CATCH OF THE NIGHT

Catch of the Night is an animated, interactive short film created in Unreal 5 to leverage real-time rendering. It is slated for release on the TrickFilm streaming platform in September. The film was produced in partnership with TrickFilm Inc. and Beyond Capture Studios. 

Role

Director + Writer

Tools

Unreal 5, Notion, Blender, Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, ToonBoom, Pixelstreaming, LiveLink

Deliverable

Animated interactive film with real-time rendering + 64 potential customizations + one mini-game + procedural generation of objects in the setting + branching outcomes

Duration

Three months

Core Responsibilities

Wrote and revised the screenplay, developing the narrative premise of the piece.

  • Organized two-day brainstorming sessions with client and team to reach a consensus on design decisions.

  • Advocated and oversaw narrative development in each aspect of production.

Organized the production pipeline and contributed to all aspects of production, including pre-viz in Unreal 5 Sequencer.

  • Implemented LiveLink facial captures and did ADS to match body MOCAP.

  • Monitored project progression and blockers to ensure we met our deadline for delivery.

Revised storyboards and animatics with artists.

  • Eliminated nearly five pages of storyboards to reach a tighter deadline and still communicate story.

  • Re-worked the narrative with the storyboard artist to add simple but effective shots without much animation overhead.

Sourced MOCAP studio and multiple 3D artists to meet a strict timeline for Trickfilm.

  • Oversaw coordination with contractors to ensure creative alignment and task management.

Managed the budget and client relations.

  • Pitched ideas and development on a weekly basis. 

Designed the mini-game and the separate outcomes to ensure a simplistic but satisfying user experience and limit pseudo-narrative dissonance.