Unreal Engine Cinematics Reel Compilation
This is a compilation of some, not all, of the renders I have completed in Unreal Engine 5. There are more below and I go into detail about each one as well.
huntress Render
This render was made using music from my good friend Daniel Osterstock.
Previous to creating this cinematic I had been working on attaching VFX to characters, applying post processing effects to the camera in UE5, and creating environments in UE5. This was a test to see if I could use those skills to create convincing combat interactions between the main character and the enemies storming her castle; while timing those interactions to the beat of the music. Simultaneously I was using those skills to create a more in-depth narrative moment for the character than some of my shorter character focused renders. It is a character reveal shot which is meant to introduce the viewer to this very capable huntress character. The effects I am using in the shot include: Bloom, Depth of Field, Chromatic Aberration, Vignettes, Hand Held Camera Movement, and Color Grading.
Previous to creating this cinematic I had been working on attaching VFX to characters, applying post processing effects to the camera in UE5, and creating environments in UE5. This was a test to see if I could use those skills to create convincing combat interactions between the main character and the enemies storming her castle; while timing those interactions to the beat of the music. Simultaneously I was using those skills to create a more in-depth narrative moment for the character than some of my shorter character focused renders. It is a character reveal shot which is meant to introduce the viewer to this very capable huntress character. The effects I am using in the shot include: Bloom, Depth of Field, Chromatic Aberration, Vignettes, Hand Held Camera Movement, and Color Grading.
Sci-Fi Render
For this render I was working on creating a convincing sci-fi narrative moment between two characters. My focus was on using animations to properly portray character movement, using VFX and post processing to sell the sci-fi aesthetic, and giving the viewer introductions to the two characters in the scene. I spent a lot of time blending animations and timing movements to ensure the viewer didn't lose their immersion during the animations. I then made sure to heavily utilize some of the things viewers expect in a sci-fi scene. There are plenty of lens flares, bokeh, particle effects, bloom, and changes in lighting to achieve the desired aesthetic. I also toyed with animating the FOV to get that zoom in effect at the very beginning. I picked the music first and then designed the cinematic around the key moments of the audio.
Swordsman Render
This render was made using music from my good friend and fellow Utah Games alum Biraj Varsani.
This was the first render where I attached VFX to the character as well as the weapon within the sequencer in UE5. I worked on getting the timings with the music right in the major moments of the scene to maximize the character's impact. I used a lot of chromatic aberration to emphasize the effects on the weapon, FOV changes to frame the scenery well, smooth camera movements to make the scene as dynamic as possible, depth of field to draw the eye to the correct places, and camera shake to support the heavy impact of the character's final pose.
This was the first render where I attached VFX to the character as well as the weapon within the sequencer in UE5. I worked on getting the timings with the music right in the major moments of the scene to maximize the character's impact. I used a lot of chromatic aberration to emphasize the effects on the weapon, FOV changes to frame the scenery well, smooth camera movements to make the scene as dynamic as possible, depth of field to draw the eye to the correct places, and camera shake to support the heavy impact of the character's final pose.
Primal Render
This is the first render where I used camera shake, beyond getting the hand held effect, to sell the destructive nature of the explosion coming toward the character. It is also the first render where I had animated characters interacting with each other in a fight sequence. I really enjoyed using the animations available to me to tell a bite-sized story about this caveman character's dire situation. Even while the world is about to end he is defending himself from the beasts that inhabit this planet alongside him. I used a lot of blur, camera shake, and lighting changes to emphasize the impact of seeing the explosion for the first time, accepting his fate, and ultimately surrendering to the inevitable outcome.
Thespian Pirate Render
For this render I really wanted to subvert the viewers expectations. Initially, the viewer will think this is a skeleton pirate in some desolate location alone with his pile of gold. As the camera slowly pans out it is revealed in the scene that this is actually a performance being filmed on a set or stage. Initially I use a lot of effects (bloom, strobe lights, chromatic aberration, blur, and camera shake to highlight the lantern bugs, the background, and the lightning. As the camera pans out I tone down all the effects to help the viewer notice that this is not an actual location but really a film/ theater set.
Boxing Robots render
For this render I was really wanting to show a successful underdog story in just a few seconds. The viewer will first see our main character robot then quickly the much larger and more threatening villain spawns in. My inspirations were Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots as well as the movie Real Steel. I worked on having very smooth and dynamic camera movements that show what I needed to be shown without being jarring to the viewer. There are some particle effects in there too to highlight the impact of the punches, as well as lens flares and bokeh to support the somewhat sci-fi theme. The real concept I was working on was setting up the sequencer using Spawnables. I did not initially know what map style I would want the fight to take place, so I made sure all the assets in the scene were set as Spawnables then I tested a bunch of different maps to find the aesthetic I thought worked best.
Halloween Render
Starting out on this render I knew I wanted to do two things. I wanted the render to be horror themed and I wanted it to be from the first person perspective. To achieve the horror theme I animated a bunch of the lights in the scene to flicker on and off in timing with the monster character in the distance, and I animated the trains to eerily leave the station to reveal the monster watching you at the end. For the first person goal I made sure there was believable camera shake to best sell the hand held first person perspective. To emphasize the horror moments when the viewer sees the monster I animated the film grain and static to increase whenever it was visible and increased the camera shake as well. I wanted the camera effects to come across as realistically as possible so I have subtle lens flare, bokeh, and bloom throughout.
Ice Dragon Render
For this render I was toying around with time dilation options to create the slow motion entrance of the Knight character as well as the Dragon flying toward her. The other aspects of focus were on utilizing the VFX particle effects to create dynamic looking weather with snow and fog on the ice as well as the sparks flying from the helmet when it slams shut.
Lo-fi Render
I was inspired by the Lo-Fi study animations on Youtube and used this opportunity to create my own. In addition, I felt the need to learn more about Unreal's MetaHumans so I customized this character and animated her to fit the Lo-Fi aesthetic. The Lo-Fi renders I have seen have a whimsical and ethereal theme to them. To play into that theme and use what I learned with Spawnables, I thought it would be fun to time the environment to change with her mouse clicks and with the music. As she notices the environment changing, with the building animating away and the scenes switching, I cranked up the chromatic aberration to get a dreamlike feeling. Once she returns to focusing on the monitor I dial back the chromatic aberration and animate the building back around her. I then stitched each of the environment renders together in Premiere Pro and did the color grading there as well.
Superman Robot Render
This render was made using music from my good friend Ian Thrasher.
I was really inspired by how Superman in comics, movies, and animation takes off and then lands. I wanted to recreate that here in the form of a character reveal of this robotic woman. Most of my focus was on matching the camera movements, FOV, and depth of field to what the character was doing. I start and end the render very low to the ground to highlight how this character is meant to be Superman-esque and then try to keep the camera dynamically zooming in and out while she is flying and falling.
I was really inspired by how Superman in comics, movies, and animation takes off and then lands. I wanted to recreate that here in the form of a character reveal of this robotic woman. Most of my focus was on matching the camera movements, FOV, and depth of field to what the character was doing. I start and end the render very low to the ground to highlight how this character is meant to be Superman-esque and then try to keep the camera dynamically zooming in and out while she is flying and falling.
Classical Space render
When I was working on this render I was in the middle of watching Foundation on Apple TV. I really loved the blend of space and classical themes that the show explored and wanted to try my hand at it. I am also a big fan of games like Destiny and No Mans Sky which have moments where the player arrives at a planet and their ship descends toward it. Most of my renders are character specific, so it was nice to create a location reveal/ travel sequence render that used different concepts than the character focused renders I usually do. I animated bloom levels, FOV, depth of field, and the background to get that opening effect. Then leaned on bloom, lens flare, and bokeh to capture the sci-fi theme of the ships arriving at the planet.
Retro Car Render
This render was made using music from my good friend and fellow Utah Games alum Isaac Houston.
Isaac provided me with this very fun and funky retro audio, so I tried my best to match that theme with my render. For this I used a lot of post processing effects to get the pixelated look, the VHS look, and the distortion around the edges of the screen. The main skill I was learning during this render was animating an object along a spline within UE5. Rather than key frame animating the direction the car would travel I laid out the curved lines then key animated the drifting angles for the car. Setting up the scenery and the weather effects was also a major focus for this one. I wanted to use the Tron-like vaporwave aesthetic and thought placing the car in a large and open salt flat would lend itself well to that vaporwave/dystopian feel.
Isaac provided me with this very fun and funky retro audio, so I tried my best to match that theme with my render. For this I used a lot of post processing effects to get the pixelated look, the VHS look, and the distortion around the edges of the screen. The main skill I was learning during this render was animating an object along a spline within UE5. Rather than key frame animating the direction the car would travel I laid out the curved lines then key animated the drifting angles for the car. Setting up the scenery and the weather effects was also a major focus for this one. I wanted to use the Tron-like vaporwave aesthetic and thought placing the car in a large and open salt flat would lend itself well to that vaporwave/dystopian feel.
Small RObot Big Robot render
This was the first standalone render I made in UE5. This is where I learned all the basic of the sequencer like blending animations, triggering particle effects, basic post processing (depth of field and bloom mainly), and scene setup. A lot of my focus was on manipulating the camera shake with the steps of the large robot, stopping the shake when the robot stopped, and cranking it back up for the large explosion. I was also working on framing the different elements in a visually pleasing way and providing a short little narrative moment between the two characters while directing the viewers eye with depth of field changes.
Boss Battle Render
This is from an online render challenge that happens every few months where participants are provided the camera locations, camera movements, and character locations. We are then left to fill in the rest of the environment, character assets, and effects. This was long after the challenge ran so I did not submit it. Rather, I used it as an opportunity to continue what I learned in the Small Robot Big Robot render above. Beyond getting character animations and VFX right, most of what I focused on was creating a range of varied environments that would work cohesively with the alternate character models I had access to.