Caleb Worcester, a Kansas City-based illustrator and animator, blends traditional and 3D art to create striking, immersive visuals. In this video, he takes us behind the scenes of his stunning stylized 3D short film, Under The Thicket. We explore his creative process, from developing the story and characters to refining the film’s unique style to his rendering techniques in Blender. Caleb also walks us through a few key Blender scenes, offering insight into how he brings his vision to life.

Beyond the technical side, we dive into the inspiration behind Under The Thicket, discussing how nature influenced its design and how he crafted an emotional story without dialogue. As an independent animator, Caleb shares his thoughts on the growing impact of Blender in the animation industry. With its powerful tools and accessibility, Blender is leveling the playing field, allowing indie creators to produce high-quality films that rival those of major studios.

We also discusses Flow, the independent Blender-animated film that recently won an Oscar—beating out giants like Pixar, Disney, and DreamWorks. Directed by Gints Zilbalodis and created by a small, passionate team, Flow proves that with vision, creativity, and Blender, indie animators can compete at the highest level. This win marks a turning point for independent animation and the power of open-source tools.

The VFX Process Podcast #61

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