FILM
Potholes
Follow Aimee on her unique quest as she collects discarded nails from the decrepit roads of New Orleans. Every nail brings her closer to her community; From the intimidating Dave with a soft spot for her to the stern yet warm-hearted Liz and her cat Tapioca, each character brings color and texture to Aimee's world.
Watch how Aimee, with her innocent charm and quirky sense of responsibility, impacts those around her, turning the city's 'potholes' into symbols of resilience. Armed with a cup of nails, a sheet of plywood, and her unshakeable determination, she proves that community is still alive in New Orleans.
Set against the backdrop of New Orleans, this 10-minute short film captures the city's rustic charm while weaving a narrative of grit, compassion, and family. Directed, written, and produced by Will Embree, ‘Potholes’ is a celebration of the small accomplishments and life's imperfections that pave the path to resilience.
Marriage Story
In this adaptation of a scene from Noah Baumbach's critically acclaimed "Marriage Story", we delve deeper into the raw emotions of a relationship on the brink of dissolution.
This short film pays homage to Baumbach's masterful storytelling, attempting to recreate the awkward sincerity, intensity, and vulnerability of the original piece.
Directed by Will Embree, this film looks to honor the essence of "Marriage Story", showcasing the subtlety of communication, and the complexity of love.
ANIMATION
Gumball Tonic
Short animation of seemingly pointless mechanical reactions that produce a glass of gumball tonic, which ultimately shatters after falling off the conveyor belt that furnished its creation. This scene was modeled in Rhino 7 then taken into 3ds Max.
The materials reflect the overall rusted, well-used, industrialist climate of the animation, and an HDRI of Peppermint Power plant in Germany was used to further cultivate the factory-like setting. The Soundtrack, Bean’s Secret Cider Cellar by Alexandre Desplat, taken from the film Fantastic Mr. Fox, directed by Wes Anderson, gives the animation a silly and suspenseful ambiance.
Fugu
Fugu - meaning puffer fish in Japanese - is a short animated film using key frames. Using MassFX in 3ds Max for the first time, I created quite the dramatic scene of balloon fish falling into a net. Lighting for the scene was made possible through the use of IES lighting.
The advanced material mapping of the balloon fish gave a realistic look to the fish, thanks to a finger smudge overlay map, manipulation of transparency settings, and a myriad of other adjustments.
Will it fit?
An oddly satisfying animation of balls being moved on a conveyor belt until they meet their end and fall off, passing through a swing. The oscillation and oval-like porosity of the swing seem to be calculated to meet the timing of every falling ball, but the question still remains - will it fit?
This animation was made possible through the creation of individual paths for every single ball in Rhino 7, and keyframing in 3ds Max.
