May Lee | Visual Development 2023 - 2024

Hotel L'infini | CG Animated Thesis Film

Hotel L'infini is a CG animated thesis film I completed with my partner, Lindsay Browne. I was responsible for a lot of the art direction, character design and set design. 

Jacque, a diligent bellboy of the extravagant Hotel L’infini, is under suspicion of possible murder. A chase ensues when a brooding detective arrives to investigate the crime scene. 

Jacque the Bellboy is the protagonist of our film. Though diligent and hardworking, his nervous and antsy personality causes him to fall under the suspicion of a detective. On him, is evidence of possible murder -- though we are unsure whether or not he committed the crime. 

Next is our antagonist, Monsieur Le Detective. The black trenchcoat and pointy fedora highlight his occupation as an investigator, while also giving him an air of indimidation. 

Because this is a chase film, the story features many different environments as the detective pursues the bellboy throughout the hotel. 

With the props, I try to work in a motif of time or infinity into the details. It's a subtle nod to the plot twist at the climax of the animated short and the title of the film itself.  

Because there was a limit to the number of sets we could make in CG, I also did some matte paintings for environments that appeared in a few shots and composited them with the CG characters in Nuke. 

The Emperor's New Clothes | Lipsync Assignment

For one of my CG animation assignments in junior year, I did my rendition of The Emperor's New Clothes folktale.

Following the classic tale, our emperor is only in his knickers -- but he still likes to wear his crown and cape to show off his royalty and status. He is pear-shaped to emphasise the underwear he's wearing. 

For his bedroom, I wanted to show the self-centred, snooty personality of an emperor. His extremely tall bed, big mirror and marble bust all show his bigger-than-life personality and obsession with looks, while the scattered clothes indicate his indecisiveness with clothing. We can also see where his snooty personality comes from in a series of family portraits which whom he shares a shocking resemblance. 

Princess NO is a children's book I created for one of my electives in my senior year. Below are the character developments and some spreads I did for the book. 

Princess NO’s birthday is just around the corner, but Mr. King and Mrs. Queen haven't got a clue what to give her. Suggestion after suggestion, Princess No rejects them all and bursts into a fit of frustration ... what ever should they do?

Mr. King is a clueless but generous father, while Mrs. Queen is a strict, but caring mother to Princess No. 

Princess NO is a stubborn, seemingly spoilt little princess notorious for her dissatisfaction. No one knows what she likes or what she wants. She gets her hair and eye colour from her mum but mostly resembles her dad. 

Adventures in the Swamp | Pitch Painting

For an assignment from my visual development class, we were asked to produce a pitch painting with a narrative. 

Three brave boy scouts venture into a dangerous swamp where they cross paths with vicious creatures...

Our three brave Boy Scouts consist of Francis the Fearless Frog, Susan the Sluggish Snake, and Tillie the Timid Toad.