I got the idea for my work from three elements: a traditional Japanese shrine, a cave, and a big tree. Each of them has a special meaning for me. The shrine represents the connection between people and nature. The cave shows the power of time and the beauty that comes from many small coincidences. The big tree symbolizes life, growth, and strength.
By combining these elements, I wanted to create a beautiful and peaceful scene that draws the viewer into the world of the animation. My goal is to make people feel calm and inspired, as if they are standing inside a quiet place in nature.
Japanese Shrine
I decided to add the combination a Japanese traditional culture into this work, like Shrine. Because I thought that the staff allows the viewer immerse the wonderful atmosphere. In particular, I was inspired from the – Fushimi Inari Taisha. This is because that I felt the wonderful atmosphere when I visited there. A shrine is a place where Japanese people worship Kami, the gods from ancient times.
Cave
I have been to the various types of cave in Japan. And I thought that the cave enable visitor to attract with beautiful scenery. Also, based on these images, it is possible to high-light the one spot due to lighting and dark space. Furthermore, a cave is formed over a long time period of time though countless natural coincidences. I found that this process closely related to my work, as both reflect how chance encounters can create unexpected and meaningful forms.
Big Tree
The big tree is inspired from Castle in the Sky made by Ghibli which is my favorite animation company. The big tree is strongly related with Japanese culture. For instance, since a long time ago, people pray to like this big tree because people believed god dwell in the big tree and watch over. Based on this fact, I thought it can express the wonderful atmosphere to utilize these elements.
Based on this mind map, I decided to create an animation with a non-human main character and to keep the story simple.
This is because I want to focus more on environment creation and on learning the knowledge and skills of Unreal Engine 5 (UE5), rather than spending too much time on a complex storyline.
In this project, my main goal is to create an immersive and realistic environment using UE5.
By keeping the character and story simple, I can put more attention into the visual atmosphere, background design, and world building, so that the audience can enjoy the space itself.
For the environment design, I plan to combine three main elements.
These are a Japanese traditional shrine, a mysterious giant tree, and a cave with a magical and mysterious atmosphere.
By combining these elements into one environment, I aim to create a world that feels both realistic and fantasy like, provide a strong impression on the viewer.