How is a film born

Where do you hope to see this film once you are done?

We are focusing on producing a polished short film that we are all proud of and had fun with. When planning the project we made sure everyone had a role they were happy with and could produce work for their showreels. We’re planning to enter into contests and see where it goes.

As a team, what has been the hardest part of development so far?

Making big decisions has probably been one of the most difficult aspects of the development. Initially we had way too many ideas to choose from so it was a challenge to narrow it down to just one. Then getting the pre-production, including concepts, to a point we were happy with to start production was a big step. Then going all the way into detail can be difficult as well, like deciding what texture the walls should be. It’s just not something you think about until you come across it.

As a team, what has been the easiest part of development so far?

The easiest part of development so far has been changing parts of our film based on feedback. For example, one of our earlier concepts of Zacuum got shot down but we were able to take the criticism and redesign our character almost completely. The outcome was a design we were all really happy with, even more so than the previous. After this in particular, we made sure to take feedback on board with the aspects that were going to improve our project despite having to put more work into it. Taking on feedback can also be difficult at times with conflicting opinions so it has been super helpful having our teachers guide us.

Alex Annetta - Modeller and Texture Artist

I’m primarily making models for this project. All the assets, including the characters, are hard surface, so I’ve been sticking with Maya to get the work done (no ZBrush required). For the more complex assets, I just start with forming simple shapes to block out the main components and progressively add details with edge loops.

In regards to working in a team of artists within the 3D pipeline, modelling has been relatively straightforward. Essential assets are prioritised, such as the characters and main props needed for interaction in animation, while 'display' models are worked on secondarily so that the other artists can get to work on the other completed models asap (i.e. for texturing and animation). Models that need to be rigged require some extra care and attention to detail to ensure the rigger can do their job efficiently and effectively, e.g. properly naming and organising geometry in the outliner, freezing transformations, and centering pivot points.

Ben Hart - Producer, Generalist

I was pulled into the group a few weeks after this final project started, as the film needed a producer. It was a struggle for the first few weeks getting organisation up to speed and aligning with the group. Now everything is in place and moving along nicely I've settled more into a generalist role for the group, covering any jobs that hadn't been considered and trying to keep the team moving forward together. So far I've spent most of my time creating environment and objects to flesh out our scene.

It's been a good challenge trying to stay within a specific time period for all our assets. It will be time to move onto more texture work and lighting pretty soon. We're at the stage where most of the film is starting to tie together and be assembled into shots. It’s been great watching it all move from ideas to a living thing. I think we still have a way to go but it's looking good. Everyone is working hard and this short film has been a great way to see how we might be working in the industry. We've been working together well and any problems that have come up are dealt with pretty quickly by our awesome efficiency. I'm looking forward to seeing just how far we can take the film toward what we hoped it would be.

Megan Leach - Concept and Storyboard Artist, Lead Animator

Being the team’s sole concept and storyboard artist in the project’s preliminary stages I worked closely with the rest of my team to ensure I was fulfilling their vision for the project. I especially worked closely with our director, Claire, as she has the final say in all art decisions, so we would collect reference together for characters or environment and then I’d illustrate iterations of concepts from which I’d get feedback from her and the rest of my team.

I worked with Claire again when storyboarding as any changes she made to the script I had to apply to the storyboard. This stage was fun although challenging at times, but it was really rewarding at the end of pre-production when we had characters, an environment and a storyboard that we were all happy with. In my main role, as an animator, I work a bit with all members of the team, but mainly Claire again as she’s our team’s rigger and second animator.

I tested and gave feedback on different iterations of the rig and let her know if there was anything she could add to make the animation process smoother. I work with our modellers, Ben, Zac and Alex, to coordinate the layout of the room in relation to the animation, as well as any issues with props. I also work with our VFX artist, Dylan, to figure out the best way for the animation to mesh with the effects. Overall I’m enjoying the project so far and have confidence in my team to reach an awesome end result for our film.

Zac Rae - Model, Texture and Lighting Artist

My role in the team as a Model and Texture artist is to create assets that follow the teams and director's’ vision. Sometimes this requires lots of research on how something is made or gathering plenty of quality reference images so that we can accurately recreate the asset. As a texture artist I need to make sure all materials are physically accurate and fit aesthetically with what we the team would like for the scene. This also plays into my role as a lighter. Lighting can have the most influence over how a scene and materials ultimately look.

Textures and Lighting have a very close relationship and there is a lot of back and forth to get it right.
Another role that I am helping the team with is scene assembly. Scene assembly is where all the assets, characters, animation and lighting come together to be assembled and set up for rendering the final shot. It is very important that the scenes are set up with the latest versions of all the assets, the scene is as clean as possible and optimized for rendering. I have to work closely with every member of the team to make sure all the work they have done is there best and up to date work.

Dylan Smith - FX Artist

As an FX Artist I mainly work with all the stuff that moves but isn't easily animated by hand. This is normally stuff like fire, smoke, water, cloth, dust, destruction, etc. On this project I've had to do a lot of work with cables, which is an area I haven't really had any experience with until. This project. It’s been a challenge but thankfully there are a few resources floating around that have helped me figure things out.

My role is placed towards the end of the production pipeline, which mean I rely on and work closely with the rest of the team in order to get shots done. I work particularly closely with the modellers, riggers and animators to make sure that my work looks nice and realistic, but also fits in with what they have made. FX are usually either born from or tied closely to existing assets in the scene and will usually need to interact with the things around it so keeping clear and constant communication with the other departments is very important.