ERIC DING

Intro:
For a final project in my 3D Animation class, I decided instead of hand animation to use motion capture and other virtual production elements. This is my first complete project involving the virtual production of a short film, this was done with Maya using free 3D assets found online, Mixamo models and motion capture, and virtual production done by me.

This was my first big project in which I incorporated all the skills I've accumulated during my time at the Integrated Design and Media program at NYU including but not limited to: video editing, sound design, cinematography, etc.

Process:
I began by writing out a script on a google document and planned out the dialogue that would take place as well as the main story beats. I then quickly built a prototype by throwing together free 3D assets I found online as well as Mixamo characters from Adobe and built a quick scene to demo to my professor. After getting the green light, I went into full production mode.



















I built out the sound first as I find it easier to imagine camera angles and how things would move in my head as I listen to the sound, all characters are voiced by me with some sound modulations mixed in to make them sound different enough to be their own character.

From there I incorporated the motion capture, rendered out many shots, and assembled everything in Premiere Pro.


Reflection:
This project was an incredibly fun experience and also what sparked my interest in virtual production! The ability to create an entire short film in such a short time all on one machine really allowed me to get creative while also allowing me to build out something that looked good, I would go on to look at Unreal Engine later on to further pursue short film production in the virtual space.