Our Bachelor short film is about the topic of “losing oneself”, inspired by true events. This applies to both the physical as well as to the psychological state of a person. We describe it as the “mental-decay” that the character has to go through. This state is portrayed by using wax, a material that stands for transience, change and protection. “Our film is a metaphor for life: We all melt in some way, sooner or later.”
Synopsis:
A female wax figure is loosing herself in a race against time, trying to prevent her inevitable decay.
The character model should be a blend between a clay-build looking texture with a wax-like material with a sense of viscosity.
Due to the tight CGI production schedule, we couldn’t refine or enhance the details as much as I would have liked. We had to keep the model practical to ensure a smooth animation and vfx process later on.
My workflow began with blocking out the sculpt to easily adjust proportions without getting caught up in details too early. From there, I refined the blockout with musclegroups before starting to sculpt. I sculpted the skin a bit more realistic, then selectively removed or simplified areas to give the surface a more carved, handcrafted appearance.
Achieving the right wax material was particularly challenging. We experimented extensively to find the perfect balance of translucency and viscosity. At times, it appeared too transparent. At others, too dry. The strong lighting in some scenes made this even trickier – under certain conditions, the eyeballs became visible through the body because of the subsurface scattering, which was not the desired effect.
I want to thank our Mentor Kai Müri for giving valuable feedback in the intense sculpting phase.
Year2025TeaSo much tea and coffee that I got into debt
