Well done Kidman Lee (BA Games Art) from the University of Hertfordshire is the winner of the βSearch For A Star 2019, Best Real Time VFX student in Europe, 2019.
Kidman said in her second year of studies she started to focus more and more on real-time VFX in Unreal Games Engine. She is very happy that she chose to take the challenge after being prompted by her lecturer Neil Gallagher who said early on her skills in the area are outstanding. Neil said many of her Showreel pieces are at a professional level and the company she ends up at will be lucky to have her on board.
Kidman said βSearch For A Starβ was a great experience to have participated in the event. She managed to get into the final stage of interviews at the competition and was just happy to talk to professional VFX artists. She was very thankful for the advice they gave her and felt humbled that they she even managed to get into the final rounds let alone win the competition! Kidman was quite nervous at the beginning of the interviews but the professionals where very patient to listen to her talk about realtime VFX, the Showreel and her passion in the subject area, and as she got halfway through the interview she became more relaxed and relieved as time went by. The process has allowed her to become much more ready for interviews as she moves towards graduation at the end of May 2019. This award proved herself that she should keep pushing herself to become better and better with each particle effect and project she produces.
Freelance Artists:
Animator: Mitchell Lyons
Concept Artist: Vilte BendΕΎiΕ«te
Prop Artist: Luke Youngman
Lighting Artist: Harry Biggs
Texture Artist: Nicholas Wheeler
Rigging: ** Crew**
The Pitch:
We aim to create a fly-through game trailer set within a fictional city during the era of Feudal Japan. (1185-1603). Though the project will be playable, it aims to display our skills as artists for potential employers primarily in the form of a cinematic trailer. We aim to showcase the main character walking through a detailed, authentic environment containing strong elements of ancient folklore and surrounding side characters.
Project Objective:
The objective is to include footage of key areas that display a lot of detail with interesting compositions. Initially we planned to portray a narrative of clan leaders engaged in combat but it was ultimately decided that removing the strong emphasis on storytelling would allow for a larger focus upon creating high quality outcomes.
The Story:
**βEntoriβ **is a stronghold that houses an ancient cult of warriors dedicated to safeguarding its villagers during an era of poverty. The armour worn by these courageous warriors is passed down to their successors, usually their offspring once they have proven themselves worthy. The story follows a novice warrior named βTakashiβ who has recently received his attire. Howeverβ¦ his unique, cursed armour is causing extreme torment. The inhabitants of this world remain in constant fear of this unhinged warrior slowly being consumed by this supernatural force. Other warriors show immense concern for the well being of Takashi, while enduring the psychological distress, whatever remains of his conscience seeks aid from the leader of this sacred guild but the darker side resists.
Lux, 2-player shared camera puzzle game, starring two witch sisters, Luna and Sol, who go to a mysterious castle in order to release the constellations which have been trapped there. - Lux | The Rookies
The results are in for the Rookie Awards 2019, and weβre excited to reveal all of the talented Unreal Engine students and devs who earned the titles βRookie of the Yearβ and βGame of the Year.β Game of the Year β Console & PC: Winner 2019
Spire | University of Hertfordshire | United Kingdom
*Spire *is a second-year university game project produced over the course of a semester at the University of Hertfordshire. The game, which is built entirely in Unreal Engine, follows the path of a knight on his journey through a cold and harsh forest.
https://cdn2.unrealengine/Unreal Game of the Year β Console & PC: Runner-Up 2019
Project: Star Bounty started as an idea set in a science fiction world and gradually progressed into concepts inspired by many games to showcase the potential of a new world, as well as paying homage to ones that already exist.
](https://www.artstation/coielee9663)
