Category: Digital Storytelling

To start off I ended up changing the software that I was using to create the 3D environment walkthrough from Maya to Unreal Engine 5. This is purely due to a large amount of use within the VFX module and understanding it a lot better than Maya, defiantly with me using found assets instead of creating my own.

To start off after I found the assets that I was going to use I started to build the environment that the camera was going to pan through. This environment was that of a futuristic space station/ space ship storage room. I tried to create this feel and look by using tiles that seemed more futuristic whilst keeping that streamline space feeling to them. I also used large crates commonly used within space game. After this I needed it to look slightly wrecked from the captive within freaking out and breaking stuff as they turn due to the spatial anomaly. I tried to capture this feeling by knocking over crates and other objects.

After this I added the lighting to the environment, within the room itself I wanted the main light to come from the hallway itself, having this looming effect as the camera pans around. The other lights that I added to the room was two red lights in the corner hidden behind the crates as you pan round watching not only the infected but you as well.

Once I had done all of this is was time to start the cinematic within the level, adding effects to models and lighting as well as moving things when needed.

Within this I tried adding pre made animation to a model I found, I couldn’t sadly get it to work so I will be rendering it with the mannequin instead of the model. Though this is the model that I would have used.

After creating it and rendering it out of unreal engine 5 I then added it After effects to add the correct sound effect and voice over from the survivors within the ship. With this I also decided to add some quiet horror music as well to add an ambient layer of sound to the entire piece.

I even added a mothman sound at the beginning to help assist the idea that mothman is the one who caused the problems in the first place.

Harvard References:

• NANİGO Sound Effect (2022) Sound Effect – Muffled Talking [Video] Accessed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgYrVELhlM8
• Mazellmi (2021) Mothman sounds [Video] Accessed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpxVPKscruI&t=5s
• Everyday Cinematic Sounds (2022) Banging on Metal | HQ Sound Effects [Video] Accessed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvd4vUtpUpg
• SILHOUETTE GEARS (2022) sci fi door sound effect [Video] Accessed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZVx53a2mWw
• MATTIA CUPELLI (2016) Dark Tension Rising Music | (Download and Royalty FREE) [Video] Accessed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zvQoPyY2XE&t=21s
• Super Bug Models (2020) Sci-Fi Crates [Digital Asset] Accessed here: https://www.unrealengine.com/marketplace/en-US/item/01c417b56fd1489183bd24bc8d06dd97
• Nexis (2019) Modular Sci Fi Orion Mars Corridors [Digital Asset] Accessed here: https://www.unrealengine.com/marketplace/en-US/item/1a9ced0794be4e14ad0ba31b96e1fc2c/reviews
• MoCap Online (2019) Zombie Starter – MoCap Pack [Digital Animation Pack] Accessed here: https://www.unrealengine.com/marketplace/en-US/item/c40ddd5538214d26b78f0cfb2ec28061/reviews
• Studio New Punch (2021) Female Scientist Zombie [Digital Asset] Accessed here: https://www.unrealengine.com/marketplace/en-US/item/3fcd952e4e2e4726b0024a0693ba6406

When I was coming up for ideas relating towards what it was that I wanted to do for my digital storytelling the main idea that I liked the sound of was cryptids. After this I looked through some of the cryptids. I looked at some of the popular ones such as Bigfoot, Nessie and the likes. And I also looked at some of the more obscure ones, such as Momo, Ogopogo and so on. After looking at a few I finally decided upon one, Mothman.

I looked into some of the theories surrounding Mothman, the main ones being about his arrival. There are two main theories about why he shows up, the first one is that he arrives at nexus points these being points in history that consist of large quantities of death to consume the energy that the deaths creates. The other theory is that he is the cause of these events, and he uses them to still gain energy.

After getting both of these theories I started hatching a story around them, I thought “If he’s a interdimensional being, why would he only show up in the present. We don’t know how old it is or how old it even can become.” Hence the futuristic theme used in my idea.

The reports of how Mothman looks can vary from a large owl/moth like creature to something more humanoid similar to that of batman. Though no matter what there is a recuring feature that repeats in every encounter which is two red eyes that seem to always watch you. Which is the main part of the mothman that I will be using making it so that you never see the mothmans body but you do see his two red eyes watching the death happening and then once its done looking at you instead.

Set in the future within a space station/colony, they don’t think anything bad is going to happen but the viewer sees mothman moving around the outside of the station/colony (arriving due to an impending disaster that’s going to happen). 

People inside start to see things moving outside, but can’t distinguish what it is, the only thing they can make out is 2 large red eyes. The people who see it start to have symptoms of headaches and recurring nightmares of the ship’s electronics having issues and corrupting some of the passengers on board.

The disaster happens within the station/colony, which consists of the ship accidentally going through a spacial anomaly which ends up infecting some of the crew making them lose their appetites and also become hydrophobic (Space Rabies). They start to hallucinate and see their fellow crew as monsters and creatures, some even believing to see the mothman himself standing behind them (Omen of Death). This leads to the infected crew attacking each other as well as the innocent bystanders leading to mass death and infection and feeding the mothman. 

Ways to show the story could be through a 3D environment that shows the viewer the aftermaths of the disaster. This could consist of a futuristic space station room that holds up one of the few still infected as they’ve managed to lock him in the cargo room. The person would be bashing on the door with the faint sounds of talking from the other side. There would be blood on the floor and across the wall with the person foaming at the mouth and multiple bite marks on them. As the camera pans around the room mothman is seen multiple times for brief moments with only his piercing eyes visible. After about ⅔ of the walk through the voices would sound panicked as you overhear them mention that the electronics have failed and the camera spins round as you watch the door open up, the infected escape and the cycle continues. After this the walkthrough continues and you get the last sighting of mothman as you notice that his eyes have moved onto you.