The Siren
Behind-the-scenes
Moodboard
Rough storyboard
Final frames
Scenes were built using simple geometry and/or kitbashed.
The goal was always to capture a cinematic look with the least amount of resources - I followed the rule of thumb "if it won't be seen, don't spend too much time on it".
In order to keep things as simple as possible, lighting and texture play a pivotal role.
And with the proper lighting, one can cut a lot of corners.
Very simple wave deformation in which I projected a wave texture.
Choosing the right textures/assets is often determined the success of the final image
Matte painting #1 - The foreground and lighthouse are 3D. Rest is photobashed
Matte painting #2 - Mostly 3D, only backplate is 2D
Matte painting #3 - Photobashed.
Character Overpaint #1 - My goal was to create the entire project in 3D - at the time I couldn't achieve the look that I wanted (at the level that I wanted) for the main character, so I ended up painting over it on the final frames.
Siren Model - Basemesh from Daz, dress created in Marvelous Designer, and rest was modeled from scratch. Definitely a challenge. The main lesson? Next time, ask for help. :)
Siren Model - Turnaround
Despite all the frustration, I still like how I character turned out, as with the rest of the project, the lighting and the textures did the heavy lifting.
It's been two years since the release of "The Siren". I created this project at the height of the pandemic as a one-man production team in hopes of understanding EVERYTHING regarding the 3D pipeline and how I could fuse it with my traditional 2D/concept pipeline in order to create visual narratives and films that looked "right".
In the end, the project was almost successful (even got to pitch it as an animated film) - Most of the images were built in 3D (with some post/overpaint on top) - I was not completely satisfied with the look of the characters, but in order to remain sane, I decided to lock it, learn my lessons and move on.
I learned a lot - this project showed me not only it would be possible to create a short film from my office, but also that I could do it with very limited resources and the right people. It also helped me understand my strengths and weaknesses and figure out when I could easily direct/tackle things myself (I like being hands-on) and when I should ask for help.
I'm currently applying these lessons to my upcoming short film. The mindset remains the same, but I'm no longer alone (in fact we're a 25+ team of people, from all over the world) and the goal now is to create something that you'd want to see in the theater. We're slowly getting there. :)
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ORIGINAL:
THE SIREN is a visual narrative and personal take/reinterpretation of the mermaid myth - the idea came from an old character concept that I've created years ago when I've started down this path.
THE SIREN takes a lot of inspiration/pays tribute to some of my favorite horror films including the modern masterpiece, The Lighthouse, and films like Alien and Under the Skin.
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This project was originally released in 4 parts over the course of 4 weeks back in 2021. Released here whole with some behind-the-scenes.