Content:
In this summary report, as the workflows for steps 1-4 have been detailed in my previous weekly blogs, I will not elaborate on them here. I will include the links at the end of each section for reference. And also could click the menu to open the blog:
1. Initial Research and Inspiration:
This phase involves gathering references, write the concept and settings of the boss character, and research the environment styles to get more inspiration.
Story concept:
I wanted to create a short film around the themes of balance, plunder and power cycles. While I don’t tell the story directly through dialogue, I want to use character design and storyboards to convey the setting and storyline. In the initial conception, I centered my creation on the guardian of the forest, and the protagonist as an outsider broke the peace of the forest. His or her goal is to seize the power of the Spirit of nature in order to save the people of the homeland. However, the protagonist will pay the price at the end.
Theme:
In the beginning of research, I want to explore the subtle balance of the forces of nature, and human interference with natural harmony how can lead to disastrous consequences. But as the story progresses, I feel that the whole story is more like a discussion of fate, the cycle of power and plunder.
1. Benefits under the temptation of blindly follow:
in my story, I want to explore a kind of be manipulated and the price of ignorance. The protagonist’s journey is to save his or her hometown, but as the story progresses, he or she comes to realize that actions are actually serving a higher god. This ignorance causes the protagonist to become a tool in the conspiracy of others and to pay the price for blind faith.
2. Unconscious Destruction:
I also want to use the protagonist’s story to show a form of unconscious destruction. The protagonist initially acts with the intention of bringing redemption, but due to incomplete information and distorted guidance, their act of redemption ends up making things worse. For example, when they use their power to save their hometown, it brings even more destruction. What I hope to express through this is that, when we pursue good intentions, if we lack an understanding of the truth or are misled by false information, the result can often be the opposite of what we hoped for.
3. The Nature of Power:
Furthermore, I want to explore the nature of power. In the story, power is neither absolutely good nor evil, nor does it represent true redemption. Instead, it is a resource that is plundered and controlled. The cycle of this power reflects both the balance and destruction of the natural ecosystem, while also mirroring humanity’s eternal desire for control and survival. Through this theme, I hope to guide the audience to reflect on the cost of power and how our thirst for it influences our relationship with both ourselves and the environment.
Therefore, through these themes, I hope to present a dangerous world filled with contradictions and conspiracies. As the protagonist pursues power or redemption, they gradually uncover the hidden manipulation and costs behind it.
Inspiration:
•Dark fantasy themes Games
– Dark Souls
– Elden Rings
•Chinese myth –“Kua Fu Chasing the Sun”
Traditional stories interpret nature
in themes of balance and power
•LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS – JIBARO
•Outsiders and Predators vs. Native cultures and resources
•Princess Mononoke
– great power can lead to consequences like exploitation and backlash
When I started this project, I was thinking about how to bring elements from some of my favorite works into my own work. For example, games like Dark Souls, with their dark fantasy themes, inspired me a lot. I really admire the way they tell deep and symbolic stories. On the other hand, the Chinese myth of ‘Kuafu Chasing the Sun’ showed me how traditional stories interpret nature, which made me interested in themes of balance and power. Moreover, works like Jibaro gives me inspiration of the story between Outsiders and Predators with Native cultures and resources. Additionally, works like Princess Mononoke made me think about how great power can lead to consequences like exploitation and backlash. These inspirations together shaped the worldview I want to express.
2. Sketches, Timeline, and Storyboarding:
In this part, I draw sketches of the scenes and boss, planning the timeline of the whole process, and developing the storyboard for each shot.
Timeline:
Storyboard:
The format and narrative style of the short film:
I plan to create a short film consisting of five shots. These shots will resemble CG trailers or promotional videos from games and will present the story in fragments of memories, alternating between the past and the present. Through this non-linear narrative approach, I aim to let the audience gradually piece together the background of the entire story.
However, due to time constraints, I will only be able to produce the shot where the protagonist meets the boss.
Background of the story
It is a world of desolation and brokenness, where gods fight each other for power but refuse to fulfill their responsibilities. In this forest, the Spirit of Nature was once the guardian, controlling two complementary forces – life and death. These two powers balanced each other and maintained the eco-system of the forest. However, many years ago, a mysterious god seriously injured the Spirit of Nature and took away its power over death. Since then, the balance between life and death has been changed, and the ecology of this forest has become unbalanced.
Life became too abundant to come to an end. The creatures can’t die, including humans and animals, after a long period of time, their minds and intelligences are gradually blurred and reduced to the existence of chaotic consciousness.
The protagonist is an outsider from a faraway land, and in order to save the people of his or her homeland, he (or she) follows the guidance to the forest in an attempt to seize the power of life controlled by the Spirit of Nature. However, the protagonist is unaware of the limitations of this power, and unaware that his mission is in fact an elaborate deception designed by a higher god. He is just a pawn, driven and seduced by an unknown force, and is forced to collect the remaining power of the Spirit of Nature.
I focused the short film on the boss, which is a character full of tragedy. Despite its incredible power, it can’t escape the fate of being manipulated and utilized by the higher gods. Realizing this, the boss chooses to banish itself, sitting alone in the depths of a cave at the edge of the forest, waiting for those who seek its power to come and defeat it.
In the short film, the protagonist is shown from the point of view of the camera, becoming the observer of the narrative. In the storyline beyond this short film, the protagonist will also explore and fight, gradually realizing the true intentions and meaning of those “guides”, and take this power to challenge the higher gods who try to manipulate him or her.
3. Boss Model Creation:
In this part, I craft the 3D model of the boss, including sculpting, cutting uvs, texturing, and rigging.
I used an asymmetric design. The hole in its chest hints at the tragic past of having its “death power” taken away.
I wanted to demonstrate both vulnerability and strength in the boss.
On one side of its chest, I designed a rock-like, hard material to symbolize its power and resilience. On the other side, there are layers of rigid structures and wounds that resemble organic healing, as if flesh and blood are desperately growing back.
I wanted to show its powerful self-healing ability while also show its limitations—no matter how strong it is, the chest wound remains unhealed, as it is a fatal injury inflicted by another deity.
Summary of my work flow:
Also, you can view detail pictures and process in the blogs below:
4. UE5 Scene Setup:
In this step, I Built the environment in UE5, including placing assets, arranging the scene layout, and setting up the basic world-building elements such as terrain, objects, and structures.
5. Lighting, Camera Placement, and Narrative:
In this part, I Adjusted the lighting setup to create the appropriate mood for the scene, positioning the camera to guide the viewer’s focus, and I try to make the composition supports the story and narrative progression.(Although there is no dialogue, I want to reflect my background and narrative through some scenes, and I will also write some scenes scripts that I have to abandon due to time reasons in this part)
Llighting:
In the corridor area, it was too dark, so I added three rectangle lights to make the rocks brighter.
6. Final Output Video – Week 12:
Final render shot compositing:
Presentation – Week 12: