Here at SCAD Atlanta we just hosted Atlantamation where senior films from our campus are showcased on the big screen. Among the many films was Desert Lotus, a 3D movie by animation student Lawrence Williams of SCAD Savannah. I asked him about his film and some of the behind-the-scenes processes essential in putting it together.
Watch Desert Lotus here.
Image courtesy of Lawrence Williams.
Kara Robson: For those of us who haven’t seen your film, what is Desert Lotus about?
Lawrence Williams: Desert Lotus is a film about a man who goes on a journey with the intent of saving a long desert flower by bringing rain to a barren wasteland.
KR: When you first decided on majoring in animation, did you imagine you would be capable of making your senior film?
LW: At first I didn’t quite believe that I was capable of accomplishing such a feat but as I continued to work on the film, day by day I gradually began to realize that it was possible.
Image courtesy of Lawrence Williams.
KR: What changes were made from the beginning of production to the final cut?
LW: The biggest change I had to make was redoing the story, the character models, the environments and the overall art style about three months before going into the post-production phase. Letting go of my initial concepts was difficult, as I had spent quite a bit of time in modeling and rigging assets for the film. In order to finish the film in time though I had to change the art style which meant remaking everything from scratch all over again.
KR: What was the most challenging part of making your film?
LW: The most challenging part in the making of the film was implementing and executing the story correctly; basically making sure the audience could comprehend it.
Image courtesy of Lawrence Williams.
KR: What were some of your influences?
LW: The art style was heavily influenced by a video game called Journey.
KR: Lastly, for all of us animation majors about to make our own films, what was your favorite part about making Desert Lotus?
LW: My favorite part in creating this film was compositing; witnessing all of the individual pieces come together that made the entire experience all the more worth it.
Image courtesy of Lawrence Williams.
View more of Lawrence’s work on his website at www.animationlaw.com.