Process
This was one of my favorite projects of 2024! I was originally inspired by this image of a green anole coming through a computer screen.
Jellyfish have always been my definition of motion design in the wild. They're such visually mesmerizing creatures. Endlessly complicated and blissful. A timeless beauty like the night's sky full of stars. They'd be the perfect animal for this animation.
After some early jellyfish tests, I also found the way I wanted to visually transition between the digital and real versions of the jellyfish. Here's a test with C4D's default stegosaurus model. The digital uses Octane blackbody emission textures with gridded opacity while the organic jellyfish has a deep red hue with organic textures inspired by the Sea Nettle type of jellyfish.
Final
This project was made during the 2024 Hurricane Season, and I look back upon it fondly as something that took my mind off the disasters hitting Florida and the East Coast at the time. This project was the turning point where I knew that 3D animation was the path for me.