The School Class

This was our final project of the year. Mixing almost all of our subject classes.

The goal was to create two pictures of an interior setting, without any living being in it. The aspect of the setting had to correspond to a specific theme which changes each year. And we had to tell a story based on that theme.

The theme we got was: The school classroom!

We had to create a file where we documented every one of our intentions and references concerning props, lighting, picture composition, colors, atmosphere etc... for a few month and then, we started the production. 
Since we didn't study in compositing class, we had to use picture editing software to had some small details we weren't able to do in a simple render. The whole production process also took a few month until the very end of the year. Here is the result:

THE STORY: 

The first picture is happening during a break in an elementary school. One of the student is in great difficulty. He just recieved a bad grade. It seems like he tries to follow the class but he does not succeed and he is frustrated by it. 
On the other hand, the second picture is focusing on the desk of the teacher. During the night of the same day. He is actually trying to help the student in difficulty by adapting his whole lesson all the while studying child psychology. All of this makes him stay at school late at night.

Having parents who are both school teachers, it was not difficult to find a narrative for this project. This story is losely based on my mother's experience who got this kind of problem as a kindergarten and primary school teacher. But even when she doesn't have it, she still works really late after her day is supposed to end. Teachers really have to go a lot of things through the hard way and I thought it would be interesting to rely this kind of fact which underly some uneven conditions in which teachers works.

SELF-CRITIQUE:

I kind of like the look of those pictures, but there are a few things that bothers me:

My main problem with these two renders is the composition. It was kind of hard for me to put every elements I wanted in only two images, so I made sure to have a shot that would show each one of them. Problem is, as a result of this, the camera is too far from the main props (the one which conveys the story), which makes it hard to distinguish the crucial details I wanted to show. This is a problem for both shots. 
I am also not a fan of the lighting on both render. The first pictures is too flat in my opinion and second one, I think, is more of a matter of evolving taste (I am not a fan of the blue background, I find it to clear and saturated). 
There are some flaws in the shaders here and there. The chairback texture is obviously repeated. I'm not a fan of the notebook's texture in the first picture as well as the torn and crumpled page (I barely label it as such when I see it). 
There is also small errors like my first ever continuity error: the teacher's metal pencil box in the second picture has a kid's drawing taped on it, but it isn't there on the first when it is supposed to be! (Thanks Michel!*)
The glasses on the second shot doesn't have any... glass. And the highlighter, still on the second shot is clipping through the book. 
Other than that, I still like them.

*Only the French will get that. 

Modeling, Texturing and Rendering done with: Maya/Renderman.
Compositing done with: Affinity Photo.