Month: September 2025

This was a short-term collaborative project with a classmate. By the time I joined, my partner had already completed the overall script concept and storyboard. I added some extra details to the story, such as including a scene where the robot scans a toy to bring some humor and give it a touch of “emotion.” I also introduced the use of different colored “X” marks to represent different processing methods, which served as a setup for the later conflict.

In terms of responsibilities, I mainly worked on cinematography, compositing, editing, color grading, and sound design, while my teammate, Jin Ling’an, handled modeling, texturing, and animation.

Compositing

During compositing, one of the biggest challenges was the large number of shots combined with noticeable lighting changes during filming. Since the robot character had a metallic surface, it needed to accurately reflect the kitchen environment and lighting, which made maintaining color consistency across shots difficult. To make the footage appear more natural, I added subtle camera shake to simulate handheld shooting.

In addition, I created several “robot vision” shots in After Effects, using the Form effect to overlay a texture that resembled an LED screen, further enhancing the technological feel of the film.

Editing

The main challenge in editing was the heavy reliance on sound effects to make the visuals feel realistic and alive. At the same time, I aimed to keep the atmosphere in the first half of the film lighthearted and energetic, so that it could create a stronger contrast leading up to the final conflict.

Reflection

The biggest strength of this collaboration was how well our skills complemented each other. My partner was strong in modeling, animation, and VFX, while I took care of shooting, compositing, and editing. Thanks to this combination, we were able to produce a short film with a complete storyline and decent quality within a limited timeframe.

Technically, the compositing process itself didn’t present too many unsolvable problems. However, we underestimated the workload in the early stages, which resulted in a very tight schedule towards the end. This experience made me realize that accurate project planning and clearer communication are essential for efficient teamwork.

Although our project management skills still have room for improvement, I truly felt the power of good collaboration and complementary strengths. Even under constraints, teamwork enabled us to achieve more than we could individually. Moving forward, I will carry this lesson into future collaborations, not only focusing on creativity and execution but also improving my planning and management abilities.

Final Work

Breakdown

In this collaborative project, my main responsibilities included story design, cinematography, compositing, editing, and sound design. I mainly focused on controlling rhythm and emotion to enhance the overall sense of immersion in the film.

Cinematography

For cinematography, I used a Sony FX3 with a stabilizer to complete all shot recordings. I also handled lighting setup and captured HDRI environment maps on set. For certain shots, I deliberately used exaggerated focal lengths, such as ultra-wide angles, to enhance both dramatic effect and storytelling power.

Background Creation

In the middle part of the film, I used Unreal Engine to build the background for a fully CG sequence. This ensured that the character models and visual effects were consistent with the intended atmosphere and design of the project.

Compositing

During post-production, I completed around 90% of the VFX compositing in Nuke, focusing mainly on colour consistency, depth of field, masking, and subtle camera shake effects.

Editing

In editing, I focused on the progression of emotions and the contrast before and after emotional release. The build-up was mainly driven by the rhythm of the background music and the gradual increase in intensity. To reinforce the tension, I layered environmental and special sound effects such as hurricane and thunder sounds.
After the conflict ended, I shifted the colour grading in the latter half from a cool, bluish tone to a warm orange tone, symbolising a transition from despair and loss to hope and vitality.

Reflection

One of the most noticeable issues we faced during this project occurred after shooting, when I created a rough cut for the VFX artists to work on. Due to my lack of experience and poor communication, the VFX artists were not clear about which sections of the video they should apply effects to. As a result, many of them started working from the first frame of each clip, which meant several effects did not appear in the right places within the footage. This caused significant problems in post-editing and production. I consider this a major collaboration error and a lesson I will carry forward into my future career to avoid repeating.

Fianl Work

Breakdown