“Throw On Some LOVE Music”

A Case Study

This is a breakdown of a personal project of mine. Let’s get into it!

This project explores a unique and playful take on love and connection using inanimate objects. The goal was to create an engaging moment where a cassette tape and a boombox share an almost romantic bond, only for reality to disrupt the moment in an unexpected way.

Concept

Set in a cozy, modern apartment, the scene establishes an intimate atmosphere. The cassette tape, symbolizing love, flings itself toward the boombox in slow motion, reinforcing the sense of romance through visual storytelling. The challenge was to convince the viewer that these two objects long for one another, and that the cassette is just moments away from a successful union. 

With the use of color, timing, and lighting, the perfect mood was painted. The manipulation of these three things for the final shot was effective at letting the viewer know the outcome might not be what they thought it would be.

Storyboard

Reference, storyboards, and style frames make the rest of the project go smoothly. So, it’s important to spend a fair amount of time at this stage in order to achieve your desired result. For this storyboard, I blocked out the objects in the story in 3D. Depending on the project, sketches would also be effective at nailing down each shot and movement. Making simple objects in 3D, in this case, was very helpful as I could create them quickly and then use the camera to get the best angles I could. I like to write down additional notes as I go, even if I don’t end up using them in the final piece. These particular notes are hand written, but for clients I tend to type them out afterward for clearer communication.

3D Assets

Due to the timeframe I gave myself for this project, the boombox and cassette 3D models were acquired from Fab.com. They were already textured as well, though I did make changes to them in Photoshop.

Animation

Choosing the best camera angles for the opening and final shots were of the utmost importance to me. I wanted to immediately grab the attention of the viewer with an establishing shot that introduced the main plot right away. You can see the cassette tape in the air and the boombox in the back. The viewer instantly knows what the goal is.

The final shot had to be very different from the other camera angles. This camera had no movement. It focused on the target of the cassette and I wanted it to come into and out of view quickly.

The cassette was mostly animated using keyframes for the rotation and location. For the final shot, the cassette was animated using rigid body physics, while the boombox’s nudge was keyframed. Now under normal physics, the boombox would not be affected by the impact of the cassette. But, of course, artistic liberties were taken!

Post Production

After rendering the project out of Blender, I brought it into my video editing software (LumaFusion). There, I adjusted color, contrast, transitions, text, and audio. I used a combination of custom LUTs and presets like vignettes to achieve the desired look. For sound design, I acquired music and sound effects from the Pixabay.com library and edited it to fit the project. The music track was sourced very early on as I like to play the music while creating to hit the right notes and mood. The end result came out extremely close to the initial idea in my head!

Final Thoughts

The project successfully blends nostalgia, humor, and romance through a minimalist yet effective setting. The use of slow motion and sound design heightens engagement, making the viewer feel emotionally invested in the cassette’s journey. By playing with emotion and anticipation, the piece delivers a lighthearted commentary on love. Sometimes, even the perfect match doesn’t quite work out as planned.

Thank You