PAINTING GREYS

Music Video



Role

3D Generalist

Music & Performances

Emmit Fenn

Sina Anders

Christina Ottoson

Danijel Jamal Wolf

Duration

1 year

2023-2024

Tools

Houdini

Nuke

Premiere Pro

Optitrack

§ Project Description

In the music video for “Painting Greys” by Emmit Fenn, the protagonist is a glamorous yet tormented editor-in-chief grappling with her perfectionism. Her vivid dreams reveal a subconscious yearning for joy, gradually overtaking her meticulous habits. In these dreams, she briefly experiences carefree happiness before the harsh reality of her imperfections shatters the illusion. For the project, motion capture was utilized, featuring dance performances by Christina Ottoson and Danijel Jamal Wolf.

    - Lena Schibany (Art Direction, Textures, 2D Animation)

    - Mona Supersberger (Graphic Design, Stopmotion)

    - Hannah Rampitsch (3D Visuals, Compositing)

    - Jona Melvin Grobe (3D Visuals, Compositing)

After 9 months of working on the concept and some previs shots, we decided to scrap a lot of it, and start a new Project. As the project had a very limited amount of time left, we decided that each person would be assigned their own type of shots. This way, we split the entire video into more manageable chunks, allowing everyone to contribute a bit to every aspect.



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§ Concept

Our goal was to create a music video that would both enhance our own expertise and provide new experiences with different styles and tools. The final product aims to feature a music video with varied pacing. The verse is intended to be slow and calm, while the bridge acts as a build-up to the drop, offering an opportunity to convey the intended message in various styles and to transition between them. Throughout the creative process, we aimed to improve our technical and creative skills on multiple levels.


§ Process

The project began with storyboarding and choreography to synchronize the narrative with the song’s emotional rhythm. We used Optitrack’s motion capture system to record expressive performances, which were then imported into Houdini for animation refinement. Textures were designed in Substance Painter and Photoshop. Finally, the video was rendered with Houdini’s KarmaX renderer, followed by color grading to unify the tone and enhance the storytelling. All elements, environments, and effects were composited and blended together using After Effects and Nuke.


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§ Learnings

Project Management

○ Stick to your goals
○ Don`t overscope




Houdini

    ○ KineFX CleanUp & Retargetting
    ○ Working with USD
    ○ Rendering with KarmaX

§ Music




© Jona Melvin Grobe