Souvenir, an EEVEE Short Film

They say constraints generate creativity and art! Well… I kinda had no choice. I got sick of complaining about my computer, my setup, my graphic card, blablaba… So, I thought: isn’t there a way to just create simple yet meaningful frames to express myself? I just wanted to express myself.

My name is Elias by the way. I’m a hobbyist 3D and VFX artist, and I intend to soon become a freelance 3D artist. In the meantime, here’s my entry: Souvenir, a short film that allowed me to express myself about my current fear of change.

It all started with writing, because that’s the reason why I want to create meaningful visual art: to fuel a message. So, I wrote. Freely, sincerely and passionately. And then… it became less funny as I had to list the constraints I’d have to face: only real-time rendering (Blender EEVEE), forget about photoreal otherwise my computer would kill itself. Limited use of modeling…cause I’m simply not really good at that! Oh and I don’t know how to animate a character so I’d fully have to rely on resources like Mixamo.com.

But enough of negative thoughts. I had drawn the limits of the frame, it was time for the counter-attack: listing my strengths to make some creativity grow! I grew up shooting short-films and all sorts of videos, so, I knew I was good at cinematic composition. And I’ve fallen in love with lighting and environment art and design. It seemed enough to build a vision, even though I knew I’d have to gain quite some knowledge along the way. (don't judge my storyboard)

The first days of work we’re split into designing and learning as I deeply wanted to learn every single trick to get the best out of Blender EEVEE. I also learned about hard surface texturing, before challenging myself into modeling a Pendulum! (cause as you know, I suck at modeling).

But I gathered my references and, after few tries, I actually managed to get a result I’m quite proud of!

This was the trick: having a vision, using my strengths and assets as a foundation, and adding what needed to be added through learning and practice.

And without noticing it, I had gone out on an Adventure of four months. An adventure made of failure, knowledge, practice, and of course: storytelling and deep satisfaction.

I had divided my short into three sequences: The Pendulum Room, The Corridor of Memories, and The Cyclic Dominoes (as I love to call them!). And when I finally ended up rendering them and color grading them in After Effects, it was time for me to go back home: Premiere Pro and Editing, the art I have been practicing since forever! It was home sweet home: derushing, editing, sound designing and subtitling.

Until the end of the road, and the final export.

Thanks for watching the final product of a very personal Adventure. I learned a lot during the process, and I can’t wait to express myself again, and to learn forever.