Seafloor Marvels
Title of the Project:
Selecting the title of the project was not a big task for us because our primary motive was to show the beautiful and intriguing creatures that exists at various depths of the ocean. So Seafloor Marvels was the perfect fit for the theme of the project. It further symbolizes how much of an importance marine organisms play in the existence of oceans and the world as such.
Summary of the Project:
We want to show the audience how intriguing and crazy the deep sea world is and at the same time create awareness of the various flora and fauna that can be found at extreme depths. We decided on including different fish which look both interesting and contribute to the important life cycles that occur in the ocean :
- Clownfish: are facing decline due to the decaying of coral reefs, which are where clownfish repopulate.
- Sea turtles: are essential in transporting organisms and nutrients around the ocean. their population has been declining due to human interference.
- Shark: encourage biodiversity and keeps the oceanic food chain in balance.
- Oarfish: interesting looking fish which is considered by myth as “the messenger of the sea”.
- Jellyfish: help maintain balance in the oceans ecosystem by controlling species’ population through feeding
- Whale: they are at the top of the food chain and are essential organisms that contribute to the overall health of ocean life.
- Coral reefs: are essential to marine life, acting as homes for fish underwater organisms. protect coastal areas by reducing the power of waves.
- Surgeonfish: play an important role within coral reefs by grazing on algae to keep it from spreading out of control.
- Anglerfish: bulb on the head to convey the message that ocean life is at risk.
Collaborators and Roles of the Project:
- MAHADEV VIPIN – I was initially tasked with the role of compositor and editor of the project. But further down the road, things changed a bit. I modelled the 3D assets in the opening scene of the project in Maya as well as did the Posters, Title Card, Credit sequence, Compositing and Final Editing of the project.
- CHAY CHOLPAT [MA VFX] – Chay was responsible for creating the opening sequence in Unreal Engine by combining the 3D assets I made. He was also my fellow compositor. He was also assigned with the soundtrack and color correction.
- KEVAN JACOB [MA 3D Animation] – He was tasked with the underwater 3D background.
- CHARBEL SAWAN [MA 2D Animation] – He was tasked with the storyboarding, the sketches and the animation for the fishes.
- AMAAN AHMED – [MA 2D Animation] – He was tasked with the sketches and the animation for the fishes.
PROCESS:
- IDEA:
Camera movement from the surface of the ocean all the way to the bottom in order to showcase the beauty of the flora and fauna. We then reach to the deepest depths of the ocean where we see an angler fish. The angler fish’s light goes out and a message to raise awareness shows up.
The below chart was sort of our reference picture going ahead with the conceptualization of the project.
- STORYBOARD:
The storyboard was done by Charbel from MA 2D Animation. We just wanted a pictorial representation as to which fish fishes or organisms would appear where and how. However some changes were eventually made during the way, we stuck with the basics of the storyboard.
- MEETINGS:
We kicked off our project really slow at the beginning, but we continued to have regular meeting at the end of every week to check the progress of our works. As our teammates had project submissions and proposals, we were unable to have discussions or meetings at the first 2 weeks. But later on, meetings occurred mostly online in a Discord channel, but updates, ideas or suggestions were also shared in our WhatsApp group. During the final stages of our project, we would have regular chats or discussions about changes or suggestions that need to be made in each of our works and then we would try to rectify that as soon as possible and upload the corrected versions. It was definitely an experience working with people of different departments.’
- MY WORK:
I was initially tasked with just the compositing work, but later on things changed. So I had to model the 3D assets on the opening sequence of the project. I modelled the ship in Maya and then shared the fbx export to Chay where he later textured it and added it to the Unreal Engine sequence. I was also in charge of the Project Poster, the Title Card, the Into Sequence and the Credits Sequence. I was also tasked with compositing the 2D and 3D elements together, so me and Chay separated the work amongst us so that it would be easier for both of us to work simultaneously.