On Show

James Carvill

BA [Hons] 3D Design Modelmaking + Digital Art

My name is James. I've always been interested in art, and I discovered my passion for digital modeling and animation over the past few years in college. I enjoy pushing myself to see what I can create and wanted to bring Piper's world and narrative to life. So, of course, I jumped into the deep end and decided to make a film trailer for my final year project. Every aspect of the project had a new challenge, from character and environment design to texturing, animating and compositing. I have learned a lot and aspire to expand my knowledge and pursue a career in this field.

Piper

'Piper' is an animated trailer that I made for my final year project. I worked on all stages of production, from character design and texturing to animating and compositing. The vast majority of the project was created in Blender. I was inspired by the dozens of piglets in Killruddery, where I work. A pig with wings is a hilarious and cute idea but I took a dramatic and suspenseful approach to the trailer.

It teases the story of Piper: The pig with wings. Piper is found by the mysterious Traveler and together they explore a forgotten land, hoping to uncover the mystery of Piper's origin. All the while being hunted by the Goliath Boar, a massive winged creature that will stop at nothing to keep them from the truth.

How technological advancements in The Mandalorian (2019) and His Dark Materials (2019) help integrate actors with digital elements during production.

A film transports viewers to a fictional place and with current technology, it is possible to bring actors to these worlds as well. The degree of immersion for the actor is aided by the set. However, not all sets are created equal, and films set in fictional worlds are often shot on green screen stages, a blank space, with no way to inspire the actors. This research aims to identify how digital set extension overcomes the limits of background projection and green screen, and also how physical objects representing digital characters make the filming experience more engaging for the cast and crew. In particular, this thesis focuses on how technology has developed to help integrate actors with digital elements throughout the production process of the television shows The Mandalorian (2019) and His Dark Materials (2019).