This week, I continued searching for stronger visual and atmospheric references for my Project 1, Pollution Carnival.
This project is an experimental 3D animation based on the theme of nuclear wastewater pollution. I want to use a surreal and symbolic carnival world to turn the invisible consequences of pollution into an unsettling experience that the audience can directly feel.
During this week’s reference research, I focused on several directions.
The first direction was dark, abandoned, and eerie amusement park spaces. This is important because the core setting of my project is a carnival world that is slowly being damaged by pollution. An amusement park normally represents joy, childhood, and beautiful memories, but when it is combined with decay, pollution, and abandonment, it creates a very strong contrast. This contrast is also one of the key ideas in my project.
The second direction was experimental and surreal animation references. I do not want my work to rely only on a direct story. Instead, I want to build emotion through space, rhythm, symbols, and visual atmosphere. Because of that, I paid close attention to works that use strange worlds, dark mood, and strong visual language to create emotional impact.
The third direction was Unreal Engine environment references. Since my workflow is Maya for animation and Unreal Engine for environment building and rendering, I also looked at videos related to abandoned amusement parks, ruined spaces, and cinematic lighting. These references can help me develop the visual direction of my environments, colours, and camera mood.
Through this week’s research, I became more certain about the key words of my project:
surreal, decayed, symbolic, polluted, unsettling.
I want the visual development of this project to go beyond simply looking “strange” or “beautiful.” Instead, every element should support the theme more clearly. For example, the carousel represents a cycle of consequences, the clown represents surface happiness and self-deception, the mutated animals represent ecological damage, and the dark sea represents silent but spreading nuclear pollution.
Next, I want to continue organising these references and turn them into more specific scene designs and visual tests, especially for the carnival space, the carousel, and the atmosphere of the dark sea.
Experimental animation / Mood reference
UE Environment / Lighting Reference