progress. This cognitive principle justifies showing the grind step by step.

  5. Handbook of Human Motion (Boris Müller, Sergei N. Pozdnyakov et al., 2018)

  • Relevant content: Section on Perceptual Studies of Dynamic Facial and Body Expressions.

  • Explains: Dynamic motion (timing, speed, intensity of change) enhances how humans perceive emotion compared to static frames.

  • Supports: In Vinland Saga–style combat, emotion in the hero’s fight (determination, exhaustion, triumph) comes alive through moving expressions and body struggle, not static shots. This backs up animating micro-expressions during wrestling fights.

• Colors: Golden Yellow, Bright Yellow, Navy Blue, Muted Beige, Golden Beige, Burnt Orange.

• Mood/Tone: Warm, nostalgic, slightly whimsical, but grounded with seriousness.

• Function in Wrestling Scene:

  • Spotlights and sweat illuminated by golden/yellow tones.

  • Beige/oranges for the arena’s worn textures and crowd.

  • Navy blue adds dramatic contrast for shadows, villains, or downbeat moments.

• Effect: Creates the feeling of a faded Polaroid memory — sweaty, gritty, but glorified through nostalgia.

2. Supporting References

- Dream Worlds: Production Design for Animation by Hans Bacher(production designer for Disney e.g. Mulan and Lion King)

Section: “Visual Flow”

• Explains how alternating palettes create rhythm in storytelling : audiences subconsciously feel “highs and lows.”

• Warm = exciting = energy burst.

• Cool = calm = emotional weight.

• using two contrasting palettes as a storytelling tool, not just aesthetics.

1. Color Spectrum

• Light tones: muted greys, pale blues → feel like soft daylight filtered through glass.

• Medium tones: slate, navy, dusty teal → grounding, weighty, contemplative.

• Dark tones: charcoal, deep indigo, near-black → add density, loneliness, and a sense of confinement.

• Overall effect: desaturation + cool tones = introspective and emotionally restrained.

2. Emotional Atmosphere

• Melancholy & Alienation: The washed-out blues suggest distance from warmth, reinforcing themes of isolation or emotional detachment.

• Quiet & Contemplative: The subdued palette encourages slower pacing, longer takes, and introspective silence.

• Urban Loneliness: Fits with big city exteriors or empty interiors — the character is surrounded by life but disconnected from it.

3. Narrative Applications

This palette works best for off-ring, private-life scenes:

• Hotel rooms / apartments → sterile, cold, a visual echo of emotional emptiness.

• Travel sequences (bus rides, city walks) → emphasizes the solitude of transient spaces.

• Quiet conversations → the subdued colors highlight subtle emotions, making small gestures or words feel amplified.

• Moments of doubt or reflection → when the wrestler questions his identity, purpose, or relationships.

4. Cinematic Precedents

• Lost in Translation (2003) → Used urban blues and greys to show isolation in a bustling Tokyo.

• In the Mood for Love (2000) → Though warmer at times, it similarly used muted palettes to heighten longing and unspoken emotion.

• The Wrestler (2008) → Narrative moments outside the ring leaned cooler and desaturated, contrasting the warm chaos of matches.

5. Technical Considerations

• Lighting: Soft, naturalistic, often from windows or neon — avoid strong warm key lights.

• Camera: Long lenses or static frames amplify the emotional stillness.

• Texture: Smooth surfaces (glass, metal, rain) reinforce the cool palette; fabrics should lean toward muted blues/greys.

6. Supporting References

- Dream Worlds: Production Design for Animation by Hans Bacher(production designer for Disney e.g. Mulan and Lion King)

Section: “Visual Flow”

• Explains how alternating palettes create rhythm in storytelling : audiences subconsciously feel “highs and lows.”

• Warm = exciting = energy burst.

• Cool = calm = emotional weight.

• using two contrasting palettes as a storytelling tool, not just aesthetics.

Basic Trailer Story Structure — Derek Lieu Creative - Game Trailer Editor

After going through the research of the story structure in trailer, I concluded the information that the structure of the trailer consists with at least 3 acts structure similar to basic 3 acts structure in storytelling, but the purpose of each acts works differently.

In trailer structure, mainly it will includes introduction, escalation, and climax. But most of the time, trailers are made with 4-5 structure, which included both cold opening to strike first attention of the audiences, and the button at the end to tease the audience's interests of the film.

In my case, I decided to do it in 4 acts including cold opening, introduction, escalation, and climax. Cold opening to strike audiences' attention and interests, following by the introduction to introduce the story for the audience and the main storyline of the film, then escalation to rise the tension of the story to attracts audiences' interests with the flow of the story and main character's objective, end the escalation parts with introducing the antagonist. Finally the climax to hype up audiences the highlight of the story and main conflicts of the film before teasing with the last clash between the two and ended the trailer with the film logo.

By the choice of the time period, character designs and environment designs needs to look as close as the references time. So I dive down back in the 70s to finds more material that I need to apply and add into the animation.

Concept: the scratchy texture of the typography to illustrate the wildness of the movie's theme in wrestling, similarly referring to the design of the ruthless aggression era WWE's logo. The graphics on both side represents the silhouette of a phoenix and a crow. They represent the downfall of the character that tries to rise back and is reborn stronger than ever.