Infection by Flu Virus

8/4/2019 Infection by Flu Virus

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Infection by Flu Virus

Spectacular Science

A Collaborative Project


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The Brief

Produce a short animation

depicting infection by the flu

virus. The animation should beaimed at A-Level students.


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Approaching the Brief

Whilst the flu virus is not covered by thenational curriculum in the U.K. the

H.I.V. virus is. This provided a good

template for ascertaining the level of

detail required for the target audience.

From a design perspective I want to

create a visually impactful piece that

does not alienate either gender. This

way it can be shown to a mixed group

of students.


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The Plot

Titles etc.

Fade from white.

Act 1

Narration notes: Introducing the virus, its method of infection and the main components.

Scene 1

The cam pans zooms into a globule of mucus/ saliva that is travelling through the air.

(subdued blue and green background) Holding the droplet in frame for a short while before breaking

the surface and entering the fluid. Particles float past the lens at varying depths. Some of these particles

are black the camera zooms past them and holds one the viruses in shot tracking around it. The

background colours change as the droplet is inhaled becoming shades of orange and red. Fade out

Scene 2

Rear tracking shot of globule travelling up the nasal cavity past hairs etc. travels with speed

as the air is drawn in. The background and environmental colours become ruddier and redder as the

camera passes deeper into the body (indicative of heavier blood concentration) Bypassing this

preliminary defence the droplet makes its way towards the back of the throat. Camera ceases to track

the droplet holding it in frame as it disappears into the gloom. Fade out.

Scene3

Fade in to back of throat. Environmental colours are soft fleshy pastel shades occasionallycrossed with veins and capillaries below the wet glistening surface. The camera starts to zoom in on the

surface of the trachea, this starts to bring details into view. The camera pauses to establish the next

shot. The wall of the throat is coated in a fluid below which thousands of tiny cilia pulse in a

predetermined rhythm. Faintly below s layer we can see vague shapes of blood vessels. Whilst the cam

takes in this view the droplet passes into shot. The camera tracks the globule as it lands in the mucus

layer, ripples emanate from the crash point. Cut to new camera showing several virus being carried

away from the crash site by the current created by the cilia which pulse below them. The camera

follows one of these virus as it sinks and nestles down into the base of the cilia. (Think anemone).Fade

out.


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Act 2

Narration notes: this act describes the infiltration of the virus into a host cell and then the subsequent RNA

replication process.

This act takes place within the cell camera movements need to resolved once scale is calculated below is the

process before appropriate editing and cinematography. Much of these issues will be resolved during

storyboarding.

Scene 1

The virus attaches itself to the sialic acid sugars on the surface of the cell with its

hemagglutinin. Once attached a protease cleaves the hemagglutinin and the virus is absorbed into the cell by

endocytosis.

During the process of endocytosis a vacuole forms around the virus. The acidic nature of the endosome causes

the hem agglutinin to bond with the wall of the vacuole and the Ion channel(s) draw in protons. These protons

will appear as glowing particles floating in the solution, they will be drawn in much like a vacuum cleaner as the

numbers increase the ion channel(s) will develop radiating channels that will perforate the virus. (The visual

cues are derived from objects powering up, ref: Independence day alien spaceship firing. Reaching critical mass

etc.) (Possibly a bit of camera shake)

Scene 2

The virus peels apart around the perforations releasing RNA, various proteins and RNA-

dependant RNA polymerase into the cytoplasm. These proteins and vRNA combine to form a complex which

then travels into the cell nucleus. Here the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase begins producing complementarypositive-sense vRNA. (Transcription). Some of the vRNA returns to the cytoplasm and

is translated whilst some remains in the nucleus.

Scene 3

Newly synthesised viral proteins are either secreted through the Golgi apparatus onto the cell

surface (in the case of neuraminidase and hemagglutinin) or transported back into the nucleus to bind vRNA and

form new viral genome particles. Other viral proteins have multiple actions in the host cell, including degrading

cellular mRNA and using the released nucleotides for vRNA synthesis and also inhibiting translation of host-cell

mRNAs. Negative-sense vRNAs that form the genomes of future viruses, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, and

other viral proteins assemble into a virus. Hemagglutinin and neuraminidase cluster into a bulge in the cellmembrane. The vRNA and viral core proteins leave the nucleus and enter this nodule.


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Act 3

Narration notes: This act depicts the newly formed viruses emerging from the once healthy host cell, the

colour of the cell has turned grey and is starting to darken. The final scene is one of the healthy cells dying off

in large dark patches which will eventually fade to black.

Scene 1

The mature virus buds off from the cell in a sphere of host phospholipid membrane, acquiringhemagglutinin and neuraminidase with this membrane coat. The viruses adhere to the cell through

hemagglutinin, the mature viruses detach once their neuraminidase has cleaved sialic acid residues from the

host cell.

Scene 2

After the virus has formed the bud the camera pans away from the host cell as it does so the

newly emerged virus follows it and lands between the cilia of an adjacent cell. As the camera pans away we

see more viruses fruiting and being released into the fluid that coats the trachea.

Scene 3

The camera zooms out away from surface of the trachea as patches of dark greyish brown

dead cells spread outward from points of infection. Coverage fills the screen which fades to black.

Final titles.


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Virus Designs


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Experimenting with the

Graphical Ident


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Colour Concept


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Storyboards


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Concept Art


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Models


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Pre-Vis

Just act 1 at the moment and it still

needs some tinkering.

http://vimeo.com/28415979

Trial Video

http://vimeo.com/28172070
http://vimeo.com/28415979http://vimeo.com/28172070http://vimeo.com/28172070http://vimeo.com/28415979


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Soundtrack

Click on the image to hear the soundtrack (Hopefully)


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