Film by Joobin Park | Jina Ryu
I AM
Role
Director | Producer | Compositor | 3D Artist | Editor
Software
Nuke | Maya | Mari | Zbrush | Keen Tools | Davinchi Resolve
ABOUT THE PROJECT
I AM is a live-action psychological thriller that blends live-action footage with 3D visual effects. The film follows a man with a fish head who has been conditioned to believe he is a fish. As he begins to question his identity, his search for the truth reveals that his reality is part of an endless experiment.
In addition to directing and producing the film, I worked across both 2D and 3D VFX, contributing to compositing, texturing, look development, and CG integration while overseeing the project from production through final post.
Award
2026 Best in Show: VFX
New York Short Animation Film Festival Finalist
Typograph by Soo Lee | CG Image by Joobin Park
Full Film
I AM
PRE-PRODUCTION
We developed the storyboard, animatic, and 3D previs to plan shot composition, camera movement, and visual direction before production.
Storyboard
Animatic
Previs
Storyboard by Jina Ryu
Editing by Joobin Park
3D previs by Joobin Park | Jina Ryu
ON SET
I directed the production while working with the crew to capture each scene and gather the on-set reference needed for the VFX process.
Collaborating across departments strengthened my communication and problem-solving skills while giving me hands-on experience managing a production and adapting to challenges on set.
CG DEVELOPMENT
Starting from a high-resolution character model, I created a production-ready low-poly mesh through retopology, built the UVs, and created the character textures in Mari for look development and final integration.
High Poly Model
Retopology Model
UV
Modeling by Dongmin
Starting from a high-resolution character model, I created a production-ready low-poly mesh through retopology, built the UVs, and created the character textures in Mari for look development and final integration.
Rebuilding Modeling
Clean-up
Retopology
UV
Mari Texturing Progress
To achieve a more realistic fish appearance, I textured the asset in Mari, using layered masks to control surface properties such as subsurface scattering, transparency, and roughness. These variations helped recreate the subtle translucency, moisture, and uneven surface qualities of real fish skin, contributing to the final look of one of the key CG elements in I AM.
Final Look
Lighting & Look Development
Using on-set HDRI, gray ball, and chrome ball references, I recreated the lighting conditions for each scene. Since different lighting setups affected the appearance of the textures, I refined the materials in Hypershade using Remap, Color Correct, and HSV nodes. I also recreated the surrounding walls and ceiling to match the shooting environment and achieve more accurate lighting and reflections.
Final Look
COMPOSITING
As a film combining live action and CG, I AM required extensive compositing to seamlessly integrate CG elements into the footage. Using KeenTools for tracking and Nuke for compositing, I focused on matching movement, perspective, lighting, and depth to ensure that each CG element felt naturally grounded in the live-action environment.
Tracking
For accurate tracking, I used KeenTools GeoTracker, which allowed me to track the subject using prepared 3D geometry. After generating the initial automatic track, I manually refined the tracking data and curves to achieve a more precise result before transferring the data to Maya.
I also performed 3D camera tracking and exported the camera data as an Alembic (.abc) file for use in Maya, ensuring that the CG elements matched the movement and perspective of the original footage.
Compositing Workflow
Using Nuke, I combined roto, cleanup, background replacement, CG integration, and color adjustments to build the final composite. Each element was carefully refined to maintain consistency in depth, lighting, and atmosphere throughout the shot.
STILL CUTS
