Final Blog: Enhancing The Golden Portal with Tigers and Orangutans

As I approached the final stages of The Golden Portal projection mapping project, I had an important shift in direction after the final consultation with my lecturer. It was suggested that the absence of the tiger and orangutan characters could make the project feel incomplete or disconnected from the story. Taking this feedback to heart, I decided to incorporate these animals into the projection mapping animation, ensuring the narrative felt cohesive and impactful.

The process of integrating the tiger and orangutan into the animation presented a new set of challenges but also exciting opportunities to expand my creative process. Since creating these animations from scratch was beyond my current skill set and time constraints, I turned to AI-generated art and online resources for inspiration and material. I explored various AI art generation platforms to create stylized representations of the tiger and orangutan, experimenting with different aesthetics to ensure they aligned with the mystical tone of the project.

Additionally, I scoured YouTube and other websites for stock footage and animations that featured tigers and orangutans. This step allowed me to blend real-world movement references with the abstract and otherworldly visuals of my projection mapping. I modified these resources in Blender and TouchDesigner, ensuring the animals fit seamlessly into the environments I had already designed.

Incorporating these characters enriched the narrative and gave the audience a clearer sense of the storyline. The tiger and orangutan brought life to the animation, creating a stronger emotional connection and making the transitions between parallel universes more dynamic. For instance, their interactions—such as chasing each other through the vibrant jungle world or the serene aquarium universe—helped highlight the underlying theme of conflict and eventual harmony.

This addition also required refining the technical aspects of the project. Using TouchDesigner, I adjusted the animation flow to integrate the animals smoothly with the existing effects and transitions. Blender allowed me to tweak the environments, ensuring the tiger and orangutan felt naturally embedded within each scene. Finally, I used CapCut to edit the footage, cutting out the building’s shape and merging all elements into the final projection.

For the background music, I retained the dual-layered approach: the meditative OM chanting at the beginning and the adventurous Pirates of the Caribbean theme for the later parts. However, I adjusted the timing to emphasize the tiger and orangutan’s movements, aligning key beats in the music with their actions to create a more immersive experience.

This experience taught me the importance of adaptability in the creative process. While the original plan leaned on abstract storytelling, integrating the tiger and orangutan added a layer of richness and clarity to the narrative. The feedback from my lecturer emphasized the value of collaboration and critique, pushing me to evolve my project in ways I hadn’t initially considered.

Reflecting on this journey, I am proud of how much this project has grown and how my skills have developed. From learning TouchDesigner for procedural animations to experimenting with AI-generated art and stock footage, I’ve expanded my toolkit for future projects. Balancing narrative clarity with visual imagination has been a key takeaway, and I’m excited to apply these lessons as I move forward in my studies and professional aspirations.\

Below is the final outcome of The Golden Portal, where the tiger and orangutan take center stage, enriching the story while inviting viewers to imagine their own interpretations. This project has been a transformative experience, blending creativity, technical learning, and the power of storytelling into one unforgettable journey.

Link to my Final Assignment Performative Media