This exhibit highlights the creation of a short film starring Gompei the Goat (featured above), WPI’s mascot, exploring campus during the time of the covid-19 pandemic. Specifically, this video gives life to the “Proud Goat” bronze statue overlooking the WPI Quadrangle and imagines him reminiscing on the pre-pandemic times of campus bustling with activity. Being unaware of the covid-19 pandemic due to the lack of a respiratory system, statue-Gompei is wandering campus with curiosity as to where everyone went. This project applied my specific skillset developed through my personal pursuit of visual effects (VFX) and my WPI Art/Film focused humanities curriculum. The iconic Gompei statue was 3D scanned, remodeled/sculpted, textured, and rigged. Video production techniques of shot lists, timelines, and cinematography were used to plan and capture principal photography. The 3D model was then keyframe-animated into scenes which required 3D motion tracking and paint-out methods. Intense work was required in rendering to match lighting conditions, shadows, reflections, and ambient occlusion, which was assisted using 360° photo spheres captured around campus. To blend everything together, this project required immense amounts of compositing of individual render layers. Video editing and color correction ensured the smooth transition between scenes. Finally, sound design/mixing made the statue fully come to life with music, footsteps, and other ambient sounds.
As someone who was raised in a household with backgrounds in fine arts and the film industry, I started to love film at a young age. And even now, as a Junior Robotics Engineer, I have not let that love for film dissipate. My engineering background has led me to focus on the technical aspects of film, which have since converged on video production, 3D modeling, and visual effects (VFX). I first started gaining experience as a cinematographer and VFX artist through making home videos with my sister, whether that be our intense lightsaber battles, our stop-motion Lego videos, or making shorts that starred our two cats! Later, in high school I started a small “Drone Photography” endeavor which entailed building a drone and producing professional aerial videos for realtors, landscape architects, and homeowners. Building and operating drones was a great middle-ground for engineering and film because it pushed my engineering skillset to get them working and flying, and once in the air required great control and knowledge to capture cinematic-looking footage. Modifying, upgrading, and replacing drone parts whenever I crashed led me to become very interested in 3D modeling with computer aided design (CAD), because rather than buying new parts I could replicate and 3D print them myself. But I was quick to realize that my imagination in CAD surpassed the means of manufacturing that were available to me. However, when using visual effects, there are no bounds on what you can bring into the real world! Watching movies with giant robots and spaceships inspired my competency in both robotics engineering and VFX, because I knew whatever I designed I could visualize in the real world without having to manufacture it. This later applied to the development of skills in 3D scanning, 3D environmental modeling, 3D sculpting, motion tracking, rendering, and compositing. Currently, I am still pushing the boundaries of my skillset through independent projects and proof-of-concepts that I enjoy sharing with my friends. Additionally, I am applying these skills professionally as a CAD operator, a 3D scanner operator, and the continuation of my aerial video production endeavors. I hope to continue these efforts to help mentally balance the purely technical field of Robotics Engineering and the creativity associated with filmmaking.
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