AMOK: a technical challenge combining hyperrealism and Keyframe animation

A lush, hyper-realistic environment

One of AMOK’s greatest challenges was to design a dense and immersive jungle. ‘We wanted to capture the stifling humidity and rich vegetation of such an environment. To achieve this, we decided to create our production using Houdini, a powerful tool for generating complex, realistic details,’ explain the team members.

The jungle is a character in its own right in the film. Every leaf, every mist, every ray of light filtering through the canopy had to contribute to the heavy atmosphere of the hunt. The use of Houdini made it possible to manage this abundance of detail effectively, while guaranteeing the film’s own aesthetic.

A larger-than-life panther

AMOK’s other major technical challenge was to create the panther, a central character in the film. ‘Creating a credible digital animal requires a thorough understanding of the grooming (the hair and fur), the muscles and the animation in general. We had to find the right balance between realism and our graphic identity’, say the students.

To bring this majestic feline to life, the team combined references from animal documentaries with in-depth anatomical research. Every movement, every quiver of muscle had to convey the tension and power of the predator, while retaining a natural fluidity

Demanding Keyframe animation

The fight between the man and the panther is the highlight of the film. The animation, produced entirely in Keyframe, required meticulous work. “Bringing a human and a quadruped face to face is a real challenge. We had to find references, analyse and merge them to come up with a coherent choreography”, say the students.

Each movement had to convey the weight of the bodies, the brutality of the impacts and the nervousness of the feline attack. The aim was to achieve an animation so fluid and natural that the viewer would never question its credibility.

An accomplished artistic vision

The team behind AMOK turned these technical challenges into a strength, delivering impressive visual results and total immersion in the film’s universe. The work of :

• Océane Banon
• Matthieu Barbaza
• Léo Ceccaldi
• Luce Douillon
• Adrien Dussaud
• Océane Faure
• Jade Hoffstetter
• Apolline Koehrer
• Adrien Wolfert

is remarkable.

Congratulations to the entire team on this ambitious project, which reveals not only impressive technical mastery but also a true artistic signature. AMOK is proof of the talent and determination of ESMA students to push back the boundaries of 3D animation.

Discover the film Amok on our YouTube channel: