Horror street

Create a universe that blends horror and science fiction. For create a Horror street

Introduction

The idea for the project came to us as a result of the desire to create an environment with a character. An opportunity to further explore our world and push our artistic direction. We have chosen the themes of horror and science fiction. The character will be a small mafia robot, and the environment will be a deserted street immersed in a strange atmosphere. The challenge of this project was to succeed in creating a unique and particular ambiance. Playing with image composition and colors was the key.

Pre Production

References

The main references for lighting and the overall ambiance were Caravaggio's paintings and the shots from Clint Eastwood's films, particularly the chiaroscuro technique. Chiaroscuro would give us the opportunity to add a dramatic and tragic aspect to the image. We searched and tested several color grading options for a while. The grading in Harry Potter 6 is incredible, the bluish and desaturated tones, along with volumetric effects, bring a dreamlike quality to the image that is very interesting. The atmospheric smoke in the environments of Blade Runner also greatly inspired us. Additionally, the highly artistic grading in John Wick, Stranger Things, and Peaky Blinders was complementary and influential.

We really enjoy characters that are rather complex. We found quite a few references for the robot, we wanted to bring to life a rather ordinary robot that could take on the role of a mafia figure, with an aggressive and malicious side. Adding spikes to its back contributes significantly to this wild and creature-like aspect.

Production

Modeling

The modeling is realistic. We made the choice to create an unwelcoming Asian-style neighborhood. We added a lot of details for maximum realism.

Cave academy Set up

Rig

For the character rigging process, we needed no fewer than 103 main controllers to manipulate it as desired. Moreover, to refine each movement and every component, there are an additional 130 controllers.

Cave academy Set up

We needed a lot of control over the character because it has many interconnected moving parts, especially in the limbs. Using IK systems or traditional FK wouldn't have worked. The issue with the character is that it has multiple joints in the elbows and similarly in the hands, it can rotate the hand from right to left using one component and from bottom to top using another. This wouldn't function with a traditional Ik system.

basic IK in green

personnal system IK in white

We had to recompute all the operations performed by the traditional IK to adapt it to a more complex IK (custom) that can function seamlessly in both axes. Additionally within the rig, we have the capability to employ dynamic systems for cables to enhance realism. We have a multitude of options that enable us to refine and modify certain aspects.

bones follow the curve with an IK spline

Lookdev

For the look development of Jean Paul and the street, we chose to have a strong coherence between the two. The environment is very dilapidated and has a lot of graffiti. We wanted to do the same thing with the robot, so we covered it with lots of drawn tags, which brings authenticity to it within the environment as if it had always lived here. Render with Cave Academy set up.

Direct diffuse

Direct specular

Indirect diffuse

Indirect specular

Cave academy Set up

Lighting

The lighting was a very interesting part of this project. The narrative goal of this shot is to reveal the location, an establishing shot. The narrative aim is to set a mood and provide information about the place and the space where the character is located. Where should the viewer's focus be directed ? This question is one of the most important. The viewer should look at the door and the robot, the focal points of the action. After grasping the overall information in the image, what emotion do we want the viewer to feel ? Here, we aim to convey the tragic and dangerous aspect of the place. Chiaroscuro lighting is well-suited for this kind of intention. It directs the reading of the image and adds a certain aggressiveness in the highlights and shadows. Here, we've created a sharp diagonal lighting, immediately guiding the gaze towards the door and the moving character.

The red of the neons also plays an important role in capturing the viewer's attention. We opted for a blue and red bichromacy to highlight the blood and the science-fiction aspect. We preferred to keep these two shades. With the strong contrast in the image, we achieve a true visual identity.

Maya Viewport

Example Million Dollar Baby for the Chiaroscuro

Distant light (key light)

Rectangle red light
(pratical light)

Triangle graphic

For the FX creation, each effect was produced separately to have maximum control over the simulation. 3 simulations were needed for the smoke: one for the foreground, one for the ground, and one for the background.

For the particles, we simulated them within a network pop to simulate particle behavior. Then, we attached a plane to each particle to overlay an image onto it. This plane serves as a canvas to display a more defined image of the particle. Essentially, the network pop helps us capture particle movements, while the specific visual representation is achieved using a plane.

Animation

We decided to create an establishing shot and execute a slight forward travling movement so that the viewer could take in the overall environment and immerse themselves within it.

As for the character, it remains discreet in the image but still quite visible. A gentle and straightforward animation ensures that the focus isn't solely on the character. We opted for a smooth and simple animation to ensure the viewer grasps the context of the image and can appreciate every detail.

Post Production

Nuke

The compositing phase was fast for this shot. We outputted a colorless lighting pass, and using the light groups, we were able to add the colors we wanted. After that, we exported numerous AOVs to have complete control over the image in compositing. We outputted classic AOVs such as the Z (depth of field), the light groups (individual light sources), and integrated the special effects into the shot.

AOV's in Renderman :