Phoenix Temple

Justin S Huffman

I am a Telecommunications major at Indiana University.  My area of focus is in Design and Production.   I will be graduating in May 2011 with a Bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications, and minors in Business and Russina Language.  I am very passionate about 3D art and animation, particularly in virtual environments and game design.  I enjoy 3D art and animation because you can do things that human beings cannot do.  Being a 3D artist gives you complete control over the entire production process, from concept to completion.  You don’t have to go out and hire an entire crew just to make a short animated film.  With the right resources, one can create a short film by oneself using these tools.

This project, named “Phoenix Temple” is an ode to what everyone wants deep down: complete freedom.  The temple is secluded high on the mountainside with the phoenix flying around it.  The phoenix stands guard on the temple to keep intruders away, so the people inside the temple can be free to do whatever they want to do.  I chose to use a phoenix instead of using a naturally occurring bird because I did not want any natural elements to be present in the scene.   With the idea that the scene symbolizes, it only seems appropriate that I use supernatural elements to convey the message.  The phoenix is supposed to invoke a feeling of safety to those inside the temple, because the phoenix is a very powerful bird.  It is also a symbol of eternity because according to legend, when a phoenix dies, a new one will rise from the ashes of the fallen bird.

Click Here to see the Virtools Environment.