A witch of unknown magical powers returns an abandoned castle to reclaim her throne.
About Willow
Willow is a 3D animation project in Maya finished in March, 2022.
The project focuses on exploring lighting, cinematography, special effects, and visual languages for storytelling.
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Time: Feb 2022 - Mar 2022
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Software: Maya, Photoshop
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Individual Project
Willow - Initial Version (2021)
Willow was the first animation project I attempted when I took Introduction to 3D Animation in Fall 2021. The initial version served to familiarize myself with the entire pipeline of 3D animation. The character design, storyboard and final arrangement all went through serveral iteration of changes.
The project was updated in March, 2022.
Initial Character Designs
Initial Model Render
Initial Animation
Character Design
The character, Willow, was designed in Procreate, modeled in Maya and Zbrush.
The sigil of Willow was inspired by the flower bird's-foot trefoil (lotus corniculatus), which symbolizes revenge in the Victorian language of flowers. The sigil can be seen in various places, both on the character and in the environment, hinting the theme of vengeance in this animated sequence.
The character was remodeled with new designs in the final version. The changes served to give the character a more menacing, more exaggerated silhouette, which plays an important role in the storytelling. The character was also given better rigging controls.
New Model Render
New Model Rig
Model Comparison
Environment Design
The castle set was specifically designed to have large, tall windows for composition and lighting purposes. The lighting through the window allows the character to cast large shadows or be shown in clean silhouette, emphasizing the mysterious and intimidating quality of the character.
Music Design
The music was inspired by Light of the Seven by Ramin Djawadi. The motif was written in C minor, which gives a sinister, ominous vibe. The piece stays on 4/4 time signature, which is on beat with every scene transition of the animation.