INTRODUCTION
Hi everyone! I’m Veronika Varol, a self-taught 3D artist and art director living in Antalya, Turkey. I shot my first short film when I was 18, during my freshman year, and I realized how much I love cinematography, lighting, and mise-en-scène.
While majoring in film at university, I was also trying to explore my other abilities, so I experimented with various forms of art such as digital art and music production. Finally, I decided to pursue my dreams in 3D art since it allows me to control every aspect of the scene with flexible camera angles, enabling endless creativity.
INSPIRATION
I started making this short film as my graduation project. After several conversations with my professor, I initially planned the steps in the production process. I always listen to music when I need to come up with new ideas, so while listening to my favorite composer, Judah Earl (who would later work on the film’s music), I had the idea of exploring the theme of 'being forgotten,' which is one of my fears. This piece of music by Judah Earl resonated with me the most and deeply connected with my fear of "being forgotten," which ultimately sparked the idea:
Being 'forgotten' is indeed frightening, but the more I reflect on it, I’ve come to the conclusion that life is about enjoying simple things, and 'existing' is already enough for me. Just like my character in the short film, who seeks to leave a mark through the music from her piano, I also wanted to make an impact and touch someone's heart with this film. With that message in mind, I did my best to create a dreamy environment to offer viewers a soothing experience.
PROCESS
Everything was created in Blender, except for the editing, which was done using DaVinci Resolve. I also used Cubase for the music. Since it was going to be my first time doing 3D modeling and rigging, I spent a whole month learning Blender before I started to create what I had in mind.
Modeling and Texturing
First, I modeled a pair of hands for the main character. Since it was easy to reference, I used my own hand as a guide. I didn’t want to decide on the scenes before creating the main elements of the film, so I focused on modeling a beautiful hand. I had a lot of fun sculpting, and working in a digital environment with my mouse felt surprisingly realistic, almost like chiseling with my own hand. I also created an ornament shaped like a 'V,' the initial of my name, which serves as my hidden signature in the film and aligns with its title.
When I was doing the texture painting of the hands, I didn't realize that I needed to save the PNG files separately. As a result, having to start from scratch almost made me want to give up at the very beginning of the project. The second main element was the piano, which was easier because I didn’t have to sculpt anything for it.
But I couldn’t have imagined that the truly difficult part would come after that.
Rigging
To rig the piano keys, using Python scripting was very helpful and worked smoothly.
For the hands, I rigged each finger manually by selecting edge loops and kept adjusting until I achieved the accurate motions. "Beeo" was also a sponsor for this project, providing their hand cream, so a shout out to them!
Posing the Keys and Hands
I had to pose the keys and fingers after rigging both the hands and the piano. First, I needed music for the piano-playing scenes. I thought, why not reach out to the source of my inspiration, the renowned composer Judah Earl? He allowed me to use and produce one of his pieces written with Eric Lopes! I copied the hand and key movements from a video of him playing the song and did my best to synchronize the timing accurately.
Lighting
I used a sky texture and volumetrics in the room scene, with a completely closed cube. The only light source came from a window to create a sunset effect.
In the magical forest scene, I initially used volumetrics as well, but it washed out all the color in the scene and ruined the dreamy look I wanted. These are the renders I didn’t use in the film, and the final mood is captured in the last picture:
And below is the film poster and the final animation.
RENDER: Before I Vanish
Poster of the film.
Before I Vanish has gained significant recognition on the festival circuit, being officially selected by several prestigious festivals, including the Lift-Off Global Network Sessions, Power24 International Film Festival, 36 Girona Film Festival, and Youality International Short Film Festival in 2024. I am still awaiting responses from other festivals, so the number of selections is expected to grow. This success highlights the film's impact and resonance within the animation community.
Before I Vanish selected for multiple festivals
Thank you for reading! Feel free to check out and connect with me on my social media.
About the Artist
Veronika Varol is a filmmaker from Antalya, Turkey, who has been honing her craft since the age of 8. She studied Radio, Television, and Cinema at Akdeniz University and has worked as an art director on commercials and short films.
