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To honor the burgeoning talents in the visual effects industry, Autodesk once again sponsored the Visual Effects Society (VES) Student Award for the 14th consecutive year. This year’s nominees continued to push the boundaries of creativity, presenting projects that ranged from dystopian landscapes to magical dreamscapes, while also addressing pressing issues like climate change. Despite the challenges posed by the ongoing pandemic, these students demonstrated remarkable adaptability by mastering remote and hybrid workflows to deliver exceptional work.
While only one team could emerge victorious, every nominee should be celebrated for their incredible achievements in creating immersive worlds, compelling narratives, and outstanding digital artistry. My colleague Eric Bourque, our vice president of Engineering, had the honor of presenting this year’s award to Camille Poiriez, Arielle Cohen, Eloïse Thibaut, Louis Florean, and Theo Fratissier from ARTFX Montpellier. Their project, titled "Green," stood out among the rest.
"Green," a photorealistic animated short, tells the story of an orangutan navigating the destruction of her natural habitat due to deforestation and climate change. The film takes viewers on a journey through the lush jungles of Indonesia, capturing both the beauty and vulnerability of nature. The highlight of the film occurs when the protagonist orangutan looks directly at the camera, leaving a lasting impression on the audience.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Camille about the inspiration behind the film and the challenges they encountered during production. Here’s what she shared:
**What inspired you to create this film?**
The idea for "Green" came from a deep respect for the orangutan featured in the documentary by French filmmaker Patrick Rouxel. We wanted to explore the broader issue of biodiversity loss caused by deforestation and climate change. By adopting a documentary-style approach, we aimed to immerse viewers in the story and provoke thought about the environmental crisis.
**Could you talk about the process of designing and animating the characters?**
Eloïse Thibaut, our talented character artist, meticulously studied orangutan references to ensure Green looked as authentic as possible. She paid close attention to every detail, from the texture of her skin to the intricacy of her fur. Although motion capture was considered initially, logistical hurdles led us to opt for hand animation instead. Theo Fratissier, our animator, drew inspiration from videos he filmed at a Parisian zoo to capture Green’s nuanced expressions and movements.
**How did you construct the environments?**
Creating the environments was crucial to enhancing the storytelling. For the first half of the film, we focused on portraying a vibrant, lush forest with vivid colors and soft lighting to evoke optimism. To achieve this, we blended 3D models with actual plant footage. In contrast, the latter part of the film shifts to a darker tone, employing grayscale tones and fire to symbolize the dire consequences of neglecting our planet. This stark contrast underscores the emotional weight of the narrative.
**What tools did you use throughout the production process?**
Maya played a key role in rigging, animating, and setting up scenes, while Arnold handled all rendering tasks. Given the complexity of Green’s skin textures and fur, Arnold proved to be the ideal choice for delivering high-quality results.
**What were some of the biggest obstacles you faced during production?**
One of the main challenges was conveying the film’s message effectively—encouraging audiences to think critically about climate change and its effects on wildlife. We addressed this by striving for photorealism in every aspect of the film, ensuring that Green’s poignant gaze at the end served as a powerful conclusion.
For those interested in learning more about "Green," the VES Student Award-winning film, additional resources are available online.
[Image description: A still from the film featuring Green the orangutan gazing into the jungle.]
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This experience has been incredibly rewarding, not just because of the recognition but also because it highlights the potential of young creators to tackle significant global issues through art and technology. I am proud to have been part of this journey and look forward to seeing what these artists accomplish in the future.