Starlight Cantina
Hello! This is my senior thesis film, completed during my last year at Ringling College of Art and Design. While my specialty is on character animation, I still had a blast working on every part of the pipeline. I am responsible for all aspects of the film, except for the score and sound design. Enjoy!
Starlight Cantina
Welcome!
Starlight Cantina is an animated parody of a fast food training video for aliens set in the 80's, with deadly tasks that lead to defeating the monster in the fridge.
The film is not publicly released yet and is privately available only for judges and recruiters. Still, continue reading to learn about the journey of bringing this film to life!
The Characters
The film stars a teenage alien new-hire and a ferocious tentacle monster. This was my first time working on multiple characters for one singular project.
Ronald
Meet Ronald, the star of this training video! Today is Ronald's first day on the job, so he's both very nervous and eager to do a good job. He is determined to ace it, no matter what the narrator instructs him to do or how much the workplace fights back.
The Glorglerbuger
Beware of the deliciously mysterious monster in the fridge... the Glorgerburger! It's no secret that tentacles are really challenging to do in 3D, so it was a lot of fun to figure out how to tackle this technical aspect of the film.
The Kitchen
All of the story takes place in one location. There's a total of 21 colorful practical lights, a bunch of compositing tricks to create the neon tubes, and many reflective surfaces to bounce the color around.
Animation Breakdowns
I shot reference, thumbnailed, blocked-in, splined, and polished every shot of the film. The majority of the film is 3D animated, yet there's some 2D elements that come up during the "B-Roll" sections.
Development
I storyboarded and designed all aspects of the film, doing multiple iterations until I landed on a story and look that resonated with me. Visually, I wanted the film to feel retro-futuristic, keeping in mind that it's in outer space and takes place at a fully functional fast-food kitchen.
Journey to Thesis
I grabbed all of my favorite aspects from my previous characters and mashed them together to create Ronald. This made him very fun to work on, and made him feel even more personal and connected to my journey.
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