Human Shaped

Project Type: 3D Animation

Duration: May 2023 to July 2023
Team Size: 4 members
Role: Environment Design, Modeling,

Character Animation, Character Rigging,

Work within UE5 (Animation, Lighting, Materials) , Shot Design

Main Tools: Maya, UE5, Substance 3D Painter

External Resources:

3D Resources: Plant models, ground, and wall bricks (from the UE5 Marketplace).

Music Resources:

Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 (composed by Ludwig van Beethoven).

Synopsis

This short film is set in a peculiar candy factory. On the surface, it showcases the process of plump workers in the candy factory making human-shaped gummies under the watchful eye of their supervisor. However, beneath this seemingly mundane process, it paints a microcosm of society and a multi-level world. The film features scenes of the factory, a black-and-white world, and a jungle, each scenery representing different societal strata. In each of these worlds, characters go through processes of shaping and being shaped, conforming and forcing others to conform. At the end of the film, a candy person gazes beyond the camera, symbolizing our existence in society.

This project draws inspiration from the movie "The Truman Show." Similarly to the film protagonist, we often find ourselves following the same trajectories in the real world, bound by others' expectations and societal norms and cocooning ourselves within these prescribed paths. From the mechanized environment of the factory to the monotonous conformity of the black-and-white world and onward to the freedom and challenges of the jungle, we gradually reveal the existence of different societal levels and their interrelationships. Often, we may only see the conveyor belt-like path of the factory and the black-and-white world while actually being in the jungle.

The short film "Human Shaped" aims to use the candy production narrative to represent metaphorically social hierarchies and norms in the real world. After watching the film, we hope the audience will reflect upon topics such as self-worth, human nature, and the possibility of breaking free from societal norms.

Video

Environment Design

Inside the factory

The scenes inside the factory adopt an "urban of the future" architectural design style, emphasizing light and dark contrast in color and utilizing a limited number of highly saturated bright colors to accentuate an overall gray-white tone. This color palette aligns with the thematic elements of the animation story.

The black-and-white world

The black-and-white world is a fabricated realm of structured materials and consists of cubic forms in black-and-white shades. It serves as a metaphor for a monotonous and unchanging life.

Rainforest

The vibrant rainforest world conceals the ultimate truth within this world. However, within the wild freedom, dangers and challenges lie.

Character Design

The Worker

This character is one of the key protagonists in the film and represents an image shared by all the workers in the factory. To emphasize the character, I chose a bright yellow color for his work attire to contrast with the dull factory environment. The design of the uniform is relatively conservative, conforming to people's conventional impressions and allowing us to highlight the themes of "rules" and "standardization."

The Gummy Candy

This character is another crucial protagonist in the film, representing a humanoid gummy candy produced by the factory. For its modeling, we used a similarly round and plump body shape to echo that of the workers, creating a society with nested layers of the power hierarchy.