Slug
Slug is a narrative short film about a slug who wants to fit in. I wanted to share my emotional tie with nature through exploring this microcosmic world of slugs and snails. Please enjoy!
Slug
Slug was a short film I created for my capstone project during my last year at Auckland University of Technology. I was responsible for the entire pipeline.
Pre-production
Production pipeline, character designs, storyboarding, and animatic.
Storyboard
Animatic (updated panels)
3D Modelling and Texturing, Rigging and Animation
Slug and Spotted Slug
Modelling, Texturing, UV unwrapping : ZBrush, Substance Painter
Retopology, Rigging, Shaders, Lighting, Rendering, Animation: Maya, mGear, Redshift Renderer
Simulation: Houdini
Earlier versions
Snails
Earlier versions
Extra Assets
Paper shell, teacup (model from TurboSquid), rotten apple and rotten log
Animation
A brief look into my animation process. This was probably the most gruelling aspects of the film, since animation is not one of my strengths. Completing 19 shots and 1 simulation all by myself was definitely a challenge. This was my first time rigging so my rigs may not have been the most optimized for animation, but I learnt a lot from this process.
Filming (and Sound)
This was done mostly over a period of COVID lockdowns in my back garden by myself with the help of some close friends and family. As you may see from the behind the scenes photos I had to get quite DIY with my equipment since I couldn't get access to uni! This proved to be one of the most mentally and emotionally challenging processes of Slug since it was done during such a strange and restricted time in New Zealand.
Foley was recorded in my garden.
Camera: Blackmagic Design Ursa Mini Pro 4.6K, Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Editing: Davinci Resolve
HDRI: Luminance HDR
Audio: Zoom H4n Pro Recorder, Youtube Audio Library
Because I wanted to stick by the sustainability message of my film, I didn't want to purchase more things so all props were repurposed materials (excluding our makeshift dolly). Everything was responsibly disposed after filming :)
My shot list. Below is an older version with many many tests and planning with different cameras.
Post-Production
One of my favourite parts, it was so rewarding to see everything finally come together after such a tough year.
Compositing: Nuke
Colour Grading: Davinci Resolve
Poster: Photoshop, Maya, Redshift
For our film showcase, I created these posters and a setup that gave away free plants.
Thanks so much for viewing this entry!
Comments (1)