Mirage

Collaborative animated short film

Mirage (noun) - “A hope or wish that has no chance of being achieved.”

A tale of love unfolds between two individuals from opposite social classes, revealing the struggle to overcome societal boundaries in their quest for happiness and love.

Collaborative project with Jeffrey Su and Michael Wang. As huge sci-fi nerds, we wanted this short film to serve as an homage to the cyberpunk genre. We also took this opportunity to explore new technologies, such as character rigging and motion capture, to reenact the workflow of a small motion studio.

→ Indie Suspense Horror Sci-Fi Film Festival, Best Micro Short 3rd Place
→ Red Movie Awards 2024, Selected
→ Los Angeles Cinematography Awards 2024,
Best Animated Film Cinematography, Best Animated Film
→ ARFF Amsterdam 2024, Best Animation & VFX Honorable Mention
→ Filmmakers Connect Awards 2024, Best Animation
→ New York Film Awards 2024, Best Picture
→ New York Film Awards 2024, Best Animation
→ Monza Film Fest 2024, Best Animation
→ PRINT Awards 2024, Motion Graphics & Video
→ ADC Young Ones 2024, Gold Cube
→ ADC Young Ones 2024, Merit
→ Dumbo Film Festival 2024, Semi-Finalist
→ Absurd Film Festival 2024, Best Micro Short
→ Fantasy/Sci-Fi Film Festival 2024, Best Micro Short
→ Festigious Los Angeles 2024, Best Animation
→ Los Angeles Film Awards 2024, Best Sci-Fi
→ The Cine Saga Review
→ Reale Film Festival 2024, Best Micro Short
→ Top Shorts, Best Animation
→ Film Critical Space Review
→ MovieFest UK Review
→ Short Films Matter Review
→ Behance Feature - 3D Motion, After Effects

Styleframes

Kaleidoscopic dream city folding into a mirrored, glitching form

Particle silhouette fading into blue-white light

Motorcycle and rider rendered in scattering light particles

Plume of white particles rising through glitch streaks

Prismatic light streaks washing over a dream sequence

Symmetrical prismatic burst inside the dream

The dream machine glowing on a bedside table

Extreme close-up of an eye behind silver hair

Glowing circular implant on the protagonist's back in the shower

Boats drifting through a concrete canal underpass

Cluttered hacker den with monitors and a red motorcycle

Wading through the canal with a lantern toward wreckage

Cyborg character adjusting a prosthetic arm

Dream sequence of a swing suspended in the clouds

Holographic particles hovering over an open palm

Aerial view of a crowd gathered around a monolithic tower

Red motorcycle wheel caught in warm lens flares

Neon-lit street canyon in the lower city

Twin towers glowing through smoke at sunset

Security drone rising past a high-rise window

Aerial of a sculpted garden atrium in the upper city

Rooftop pool reflecting the inverted city skyline

Golden lounge interior of the upper city

Dinner scene bathed in warm afternoon light

The security drone firing its laser head-on

Dark silhouette and red splash against a white sky

Typed dialogue log glowing on a terminal screen

The dream machine's mandala interface beside a desk lamp

Promotional Posters

Typographic poster — strangers in the night, over an iridescent still

Mirage title poster over a hand of golden particles

Warm poster variant set in string-light bokeh

Mirage poster over a prismatic dream burst

Gold typographic poster over a radial starburst

Katakana poster over the red motorcycle at night

Poster pair hung beside the Motion Connect flyers

Hanging posters by the Ahmanson Auditorium stairs

Premiere

The team on stage under the Mirage title card

Group photo outside the Ahmanson Auditorium

The final release was premiered in the Ahmanson Auditorium at ArtCenter’s Hillside Campus during the Motion Connect event.

Character Development

Sculpting the protagonist's head in Daz 3D

Character reference boards — sketches, archetypes, and wardrobe

Dressing a character in Marvelous Designer

The characters were developed with background stories, archetypes, and character arcs. The 3D models were made using Daz 3D, while Marvelous Designer was used to dress the characters.

Motion Capture

Cleaning up a seated mocap take in Rokoko Studio

Motion capture was used for all of the character animation. This process was enjoyable and sped up the workflow since characters did not have to be hand-animated.

World Building

Cinema 4D scene setup with an Octane render preview

Wireframe viewports of the city environment in Cinema 4D

World building and 3D animation was done in Cinema 4D and rendered with Octane.

Corporation Branding

CODA logotype on construction grid, light and dark

In every cyberpunk story, there’s often a mega-corporation as the antagonist. Thus, CODA was developed as a simple branding project alongside the film.

Front view of the kit-bashed security drone

Drone detail with the CODA mark on its dish

The brand elements were incorporated on to a kit-bashed security drone. The color palette and shape language expands into the HUD interface from the drone’s perspective.

Editing & Compositing

After Effects timeline compositing the drone HUD

Final edit and sound mix in Premiere Pro

After Effects was used for 2D animation and color correction. Premiere Pro was used for the final editing and sound mixing.

Dream Machine

In this cyberpunk universe, one has the ability for shared dream experiences. This is brought to life through the dream machine, creating a unique environment for shared multiplayer dreaming.

Credits:

Jeffrey Su: 3D Animation, Simulation, Post-Production
Hanson Ma: Editing, 2D Design, Animation, Producer
Michael Wang: 3D Animation, World Building, Mocap Actor
Jennifer Li: Screenplay, Mocap Actress
@THR_BHLD: Helmet Design
David Parrella: Mocap Suit
Harvey Fisher: Sound Design
Miguel Lee: Instructor

Special Thanks:

Ming Tai, Elaine Alderette, Harper Chen, Kenneth Kuh

Software:

Cinema 4D, Octane, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Illustrator, XD, Blender, Photoshop, Rokoko Capture, Daz Studio, Marvelous Designer, Gravity Sketch, Topaz Labs