Test lighting effect for final title sequence

I've been researching ideas for the final title sequence of Thaw...

Rather than have a 'black' backplate, or something scenic or too recognisable, I have chosen an abstract theme, that plays on light.

Below is a very quick simple test shot, using an abstract image of dark and light, with After Effects CC Light Rays animated across it.

The wording for the titles will be incorporated into this....

After Effects CC Light Rays

Light ray tests in After Effects, using a jpeg still of shot_18 and applying After Effects CC Light Rays Effects

Maya water blobs - Thaw penultimate shot

Final set up and adjustments to the water shader for the penultimate shot...

Panels below show the perspective space, water droplets and rendered images...

Maya water shader, exr render and melting ice men

   Shot 13:
A quick render in Nuke - just the exr multi-pass images, with no adjustment to passes. This gives a good indication of how the CG textures, animation and melting ice are looking

                       

shot 11. Maya icemen and tree

 
This is a simple comp, with no adjustments to any render passes...I've created a quick comp, for now, and regularly update my Previs, so I can see where I may need a couple of extra shots, or edits
Maya 3D model tree and icemen, plus timelapse footage

                  

Soft select vertices - Maya

Perspective view showing soft select mode and keyframes for vertices...

Shot_14

Maya render tests, tree texture and melting ice by animating vertices

Shot_13 showing the melted ice men. I created a simple polygon plane and applied a mia_material_x_passes water shader to it, and animated the vertices on the soft select option, and the ice men move through a combination of a rig, plus lattice deformers and again, moving the vertices in soft select mode....

Below left: Perspective view

Below Right and main image: Render showing tree geometry with a 2K texture map and lighting....this render took approx 30 mins, so I will double check all the settings before it gets sent to the render farm....