The Forbidden Shore is a cinematic short film created using Unreal Engine 5.3. Featuring cinematic shots, realistic environments, and a gripping narrative, this project showcases my expertise in virtual production, asset integration, and storytelling. This dramatic tale follows an injured pirate on a mysterious island, with a burning ship in the background and wildlife including crocodiles and birds.
Tools
Area of expertise
Branding
3D
App Design
UI/UX
Virtual Reality
Motion Design
Overview
Role
All Aspects
Year
2023
Genre
Virtual Production
Platform
Film
Screenshots
Contributions
Animation Re-targeting
Utilized an advanced animation retargeting plugin to seamlessly transfer motion capture and pre-built animations onto custom character rigs with precision. This process involved adjusting character skeletons and ensuring proper alignment of joint hierarchies to maintain natural movement and avoid distortions. Special attention was given to complex action sequences, where fluidity and realism were paramount. By refining bone weights and implementing IK (Inverse Kinematics) solutions, the characters' movements were optimized to adapt to diverse body proportions, enhancing the overall cinematic quality of the animations.
Water Shader Development
Created a hyper-realistic water shader using Unreal Engine's material blueprint system to bring dynamic ocean environments to life. This shader incorporated advanced features such as real-time caustics, accurate reflections, and refractions to mimic the behavior of light on water. Wave interactions were designed with procedural techniques, allowing for subtle yet natural movements that enhanced the immersion of the scene. Optimized for both performance and visual fidelity, the shader struck a balance between cinematic quality and real-time efficiency, ensuring it could seamlessly integrate into the narrative. Its realism played a pivotal role in establishing the mood and authenticity of the environment.
Environment Design
Designed and developed a hyper-realistic 3D island environment using Unreal Engine’s terrain sculpting and foliage tools. The process involved crafting intricate landscapes with realistic elevation changes, blending high-resolution textures, and populating the scene with detailed foliage assets. Integrated dynamic elements such as Megascans for photorealistic materials, HDRI lighting for immersive atmospheric effects, and wildlife animations to bring the ecosystem to life.
Cinematic Camera Movements
Directed and executed multi-layered cinematic camera movements to elevate narrative tension and emotional resonance using Unreal Engine's Camera Rig system. Designed dynamic tracking shots to follow the pirate’s journey along the shore, wide establishing shots to showcase the burning ship and island's scale, and tight focus shifts to capture intimate, pivotal moments. Each movement was meticulously storyboarded and choreographed to align with the pacing and mood of the story. By leveraging depth of field, focal changes, and smooth transitions, the camera work brought a cinematic quality that deepened engagement and enhanced the overall storytelling experience.
Dynamic Fog Effect
Created a custom dynamic fog effect using a 2D plane with a panning texture, developed through Unreal Engine’s material blueprint system. This approach mimicked the appearance of drifting fog, adding a sense of movement and depth to the island environment. The texture was carefully designed to simulate fog density variations, while parameters such as speed, opacity, and scale were fine-tuned to integrate seamlessly with the lighting and terrain. Despite being a lightweight solution, this technique effectively enhanced the cinematic atmosphere, contributing to the film’s moody and immersive visual storytelling.
Compositing and Post-Processing
Performed advanced compositing in Adobe After Effects to polish and enhance key sequences of the film. This included applying moody color grading to establish a cohesive cinematic tone, integrating visual effects (VFX) for added realism, and refining post-processing elements such as bloom, lens flares, and motion blur. Adjustments were meticulously crafted to maintain visual consistency across scenes, enhancing the storytelling while emphasizing critical moments. The compositing process ensured the final output resonated with the intended atmosphere and narrative impact.
Cloth Simulation Optimization
Resolved a cloth simulation glitch that caused unpredictable behavior in the pirate character’s tattered clothing during dynamic scenes. The cloth would clip through the model or react unnaturally in wind-driven environments. To address this, I meticulously adjusted the cloth physics settings, focusing on collision parameters to prevent clipping and ensure accurate interactions with the character. Custom weight painting was applied to define how the fabric responded to movement and environmental forces, creating a natural, wind-swept effect. These refinements brought a heightened level of realism and fluidity to the character’s appearance, enhancing the overall immersion of the scene.
- All assets were either provided or purchased from the Unreal Engine Marketplace
- All animations from Miximo
- All Sfx was outsourced
Final Reflection
"The Forbidden Shore" embodies my dedication to storytelling and technical mastery within Unreal Engine. This project showcases the seamless integration of real-time cinematic techniques, intricate lighting setups, and meticulously crafted assets to create a visually compelling and emotionally engaging narrative. From dynamic environments to lifelike animations and immersive visual effects, this short film reflects my commitment to pushing the boundaries of narrative-driven experiences. It stands as a testament to the transformative power of combining art and technology to captivate and inspire audiences.
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