A grungy and expressive animated short about the truths we conceal to fit in.
Production
This animated short film was co-directed by A.B. Osborne and I, Emily Hogue. It was crafted by the students in Augusta University’s animation program, specifically the Production Animation courses. We worked 2 semesters to craft this 5 minute film.
I, Emily Hogue, worked as Co-Director, Character Artist, Concept Artist, Storyboard Artist, and 3D Animation Lead over two semesters.
The Conductor – Character Art
I was responsible for bringing The Conductor, the main antagonist, to life.
I sculpted him with a focus on blending features inspired by tigers and owls. Special attention was given to secondary forms such as wrinkles, skin folds, and underlying muscle structure to enhance The Conductors gaunt, unsettling presence that aligned with his eerie role in the film.
Retopology
– optimizing quad-based geometry for efficient performance and clean deformation during animation.
Passengers
Additional characters I poly-modeled and uv’d for the final film in Maya, based on concept art created by fellow students.
Previsualization
In Summer 2024, I volunteered as part of a previs team, where I was responsible for developing many of the core designs and concepts that shaped the final film.
3D Animation Lead
Work Flow
As one of two Animation Leads, I was responsible for setting up shots, blocking cameras, characters, and key poses. Once the foundation was in place, I assigned shots to animators for in-betweening, and later revisited each shot to refine and polish the final animation. I personally worked on and refined over 50 shots throughout production.
The Team
My contributions were only possible thanks to an incredible team. Throughout the experience, we grew together—learning valuable lessons in communication, organization, and collaboration.
Emily M Hogue 