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ApplyPop Culture revisited in 3D by MoPA students
Every year, 2nd-year students in MoPA's 3D animation program begin their course with a mythical exercise: the 3D realization of a figurine inspired by the Pop universe. This challenge, at the crossroads of concept and technique, enables future animators to plunge quickly into the art of modeling.
Pop figurines, world-famous for their cartoonish proportions and distinctive design, embody iconic characters from films, TV series, comic strips and video games. True collector's items, they are prized for their accessibility and variety, and offer our students an ideal framework for combining creativity and learning 3D modeling tools.
After choosing the character they want to model and sketching out their ideas, they finally set to work on software such as ZBrush for sculpting, Maya for modelling, and Unreal Engine 5.3 for the final rendering of their figurine. Through this month-long project, our students learn about the technical standards of the world's leading animation studios, while expressing their own artistic universe. In fact, here are the notes of intent from three of our students, explaining their creative approach.
I decided to choose Jinx, a character from the Arcane series. Before starting the project, I had the idea of doing a painted texturing, which is why I chose the Arcane universe. Jinx is a character I'm particularly fond of. I find her shapes very interesting. The character is very well constructed. So it was natural for me to turn to this character. I wanted to convey the world below in a single image. So I mixed the cyberpunk style with the art nouveau movement. The tags show Jinx's madness and creativity. The ring represents the character's fighting spirit. In conclusion, I really enjoyed this first 3D project! It was a very interesting learning experience. It gave me lots of new ideas for 3D projects.
Hélène HERBEIN
For this project, I made a pop figure of Elton John in a costume from the biographical film Rocketman (2019), in which the singer is played by Taron Egerton. It's a costume that represents him, and the first scene of the film opens on it. I really like the shapes and colors of the costume, with the horns, wings and sequins, so I found it interesting to work on this subject. For the set, I created a simple scene with lighting in the style of Elton John and his piano, which always accompanies him. I wanted to give the scene a fairly subdued ambience, with the emphasis on the singer about to begin his performance.
Mailys SALVATI
My pop figure represents Mizu, the protagonist of Blue Eye Samurai. I depicted a training scene at sunrise. I wanted to express Mizu's dangerousness, but also her fragility. To fit in with the universe, I wanted her to be mysterious, solitary and mystical. To bring her to the fore, I created a central composition with a foreground of bamboo converging on her. I also added the demon representing Mizu to evoke her danger and power. He stares at the viewer. A spectral glow emanates from him. For a more realistic and mysterious look, I added mist to the foreground and background. Japan's winter climate is cold and hostile. So I opted for sparse, dried-out, rough, snow-covered vegetation.
Anthea GABY
Thanks to this exercise, the students learned how to tell stories through captivating still 3D renderings, while familiarizing themselves with the tools they'll be using for the rest of their studies and in their future professional lives.
A real springboard for the rest of their training, this exercise inaugurates a rich year in which the passion and talent of our young animators will continue to grow!
