Echo is a stylised fantasy short film that follows Aster, a young protagonist who discovers a mysterious mirror leading to an enchanted forest filled with magic and hidden dangers. Guided by Pantheon, her deer-like spirit guide, Aster ventures deeper into this unfamiliar world, where a series of unexpected events force her to find a way back home.
The project combines live-action footage with 3D digital animation, transitioning between the real world and a digitally constructed fantasy environment to create an immersive visual journey for the audience. It explores how visual effects can bridge these contrasting worlds while supporting the film’s storytelling.
My focus was on emissive visual effects, creature fur simulation, character rigging (deer and human), motion capture pipeline development, and compositing. Through my research, I explored how emissive visual effects could communicate mood shifts in stylised 3D animation through a semiotic lens. I considered how establishing a consistent visual language, then deliberately disrupting it through changes in emission, intensity, and context, could create meaningful emotional shifts. Using compositing, texturing, and animated shader effects, I explored how visual elements could extend beyond aesthetics to influence storytelling.
