​Xinran Han
Cactus
This is my 3rd-year film about a young man struggling between work and life until one day he can hear plants talking...
Inspiration
Inspired by a 3D animated short film: Inner Working produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios that anthropomorphized the organs of the human body, I was led to think about my future employment options. As a 3-rd year student, what kind of job to look for was the main topic of discussion between my classmates and me. Most people think that it is difficult to combine excellent working conditions with their hobbies, so I created this short film in the hope of giving the audience some inspiration. How would you choose between a stable job that you don't like so much, or pursuing a career where your true passion at?
Character
Design
Name: Newman
Gender: Male
Age: 25 years old
Personalities:
1. outgoing, like to make friends
2. love plants, like the expression of plants to life
3. afraid to try the unknown things, afraid of failure; afraid to jump out of a stable life
The manager
Gender: Male
Age: 47 years old
Personalities:
1. difficult to get along with
2. bad-tempered
Storyboard
Environment
Deign
Scene 1 is the interior design of the protagonist Newman's office environment. The office is in a cool color tone, highlighting the tediousness of work. Post-it notes and documents about his work show how busy he is at work, while the three photos of plants on the wall above the computer are hobbies that Newman doesn't have time to focus on because of his work.
Scene 2 is the interior design of the living room of Newman's residence, where the overall color tone is warm, creating a warm and relaxing atmosphere. The variety of plants in the house shows Newman's real hobbies and passions outside of work. This contrasts sharply with Scene 1.
Challenge
This was my first independent project. I spent too much time on pre-production and did not balance my time management between each asset. Therefore, I changed some details to finish my film in a shorter time. As a result, I planned enough time for the production process ahead during my graduation film.
Prototype
Research
Tool
Maya
Blender
ZBrush
Substance Painter
Adobe Premiere
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Duration
2022.9-2023.4