Lighting (EXIT)

This project is part of a short film I worked on with 12 teammates as our final university project: https://www.instagram.com/exit_vfx?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

For the first time, I had the opportunity to work with a USD pipeline in Houdini, which led me to use Solaris with Arnold as the renderer. The directors placed a strong emphasis on storytelling, and as one of the art directors, I was responsible for establishing the visual mood of the film through lighting and pre-compositing. The final compositing was completed by another artist.

My goal was to guide the viewer through a range of emotional states by using four distinct lighting moods: yellow, blue, orange, and red. It was a challenge to find a look that was both visually appealing and manageable for a single lighting artist to execute across the entire film.

The pre-compositing was done in Nuke, and the color grading in DaVinci Resolve.

I hope you enjoy the final result! (There will be individual posts showcasing each lighting mood featured in the film.)