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Bella Kwong
Sticky Fingers - SJSU Capstone Film
I worked with a team of 15 artists on Sticky Fingers, our 2026 BFA capstone short film at San Jose State University. This was an incredible experience that helped me understand how to collaborate effectively while navigating the animation pipeline from start to finish. Our film contained 3D Animation composited over background images of physical hand-fabricated sets. This film required us to pick up multiple roles and learn new skills! I was the Marketing Manager, 3D Animator, 3D Layout Artist, Set Fabricator, and Lighting Artist.
3D Animation Reel
This reel contains keyframe animation from my thesis film, Sticky Fingers. I was responsible for all animation from blocking to polish. For each shot, I recorded and exaggerated my reference footage to match the film's animation style. The animation is meant to be reminiscent of stop-motion and is primarily keyed on every third frame (3's) at 24fps as opposed to your traditional 2's. Only faster movements are on 2's.
3D Layout Reel
I was responsible for creating new cameras to improve the compositions and translate the storyboards into 3D. I was able to use my animation skills to better understand the timing of the characters' movements.
3D Lighting
I designed three-point lighting setups based on our concept art. Our characters were eventually composited onto background images of our physically fabricated set. As a lighting artist, I ensured that the lighting on the character matched the background image plates. Below are lit, uncomposited images of our characters in our 3D mock sets.
I also referenced the other shots in our sequences to maintain visual consistency. To achieve cinematic lighting, we are using Rembrandt lighting for heavily dramatic scenes.
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