Behind the Scenes of Torch and Hammer - A 3 Minute Epic Fantasy

Behind the Scenes of

First Full Storyboard

06/14/23 – The production process for ‘Torch and Hammer’ began with simple sketches created using ProCreate on the iPad. These sketches were animated with basic camera moves in Adobe After Effects. This initial animatic provided the foundation for the final timeline of the project.

Intro Scene with Parallax Layers (Excerpt)

08/16/2023 – To create the parallax animation, backgrounds were generated with MidJourney and upscaled using Topaz Gigapixel AI. Each layer was then cut out and edited in Adobe Photoshop. The inspiration for this process came from Mickmumpitz’s video.

All Backgrounds Replaced

02/24/2024 – All backgrounds were converted into parallax scenes. The side-scrolling background in “Scene 14 – Dragons Fly Away” required over 20 hours of editing to achieve the floating layers depth effect.

Ogre Animation Complete (Excerpt)

01/24/2024 – Efforts focused on creating a consistent character using available tools. The animation process for the ogre was akin to digital paper cutouts, resulting in a unique visual style and why it is different from the other characters.

Character Animation and Effects Completed

06/30/2024 – In February, a Theoretically Media video demonstrated a new workflow using Scenario to create consistent character designs. Over March and April, the human characters were generated with photos from of the singer, using Insight and Theoretically Media’s face-swapping workflow.

Finished

The final visual touches were inspired by Ben Marriott’s work, particularly this video and this one.

The Father’s head animation was completed in Hedra using Bob Doyle Media’s workflow. Six portraits of increasing age were created and animated then edited together. The final result was upscaled with Topaz Labs’ Video AI.

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