My Robot Buddy
This scene was my entry for one of the monthly lighting challenges that the Academy of Animated Art runs. It was particularly challenging as it was my first scene as an aspiring lighting artist. My goal for this challenge was to create an image that could evoke a sense of longing.
I took inspiration from this image. I wanted to have extreme darks and a bright light source where the character's face could read well, and the rest of the scene would fall into darkness.
The tasks that I needed to do in order to achieve what I had envisioned with this scene were the following:
Have a camera angle where the characters could read well, which contributes to story development.
Create an emotional connection between the characters.
Find a way to create and tell the story of longing only through lighting.
By having complete control over where the camera is placed in the scene, I was able to create a beautiful composition where I framed each character to its own space, the girl to the wall and the robot to the window. Yet, they complemented each other for the story.
I created a strong contrast of cool light versus warm light in the scene, which helped establish a connection between the characters and the longing to be somewhere else. Also, the detail of adding human-like eyes to the robot allows us to connect with the robot and makes it a caring character, more suited to the story.
I am proud of the result I accomplished in this piece, as I had to overcome several struggles as an aspiring lighting artist. I had to focus and understand the importance of storytelling through lighting instead of just lighting and presenting something. Another big takeaway from this project was the importance of getting out there and showing progress to receive feedback and learn and grow from it.
Scene is available in the Academy of Animated Art's marketplace.
Modeled by Sara Tarr
I was responsible for lighting and compositing.
Software used: Maya, Arnold Renderer and Photoshop.