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Chums
Chums was my solo senior thesis film that I dedicated almost 2 years on. The idea came from being inspired by the #MeToo movement and the inciting exposure of predators (specifically child predators) in media. I drew a simple sketch of a girl wearing a fish costume staring down a gigantic shark in an aquarium tank, and it spawned into a 2 minute short film that explored a topic I hadn't seen covered often in 3D animation. Chums allowed me the opportunity to write, direct, and animate my own film illustrating a metaphorical tale about grooming patterns in pedophiles. Below I've compiled some of the progress of getting to the final version.
The Cast
Katia plays Mack, a young girl who looks up to her tiger shark friend Mega after left alone in an aquarium.
Daniel plays Mega, a tiger shark so large and impressive he warrants his own personal tank. Mack is his newest friend to visit the top, typically closed to most.
KATIA PEEL AS MACK
Story
Design/Modeling
Layout
First Pass at Layout
This was the first time I had ever done layout in 3D - so I had NO idea what I was doing. Thankfully I knew the idea of what shots I wanted from boarding, so a lot of these shots ended up being final (or at least, easily adjusted). In this version, Mack escapes Mega by punching him. Which I'm glad got cut because what? Then she has a moment where she decides to take off the hoodie and throw it away, not Mega by force, and it's meant to symbolize that she made the choice to not be a victim. I really liked that beat, but because of time and making things wrap up easier I removed the shot. It was a nice moment to see Mack realize her mom has been looking for her.
Second Pass at Layout
Basically final pass! There's a shot where Mega begs Mack to stay and Mack contemplates by the door (actually from an earlier story board), and that stayed in the film all the way up to January where I silently cut the shot and no one even noticed.
First Pass at Layout
This was the first time I had ever done layout in 3D - so I had NO idea what I was doing. Thankfully I knew the idea of what shots I wanted from boarding, so a lot of these shots ended up being final (or at least, easily adjusted). In this version, Mack escapes Mega by punching him. Which I'm glad got cut because what? Then she has a moment where she decides to take off the hoodie and throw it away, not Mega by force, and it's meant to symbolize that she made the choice to not be a victim. I really liked that beat, but because of time and making things wrap up easier I removed the shot. It was a nice moment to see Mack realize her mom has been looking for her.
Second Pass at Layout
Basically final pass! There's a shot where Mega begs Mack to stay and Mack contemplates by the door (actually from an earlier story board), and that stayed in the film all the way up to January where I silently cut the shot and no one even noticed.
First Pass at Layout
This was the first time I had ever done layout in 3D - so I had NO idea what I was doing. Thankfully I knew the idea of what shots I wanted from boarding, so a lot of these shots ended up being final (or at least, easily adjusted). In this version, Mack escapes Mega by punching him. Which I'm glad got cut because what? Then she has a moment where she decides to take off the hoodie and throw it away, not Mega by force, and it's meant to symbolize that she made the choice to not be a victim. I really liked that beat, but because of time and making things wrap up easier I removed the shot. It was a nice moment to see Mack realize her mom has been looking for her.
Second Pass at Layout
Basically final pass! There's a shot where Mega begs Mack to stay and Mack contemplates by the door (actually from an earlier story board), and that stayed in the film all the way up to January where I silently cut the shot and no one even noticed.
First Pass at Layout
This was the first time I had ever done layout in 3D - so I had NO idea what I was doing. Thankfully I knew the idea of what shots I wanted from boarding, so a lot of these shots ended up being final (or at least, easily adjusted). In this version, Mack escapes Mega by punching him. Which I'm glad got cut because what? Then she has a moment where she decides to take off the hoodie and throw it away, not Mega by force, and it's meant to symbolize that she made the choice to not be a victim. I really liked that beat, but because of time and making things wrap up easier I removed the shot. It was a nice moment to see Mack realize her mom has been looking for her.
Second Pass at Layout
Basically final pass! There's a shot where Mega begs Mack to stay and Mack contemplates by the door (actually from an earlier story board), and that stayed in the film all the way up to January where I silently cut the shot and no one even noticed.
First Pass at Layout
This was the first time I had ever done layout in 3D - so I had NO idea what I was doing. Thankfully I knew the idea of what shots I wanted from boarding, so a lot of these shots ended up being final (or at least, easily adjusted). In this version, Mack escapes Mega by punching him. Which I'm glad got cut because what? Then she has a moment where she decides to take off the hoodie and throw it away, not Mega by force, and it's meant to symbolize that she made the choice to not be a victim. I really liked that beat, but because of time and making things wrap up easier I removed the shot. It was a nice moment to see Mack realize her mom has been looking for her.
Second Pass at Layout
Basically final pass! There's a shot where Mega begs Mack to stay and Mack contemplates by the door (actually from an earlier story board), and that stayed in the film all the way up to January where I silently cut the shot and no one even noticed.
First Pass at Layout
This was the first time I had ever done layout in 3D - so I had NO idea what I was doing. Thankfully I knew the idea of what shots I wanted from boarding, so a lot of these shots ended up being final (or at least, easily adjusted). In this version, Mack escapes Mega by punching him. Which I'm glad got cut because what? Then she has a moment where she decides to take off the hoodie and throw it away, not Mega by force, and it's meant to symbolize that she made the choice to not be a victim. I really liked that beat, but because of time and making things wrap up easier I removed the shot. It was a nice moment to see Mack realize her mom has been looking for her.
Second Pass at Layout
Basically final pass! There's a shot where Mega begs Mack to stay and Mack contemplates by the door (actually from an earlier story board), and that stayed in the film all the way up to January where I silently cut the shot and no one even noticed.
First Pass at Layout
This was the first time I had ever done layout in 3D - so I had NO idea what I was doing. Thankfully I knew the idea of what shots I wanted from boarding, so a lot of these shots ended up being final (or at least, easily adjusted). In this version, Mack escapes Mega by punching him. Which I'm glad got cut because what? Then she has a moment where she decides to take off the hoodie and throw it away, not Mega by force, and it's meant to symbolize that she made the choice to not be a victim. I really liked that beat, but because of time and making things wrap up easier I removed the shot. It was a nice moment to see Mack realize her mom has been looking for her.
Second Pass at Layout
Basically final pass! There's a shot where Mega begs Mack to stay and Mack contemplates by the door (actually from an earlier story board), and that stayed in the film all the way up to January where I silently cut the shot and no one even noticed.
First Pass at Layout
This was the first time I had ever done layout in 3D - so I had NO idea what I was doing. Thankfully I knew the idea of what shots I wanted from boarding, so a lot of these shots ended up being final (or at least, easily adjusted). In this version, Mack escapes Mega by punching him. Which I'm glad got cut because what? Then she has a moment where she decides to take off the hoodie and throw it away, not Mega by force, and it's meant to symbolize that she made the choice to not be a victim. I really liked that beat, but because of time and making things wrap up easier I removed the shot. It was a nice moment to see Mack realize her mom has been looking for her.
Second Pass at Layout
Basically final pass! There's a shot where Mega begs Mack to stay and Mack contemplates by the door (actually from an earlier story board), and that stayed in the film all the way up to January where I silently cut the shot and no one even noticed.
First Pass at Layout
This was the first time I had ever done layout in 3D - so I had NO idea what I was doing. Thankfully I knew the idea of what shots I wanted from boarding, so a lot of these shots ended up being final (or at least, easily adjusted). In this version, Mack escapes Mega by punching him. Which I'm glad got cut because what? Then she has a moment where she decides to take off the hoodie and throw it away, not Mega by force, and it's meant to symbolize that she made the choice to not be a victim. I really liked that beat, but because of time and making things wrap up easier I removed the shot. It was a nice moment to see Mack realize her mom has been looking for her.
Second Pass at Layout
Basically final pass! There's a shot where Mega begs Mack to stay and Mack contemplates by the door (actually from an earlier story board), and that stayed in the film all the way up to January where I silently cut the shot and no one even noticed.
First Pass at Layout
This was the first time I had ever done layout in 3D - so I had NO idea what I was doing. Thankfully I knew the idea of what shots I wanted from boarding, so a lot of these shots ended up being final (or at least, easily adjusted). In this version, Mack escapes Mega by punching him. Which I'm glad got cut because what? Then she has a moment where she decides to take off the hoodie and throw it away, not Mega by force, and it's meant to symbolize that she made the choice to not be a victim. I really liked that beat, but because of time and making things wrap up easier I removed the shot. It was a nice moment to see Mack realize her mom has been looking for her.
Second Pass at Layout
Basically final pass! There's a shot where Mega begs Mack to stay and Mack contemplates by the door (actually from an earlier story board), and that stayed in the film all the way up to January where I silently cut the shot and no one even noticed.
Lighting
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