In the CHINGMU "Digital Dream" Special Competition of the 20th China Creative Challenges Contest, the national first prize-winning work in the Virtual Production Short Film category, "Beneath the Watermark," tells the story of student Lin Yan, who, while restoring film reels at the Pearl Theater, discovers "A Day in Xiguan," a film recording Xiguan in 1994. In the footage, a young girl named A Yue disappears before taking the stage. AI attempts to fabricate her stage appearance, but Lin Yan refuses to accept the fiction. An old projector starts up, transporting him back to 1994 to salvage the true memory. After enduring numerous trials, Lin Yan ultimately decides to preserve the watermarks and the blanks, allowing the fragmented past to be passed down in its most authentic voice.
The creation of this work relied on the stable computing support and AI creation platform provided on-site by CHINGMU. The team used AI tools to rapidly generate multiple storyboard versions, iteratively refining the narrative rhythm and visual language, transforming the core motif of "restoring memory" into a concrete and coherent visual narrative. The creation of a nostalgic atmosphere and the emotional elevation of the theme "preserving imperfection" became key points of repeated refinement throughout the team's creative process, ultimately shaping this delicate and moving animated storyboard.
Institution: Guangzhou Huashang College
Team Members: Chen Lintong, Lei Jiabao, Zhu Yufei, Yang Ke, Wang Jiashuo
Instructor: Qiao Lei
