Digital art · Design · Research
2024
Digital Cultural Storytelling
Discovering the Myths of Fengdu is a hybrid live-action and CG short film that presents Fengdu as a place shaped by both underworld mythology and contemporary urban life. Roughly one-fifth of the runtime consists of fully animated sequences, while the remaining sections use on-location footage to show the city’s current appearance, landscapes, festivals, and everyday scenes.
The CG portion focuses on iconic elements such as Meng Po’s soup, the Naihe Bridge, and key moments from the story of Huaguang saving his mother, establishing the mythic frame through which viewers later encounter the real city.
Mythic and contemporary material are arranged in sequence rather than intercut. The film opens with the CG underworld, introducing Meng Po, the Naihe Bridge, and Huaguang’s rescue in a stylized, self-contained section. Once this narrative and its visual language are established, the film shifts into live-action footage that shows Fengdu’s present-day development, surrounding landforms, temple fairs, festival celebrations, local communities, and food culture.
This structure invites viewers to carry the earlier mythic imagery with them as they watch the contemporary scenes, reading the current city against the background of the stories and symbols that have long been attached to Fengdu.
A widely circulated folk tale in which Huaguang undertakes a perilous journey to rescue his mother from the underworld. The story centers on devotion and courage, framing the underworld not only as a place of punishment, but also as a realm where love and resolve are tested.
A legendary potion offered at the threshold of the afterlife, said to erase memories of one’s previous life before reincarnation. In Fengdu’s underworld lore, it represents the final act of letting go—forgetting attachments, regrets, and earthly ties.
A fabled bridge that souls must cross on their way through the underworld. It is often described as a boundary between the living world and the next, marking an irreversible passage where judgment and fate unfold beyond the crossing.
ZBrushSculpt hero elements and high-frequency details for key props and set pieces.
Substance
PhotoshopAuthor PBR materials and texture sets for consistent real-time lighting. Refine textures, masks and supporting 2D elements in Photoshop.
HoudiniBuild procedural setups, atmosphere, motion systems and simulation-driven passes. Export optimized elements for real-time use.
Unreal Engine
Quixel BridgeSource environment assets and surface details with Quixel Megascans. Assemble shots in Unreal, iterate lighting and camera timing, and render real-time outputs.
NukeComposite CG shots and integrate render passes. Finalize color and contrast through the Unreal-to-Nuke workflow.