Category: Personal Project

Editing & SFX

Although the AE–Blender–Nuke–DaVinci workflow meant that I had to render each shot four times whenever I made changes—an exhausting process—the final result turned out fairly well. Paired with music that matched the emotional beats of the story, the overall viewing experience wasn’t as rhythmically chaotic as I had feared.

For the sound effects, I used foley recordings I made myself. These included a subtle “pop” sound when the model appears out of thin air on the desk, and the sound of rubbing clothes to mimic the noise of the duvet. These handmade effects helped the audio match my intended emotional tone much more closely.

Final

Breakdown

Reflection

Although the production schedule for this project was repeatedly delayed, I fortunately managed to complete it on time. I’m aware that I need to learn from the overly complicated workflow I designed for this project and avoid switching between multiple software platforms in the future, which wasted significant time during the video export process.

Overall, the final output largely met my expectations. As my first project involving VFX compositing, the integration between different stages of the workflow went relatively smoothly. While the complexity of the model and environment didn’t fully showcase my capabilities in that area, I believe the short film successfully met the goals of this assignment—which emphasized live-action compositing and storytelling.

For compositing, I used Nuke. Its Defocus node allowed me to achieve smooth and realistic depth transitions in several shots.

As for fluid simulation, considering the time cost of using Houdini, I opted for Blender’s FLIP Fluids add-on instead. With added material and texture work, I was able to produce satisfying water surface effects.

In terms of animation, the workload for this project even surpassed last semester’s cowboy duel project. There were 14 shots, each requiring varying levels of skeletal and facial animation, which significantly increased the amount of work.

Facial animation

For facial animation, I used After Effects, which excels at motion graphics. I created expressive looks for the little character through animated oval eyes and mouth movements.

Skeletal animation

For skeletal animation, I continued using Cascadeur—a powerful tool. Although its latest update introduced AI interpolation, the extreme proportions of the robot made the interpolation results unusable.

As for the model design, although I had a completed model, it wasn’t suitable for rigging due to the limitations of 3D printing. To address this, I adjusted the position of the upper thighs and closed the large opening at the top of the head that was originally intended to fit a smartwatch.

Due to various factors, I was only able to start filming after moving into my new home. The spatial layout of the new place forced me to replan the shots, and since I had to handle both the performance and the filming on my own, I could only use fixed camera angles in the redesigned storyboard.

My Panasonic camera performs unreliably in low-light conditions—its autofocus often malfunctions and struggles with subject detection. As a result, I had to use a mobile app to manually control the focus point, which added an extra layer of difficulty to the shoot.

Idea

After I owned a 3D printer, I suddenly thought one day: if the models in my computer can be converted into real objects, then isn’t manipulating my computer somehow manipulating the real world? I used this as a metaphor to write a short story for the little robot I printed out, in which this naughty guy uses my computer while I’m sleeping, and ends up causing a big mess.

Event List

• I printed a little robot, put it on the table and went to sleep.
  
• The Little robot accidentally discovers he can change his body colour with the mouse and has fun with it.
  
• The Little robot nearly wakes me up by playing with objects in my bedroom through 3D software.
  
• The Little robot turns on Houdini and the next morning I find my bedroom flooded with water.