SCAD x The Mill
② Week 2
Trail Mix
Feedback from Mentors (Class 3 )
1. Need to better integrate the first live-action shot
2. Incorporating the logo into the planet shot
3. Highlight the ingredients more prominently. Ensure the product is shown being enjoyed to make it more appealing.
4. The story is missing an inciting action—why do we transition to the planet? The motivation of magic effect.
5. The narrative should be more connected to the character
6. Layer actions, allow elements to spin independently for a more dynamic feel.
4. For the ending, add resolution by bringing the planetary experience back to the character for a satisfying conclusion.
5. Avoid a pitch-black background in the space scene; use diffuse and directional lighting and add background elements.
Changes made:
1. The story was revised, retaining the nut planet concept, but now set in a desert environment with a stargazing scene.
2. The character interacts with the product by eating it and showing enjoy face.
3. The background now includes a meteor shower effect, blending with the cosmic theme.
4. A trail mix bag falls from the sky like a meteor, connecting with the cosmic nut planet concept.
5. Planning to add fun nut asteroids in the background.
Week 2 Task -- Fx test (Package falling & shooting star) in Houdini
1. Fx Reference (Package falling)
I shot This reference video to observe the squashing and collision effects when the bag falls. Originally, I intended to use the "Class Fruits and Nuts" flavor（green color package one ), but my friends ate it all, so I used a different flavor as a stand-in. However, all Sahale packaging materials are the same.
Key characteristics:
The packaging material is relatively rigid.
There's no significant bounce when it falls.
The fall creates slight wrinkles and compression.
Compared to soft plastic bags, the packaging feels more like stiff paper or soft metal bending.
Landing Fx reference (Pyro and Debris)
Please slide the image below to view the process
2. Fx Reference (shooting star)
youtube.com/watch?v=wSZrKJICJ-o by Disney
For the meteor effect, which will serve as the background, I gathered various reference videos with different styles. The goal is to experiment with which one best fits the overall style of our project.
Tests
Regarding the shooting star particles, the three tests we've done so far either look too stylized for the realistic feel we're aiming for or too simple—especially once imported into Unreal, where they lose color and end up looking flat. Also, two of the tests were too heavy, causing crashes during import/export. I think it might be better to test the shooting star clusters directly in Unreal for smoother results。
Yilin Zhao / SANM560 / SCAD x The Mill