Spurs Out!: a challenge between creatures and frantic racing

A frantic race in a devastated world

The story of Spurs Out! is based on an intense scenario: Fen, a young, temperamental and impulsive woman, is preparing to take part in an underground dragon competition. In a world where aggression seems to be the only way to survive, she must find a partner if she is to have any hope of becoming champion. But the road to victory promises to be strewn with obstacles, and her brutal methods will be put to the test. Combining frenetic action and introspection, this short film explores the complex dynamic between strength and cooperation.

A demanding technical approach

The Spurs Out! project required a rigorous production pipeline. In order to effectively manage the film’s numerous assets and complex scenes, the team opted for a workflow in USD on Solaris Houdini. This technological choice allowed for smoother data management and better control of rendering, essential for a project of such ambition.

The challenge of animating the creatures

One of the main challenges of this short film was to bring the dragons to life, creatures entirely imagined and animated by the students. It was necessary to work with precision on the coherence of the movements, the interaction between the characters and their mounts, as well as on the impact of the environments on their behavior. Each animation required special attention to convey the power, nervousness and grace of these fantastic creatures.

Complex lighting management

Another major technical aspect of the film was the lighting. As the story begins in near darkness, two distinct types of lighting ambience had to be designed while ensuring visual unity. The transition from a dark and oppressive atmosphere to an explosion of bright lights during the race was a real challenge, which the team brilliantly met.

A collective success

Spurs Out! is the result of an exceptional collective effort. Congratulations to Salomé BLASCO, Lola CHARUEL, Guillaume DURAND, Raphaël GIMARD, Théo MURAT, Salma RACHIDI, Alix SAINTOUIL, Thomas SUDRE and Nicolas TRAN, who were able to realize their artistic vision by brilliantly meeting the many challenges posed by this ambitious project.

Discover the film Spurs Out on our YouTube channel: