A solo unreal dev project, this film delves into the aftermath of the East Delhi riots in February 2020. As the protagonist grapples with haunting memories, his dreams become a refuge and a battleground, reflecting the ongoing struggles of his community in the wake of violence.
Street Scene
I used Stable Diffusion, an AI tool, for concept work, generating images matching the envisioned lighting and layout for a setting resembling East Delhi and the area around the Nizamuddin Darga. Then, I imported these images into Blender using the FSpy plugin to establish scale and proportions before transferring them to Unreal Engine. In Unreal Engine, I populated the environment mainly with Mughal assets from Megascans. The environment required two distinct looks: one for a nighttime scene with warm and cool contrasting tones, and the other depicting the aftermath of an angry mob with a cold, monotone color palette, based on personal observation.
Bedroom
The protagonist's bedroom, like the street scene, required two treatments: one for the nighttime setting and another for when he wakes up from his dream state. For the bed, I assembled pieces from old furniture to create a heavy, antique look that conveyed a sense of generational history within the family. To enhance the textures and details, I used stable diffusion to generate some of the textures and decals.
Dream Observatory
The mysterious "dream observatory" at the end of the road was crucial to the plot as it transported our protagonist into a drone-like meditative space, providing insight into his subconscious state and his inescapable cycle of fear while trying to make sense of the violence he experienced. I created a mock-up of the environment in Oculus's Gravity Sketch before importing it into Unreal Engine and utilizing the Mughal modular build assets pack, which I consider one of the best scans in the Megascans library.
Glass Coffin
I had a clear vision of this fragile case that shattered, awakening our protagonist from his dream. That was the starting point, followed by adding chains to lower the case. I aimed for a gritty look, reminiscent of a soft sci-fi film aesthetic . The observer character represented our curiosity from a third-person perspective. I modeled the coffin in Blender despite expecting challenges with Unreal Engine's raytracing and glass materials. Knowing it would look better with pathtracing, I prioritized real-time rendering for efficiency in the iterative film production process.
Sound design
From the outset of pre-production, I envisioned the film to have a deliberately slow pace, with subtle camera movements, understanding that the music would largely shape the world within the narrative. New Delhi's urban soundscape is distinct, with the rumble of lorries and trucks waiting outside the city until nightfall before traversing its streets, a continuous backdrop until early morning. Its urban villages, nestled closely together, each possess a rich audio tapestry, lending a unique quality to every neighborhood. When combined, these elements create a distinct atmosphere unlike any other in a mega city.
Virtual Audition
With the fidelity offered by Metahuman Creator, I achieved a notable phenotypic diversity among the characters, particularly reflective of the demographics found in certain regions of India. This virtual audition allowed for real-time adjustments to character traits during camera and light blocking. While the narrative was centered around a specific event, I recognized that its setting in New Delhi was secondary to the broader theme of addressing societal othering. The animation process primarily relied on mocap data obtained from various sources, which I then stitched together and made additive tweaks as needed.
Filmmaking Empowered by
Unreal Engine
From concept to animation, this project showcases what individuals and small teams can achieve in filmmaking. Utilizing tools like Stable Diffusion and Metahuman Creator, I crafted a narrative that captures the essence of a complex story. Through a blend of creativity and technical skill, my goal was to highlight the potential of modern technology in the hands of a dedicated creator or small team. Unreal Engine represents a step towards the democratization of filmmaking, empowering storytellers to bring to life narratives that might otherwise remain untold or underfunded.
