Categories
Category: Final work project
Categories
Compositing
work on 28 December
For the final composite, I readjusted the brightness of the entire scene in Nuke to darken it overall and create a more creepy and eerie atmosphere. I also added a spotlight effect to the main female ghost to draw attention to specific areas and create tension by emphasising the glowing parts and those hidden in the shadows. I added some effects and footage using nuke. The first was to create a sense of fog throughout the scene by modifying the depth of field in Nuke to increase the spaciousness of the smoke in the distance. Throughout the scene I used the smoke to diffuse the light and create a hazy, mysterious environment. These effects soften the edges, blur the line of sight, and enhance the sense of dread. I also used the smoke to make the light beams visible, adding a supernatural or ethereal character to the scene. Secondly, I created particles in nuke to simulate the effect of falling paper money, which enhances the horror atmosphere of the scene. Because in Chinese traditional culture, this kind of paper money falling scene is mostly appeared in the memorial of the dead or ghosts appear when there will be. Finally, I added a bleeding effect to the female ghost in Nuke. Adding a bleeding effect can shock and disturb the audience and enhance the horror experience. The female ghost will appear more terrifying and gruesome. The bleeding effect can suggest a violent or traumatic past, suggesting that the ghost is a victim of a horrific event, which can evoke sympathy and fear in the audience.
Categories
Lighting and Rendering
work on 20 December
Lighting is an important component in creating the tone and atmosphere of a Chinese horror scene. The manipulation of light and shadow is crucial in evoking fear, suspense and tension. By carefully considering the position, intensity and colour of light sources, you can create compelling, creepy horror scenes that will leave your audience deeply affected. In the animation, the entire scene is shrouded in an eerie atmosphere. To achieve this effect, I used low key lighting to create a strong contrast between light and shadow, which effectively highlights the dark atmosphere and creates a sense of mystery and unease. In addition, I used red lighting to suggest impending danger, violence or supernatural elements. The choice of red lighting was deliberate as it enhances tension, shows imminent threat and reinforces the sense of horror in the scene.
For rendering, this animation was rendered in Maya using Arnold. However, due to an oversight on my part, it was not rendered in layers at the beginning of the render, leaving me to spend a lot of time re-rendering it again.
Categories
Rigging and Animation
work on 7-15 December
In my work, I primarily use the first person point of view to tell the story. So most of them are camera animations, which simulate the first person perspective when people are panicking and nervous, to give people a feeling of fear and nervousness.
For the rigging on the character, I did a very minimalist rigging. since I didn’t need the character to move a lot, I thought about making it look more like the actions of a string puppet.
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Material Texture
work on 18 November to 5 December
I used substance painter to create the material Texture for the character. The overall skin tone of the character is based on the zombie in traditional Chinese ghosts and monsters. The character is set as a long dead person turned into a ghost, so when making the material, the skin tone is inclined to be bluish grey, which is more like the colour of a dead person. In terms of costume material, we referred to some costume features, and then according to the character setting, the costume material was made into linen texture to highlight the lowly status of the character. Details such as texture and embroidery on the costume can add layers and realism to the costume and enhance the visual storytelling. And I used dark red as the main colour of the clothes to highlight the anger of the character after he turned into a ghost. At the same time, it also increases the horror atmosphere of the whole picture.
Categories
Material Texture
work on 18th November to 2nd December
Scene
I used substance painter to create the material Texture for the scene. The background of the scene is a weathered ancient Chinese theatre. Considering that most of the ancient theatres on display are wooden structures, wood was deliberately chosen as the main material. In this dilapidated, ancient scene, one will see various weathered materials such as rusted metal, cracked concrete and aged wood, all of which are covered with layers of dirt, dust and stains, giving the impression of being old and weathered. In order to authentically convey the antiquity of the scene, I carefully incorporated a decayed textured surface on top of the wood materials. Unfortunately, it was difficult to achieve a more pronounced sense of decay, which I will try hard to modify later. In addition, wood and compatible materials were used for other miscellaneous objects in the scene to ensure that they exuded a weathered texture that matched the dilapidated, old environment. Additionally, to enhance the eerie atmosphere of the scene, I strategically chose red as the primary color for the stage curtain.
work on 28 October to 11 November
There were several different character designs done during the pre-design of the characters.
However, considering the images in Chinese theatre and the fact that using the image of a female ghost is more able to accentuate the sense of horror. As well as the use of only half of the body to highlight the fact that the ghost experienced great pain in its lifetime, and eventually the wrongful spirit forms the ghost. The overall costume refers to the costume image of the flower girl in the theatre, because in ancient times many of the flower girl roles were played by women. The design of the costume is a bit shabby, and the body grows branches and flowers in order to emphasise that after a long period of time, the ghost has not dissipated, highlighting that she has a great deal of grievances, and that she has gone through a great deal of pain in her lifetime, or that she is still obsessed with her ghost and is unwilling to dissipate.
Character modelling, I made it using ZBrush and Maya. I combined some costume elements that would be found in theatre, as well as the horror elements of a female ghost to make it. I ended up enhancing the horror of the story even more by using the image of a hanged female ghost.
work on 28 October to 11 November
Reference：
Categories
Environment
work on 8-28 October
When modelling the scene, I started by converting an existing intact Chinese theatre scene into Zbrush and Maya, and modifying it into a dilapidated old theatre scene. By referencing images of worn out scenes, I incorporated dilapidated elements such as crumbling walls, broken windows and curtains, collapsed roofs, and scattered debris to show how worn out the scene is and how it has gone through a long period of time. I also added dilapidated props and furniture, such as broken tables and chairs, to add detail. Compositionally, I chose an asymmetrical layout to mimic the irregularities of natural decay, making the scene feel more realistic and engaging. The uneven arrangement of objects and structures adds depth and dimension, while also evoking a range of emotions from nostalgia to unease, enhancing the eerie feeling of the scene as a whole.
Reference
Model Figures：
primordial complete model
modified version model
Categories
Environment
work on 8-28 October
Reference：