This is a document describing how I began planning and creating my Dragonfly Short Film which can be seen here: https://youtu.be/wyZzCrIbi7A

1.
Southampton
Solent
University
Faculty
of
Creative
Industries
BA
(Hons)
Computer
Generated
Imagery
2015/16
Fredrik
Simons
CGI
Pre-­‐Production
(AAP601)

2.
Pre-­‐Production
Introduction
-­‐
Fredrik
Industry
Plans
The
CG
industry
is
vast
and
the
amount
of
different
industries
it
overlaps
grows
year
on
year
as
the
technology
improves.
It
is
therefore
my
ambition
to
have
a
good
solid
base
knowledge
of
modelling,
texturing,
rigging,
animating,
lighting
and
rendering
so
that
I
will
one
day
be
able
to
set
up
and
manage
my
own
business
in
the
3D
Industry.
This
challenge
will
be
hard
to
accomplish
so
I’d
prefer
to
start
out
in
the
film
industry
where
3D
artists
are
already
well
established
and
work
in
large
teams
to
accomplish
a
desired
goal.
Therefore,
my
aim
in
this
final
year
would
be
to
replicate
what
the
film
industry
creates
in
a
shortened
version
to
demonstrate
the
full
potential
of
what
my
partner
and
I
can
create.
Managing
a
team
is
also
very
important
when
creating
your
own
business
so
I
will
continue
to
hone
my
skills
in
this
area
by
working
with
a
partner
to
whom
I’ve
been
successful
in
working
with
in
the
past.

3.
Industry
Jobs
In
this
section,
I
will
tackle
the
different
jobs
sectors
I
could
work
in
the
near
future.
These
include:
1. Film
–
CG
Generalist
2. Film
–
Modelling
3. Advertising
–
CG
Generalist
4. Advertising
–
Modelling
5. Freelance
6. Personal
Business
In
each
job
offer,
I’ve
added
an
about
section
to
show
what
industries
these
companies
work
with
in
their
own
words.
Text
highlighted
in
green
are
the
skills
I
already
possess,
text
highlighted
in
orange
are
skills
I
will
be
improving
upon/exploring
in
my
final
project.
Example
Industry
Job:
CG
Generalist
in
Film,
TV,
Advertising,
Games
and
Venues
CG Generalist Fuse FX
About
FuseFX provides visual effects services for film, television, and commercials, games,
and special venues
GENERALISTS PREFERRED REQUIREMENTS
Proficiency in 3ds Max and Vray Rendering System
Experience with particle systems such as PFlow and/or Thinking Particles
Smoke and fire experience with Afterburn and FumeFX
Simulation Experience with cloth, hair, RealFlow and Reactor
Node based compositing experience with Nuke, Fusion or Shake
3d tracking with Boujou or SynthEyes
SKILLS/RESPONSIBILITIES
3+ years experience in a production environment
Should effectively execute all necessary assigned tasks while under tight production schedule
deadlines
Strong creative and technical abilities
Excellent problem solving skills
Positive attitude
Work well in a team environment
In
this
job,
Fuse
FX
is
asking
for
a
CG
Generalist
working
in
a
variety
of
industries.
This
would
be
very
helpful
for
me,
as
this
exposure
will
help
to
further
narrow
down
what
I’d
like
to
be
doing.
Depending
on
time
constraints,
using
Pflow
and
Thinking
Particles
to
create
the
ripple
effect
in
the
water
as
well
as
maybe
leaves
or
particles
of
dust
blowing
in
the
wind
would
be
beneficial.

4.
Example
Industry
Job:
CG
Generalist
in
Advertising
TANK - Senior CG Artist to join their expanding team in South East
London.
About
Though we are a small team, this only aids us in adding a personal approach to each and
every job that comes through our doors. Regularly working with award winning
photographers and advertising agencies allows us to grow not only as a company, but also as
individual artists. With no job too big or too small, we are always looking to take on new
projects and challenges. Whether you have a large on-going project or a smaller one-off
retouching job, we put the same creativity and attention to detail into all of our work.
Requirements
You will have an extensive knowledge of the CG pipeline and be comfortable with all aspects
of 3D from soft and hard surface modelling, UV mapping, texturing, lighting and rendering.
Projects will range from basic studio product renders to complete automotive campaigns and
everything else the imagination can create in between!
You will be integral to the creative team developing innovative concepts and producing high
quality renders. You will be the lead artist and will need to brief and manage other artists
working on the project. You need to be a great problem solver and always up for a challenge.
As a large percentage of our work is involved in the production of photo-realistic imagery, it
is important that you have work in your portfolio to demonstrate this. We have systems and
workflows in place but you will be able to build up your own pipeline and manage the
renderfarm so some IT experience would be beneficial.
Skills/Qualifications:
• Highly experienced in the production of CGI's and animation
• Software skills – Preferably 3DS Max, Maya or C4D, V-ray, Photoshop. After Effects
or Nuke a bonus.
• Confident handling jobs from start to finish
• A high level of attention to detail
• Ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines
• Able to optimize scenes for productive rendering
• The ability to create new ideas both independently and within a team
• A constant desire to produce high quality work
• Excellent communication skills
• Self motivated with creativity and flare
As
this
job
is
focused
on
photo-­‐realistic
imagery
and
animation,
creating
a
short
film
for
my
final
project
would
be
beneficial
as
the
quality
is
aimed
to
be
photorealistic
and
the
Dragonfly
will
have
some
fairly
complex
animation
to
help
make
it
fly.
In
addition,
as
this
job
is
in
a
company
with
a
small
team,
the
job
will
be
more
personal
and
it
will
help
to
really
get
to
know
everyone
and
analyse
and
use
everyone’s
varying
skills
to
our
advantage.

5.
Example
Industry
Job:
CG
Generalist/Environment
Modeller
in
Advertising
and
Video
Game
Trailers
Goldtooth Creative Recruiting CG Generalist/Environment Modeller
About
A boutique studio in the lush and beautiful Vancouver, Canada. Artists with feature film backgrounds,
specializing in bringing a cinematic quality to video game trailers, commercials, marketing media and
in-game story content. Each member of the team is a master of their craft, who bring stories to the
screen from concept to completion.
CG Generalist/Environment Modeller
About the Position
Possessing a broad knowledge base that covers the basics of modeling, texturing, animation, lighting
and rendering. Our CG Generalist/Environment Modeler is responsible for handling general 3D tasks
as required but will need to have a strong understanding of modeling. You will create 3D models with
texture, color, and lighting. It is essential you have a “can do” attitude and open-mindedness to non-
traditional solutions.
Responsibilities
· Able to model and sculpt hard-surface and organic 3D assets with or without concepts
· Participates in modeling, rigging, animation, texture, lighting and compositing needs of the project.
· Follows Goldtooth data storage/data naming and retrieval processes outlined in studio
· Makes sure that all work done is accounted for and entered into Shotgun daily
· Identifies problems with respect to timelines and delivery schedules and flags these to the senior
team
Requirements
· The CG Generalist/Environment Modeler should have 1-3 years of industry experience in games
and/or film
· A fundamental knowledge of modeling both organic and hard surface environments and props
· Demonstrating strong proficiency in usage of 3D and 2D software tools: Maya & Photoshop
· Knowledge of other software such as Nuke, Z-Brush and RealFlow
· Up-to-date knowledge of VFX tools, video game engines and emerging technologies
· Game Engine experience is an asset
· A strong creative eye and a problem-solving attitude
· Communicate with colleagues and work as part of a team
· Take direction and willingness to address comments and make changes
As
Goldtooth
creative
are
asking
for
a
CG
Generalist/Environment
Modeller
in
the
advertising
industry,
this
job
will
be
helpful
to
me
because
small
projects
will
expose
me
to
a
variety
of
different
tasks
without
doing
the
same
job
over
and
over
again.
Creating
a
short
film
in
my
final
project
will
help
me
to
understand
the
challenges
that
lay
before
me.
To
help
Goldtooth
make
me
a
more
desirable
candidate
for
the
job,
some
of
my
time
will
be
spent
helping
Rhys
create
the
environment
for
this
project.
This
would
be
beneficial
to
the
both
of
us
as
I’ll
be
learning
new
software
and
techniques
and
he’ll
be
saving
on
time
creating
this
vast
landscape.

6.
Example
Industry
Job:
CG
Generalist
in
a
Major
Film
Company
Double Negative Vancouver - Generalist TD
About
Double
Negative
is
a
British
full-­‐service
visual
effects/computer
animation
company
located
in,
London.
Multi-­‐award-­‐winning
Double
Negative
(Dneg)
is
one
of
the
world’s
leading
providers
of
visual
effects
for
Film
with
facilities
in
London,
Singapore
and
Vancouver.
Key
Purpose
of
the
Job:
To
handle
any
general
3d
tasks
required.
We
would
expect
a
broad
knowledge
that
covers
as
many
areas
of
3d
as
possible,
or
at
least
the
basics
(modelling,
texturing,
animation,
lighting
and
rendering).
Needs
to
Do:
Cover
the
more
general
3d
tasks
such
as
modelling,
animation,
texturing,
lighting
and
rendering.
At
times,
they
may
be
asked
to
learn
a
proprietary
system
or
a
new
piece
of
software,
and
we
would
expect
them
to
be
flexible
enough
to
handle
this.
Needs
to
Know:
Thorough
knowledge
of
the
principles
of
3D
(animation,
FX,
modelling,
texturing,
lighting,
scripting,
shading,
rendering,
rigging).
We
appreciate
that
the
candidate
may
have
varying
levels
of
knowledge
in
these
fields.
Full
working
knowledge
of
Maya
and/or
Houdini.
You
would
need
to
be
comfortable
with
the
more
technical
aspects
of
CG
work,
and
have
a
good
sense
of
the
artistic
side
as
well.
Programming
or
scripting
skills
(e.g.
mel,
python)
would
be
beneficial,
but
not
essential.
Familiarity
with
pipeline
issues
and
a
typical
post
production
environment.
Minimum
of
1
years
experience
on
feature
films.
Experience
in
other
areas
of
visual
effects
(TV,
games)
would
also
be
taken
into
account.
Being
a
much
larger
and
well-­‐established
company,
it
makes
it
a
lot
harder
to
apply
for
a
job,
as
their
standards
tend
to
be
very
high.
However,
if
successful
the
salary
should
be
more
and
the
experience
gained
in
working
in
very
large
teams
will
be
very
useful.
As
this
Double
Negative
application
is
so
broad,
working
to
improve
all
of
my
skills
in
the
final
project
would
be
helpful
to
help
secure
a
place.
Moreover,
continuing
to
learn
and
work
in
Maya
is
one
of
the
most
important
tasks
if
you
want
to
be
in
the
film
industry.

7.
Example
Industry
Job:
CG
Generalist
in
a
Major
Film
Company
Rocket Science VFX - Intermediate 3D Generalist
About
Rocket
Science
continues
to
push
the
boundaries
of
visual
effects
and
animation.
We
believe
in
creative
challenge,
technical
and
artistic
investment,
and
continuous
growth
through
education
and
experimentation.
Rocket
Science
VFX
is
looking
for
talented
3D
artists
with
a
broad
generalist
skill-­‐set
for
our
upcoming
slate
of
projects.
Job
Duties:
Proven
artistic
ability
across
multiple
CG
disciplines
including
modelling,
texturing,
animation,
lighting,
shading,
look
development
and
FX
Understand
shot
composition,
camera
layout,
shot
blocking,
tracking/Matchmoving
and
animating
Strong
communication
skills
to
work
creatively
and
efficiently
with
a
team
of
artists
Qualifications:
Experience
working
in
Maya
a
must
Knowledge
of
Vray,
Mental
Ray,
Houdini,
Mari,
Zbrush
and
PF
Track
a
plus
A
firm
understanding
of
both
feature
film
and
television
production
MEL,
RSL
and
Python
experience
earns
huge
bonus
points
Experience
leading
teams
Skills
Requirements
College
Certificate
&/or
degree
in
animation
or
applicable
industry
experience
required
Terms:
Hiring
for
both
permanent
full
time
and
contract
work
Wage:
$55
–
$85K
annually
Although
this
job
is
asking
for
a
less
experienced
3D
Generalist,
the
experience
needed
is
still
very
high
in
order
for
them
to
consider
you.
As
shot
composition
knowledge
is
needed,
our
final
project
would
help
very
much
in
this
aspect
as
we
will
need
to
plan
where
and
what
the
camera
is
filming
in
each
shot.
Moreover,
a
1st
at
the
end
of
Uni
would
also
help
as
one
of
the
requirements
for
the
candidate
to
have
a
degree
Depending
on
time
constraints,
using
Pflow
and
Thinking
Particles
to
create
the
ripple
effect
in

8.
Example
Industry
Job:
Organic
Modeller
in
a
Major
Film
Company
As
an
Organic
Modeller
is
a
working
in
a
variety
of
industries.
This
would
be
very
helpful
as
this
exposure
will
help
to
further
narrow
down
what
I’d
like
to
be
doing.
Atmosphere VFX Recruiting Organic Modeller
About
Atmosphere
Visual
Effects
is
a
rapidly
growing,
artist-­‐driven
boutique
style
company
based
in
the
beautiful
city
of
Vancouver,
BC
and
Toronto,
ON.
Our
tight-­‐knit
team
has
rapidly
built
a
reputation
for
top-­‐flight
visual
effects.
We
are
committed
to
producing
high
quality
work
and
pride
ourselves
on
not
overworking
our
employees.
Job
Duties
Atmosphere
Visual
Effects
is
seeking
an
experienced
Organic
Surface
Modeller/Texture
Artist
to
join
our
CG
team
at
our
facilities
in
Toronto,
ON.
Requirements
The
ideal
candidate
will
possess
the
following
qualities:
At
least
1
year’s
experience
as
a
Organic
Surface
Modeller
Expertise
in
Maya,
Z
Brush,
MARI,
V-­‐Ray
Ability
to
work
as
part
of
a
team
If
you
are
interested
in
working
as
part
of
a
talented,
tight-­‐knit
visual
effects
team,
please
send
your
cover
letter
and
resume.
We
thank
all
applicants
for
applying,
however,
only
those
selected
for
an
interview
will
Required
experience:
Modeller:
1
year

9.
Example
Industry
Job:
Freelance
and
Creating
Ones
own
Business
Examples
of
different
ways
to
economically
benefit
from
3D
Printing:
http://www.mytopbusinessideas.com/3d-­‐printing/

10.
Brief
-­‐Fredrik
The
aim
of
this
project
is
to
learn
how
to
encompass
all
of
my
skills
into
one
scene.
Furthermore,
the
complexity
of
the
project
is
dependent
on
how
much
time
each
step
will
take
to
do.
In
order
of
importance,
this
will
include:
● Character
Modelling
● Visual
Effects
● Environment
Modelling
Depending
on
how
much
time
these
will
take
my
aim
is
to
also
learn
how
to
do
● Rigging
● Animating
The
main
software
packages
I
will
be
using
includes
3DS
Max,
Maya,
Mudbox
and
ZBrush.
The
first
step
is
for
me
to
create
a
Dragonfly
in
ZBrush
and
then
my
partner
will
create
a
pond
environment
to
complement
my
Dragonfly.
The
second
step
would
be
for
the
both
of
us
to
work
on
creating
visual
effects
on
this
static
scene.
The
third
step
would
be
to
animate
the
dragonfly
moving
through
my
partner’s
environment
while
he
continues
to
improve
upon
the
quality
of
the
pond
scene.
The
fourth
step
is
to
continue
modelling
other
insect
characters
like
a
grasshopper
and
a
ladybird
to
further
enrich
the
scene.
Finally,
all
of
our
work
will
be
combined
to
a
working
standard
to
produce
a
short
film.

11.
Milestones
-­‐Fredrik
• Complete
Pre-­‐Production
Planning
• Create
a
clear
blockout
of
the
environment
and
start
to
produce
the
final.
Finish
creating
the
Dragonfly
• Successfully
complete
the
environment
and
start
to
rig
and
animate
the
Dragonfly.

12.
Visual
Reference
–
FS
and
RH
These
images
show
aesthetic
and
compositional
elements
that
we’d
like
to
incorporate
in
our
environment:
Elements
to
NOTE:
-­‐Technical
execution
of
grass
-­‐Thickness
and
height
of
grass
Elements
to
NOTE:
-­‐Pine
trees
in
foreground
and
background
-­‐The
locational
aspect
of
an
Alpine
Environment

13.
Elements
to
NOTE:
-­‐Foreground,
midground
and
background
-­‐Lighting
Depth
of
Field
This
image
shows
the
shivelight
in
the
forest
where
the
dragonfly
will
be
flying
These
lily
pads
looked
good
and
we
thought
it
might
be
a
good
idea
to
add
them
to
the
pond
to
bring
more
life
to
it

14.
The
mountains
in
the
background
and
the
reflection
in
the
lake
are
the
parts
of
the
image
we’d
like
to
use
as
inspiration
Finally,
we
both
liked
the
lighting
and
the
atmosphere
in
this
image.
Dragonfly
Reference
See
Photoshop
document
attached
on
USB
Video
Reference
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIy18tAGuyY
(Mayfly
Advert)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9Y_naTHPsY
(Snapdragon
Advert)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DMB_ERknBA
(Dragonfly
Turntable)

15.
Dragonfly
Pond
Full
Script
–
FS
and
RH
Dragonfly Pond
CAMERA ZOOMED AND FOCUSED ON DRAGONFLY
The Dragonfly is resting on a blade of grass some distance away
from the pond
CAMERA PANS OUT TO REVEAL THE SCENEREY
The environment has a distinctive foreground, midground, and
background which is what this shot prioritizes
SLOW FLYTHOUGH GRASS
The camera is now focused on the dragonfly as it starts to fly.
The wings gradually build up momentum, which can be heard on the
sound effects. When the wings are working at full force, the
volume heard in the film slightly fades out. The Dragonfly then
enters the forest
FLYTHROUGH TREES
The lighting changes soften to shivelight as the Dragonfly enters
the forest. We then hear the sound of trees leaves rustling in
the wind. It then starts to manoeuvre in zigzag like motion where
it whooshes past each tree. At the beginning of the forest the
camera can see the whole dragonfly but while the dragonfly gains
speed only the head is visible.
POND REVEAL
As it leaves the forest the dragonfly slows down and as this
happens the camera pans out to reveal the pond. The camera stays
static, as the dragonfly starts moving around smelling the cool
fresh forest air. This movement is aimed to be characteristic to
how a dragonfly naturally flies around a pond. E.g.: By abruptly
changing directions.
RIPPLE
After all of this action of flying around, the dragonfly hears a
sound coming from the water. This sound was of a water droplet
from a leaf hitting the pond creating a ripple effect. As the
audience hears this sound, the camera swivels to the pond where
the ripple is shown. The Dragonfly then thought to itself that it
would like to quench its thirst.

16.
DRINK
The pond has a lone lily pad in it and the dragonfly thought this
would be a good place to settle as it quenches its thirst. It
flies directly towards it and starts drinking. While its
drinking, the camera is close up.
END
As the scene finished, the camera then pans upwards revealing the
mountains as the sun slowly illuminates the screen white. This
then reveals the moral of the story, which is: Enjoy Life’s Small
Pleasures

17.
Storyboard
–
FS
and
RH

20.
Sound
Effects
–
FS
and
RH
• Bird
song
at
the
beginning
of
the
short
film
to
wake
up
the
dragonfly
to
a
new
day
when
it’s
on
its
blade
of
a
grass
with
dew
• Dragonfly
wings
for
most
of
the
scene
• The
sound
of
wind
rushing
through
the
trees
as
it
goes
through
the
forest
• The
sound
of
water
movement
increases
as
it
nears
the
pond

21.
Production
Planning
–
FS
and
RH
Objective
Priority
Risk
Assessment
Work
out
what
the
project
will
entail.
This
includes
where
the
environment
is
located,
what
character
to
model
and
what
job
roles
should
be
assigned.
A
Gather
reference
images
for
the
Pond
and
the
Dragonfly
A
Figure
out
the
narrative
behind
the
short
film
of
the
Dragonfly
flying
around
the
pond
and
create
a
script
for
this
A
Convert
this
script
into
a
Storyboard
A
Create
a
basic
blockout
of
the
environment
A
Use
a
camera
to
demonstrate
the
key
areas
where
the
Dragonfly
will
be
flying
around
and
produce
stills
for
each
shot
A
Animate
the
camera
moving
between
each
shot
and
in
so
doing,
also
work
out
a
rough
estimate
of
the
number
of
frames
needed
to
render
our
final
scene
A
Work
out
which
software’s
are
applicable
to
create
a
photorealistic
environment
under
our
time
constraints
and
then
start
to
learning
to
use
and
model
with
them.
A
Start
to
model
the
Dragonfly
in
ZBrush
A
Finish
modelling
the
Dragonfly
A

22.
Finish
modelling
the
environment
A
Animate
the
Dragonfly
A
Add
visual
effects
to
the
environment
B
Add
sound
effects
to
the
environment
B
Match
the
blockout
video
with
the
final
video
in
the
viewport
A
If
problems
arise
over
time,
composite
our
work
together.
B
If
all
goes
to
plan,
render
out
our
final
scene
A
Thoughts
and
Ideas
• We
will
start
to
create
a
drop
falling
into
the
water
but
if
we
have
time,
change
the
drop
into
a
leaf
falling
down.
• Ugly
Duckling
concept
(Accept
one
another
no
matter
how
different
we
might
appear)
• Live
the
most
of
every
day
(Mayfly
Advert)
• The
mood
of
the
scene
will
be
colourful
and
happy
as
this
is
how
the
dragonfly
is
feeling
when
he
flies
to
the
pond
to
get
some
water.
The
moral
of
this
story
is
enjoy
the
small
things
in
life.
• The
dragonfly
doesn’t
work
and
has
no
access
to
human
indulgement
like
unlimited
food
and
entertainment
and
therefore
is
a
happy
dragonfly
• The
time
of
year
would
be
autumn
so
that
we
could
add
more
varied
colours
to
the
trees