[UE5] The Monster

[ Artistic Intent ]
For this lighting study, I wanted to create a horror image by modifying a scene. It all started when I discovered this abandoned factory from FAB (Scans Factory) and wondered what it would look like if it were the lair of a hidden monster.
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My main intention for this lighting study was to create atmospheric tension. I wanted to capture that instant of tension just before the creature reacts. The intent was to anchor the image in a physical reality, reinforced by a tilted camera that is as dirty/wet as the environment, as if it were filmed by a handheld camera in a hostile environment. To reinforce the atmosphere and make it heavier, I used fog.
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I learned a lot about depth layering through color temperature, but also what can be done to strengthen the subject's silhouette via the separation of depth levels, as well as the use of subtle Rim Lights while maintaining an oppressive darkness.
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| Artistic inspirations |
My artistic starting point was the desire to recreate a similar atmosphere to the industrial nocturnes of painter John Atkinson Grimshaw, particularly Shipping on the Clyde (1881). My focus was on translating this very rainy, wet environment, capturing the characteristic cold blue night color juxtaposed with strong and saturated artificial lamps. I wanted the overcast feeling but I added more directionality through shadows.
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[ Technical setup ]
No Lumen was used here. I worked with baked lighting with some dynamic lights, particularly for the monster and any flickering lamps. I used a Sky Atmosphere and Volumetric Clouds to establish the base atmosphere. And I made heavy use of the EasyFog and EasyRain plugins, which are awesome!
For the environment I used [SCANS] Abandoned Factory Buildings - Day/Night Scene from fab and the animal variety pack.
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The monster is from my video game Ravenous created by the talented 3D artist Lea Chmielewski
https://www.artstation.com/lea_chmielewski