Synopsis
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Out of Wreckage is a short animation awareness campaign through 360 hybrid VR experience.
It's produced in Savannah College of Art and design under my thesis: "storytelling in Virtual Reality" It's concerning innocent civilians especially children who undergo wars. The story is presented through a little girl's experience. Her house got demolished and she lost both her family and city. And in fact she started to see how to survive in the cruel present situation that such a child should not experience. While all the odds were harsh for her, she is still preserving her culture, her happy memories with her family. She is the hope to rebuild her city again. And like many children, she would choose life over destruction. She would try to change her surroundings, at least in her head. The aim of this campaign not just another video to feel sorry about the situation , audience should be able to know how to help this girl and help all other children who suffer like her by taking actions to ensure that they get all the support, health care, and education to be able to survive, preserve their own culture. |
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The story
A raid causes the destruction of the house and the death of this family, except a little girl who survives. She decides to rebuild her home and her family again. Here; the world is split into two mirror worlds: one represents the real world and the other is the fantasy world going on inside her imagination.
In her mind; she is able to rebuilds her home and family through summoning cultural elements and memories. While in reality she builds something from the wreckage to sleep on.
A raid causes the destruction of the house and the death of this family, except a little girl who survives. She decides to rebuild her home and her family again. Here; the world is split into two mirror worlds: one represents the real world and the other is the fantasy world going on inside her imagination.
In her mind; she is able to rebuilds her home and family through summoning cultural elements and memories. While in reality she builds something from the wreckage to sleep on.
More DetailsThe VR Moral Experience In this story the environment is a key player. This girl is experiencing this disaster, destructed surroundings, and being without a family for the first time, so the audience is experiencing it as she is currently doing. The events happen in both worlds (reality and imagination)at same time, and VR is necessary to put the viewer in the position of feeling minor to the events exactly like this girl. The viewer at this helpless experience should learn from that girl how to overcome feeling minor to that world. The viewer will know then what those kids can do to change their present situation. Behind Scenes/ Story Creation
While taking my MFA thesis class where I should find an idea and topic for my thesis. I knew I want to experiment in storytelling in virtual reality. That's how I always imagined my written and drawn stories; I often put the environment as role player with psychological aspect in the scene. So I started to look to my old little stories trying to pick a fun light one. But then, there was an idea that kept knocking the door of my thoughts. I came from Egypt not so far from the Middle East, an area that wars and terrorism are keeping its people under constant disastrous life. I am maybe one of few who got the chance to travel study and got the facilities provided in my college to produce an animation project. I felt I should do something to help those people, to help their voice to reach the whole world. It is really hard for me to see innocent people, kids, and families get to lose their loved ones, houses, dreams, jobs, careers, or even their dearest lives, and do nothing towards it. I felt a responsibility of delivering a message. I finally decided to address this topic instead of having a light small story. Though I knew it would be quite a challenge to produce such a topic nicely in VR. I got really great feedback from my professors and friends. It helped me enhancing the experience. One great suggestion was that I should do more than just another sad story. I can help more if I am able to direct positively the audience's charge of emotions toward an institution that takes care of war victims. Technical Direction Approach
Since it's a hybrid 360 VR; this means that it has partly a pre-rendered section which is like watching a movie on a screen after the production. Except that it will be shown in a panorama 360 wrap video that can be displayed on many smart phones screens. The other section is live decision making ability to help the viewer get immersed in the story and the virtual world. A minimal choice will be allowed to audience to be able to decide to move in the environment, and to choose which world to look at which will affect the music accordingly Production Pipeline
First phase is the Pre-production where the entire story is written, enhanced, and all assets are set for later production phase. Also, modeling, rigging, storyboarding and blocking were basically done. Rigging was continuing during the production phase to satisfy animators' requirements In this phase it was really significant to do the blocking before the final storyboard, to show in this virtual world what are the main important events and their location before moving to the solid final storyboard. Since, it's all happening at one take (one shot, no cut-scenes), this method helped the storyboarders to get what is happening and where. For reference, performing artist was helping to establish the performance. All 3D poses, were created, specially the parts where it should be connection between two animators. All process plans were written down clearly, including naming convention and progress to help the team members know exactly their tasks. Here are two of those process plans that were written: Steps of Working Brief Lighting information Phase two is the Production of Animation, creating the environment, texturing, particles effects, and cloth and hair simulations. This phase is presently happening. Most process is happening in parallel pipelines. More information will be updated once this phase is done. The progress now is 70% Phase 3 is Post production and Rendering (Soon) Team Members
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Bits of ProductionProduction concept Art pieces
Animation in progress
Environment Texturing tests
(Note: make sure that you turn on the highest quality for better view. All videos are 360'. You are welcome to check around) Environment FX test
Environment Lighting test
Character texturing, cloth simulation, and VFX tests
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Team and credits
Abbie Foulke Animator
Alicia Marco Modeler
Amy Chang Graphic Designer
Kursten g design
Anna Malatinszky Modeler
Bismark Fernandes Co-producer
Caitlin Schrader 2
Carolina Carreira Animator
Charles Veiman Character Designer
Clemmie Animator
Colleen Durham 2
Darren Yaworski Producer
DeAnne George Animator
Dhaval Vora Rigger
Diana Chu 3
Jared Environment texture Artist
Jonathan North Environment Modeler
Julie Byrd Modeler
Kaylea Character Designer
Logan Character Designer
Mazen Concept Artist
Muhammed Mamdouh Animator
Nia Brooks Performing Artist
Rachel Wells Storyboarder
Remy Bustani Concept Artist
Rucha Muley Rigger
Same Grace Storyboarder
Soroor Golrang Character Designer
Stephania Dvoyak Character Designer
Viola Technical Director
ToniAnne producer
Alexis Cabone Cloth Simulation Artist
Yunar Animator
Yuquing Effects Artist
Experience notes
Story behind the project: