An old temple drummer will not let his granddaughter play her own beat, until his drum splits on festival day and the temple elephant refuses to move for anyone else's rhythm.
Style Kerala mural painting16 keyframes7 ghost framesModel Qwen-Image 2.1 · fast
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Storyboard
16 keyframes. 7 ghost frames — the one-change-per-edit steps between them — are hidden; switch them on at the bottom left.
01
The temple courtyard at the festival: old Achan beats his drum, Kesavan the elephant walks in through the gateway, and Meenu watches with a clay pot.
02
In the back yard, Meenu drums on her clay pot, grinning.
03
Achan stands in the doorway and points at her, frowning.
in between
AC03a Meenu stops, her hands on her knees, and looks up at him.
04
That evening, Achan sits on the step pulling the cords of his drum tight; her pot sits in the yard.
05
Close on the drum-skin: a thin crack runs in from the rim.
06
Achan turns his face away from the drum, eyes shut.
07
Festival day: Achan strikes the cracked drum; a jagged, off-key sound goes toward Kesavan, who sits down in the gateway with his head turned away.
08
Kesavan sits with his eyes shut tight and his head turned away from the jarring beat.
09
Achan raises both sticks high, teeth gritted.
in between
AC09a The sticks come down hard on the crack.
10
The skin splits open along the crack.
in between
AC10 Silence: Achan stands frozen over his torn drum.
11
Meenu sits down in front of the gate and drums on her pot, the way she did in the yard.
in between
AC12a Achan stands frozen beside Meenu as she drums on her pot.
12
Achan leans over her, glaring, and jabs a stick toward her face; she flinches.
in between
AC12b Achan still jabs his stick at her, but Meenu goes back to drumming on her pot.
13
His face softens as he looks down at her, his sticks lowered to the drum.
14
One stick raised, the other strikes the wooden rim of the broken drum.
in between
AC16a Achan keeps time on the rim while Meenu drums; Kesavan still sits in the gateway.AC14 Kesavan's ears spread wide as he listens.
15
Kesavan stands up in the gateway and lifts one front foot over the threshold.
16
Next year, under new festival garlands: a taller Meenu leads with a drum, and Achan beside her taps the rim of his old, mended drum.
Cast, props & sets
Achan, the old master drummerMeenu, his granddaughterKesavan, the temple elephantKesavan refusing (derived)The chendaMeenu's potSet: the back yardSet: the temple courtyard (first gen, with villagers)Set: the courtyard, closer and empty (derived)
Thrown away (235)
candidates/meenu_t2.png — reads as a grown woman, not 11candidates/achan_t2.png — dark strip along the bottom edgecandidates/pot_t1.png — style carries faces: painted eyes on the pot; not upside downcandidates/pot_t2.png — style carries faces: painted eyes on the pot; not upside downcandidates/pot_t3.png — style carries faces: painted eyes on the pot; not upside downcandidates/courtyard_t1.png — photographic room with murals on its walls, not a flat mural; narrow doorwaycandidates/courtyard_t2.png — photographic room with murals on its walls, not a flat mural; narrow doorwaycandidates/courtyard_t3.png — photographic room with murals on its walls, not a flat mural; narrow doorwaycandidates/yard_t1.png — photographic yard with a palm painted on the wall, not a flat muralcandidates/yard_t2.png — photographic yard with a palm painted on the wall, not a flat muralcandidates/yard_t3.png — photographic yard with a palm painted on the wall, not a flat muralcandidates/kesavan_t1.png — two tails, one on each sidecandidates/pot_t1.png — mouth up, not upside downcandidates/pot_t2.png — mouth up, not upside downcandidates/courtyard_t3.png — figures crowd the left foreground where Achan must standcandidates/AC01-base_t3.png — two drums (judge FAIL right)candidates/AC04-skin_t1.png — skin overshot to lemon yellow: chest mean (228,173,60) vs sheet (186,108,20), base (152,84,32)candidates/AC04-skin_t2.png — skin overshot to lemon yellow: chest mean (228,173,60) vs sheet (186,108,20), base (152,84,32)candidates/AC04-skin_t3.png — skin overshot to lemon yellow: chest mean (228,173,60) vs sheet (186,108,20), base (152,84,32)candidates/AC02_t1.png — raised open palm above the head reads as a WAVE, not a drum strikecandidates/AC02_t2.png — raised open palm above the head reads as a WAVE, not a drum strikecandidates/AC02_t3.png — raised open palm above the head reads as a WAVE, not a drum strikecandidates/courtyard-empty_t2.png — right-wall lamp erased to a stubcandidates/courtyard-empty_t3.png — right-wall lamp erased to a stub, smudge at left floorcandidates/AC02_t2.png — right palm faces us vertical: reads as a clap/wavecandidates/AC02_t3.png — right palm vertical, reads as a clapcandidates/AC03_t2.png — head clipped against the doorway topcandidates/AC01-base_t1.png — composed on the photographic-doorway set; Achan stands beside his drum, not playing itcandidates/AC01-base_t2.png — composed on the photographic-doorway set; Achan stands beside his drum, not playing itcandidates/AC01-base_t3.png — composed on the photographic-doorway set; Achan stands beside his drum, not playing itcandidates/courtyard-set_t1.png — white seam left along the doorway edges (mask exactly on the white; no grow)candidates/courtyard-set_t2.png — white seam left along the doorway edges (mask exactly on the white; no grow)candidates/courtyard-set_t3.png — white seam left along the doorway edges (mask exactly on the white; no grow)candidates/courtyard-set_t4.png — white seam left along the doorway edges (mask exactly on the white; no grow)candidates/courtyard-set_t1.png — door leaves smeared by the grown maskcandidates/AC01-base_t2.png — head clipped at the top edgecandidates/AC01-base_t3.png — photographic road/trees in the doorway againcandidates/AC01-crowd_t2.png — translucent half-figure at the right mask edgecandidates/AC01-crowd_t1.png — translucent figure at the right mask edgecandidates/AC05-base_t1.png — made from the pre-tone crop (skin too dark)candidates/AC05-base_t2.png — made from the pre-tone crop (skin too dark)candidates/AC05-base_t3.png — made from the pre-tone crop (skin too dark)candidates/AC03a_t2.png — girl redrawn ~20% smaller (head and shoulders) under the text-segment maskcandidates/AC03a_t3.png — girl redrawn ~20% smaller (head and shoulders) under the text-segment maskcandidates/AC03a_t4.png — girl redrawn ~20% smaller (head and shoulders) under the text-segment maskcandidates/AC03a_t1.png — box mask edge cuts through the skirt (visible seam) and the old strike-marks stay outside it; head still ~0.85xcandidates/AC03a_t2.png — box mask edge cuts through the skirt (visible seam) and the old strike-marks stay outside it; head still ~0.85xcandidates/AC03a_t3.png — box mask edge cuts through the skirt (visible seam) and the old strike-marks stay outside it; head still ~0.85xcandidates/AC03a_t4.png — box mask edge cuts through the skirt (visible seam) and the old strike-marks stay outside it; head still ~0.85xcandidates/AC03a_t1.png — losing take (t1 skirt meets the mask edge; t2/t4 gaze less clearly left)candidates/AC03a_t2.png — losing take (t1 skirt meets the mask edge; t2/t4 gaze less clearly left)candidates/AC03a_t4.png — losing take (t1 skirt meets the mask edge; t2/t4 gaze less clearly left)candidates/AC08_t1.png — gold necklace appeared (identity drift)candidates/AC08_t3.png — white halo outline around his armscandidates/AC09a-base_t1.png — straight Western drumsticks with ball tips, not the thin curved chenda sticks of AC08candidates/AC09a-base_t2.png — straight Western drumsticks with ball tips, not the thin curved chenda sticks of AC08candidates/AC09a-base_t3.png — straight Western drumsticks with ball tips, not the thin curved chenda sticks of AC08 (3 sticks, judge FAIL right)candidates/AC09a-base_t4.png — straight Western drumsticks with ball tips, not the thin curved chenda sticks of AC08 (3 sticks, judge FAIL right)candidates/AC09a-base_t1.png — sticks drawn as walking canes: hook at the top, straight end on the skin, no handscandidates/AC09a-base_t2.png — sticks drawn as walking canes: hook at the top, straight end on the skin, no handscandidates/AC09a-base_t3.png — sticks drawn as walking canes: hook at the top, straight end on the skin, no handscandidates/AC09a-base_t1.png — losing take: t1/t2 stick ends shorter; t3 a forked stickcandidates/AC09a-base_t2.png — losing take: t1/t2 stick ends shorter; t3 a forked stickcandidates/AC09a-base_t3.png — losing take: t1/t2 stick ends shorter; t3 a forked stickcandidates/AC10-pose_t1.png — figure shrank (head top 252-268 vs 203); t4 chosen for its expression and rescaledcandidates/AC10-pose_t2.png — figure shrank (head top 252-268 vs 203); t4 chosen for its expression and rescaledcandidates/AC10-pose_t3.png — figure shrank (head top 252-268 vs 203); t4 chosen for its expression and rescaledcandidates/AC11_t1.png — elephant inside the mask redrawn (t4 red cloth flipped up like an umbrella); losing takecandidates/AC11_t3.png — elephant inside the mask redrawn (t4 red cloth flipped up like an umbrella); losing takecandidates/AC11_t4.png — elephant inside the mask redrawn (t4 red cloth flipped up like an umbrella); losing takecandidates/AC12_t1.png — losing take (t1/t4 face more frontal; t2 fine but brows less legible)candidates/AC12_t2.png — losing take (t1/t4 face more frontal; t2 fine but brows less legible)candidates/AC12_t4.png — losing take (t1/t4 face more frontal; t2 fine but brows less legible)candidates/AC13i_t3.png — stick tips off the rim (judge DOUBT right)candidates/AC16a_t1.png — losing take (t3/t4 shrank: head top 225/230; t1 tear redrawn as a star)candidates/AC16a_t3.png — losing take (t3/t4 shrank: head top 225/230; t1 tear redrawn as a star)candidates/AC16a_t4.png — losing take (t3/t4 shrank: head top 225/230; t1 tear redrawn as a star)candidates/AC14_t1.png — ears spread less than t3candidates/AC14_t2.png — ears spread less than t3candidates/AC14_t4.png — ears spread less than t3candidates/AC15_t1.png — foot lift less legible / ears smaller than t3candidates/AC15_t2.png — foot lift less legible / ears smaller than t3candidates/AC15_t4.png — foot lift less legible / ears smaller than t3candidates/AC16_t1.png — elephant still inside the doorway line (t1/t3) or thin legs (t4)candidates/AC16_t3.png — elephant still inside the doorway line (t1/t3) or thin legs (t4)candidates/AC16_t4.png — elephant still inside the doorway line (t1/t3) or thin legs (t4)candidates/AC17-step_t1.png — losing take (t4 darker mask box seam)candidates/AC17-step_t3.png — losing take (t4 darker mask box seam)candidates/AC17-step_t4.png — losing take (t4 darker mask box seam)candidates/AC17_t1.png — losing take: smaller, face less toward hercandidates/AC17_t3.png — losing take: smaller, face less toward hercandidates/AC17_t4.png — losing take: smaller, face less toward hercandidates/AC14_t2.png — repaint pulled the camera back (elephant smaller than the crop)candidates/AC14_t3.png — repaint pulled the camera back (elephant smaller than the crop)candidates/AC14_t4.png — repaint pulled the camera back (elephant smaller than the crop)candidates/AC01_t1.png — losing takecandidates/AC01_t2.png — losing takecandidates/AC01_t4.png — losing takecandidates/AC06_t1.png — losing take: less turned (t1), plate misdrawn (t3/t4)candidates/AC06_t3.png — losing take: less turned (t1), plate misdrawn (t3/t4)candidates/AC06_t4.png — losing take: less turned (t1), plate misdrawn (t3/t4)candidates/AC05b_t3.png — turned RIGHT, toward the drumcandidates/AC05b_t2.png — hair smearedcandidates/AC17_t1.png — Achan clipped by the left edge of the box (a vertical seam through his body); base had the old standing elephantcandidates/AC17_t2.png — Achan clipped by the left edge of the box (a vertical seam through his body); base had the old standing elephantcandidates/AC17_t3.png — Achan clipped by the left edge of the box (a vertical seam through his body); base had the old standing elephantcandidates/AC17_t4.png — Achan clipped by the left edge of the box (a vertical seam through his body); base had the old standing elephantcandidates/AC11_t1.png — losing take (t2 palm in the air; t1/t3 hand beside the mouth)candidates/AC11_t2.png — losing take (t2 palm in the air; t1/t3 hand beside the mouth)candidates/AC11_t3.png — losing take (t2 palm in the air; t1/t3 hand beside the mouth)candidates/AC07_t1.png — losing takecandidates/AC07_t3.png — losing takecandidates/AC12a_t1.png — STALE: resumed from the old crop path (plan resume keys on path+prompt, not pixels) — old Meenu pose + trunk linescandidates/AC12a_t2.png — STALE: resumed from the old crop path (plan resume keys on path+prompt, not pixels) — old Meenu pose + trunk linescandidates/AC12a_t3.png — STALE: resumed from the old crop path (plan resume keys on path+prompt, not pixels) — old Meenu pose + trunk linescandidates/AC11-lift_t1.png — losing takecandidates/AC11-lift_t2.png — losing takecandidates/AC11-lift_t3.png — losing takecandidates/AC17_t2.png — losing take (t4 dark box patch)candidates/AC17_t3.png — losing take (t4 dark box patch)candidates/AC17_t4.png — losing take (t4 dark box patch)candidates/AC12a_t2.png — losing takecandidates/AC12a_t3.png — losing takecandidates/AC14_t2.png — losing take (t2 pulled back; t4 pot redrawn)candidates/AC14_t3.png — losing take (t2 pulled back; t4 pot redrawn)candidates/AC14_t4.png — losing take (t2 pulled back; t4 pot redrawn)candidates/AC15_t1.png — losing take (t1 no red cloth, t3 trunk toward her, t4 foot not lifted)candidates/AC15_t3.png — losing take (t1 no red cloth, t3 trunk toward her, t4 foot not lifted)candidates/AC15_t4.png — losing take (t1 no red cloth, t3 trunk toward her, t4 foot not lifted)candidates/AC12-pose_t2.png — losing take (points finger not stick / stick at her pot)candidates/AC12-pose_t3.png — losing take (points finger not stick / stick at her pot)candidates/AC12-pose_t4.png — losing take (points finger not stick / stick at her pot)candidates/AC13_t1.png — losing takecandidates/AC13_t2.png — losing takecandidates/AC13_t4.png — losing takecandidates/AC13i_t2.png — losing take (t2/t3 camera pulled back to show his head)candidates/AC13i_t3.png — losing take (t2/t3 camera pulled back to show his head)candidates/AC13i_t4.png — losing take (t2/t3 camera pulled back to show his head)candidates/AC16-door_t1.png — doorway fill painted over Meenu (mask excluded only the elephant)candidates/AC16-door_t3.png — doorway fill painted over Meenu (mask excluded only the elephant)candidates/AC16_t2.png — photo road in the doorway; t1 chosen for posecandidates/AC16_t3.png — photo road in the doorway; t1 chosen for posecandidates/AC16_t4.png — photo road in the doorway; t1 chosen for posecandidates/AC12_t1.png — losing take (motion lines / t1 ornament)candidates/AC12_t3.png — losing take (motion lines / t1 ornament)candidates/AC12_t4.png — losing take (motion lines / t1 ornament)candidates/AC06-sit2_t1.png — losing take (t1/t6 head frontal; t2 pale soles like cushions; t4/t5 plate smaller)candidates/AC06-sit2_t2.png — losing take (t1/t6 head frontal; t2 pale soles like cushions; t4/t5 plate smaller)candidates/AC06-sit2_t4.png — losing take (t1/t6 head frontal; t2 pale soles like cushions; t4/t5 plate smaller)candidates/AC06-sit2_t5.png — losing take (t1/t6 head frontal; t2 pale soles like cushions; t4/t5 plate smaller)candidates/AC06-sit2_t6.png — losing take (t1/t6 head frontal; t2 pale soles like cushions; t4/t5 plate smaller)candidates/AC03a-hands_t1.png — losing take (a hand hidden by the pot)candidates/AC03a-hands_t2.png — losing take (a hand hidden by the pot)candidates/AC03a-hands_t4.png — losing take (a hand hidden by the pot)candidates/AC17-festoon_t1.png — losing take (fruit blobs / smeared)candidates/AC17-festoon_t2.png — losing take (fruit blobs / smeared)candidates/AC17-festoon_t4.png — losing take (fruit blobs / smeared)candidates/AC17-stick_t2.png — losing take (t4 sewn seam erased)candidates/AC17-stick_t3.png — losing take (t4 sewn seam erased)candidates/AC17-stick_t4.png — losing take (t4 sewn seam erased)candidates/AC11-play_t1.png — raised palm faces forward = a wavecandidates/AC11-play_t3.png — raised palm faces forward = a wavecandidates/AC11-play_t5.png — raised palm faces forward = a wavecandidates/AC11-play_t6.png — raised palm faces forward = a wavecandidates/AC11-play_t2.png — raised hand rests on top of her head = holding her head, not a strikecandidates/AC11-play_t4.png — raised hand rests on top of her head = holding her head, not a strikecandidates/AC08-door_t1.png — yellow gap at the mask edgecandidates/AC08-door_t2.png — yellow gap at the mask edgecandidates/AC08-door_t4.png — yellow gap at the mask edgecandidates/AC07_t1.png — losing takecandidates/AC07_t2.png — losing takecandidates/AC07_t3.png — losing takecandidates/AC12a_t1.png — stale take from the r1 base (resume keys on paths): cleared before the r2 rebuildcandidates/AC12-pose_t1.png — stale take from the r1 base (resume keys on paths): cleared before the r2 rebuildcandidates/AC12_t2.png — stale take from the r1 base (resume keys on paths): cleared before the r2 rebuildcandidates/AC13_t3.png — stale take from the r1 base (resume keys on paths): cleared before the r2 rebuildcandidates/AC14_t1.png — stale take from the r1 base (resume keys on paths): cleared before the r2 rebuildcandidates/AC15_t2.png — stale take from the r1 base (resume keys on paths): cleared before the r2 rebuildcandidates/AC16_t1.png — stale take from the r1 base (resume keys on paths): cleared before the r2 rebuildcandidates/AC13i_t2.png — losing take (t3/t4 stick lies across the rim past the burst; t6 finger pose odd)candidates/AC13i_t3.png — losing take (t3/t4 stick lies across the rim past the burst; t6 finger pose odd)candidates/AC13i_t4.png — losing take (t3/t4 stick lies across the rim past the burst; t6 finger pose odd)candidates/AC13i_t6.png — losing take (t3/t4 stick lies across the rim past the burst; t6 finger pose odd)candidates/AC13i_t5.png — stick not on the rim (vision/check FAIL gap 51 px: right)candidates/AC16a_t3.png — shrank (head top 234)candidates/AC16a_t1.png — losing takecandidates/AC16a_t4.png — stick not on the rim (vision/check FAIL gap 39 px: right)candidates/AC12a_t1.png — crop cut the seated Meenu at the chin (vision/check action + pose FAIL on all: right that the pot was out of frame)candidates/AC12a_t2.png — crop cut the seated Meenu at the chin (vision/check action + pose FAIL on all: right that the pot was out of frame)candidates/AC12a_t3.png — crop cut the seated Meenu at the chin (vision/check action + pose FAIL on all: right that the pot was out of frame)candidates/AC14_t1.png — judge FAIL: standingcandidates/AC14_t2.png — ears barely spreadcandidates/AC14_t4.png — ears spread less; t3 cleanercandidates/AC15_t1.png — no foot liftedcandidates/AC15_t3.png — left leg smeared at the mask edgecandidates/AC15_t4.png — no foot liftedcandidates/AC16-pose_t1.png — grey smudges round the legscandidates/AC16-pose_t3.png — legs smeared at the leftcandidates/AC16-pose_t4.png — left side blurredcandidates/AC16a-smile_t1.png — t1 no smile + ear lost; t2/t3 duplicated topknot, smeared face: AC16a kept as iscandidates/AC16a-smile_t2.png — t1 no smile + ear lost; t2/t3 duplicated topknot, smeared face: AC16a kept as iscandidates/AC16a-smile_t3.png — t1 no smile + ear lost; t2/t3 duplicated topknot, smeared face: AC16a kept as iscandidates/AC12a_t1.png — crop cut Meenu's pot off at the bottom (she can't be seen playing): two-shot rebuilt as a taller cropcandidates/AC12a_t2.png — crop cut Meenu's pot off at the bottom (she can't be seen playing): two-shot rebuilt as a taller cropcandidates/AC12a_t3.png — crop cut Meenu's pot off at the bottom (she can't be seen playing): two-shot rebuilt as a taller cropcandidates/AC12a-crop.png — old crop (Meenu cut at the waist)candidates/AC12-pose_t2.png — a third forearm reaches for her head (limb-stretch); a local restore sliced the extra arm at the box edgecandidates/AC12-pose_t1.png — the fist with the stick floats over the elephant, not joined to his armcandidates/AC12-pose_fix.png — local restore of t2 left the extra upper arm sliced at x=650candidates/AC13_t2.png — sticks hang straight down at his sides (reads as giving up)candidates/AC13_t3.png — judge DOUBT 3 sticks; face less clearly toward hercandidates/AC12_t1.png — head-box mask sliced her arms: forearm and sleeve fragments cut at the mask edgecandidates/AC12_t2.png — head-box mask sliced her arms: forearm and sleeve fragments cut at the mask edgecandidates/AC12_t3.png — head-box mask sliced her arms: forearm and sleeve fragments cut at the mask edgecandidates/AC12_t2.png — upright, less recoil; stick shortcandidates/AC12_t3.png — t1 reads the recoil bettercandidates/AC16-final.png — flattening the photo road behind his legs sliced his feet (toenails read as road): AC16 dropped, AC15 carries the stepcandidates/pol_AC16a_right_t1.png — clean too, but t3's skirt outline and the foot behind her read bettercandidates/pol_AC16a_right_t2.png — skirt outline far too thick (a black band)candidates/pol_AC11_skirt_t1.png — boxy skirt corner with a lime border linecandidates/pol_AC11_skirt_t2.png — boxy skirt; the step and floor tiles wiped to a blank patchcandidates/pol_AC11_skirt_t3.png — boxy skirt with a thick black shadow bandcandidates/pol_AC11_knee_t1.png — the ellipse mask came back as a flat green disccandidates/pol_AC11_knee_t2.png — green disccandidates/pol_AC11_knee_t3.png — green disccandidates/pol_AC15_fill_t1.png — moved cel left the old pot rim and shoulder showing (doubled pot, grey blob on the pot mouth)candidates/pol_AC15_fill_t2.png — same leftovers of the old cel under the moved onecandidates/pol_AC15_fill_t3.png — same leftovers; trunk tip finecandidates/pol_AC15_fill2_t1.png — trunk tip still tucked behind her headcandidates/pol_AC15_fill2_t3.png — trunk curls behind her head to the rightcandidates/pol_AC03a_wrists_t2.png — dark smudge on the right fingerscandidates/pol_AC03a_wrists_t3.png — clean too; t1 chosencandidates/pol_AC08_nozig_t1.png — stronger zig-zag ghosts left on the wallcandidates/pol_AC17_nostick_t2.png — a navel blob on his bellycandidates/pol_AC17_nostick_t3.png — a navel blob on his belly