CG Pro students create a VR Dolphin for Mental Health, plus LIVE in Times Square and Earth wind and Fire!

social impact May 24, 2024
 

 Intro

TLDR: Social Impact in Media - is it possible? - Yes!

In today's world, where attention spans are short and issues seem overwhelming, storytelling is a powerful tool for everything including social change.  Filmmakers and Influencers often want to change the world for the better, and are exploring more modern tools such as VR to communicate their ideas. For this reason, world renowned Meditation Teacher Michel Pascal and CG Pro, a school teaching Computer Graphics for Film and Games, have teamed up to create a VR Experience to help one of the biggest issues we face in the United States and beyond - mental health.

Why VR?

VR is so powerful. In fact, we learned this making our first VR experience called MonarchVR 8 years ago for Earth Day, and saw the powerful and instantly calming effect it had. Edd worked on the Jungle Book and The Lion King which made heavy use of VR. Edd describes having permanent memories form during the making of it from the VR. We have also made and seen more aggressive or even violent VR experiences and since have decided to only make ones that are positive out of respect for the impact it has on others. There was some sponsorship from Ommm, who made it possible to get some Quest 3 headsets. These were needed because we wanted the piece to be able to travel easily, and knew it would be important for the pieces to be seen by people without dragging a computer around.

Why the Dolphin?

The reason we fell in love with Michel's way of teaching is because he explains a radically simple and practical way to learn it. To be calm or meditate, western teachers usually recommend you find the perfect environment to practice. This is fine when you are in those places, its easy to be calm. But what about when you back to your chaotic life full of the 405 freeway and Kids eating your couch? Michel explains how you must practice in those situations if you want to be able to be calm in them, because there is an inner world which is calm. By holding a breath for a short time and focusing on your inner world its easy and quick to experience this. The challenge is how to remember? Metaphor is powerful as a story tool, and it occurred to him that dolphins do this when they dive. So he began to use the metaphor and has made films about it over the years. But he always dreamed of doing it in VR. Years after meeting we finally had the right structure to get it done.

 

Students working together

We have always wanted to get students together to make something but often group projects in classes can be ineffective. One person can often do all the work either through choice or responsibility. So we usually do individual projects so that everyone learns the most. But we found a way outside of a class to get a group together to create this piece. After doing the same with the Europa project which was for the ETC, we wanted to do something of our own, and do it our way. This came up and it seemed like a great opportunity to get people some experience, do something for a good cause, and for some less experienced people create a type of course to help them grow more into leadership. It was a true experiment and we learned a lot about what to do... and what not to do.

CG Pro is a strong community and we put the word out internally, to instructors and to students. Michel even visited our Unreal for Filmmakers class and gifted them a meditation which was one of the most amazing lessons I have ever witnessed. A team formed and we set about figuring out how to run a thing like this. As with anything this experimental we knew there were risks, and we didnt get everything right, but fortunately we corrected what wasn't working and got to the finish line.

Production

Reference and blocking. It all starts with ideas. Edd D-T(The Lion King, Jurassic World) stepped in as the Creative Director, and worked with acclaimed Hollywood Story artist Josh Hayes (Rango, Lone Ranger) to get the boards done. Jacqueline Cooper (Tron Legacy, Harry Potter) stepped up as producer (full list of credits at the end). Scott Rosekrans came in as a second CG supervisor to help guide the less experienced people on the team, and solve some technical and creative problems. We created mood boards and gathered reference and drew story frames. We then set up a perforce sever on AWS so we could collaborate easily across the world. We used Unreal Engine for the project so we got the project uploaded, and and Cris Moras on the team created an animatic in Unreal. We created Levels for the two worlds, the city to represent the chaos of life, and underwater to represent the calm space. Sequencers were built for the time line. We then blocked in the environments roughly and the team went to work doing rough building and animation. From then on it was beautifying and optimizing a lot! We were building for a computer with less power than many mobile phones, so we had to learn all about what the limitations were and how to make the most of them. The optimization for the Quest 3 is intense, but some clever / old school workarounds meant we got, atmosphere, god rays, shoals of fish and most of the things we wanted at a good enough frame rate to avoid motion sickness. V2 will be even better! 

What was amazing was the spirit and skill everyone brought to the project. There was a real mix of ability, so having some more senior people helped balance things. It was also an experimental class of sorts, so we did put some less experienced people in positions they were not as used to, and they grew which was amazing. We also learned that doing it again it could use a little more structure than it had. I can take responsibility for that. Its always good to remember that creativity is wonderful, but you usually need rails or limitations to help it succeed. I could have given more input in the pre production and blocking phase and I will next time. But I think all things considered it went well, and the results speak for themselves, even if there were a few late nights or disagreements along the way. I have rarely been a part of any creative project without wrinkles and I think they are almost necessary if you are doing something bold or new.

Times Square, House of Cocotte and Earth Wind and Fire!

The final deadline came and after some all-nighters, we had something working in VR. And it was pretty awesome. We arrived at the venue and saw the crazy speakeasy room which would house the VR experience. There was a lovely restaurant next door which would see a virtuoso pianist play later, and had amazing food. In the middle was the room that housed the talks and concert from Earth Wind and Fire Music Director and Keyboard player, Myron McKinley. Michel Pascal and the Freedom Singers, who were once on Skid Row but broke free and came back to help, sang as well. The audience had many members of the Amity foundation, which works with Prisoners and Ex Prisoners, to help break the cycle of reincarceration. Since Michel has started with them they have had zero suicides and turned the tables on reincarceration, from 80% to 20%. Stats unheard of in America. I was nervous to speak in front of them, thinking what can I say. Bu I spoke from the heart about how a passion for Computer Graphics set me on a better path, which is did.

Mental Health Awareness Month

As May is Mental Health Awareness Month, it seems fitting that offering a free immersive meditation to anyone who needs to calm their mind would be able to have massive impact.  While we may not have mastered our own mental health at every moment in the project, it was great to finish and have something to help others with theirs.

Why does Filmmaking help?

Filmmaking combines the visual power of images, the emotional impact of music, and the persuasive force of narrative to create a potent medium for communicating messages. Films have the ability to transport us, make us laugh, cry, and, most importantly, think. Pure information can be a bit dry to affect change in a meaningful way. Art is often the most powerful medium.

Raising Awareness

One of the most obvious ways filmmaking can drive social change is by raising awareness. Documentaries like "An Inconvenient Truth" have brought global attention to climate change, while films like "The Cove" shed light on the issue of dolphin hunting. These films not only inform but also inspire action, encouraging viewers to make a difference in their own lives and communities. There is a Mental Health crisis in the USA and globally, and one of the best things we can do is to talk about it.

Creating Community and Offering solutions

Films create spaces for dialogue and discussion, both online and offline. Whether it's through film festivals, screenings, or social media, audiences come together to share their thoughts, experiences, and ideas. These conversations foster a sense of community and collaboration, allowing people to learn from each other and work together towards common goals. In Meditate like a dolphin, we are showcasing an innovative approach mental health issues, with a proven technique that calms the mind and reduces anxiety. 

Credits

  • Michel Pascal - Director and voice
  • Edd Dawson-Taylor - Creative Director
  • Josh Hayes - Story board artist
  • Jackie Cooper - Producer
  • Ian Hill - Houdini and Unreal Engine Generalist
  • Michael Arrevelo - Lead CG and Technical Artist
  • Tamara Abas - Lead CG Artist
  • Cris Moras - Dolphin Animator, Promo Video creator
  • Chuck Mere - Dolphin Rigger
  • Mark Adair - Environment artist
  • Dan Lopez - CG Generalist and FX Artist
  • Art Anatta - Graphic Designer and Motion Graphics Lead
  • Marcela Bragagnolo - Previz Animation