Using the Unity game engine as a platform for prototyping cinematic visual effects

Abstract

Science fiction films are frequent mediums for showing the future of technology. In the film Memory of Water, there is a networked communication pod device that plays an important role in revealing the development of the dystopian futuristic world. The project in this thesis is aiming to design the holographic interface for the pod device. The design process contains the analysis of the film narrative, the research on similar science fiction film subgenres, holographic display technology, and the implementation of the interface visual effects for the pod device. The visual effect graph and the animation system in the Unity game engine were used as the primary tool for realizing the interface.

The final product is a digital prototype with the interactive three-dimensional interface design of the pod. Furthermore, the prototype design is part of the film pre-production to transfer the words in the script into visuals and interaction. By describing the process of design, the author suggests a possible method of arranging the background study for a science fiction film and using the Unity game engine as a platform for generating the visual effects for the film.