DreamAway: 3rd Year Student Film
Overview
This short film follows Ellie, a young girl whose fear of the dark transforms into a magical adventure. What begins as a quiet bedtime routine quickly shifts when strange shadows appear in her room. As Ellie's imagination runs wild, a mysterious glowing star emerges from beneath her bed. Instead of frightening her, the star reveals itself to be friendly and playful, guiding Ellie through a dream‑like transformation of her bedroom. Together, they float, explore, and share a gentle moment of connection before drifting to sleep. The film blends light suspense with warmth, focusing on childhood wonder, comfort, and the power of imagination.
My Roles
I served as the co-director of this 4‑person team, helping guide the creative vision, storytelling direction, and overall look and feel of the film.
I handled all the rigging work for the film, including both character rigs and prop rigs such as the wooden rocking horse.
In addition to rigging, I developed several production tools to support animation and team collaboration:
- Maya Note Tool: A custom tool that embeds notes directly into Maya files, allowing artists to leave instructions, reminders, and communication cues tied to specific scenes or objects.
- Blendshape Generator Tool: A script that automatically creates adjustable blendshape meshes along with animatable controllers, enabling animators to quickly sculpt and refine character expressions at any stage.
I also contributed simple prop modeling in both Blender and Maya.
We also had two additional supporting members who assisted with lighting and provided rigging technical support throughout production.
