Major Project

Hisham Rasheed  / 0356691

Major Project 

3D Animation

Instructions



Project Proposal

Project Overview

For this project, I decided to create an advertising campaign for Kodak. At first glance, Kodak may seem old or outdated, but it is far from dead. Film photography still holds strong value among many creators today, especially at a time when AI is increasingly taking over digital media. This made Kodak a relevant and meaningful brand to work with.

The campaign consists of three videos, each exploring a different discipline: 3D animation, motion graphics, and visual effects (VFX). I wanted to push myself creatively by trying new techniques and workflows, particularly in areas I had little experience with before.

3D ANIMATION

The main concept of the 3D animation was to showcase three Kodak film stocks: Kodak Gold, ColorPlus, and UltraMax. I focused on experimenting with physics-based animation and particle systems in Blender.

For the project, I modelled all assets from scratch, including film canisters, film boxes, and film reels. I began by experimenting with array modifiers and armatures, creating a test render to understand movement and animation flow.


Once I felt confident with the basic animation, I moved on to particle-based reveals, using a skin reveal for the second shot and a cloth simulation reveal for the third product. I also researched and experimented with rigid body physics, applying them to the final scenes. Learning and working with Blender’s physics system was challenging but enjoyable, and it helped me better understand realistic motion and interaction.



The background was created on after effects after my first draft export I took it as reference to work on gradient mapping manually on adobe ae.

Music used 'Lust' by Michael Drake

Final Outcome



I initially created a liquid morph animation for my first VFX concept. However, when the idea was later changed, this morph effect was no longer suitable for the final sequence. Instead of discarding it, I decided to develop it into a short standalone sequence, enhancing it with sound effects to give it purpose and impact. This allowed me to still make use of the work while experimenting further with timing, visual rhythm, and audio integration.



Sound Design (SFX)




All post-production editing was completed in Adobe Premiere Pro. I had access to Ocular SFX packs, which I used throughout the project. The sound design mainly consisted of cinematic whooshes and tonal risers, which I experimented with and layered to create a dynamic and engaging audio experience.


Overall, putting this project together helped me discover my capabilities in 3D animation and sound design. I went through countless trials and errors to achieve a result that I was satisfied with, which significantly improved my problem-solving skills.

Motion Graphics

For the motion graphics section, I chose to create an informational advertisement. The goal was to educate viewers about Kodak’s impact on the film industry and how the brand has consistently remained a leader in the market.

This video also addresses the rapid evolution of AI in digital imaging, highlighting how AI can manipulate or reconstruct images, which raises concerns about authenticity. This reinforces the idea that film negatives provide lasting value, credibility, and trust in photography, especially in an era where digital photographic evidence can no longer be fully relied upon.

I used Adobe After Effects to animate movie references and photographs shot on Kodak film, demonstrating that Kodak is accessible not only to professionals but also to amateurs. For the AI-focused scenes, I created posters using AI tools to communicate that AI is not the enemy, but rather a tool that should be integrated into the workflow without having complete creative control.



Additionally, I designed a logo animation, which was consistently used across all three projects to maintain brand identity.


Final Outcome




Visual Effects (VFX)

The VFX segment was the most challenging part of the project, as I had no prior experience with visual effects. Due to time constraints and the limitations of my PC, I had to abandon my initial concept and simplify the idea.

The final concept involved a cardboard box opening and exploding into multiple film canisters, followed by larger canisters flooding the scene and covering the camera. I used a static shot, matching the camera perspective using fSpy, and imported it into Blender for animation.



Rigid body physics were used for the collisions, which caused several issues during rendering, particularly with shadows. To solve this, I rendered the animation and shadows separately on a solid colour background, allowing me to luma key the shadows in post-production. This process involved many trials and errors and required a great deal of patience, as rendering alone took several days.

Final Outcome



Google drive link

Reflection

Overall, this project was both challenging and enjoyable. I learned a great deal through my mistakes during the process and received valuable guidance from Mr. Kamal along the way. The beginning of the project was particularly confusing due to misleading information and a lack of clear direction, but I eventually managed to organise my workflow and complete the project successfully.

Although I would have liked to explore animation physics and VFX in greater depth, I was limited by the lack of access to better infrastructure and consistent guidance. Despite these constraints, the project helped me develop problem-solving skills, technical understanding, and confidence in working across multiple digital media disciplines.


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