DiM

Join us through a journey about overcoming oppression. DiM is about a group of workers who are enslaved under their tyrannical show runner, the Ring Master. Through the power of friendship, they awaken a power deep inside themselves and use it to overthrow their oppressor and take back their freedom.

Dim is a short film made as the capstone project for the University of Colorado Denver’s Digital Animation Center program.

Created by: Ian Alcairo, Autumn Jones, Paulina Nuñez, Ari Dimercurio, Arturo Valdez, Andy Yankovich, Kathyrn Goettelman, Jaylen Dunbar, Mazie Neill and Ashlynne Doidge

The DiM Team took advantage of new technology, moving production from Maya to Unreal Engine 5 just weeks after UE5 opened its beta. Unreal Engine 5 opened new doors with the Niagara Effects system, Real-Time rendering and Blueprint integration, allowing them to iterate quickly and reach their stylized film in a way that would have been unattainable in Maya.

The team had to adapt to change quickly, switching between in-person and remote workflows during unprecedented times in the COVID-19 pandemic. Being Agile and iterative quickly led to the team finding great success in completing their Capstone Short Film.

Using tools like the Substance Suite, Zbrush, UE5's Niagara Effects, and coding special behaviors with Blueprints, the team was able to give their film a distinct stylized look that embraces the styles that are growing in popularity within mainstream animation.