“EXIST”
is an animated 3D Short Film created in my Senior year, final semester at Ringling College of Art and Design. While developing this film, I wanted to create something personal to me but could still be related to with a level of understanding for anyone who watches it.
I, like thousands of other people, experience anxiety on a daily basis. I often find myself obsessing over small things that seem greater than they really are. I wanted to explore scale, how things are truly perceived vs. internally perceived, and how things are always going to be okay in the end, or even more beautiful than before.
THE FINAL
THE PROCESS
When creating my thesis, I started with brainstorming. I created a Pinterest board with references that I found appealing. I love nature, and I love to create using 3D as my medium. I needed reference for color palettes, different shots I could consider, and how I wanted to tell my story using different shots with scale. I knew I wanted to create an eerie middle, and I knew how I wanted it to end and begin, but getting to that destination was a challenge.
When creating my thesis, I started with brainstorming. I created a Pinterest board with references that I found appealing. I love nature, and I love to create using 3D as my medium. I needed reference for color palettes, different shots I could consider, and how I wanted to tell my story using different shots with scale. I knew I wanted to create an eerie middle, and I knew how I wanted it to end and begin, but getting to that destination was a challenge.
At first, I almost did a character based animation. I’m glad I did not go that route, as I don’t have too much experience in that way. I found a different solution, simply by deciding to remove the character factor from my thesis. I knew I could still tell my story without reaction shots. My friends and I brainstormed using the white boards at school, and eventually I came up with my storyboard, which would serve as my map through the end of my thesis. (Original whiteboard storyboard courtesy of Nico DiCola)
Once I finalized my storyboard, I knew I would have an upwards of 22 original shots that would all need to be separately rendered for my thesis. Creating a shotlist was a necessity, which I kept up with through the time I was working on my thesis. The goal was to turn everything green! I also created an animatic for mood and timing purposes during this time.
THE ANIMATIC
I knew I also would need help with the trees and foliage based on my storyboard. I invested in Forester, and decided to learn the software quickly so I could build my thesis efficiently. The only issue was I needed the CPU power of rendering with RedShift on the computers at Ringling College’s Motion Design Labs, but IT permitted me from installing the plugin on the computers. I found a workaround, instead creating alembics that were specifically built to be made with a light amount of geometry. Every piece of foliage seen in my thesis was an alembic at some point or another, especially if I was right at the end of rendering. I would build, make and bake the alembics and sort them into separate C4D files, upload them to DropBox in their respective Shot Folders, download onto the Lab PCs, version, build, render, upload. It was tedious, but worth it for the end result. Plus, I got so efficient that there were times that I was building shots in under an hour (see shot 3).
FURTHER R&D
A week before my Thesis was to be completed, I experienced catastrophic failure in the CPU renders at the school labs. I was forced to learn more about PC builds, understanding the difference between GPU, CPU, and VRAY. I ended up enlisting the help of Christian Huthmacher, one of my Professors, to help me render. I appreciated everything that he offered me in terms of technical help throughout my thesis! Originally, I was going to create a Fluid Sim for my whale (Priscilla!), but it ended up also failing. Instead, I composited some stock footage together and tried to make it seem somewhat realistic whilst also fitting the CG style of my thesis.
BEHIND THE SCENES
I also worked with our AMAZING sound designer, Kelly Warner. He allowed me to art direct exactly how I wanted the music for my thesis. I told him I wanted an eerie motif that foreshadows the whale, and doesn’t resolve until the end of the film.
Throughout my thesis, personally, I listened to a lot of music and wanted to show one of my playlists, just as a fun bonus...
I’ve also included some pictures of my friends and professors, because I truly couldn’t have done this without them. They made everything happen!
I have truly enjoyed my past 4 years at Ringling with the Motion Design department. I feel like I gained so many life lessons that I will keep with me for the rest of my life, many of which helped me with my thesis. I loved creating this piece, and I can’t wait for the next chapter.
Thank you to David Brodeur for his guidance as my Professor throughout my thesis. Thank you to Christian Huthmacher and Jared Greenleaf for supervising, as well as being my soundboards throughout my development. Thank you to Kelly Warner for the creative input, as well as the creative output of my music. Thank you to CG Trader for the assets, as well as Forester and Dropbox for making this whole thing possible.
And thank you to my parents, family, and friends. This is for you. I love you.
