Bloom

3D Exploration

An animation for those in the process of growing. Explorations on lighting and mood.

Theses are the last large showing and accumulation of what you've learned during your tenure at an institution. Being the last showing they develop in pretty interesting ways through the critiquing process.

This short case study breaks down the process of nailing the concept, composition, and look. Showing you how to bloom.

Tools Used Maxon Cinema 4D - Adobe Photoshop | Animate | Aftereffects - TVPaint

The Style

Style tests in Blooming

1

The first touches of texture and color came with the combination of matte and high specular iridescent whites and grays.

The materials turned the composition more graphic and allowed story to be told through how those materials were used considering color and contrast.

2

This treatment leveraged lights and gobo's with depth of field to set the mood and focus. The graphic nature exchanged for ambience.

With this treatment color would be in rare use and only in lock-up. Balancing the moodiness of the sequence with small hits.

Tests in Mood

and Things to Work Through

Initial Render 1

While figuring out the lighting and mood one of the initial tests involved high contrast elements, and very dramatic lighting. The hits of specular lights on the elements in the pot adding drama.

The problem with this solution was the balance between what elements could be seen and what those elements communicated. "Could a person easily tell this was a leaf in a pot?" The answer was too split for this to be the solution.

Follow-up Render

This render on depth of field, and light. Removing the sharp contrasting light to use ambience, composition, focus, and movement to create the mood.

In this initial pass motion was added to the lights and shown through a gobo, the movement adding extra drama and cinematics to the composition.

Boards and Alt-Frames

  • 01

  • 02

  • 03

  • 04

  • alt board 01

  • alt board 02

  • alt board 03

  • alt board 04

  • alt board 05

  • alt board 06

  • alt board 07

Previous Ideas

Direction 1 | Heart-Beat

This direction used graphic solid shapes with contrasting flowed and abstract shapes to convey the actions of breathing, ideating, and expanding.

The general fear in this direction was that it may be too abstract.

Various sketches for directions this could have traveled

Initial References

Before this piece became entirely CG it was purposed to be a mixed media exploration. Using tactile textures, cel, 2d, and 3D animation.

Direction 2 | Clippings

This solution took the previous ideas and made it more literal. The thoughts were of forms turning into shadow shapes, starting in an environment that was literal and breaking down with abstract motion and graphic compositions.

This direction was feared to be not abstract enough.

Boardomatic & Final

This is a test utilizing elements from Direction 1 and 2 while adding moments of abstraction. This was the basis of develop.

Nothing more to say. Enjoy : )