3D Motion Capture Film Surround Dungeons & Dragons
Brawl for Initiative follows Rakun the Rogue, Jazzper the Bard, and Buttercup the Dwarf, in the unsettling establishment titled “The Rusty Dagger” Tavern. We follow these three characters as they squabble for a bag of loot that they claim to be their own. Jazzper and Rakun will do whatever it takes to obtain the loot. Most of all, do not disturb Buttercup and his ale.
My Project film explores the entire 3D pipeline, including facial and body motion capture. As being part of the VFX pathway, I delved into Dynamic Simulation, advanced 3D rendering, and more to test my limits within this nine-month project.
Brawl for Initiative is a fully 3D short film following 3 Players during their adventure in Dungeons and Dragons. I wanted to focus on the range of pipeline that I could push myself to learn within these 9 months.
I delved into the body and facial motion capture, and how I can portray real-life actors onto their D&D 3D characters. My Project explored how we project ourselves onto our own creations, whether it is art, characters, or even style subconsciously. The film shows the contrast and comparison between these real-life players to their creations. Our only requirement for our films was to include dynamic simulation, so I was free to explore a wide range of expertise. This allowed me to fully create the tavern scene, also known as “The Rusty Dagger” and really learn everything to know about creating and developing my own world. What makes my characters special is that they’re not made up of roles and personalities. Each character is based on my real friendships and people which allowed me to make this personal, but also accurate to the idea of projection of one's self onto their art.
What made this project stand out to me was the use of motion capture onto a 3D, stylized scene. Motion Capture tends to be recognized for its realism in the high budget, realistic films. I wanted to also display the capabilities that come with this technology. One of the proudest aspects of my film is that I can safely say everything in the film was made by me, excluding our friendly Cat character seen at the start.
My Target audience was not limited to a demographic. The film is a family film, to be enjoyed by the majority of viewers. From Concept Art to 3D modeling, texturing, all the way to rigging, motion capture, and animation, to set dressing and rendering my film; I tested my limits and knowledge to a point that I have been incredibly proud and pleased with the final outcome of Brawl For Initiative.
