From The Animation Workshop.

Second-year students at The Animation Workshop have created five short films that, each in their own way, open up the world of the samurai warrior to the audience, drawing inspiration from Krigsmuseet’s (The Danish War Museum) samurai armors.

The films explore themes of the brutality of war, the aesthetics of combat, mythology, and the beautiful craftsmanship of the armor.

The students were divided into five groups, each consisting of 4–5 animators, 4–5 3D artists, and 2–3 sound designers. The work began with a blank sheet of paper and, ten weeks later, ended with a finished film. It was an intensive and exciting process in which the students used all their creative energy and technical skills, making many difficult choices along the way.

RITUAL – A samurai prepares for battle

"Our intention with the short film was to show the contrast between the serenity of tradition and the reality of war, that characterized the life of a samurai. Our approach focused on combining ritualistic elements of Japanese art, like wood block textures and patterns with modern 3D animation," the group behind RITUAL explains.

RITUAL is created by:
Kristina H. Hristova – Director
Jannes Eskil Luth – Director and Technical Director
Miguel Gallardo Cortes – Art Director and CG generalist
M. Aubrey jones – Animation Director
Cathrine Søndergaard – Production Manager and CG Generalist
Lykke Skaaning Zwisler – Animation Generalist
Nora Holmstedt – Animation Generalist
Nikoline Sommer – Animation Generalist
Maja Brankin – Animation Generalist
Yihan Liu Overgaard – CG Generalist
Matthew Noga – CG Generalist

Sound and music by Sonic College