Now that the production phase of this project finally comes to the final producing stage, I’m taking some time to reflect on the reality of being a indie animator. Managing the entire pipeline by myself, from the initial story and concept art all the way to final compositing and rendering in such a short period of time was overwhelming, but learnt a lot from each stage. It forced me to look objectively at my technical skills and how I actually handle pressure.

One of the biggest challenges I faced was definitely time management and keeping the visual consistency tight across all the shots. When I am the only person working on the film, it would be so easy to get lost in the tiny details and lose sight of the overall tone. I found that whenever I felt stuck or overwhelmed by the heavy animation workload, stepping back and looking at my foundational visual development work and storyboards really helped ground me and keep the production from falling apart.

This whole project has been a massive learning time, but it really helped clarify my future career pathways. Taking on every single role in this short film made me realize where my true passion is. While I enjoyed animating, I discovered that I thrive the most during the pre-production and world-building stages. Designing the characteristics, figuring out the eerie lighting, and creating that atmosphere to serve the story in the visual development phase was what I enjoyed most. Equally I found myself genuinely still very interested in the compositing work, taking all those raw elements and bringing that exact atmosphere to life by dialing in the final mood, lighting, and visual tension. Because of this, my ultimate goal now is to specialize as a concept and visual artist.

Shots and time schedule

Now that the animation is finally done, my next step is figuring out how to actually promote and get it out there. I am currently researching and preparing the materials for the showcase. I also want to post more behind-the-scenes stuff, like my production process breakdowns on social media to get some feedback before release the full film online.

At the same time, I plan to pick the absolute best concept art, background designs, and final composited shots to update my portfolio and put together a proper showreel. As for my career plan, I’m going to start updating on SNS more actively to connect with others. My goal after graduation is to work as freelance and find a role as a Concept Artist or Compositor. Looking back, making this short film wasn’t just about finishing a university assignment anymore; it really feels like the starting point for my actual career in the animation industry.

Initial Style frames and Final Rendered