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Comp Finished

Everything is done. I just have to add in the mastered audio file.

Update 18

Finished Rendering (Mostly)

I have rendered all the shots but may need to re-render some frames that seem to be glitchy. I have done most of the compositing when it comes to adjusting the lights, glow, and DOF. I am really happy with how it is looking. I also made a 3D title for it and am adjusting the lighting for that as well. The title was inspired by the Disney title for the Tiana series. I added the most recent version of the sound design which needs some small adjustments and finalizing with the composition and mixing. Everything is very close to being done!

Update 17

Rendering

I finished rendering most of the shots except for the ones that involve the albums because I am still finishing some illustrations for the photographs. There are some frames I need to re-render including the lighting glitches during the CD stack shot and anklets shot. I want to fix all the problems and have all renders ready for comp by the end of the week. I still need to work on depth of field, but I am happy with how everything is turning out so far.

Sound Design

The sound design is coming along well. There is work to be done on mixing and having fluid transitions, but that will be more near week 9. Daniel also came up with a piano composition that is very fitting of the melancholy and nostalgic theme of this short. I gave my input on how I'd like more layering and fullness to the piece. I especially want it to have an impact when we reach the albums shot over-looking the photographs.

Update 16

Shot 05

I did an initial render of Shot 05 and it went very smooth since I figured out the texture problem. I did notice that the reflections on the CD covers change in the middle of the shot due external geometry being hidden after being passed. I did this to optimize the scene but will change it back so the reflections stay consistent. I should have all of the rendered shots as well as initial sound design and composition by Class 15.

Troubleshooting and Shot 04

I added some tassels to the rug because it seemed too plain without them. I also added some spiderweb opacity maps to some more parts of the shot. Some textures would show up as pink (disappear) when I uploaded the file onto the render farm. I am not sure why certain object had this problem, but I solved it by taking each of those objects and making them into a new combined object so that the old identity would disappear. This allowed the textures to show up in the farm again. I believe the farm was causing the issue since other objects with the same textures rendered fine on the farm and the error objects rendered fine locally. I finally rendered the beginnings of Shot 4!

Update 15

Texturing and Shot 03

I finished the illustrations for the prayer area in Shot 3. I originally wanted to render the shot, but still need some more time. I finished modeling the Krishna swing and added labels and ripped tape to the boxes. I also remodeled the jasmine garlands and still want to add different colors to them. I fully rendered one frame of Shot 3 and there is gladly not much noise that I have to fix.

Sound

I also talked to the sound designer who has drafted the first 30 seconds of the animation and gave some notes on it. My mom found video tapes of my singing and dance performances from when I was little, so I want to incorporate those in the animation. I am really excited with how everything is coming along so far.

Update 14

Texturing and Modeling Detail Shot 03

I added more detail to the prayer pots' textures such as vermillion and turmeric powder and subtle changes in types of metals used to create more variation. I am also working on adding decorative detail to the Krishna Swing model. I may not have time to model more props and will probably get some free models to set dress and have more clutter.

Modeling Detail, Shot 02, and Shot 03

I rendered out Shot 02 and slightly modified the Shot 01. The first two shots are officially done now! For Shot 03 (with the prayer shelf), I added jasmine flower garlands and bead necklaces to the god photos to add more authenticity to the scene. I am also going to age the lamp light and the prayer area textures more. I also need to change the illustrations slightly to be consistent. I should be done with this shot out by the end of the week.

Update 13

Shot 01

I spent a lot of time troubleshooting to get the noise out and lower render time. This was the most difficult shot due to the low light level which was giving me noise. I brought in the different light AOVs into Nuke to get rid of the small amount of residual noise and make the lights slightly more vibrant. Below are all the light AOVs. For the orange light in the living room, I use one light to make the path in the door way and another to be the bounce light. I turned off indirect light for both of these so they would only hit the surfaces once. Since I no longer had to depend on a single light for both the direct and indirect light, the noise was eliminated.