Senior Thesis film for UCF SVAD Emerging Media - Experimental Animation
Responsible for all aspects
Software:
- Blender
- Clip Studio Paint EX
- Adobe After Effects
Total Time Spent: ~100 hours
Arboreal – Act One is based on a short story titled The Open Window that I had written for a creative writing class in high school. Originally, I intended to complete a full three act structured short film that more closely resembled the source material. However, I
decided that it would be more important to emphasize proper pacing and visuals rather than to rush this story in such a small timeframe.
My initial intention was to tell a story set in a post-apocalyptic world, overtaken by lush nature and vibrant night skies filled with stars and auroras across the entirety of the Earth. We would follow a wandering scavenger who takes shelter in an abandoned house, and wakes up to discover that he had accidentally rediscovered his childhood home.
Instead, I opted to only set the scene. Thus, this film is an introduction, to entice the viewer into following the character and to want to wander deeper into the story. A nighttime scene posed many interesting problems to navigate around, but also proved to be a great opportunity to explore positive and negative space.
Using silhouettes for most foreground elements allowed me to be as complex with shape language and character animation as I wanted without needing to worry about fine details. I could convincingly convey a forest without ever using texture, color, or even lineart. And for the majority of shots with character animation all I had to focus on was keeping the volumes consistent.
By using such stark contrasts in light, I could create enticing compositions by framing dark elements within vibrancy, and drenching the light elements in darkness. The solid black silhouettes obscure most details and help create an air of deep mystery. When paired with the radiance of the night sky it combines that mystery with beauty and calm.
The Auroras themselves are just as important of a character as our wandering scavenger. These Auroras, though not alive, act as a guardian over our character. It guides both the character, and the viewer’s eyes, pointing to where we must wander.
I also needed to ensure that it did not feel out of place with the style of the film. Each shot was designed first and foremost by deciding the placement of the Auroras. I developed the illustrations simultaneously with the Auroras to ensure they both fit in the framing and complimented each other in shape language, value, texture, and color. I then composited them together by applying correction layers to the 3D render, such as adjusting contrast, adding filters and blurs, and applying 2D illustrated textures overtop, before integrating it with the illustrated environment.
Ultimately, Arboreal – Act One acts as a study of how lighting, contrast, and negative
and positive space can serve to introduce a narrative.