Beyond the Dust: when machines come to life thanks to the talent of our students

A futuristic scenario

In the near future, in a luxury building with an almost aseptic appearance, a hoover robot named Dustin dreams of escape. Inspired by a documentary he watches by chance, he begins to imagine a life beyond the walls that hold him back. But his desire for freedom soon attracts the attention of Katia, the building’s rigid and authoritarian robot supervisor. Katia, convinced that Dustin should stay where he is, alerts Gary, a maintenance robot, to solve the ‘problem’. Although Gary takes Dustin back to his base, a second attempt by the little hoover upsets the status quo. During this attempt, Dustin is injured by Katia. But against all the odds, Gary, touched by Dustin’s courage and moved by a surge of friendship, decides to help him realise his dream of escape.

‘Beyond the Dust’, produced by our final-year 3D Animation and Special Effects students, takes viewers into a world where even machines have souls. The project was bold and technically impressive, with a major challenge: injecting emotion into entirely robotic characters.

A technical and artistic challenge brilliantly met

The decision to stage machines presented a major challenge: how to make characters with neither human faces nor organic movements expressive?

The students rose to this challenge with ingenuity, drawing on in-depth research to convey subtle emotions. Every detail was meticulously worked out: the slight movements of the cameras, the changes in light, the flashes and tilts of the ‘eyes’ – in reality sensors or light screens – made it possible to express fear, enthusiasm or resignation.

To further accentuate the emotions, the students relied on music (written by Gregory Allison) and sound effects. The original compositions played a central role in capturing Dustin’s state of mind or the tense moments with Katia. Visual effects, such as sparks and details of robot wear and tear, add visual depth to the world of Beyond the Dust. Finally, the careful direction has created striking visual contrasts between the sterile interior of the building and the idea of a world outside full of promise.

Exemplary teamwork

This project is the fruit of an intensive collaboration between talented students: Alexia Ameline, Marin Bénitez, Lucien-Paul Bigey, Marine Dupuy, Benjamin Hack, Matteo Michel, Salomé Quillien and Juliette Vignollet. Together, they have deployed their expertise and passion to bring an ambitious artistic vision to life. From storyboarding to animation to sound design, each member of the team has contributed his or her part to the project.

Their work illustrates not only their mastery of advanced animation techniques, but also their ability to tell moving and engaging stories. This film is not only a technical achievement, it is also a tribute to the creativity and ingenuity of our students.

Once again, congratulations to the Beyond the dust team for their remarkable work.

Discover the film Beyond the Dust on our YouTube channel: