– Animated Video
Group Project
Idea:
Resonance tells the story of a boy with a hearing impairment who follows mysterious lights that symbolize music. As he pursues them deeper, the lights transform into a monster—representing his inner conflict and the pressures of obsession. In the end, he reconciles with the monster, symbolizing acceptance and harmony with his passion.
This story is adapted from the real-life experiences of our group member Xin Jiang, whose personal journey with hearing and music inspired the narrative.
- Final outcome:
The final film is a symbolic and atmospheric short piece combining environment design, creature animation, and visual effects. It explores the complex relationship between passion and struggle through light, movement, and sound. The scene setting, the evolving monster, the music and the shifting smoke effects together create a cinematic metaphor for the boy’s journey toward reconciliation with music..
- VFX Break down video
- Personal showreel
My personal showreel highlights my contributions to the project: creature design, rigging, animation, material/texturing, and smoke effects.
- Critical reflection:
Working on Resonance was both rewarding and challenging. My main responsibility was the monster, which required balancing symbolic meaning with technical feasibility. Rigging and animation pushed me to think carefully about how movement conveys emotion, while materials and smoke effects demanded experimentation to create the right atmosphere. A key challenge was ensuring the monster felt intimidating yet relatable, so the reconciliation scene appeared natural.
I am proud that the creature became a strong metaphor for the protagonist’s inner struggle. With more time, I would refine the smoke dynamics and polish the transitions between aggressive and calm states.
Equally important, collaborating with my teammates in designing the story, storyboard, and workflow also benefited me greatly. Through group discussions, I learned how to merge symbolic ideas with technical limits, and how clear communication and planning are essential in team-based projects.
Overall, this project deepened my understanding of how technical artistry can support narrative, and it strengthened both my collaborative skills and my confidence as a VFX artist.
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