I wish you all the best for 2023! May this year bring you success on all your projects!
During my holidays, I took the time to create a little Christmas card so here it is!
The goal was to achieve a short film with only free assets and softwares based on the last books I’ve red, films I’ve seen, games I’ve played. Could you spot all of them?
It feels so good to finally put my hands back in the engine to create something from scratch.
Building up the environment, the lighting, the cinematography.
It was also the perfect occasion to test UE 5.1 new features.
Assets and tools used :
Unreal Engine marketplace assets (free)
Megascans
Mixamo animations
Free music
Unreal Engine 5
Da Vinci Resolve (free version so I had to cheat for the grain and sharpness as they are paid features).
I hope you’ll like it as much as I’ve enjoyed working on it!
Greetings, @lowlo, and Happy New Year! Thank you for the good wishes and for sharing your wonderfully wholesome cinematic short, “Christmas Card,” with us in the forums! Some of the representations in your creation seem familiar, but I’m not 100% sure where they originate.
Regardless, this is a fantastic short cinematic, and I look forward to seeing what else you have in store for us!
Congratulations on the launching of Dandelion Creative! We appreciate you giving UE5.1 a chance to bring your imagination to life! Despite the hang-ups along the way, you managed to present an adventurous Christmas card that shows off your environment, lighting, and cinematic skills.
The bridge in the short put me in the mind of LOTR, where Gandalf stood face-to-face with the Balrog. “You shall not pass!” I also got Tomb Raider and Uncharted vibes as well, although I’m not sure if these are influences. Upon the revealing of the treasure room, I definitely recalled the stolen Dwarven stronghold where the dragon Smaug created his lair.
In the sparse lighting, the golden reflection of the coins was amazing to behold. Such a sea of coins was enough to make Scrooge McDuck abandon his vault!
Would you consider participating in a challenge where you would need to use your imagination to create something functional out of the free marketplace assets in a given month? Also, what are your plans now that Dandelion Creative has been established?
Hey!
Thanks a lot! Sorry for the late reply!
Yes, Scrooge Mc Duck might call it home.
Yes, definitely LOTR, Smaug references.
I’d add some Lovecraft vibes for the cemetery (last book I red). A bit of Elden Ring and Diablo too.
About the challenge, if it fits into the planning, sure I’m in
About Dandelion, the goal is to move into freelancing (short and long terms), joining teams to work with them on Unreal projects. It might be cinematics, feature films, virtual prod, applications development. Basically putting my skills where they could fit and help!
With Dandelion, I would also try to play a role in the Unreal Engine formation here in Belgium (or around). It’s the perfect time for people to jump on it and as I love to share and speak about Unreal…I have already some opportunities and will start teaching realtime lighting and cinematic stuff ! Can’t wait!
I also got Tomb Raider and Uncharted vibes as well, although I’m not sure if these are influences. Upon the revealing of the treasure room, I definitely recalled the stolen Dwarven stronghold where the dragon Smaug created his lair. 
