top of page

The
Outsider

Unreal Engine Short Film - Thesis Project
Unreal Engine Short Film - Thesis Project
Unreal Engine Short Film - Thesis Project

University of Michigan, Taubman College
ARC 662 Thesis
2022 Winter
Instructor: Jose Sanchez
Individual Work

This thesis attempts to explore narrative expression,  not as a mere representation of form or a certain spatial quality, but as an exploration of human perception and architectural context based on the connection between storyline and architecture. To construct a more impactful expression for human perception. The structure of the narrative in my thesis project is inspired by Foucault’s “Discipline and Punish”, in which Foucault illustrates the history of the interrelationship between the modern soul and a new power of judgment. The self-will as a human being is reconstructed in such a disciplinary society to become the person that society wants to produce. Therefore,  this thesis reflects through a cinematic production to explore the formation of human self-will in a disciplinary society as well as the society of control, and ultimately the reconstruction of self-consciousness.

"After a long survey, the colony of ants in the tank declared that from the birth of the continent beneath their feet, it began and ended with a colorless wall that could not be crossed, and there was no world beyond. The Outsider struggles in her ecstasy, her mind more active than ever, as she sees the ants in the tank - creatures that have never been identified before - and the watch on her wrist constantly warns: "Please regulate your consciousness". She is a devout servant of the Queen Ant and is familiar with the creation of this master, but the trapped ants are gradually eating away at her faith - the greater secret seems to be hiding behind the throne ......"

Story Background

20220416 final review_slideshow-1.jpg

The Panopticon is a design that set up a watchtower at the center of the building, making it possible to keep an eye on all the prisoners with just one watcher. Each prisoner is isolated and observed, unable to see the watcher, in a state of constant tension, self-governed and self-regulated, Foucault illustrates it is an invisible oppression that enslaves the individual at all times, while power is exercised in the most concrete and subtle way, but at minimal cost.

20220416 final review_slideshow-5.jpg

 “996” in China: where people work at 9:00 a.m. and finish at 9:00 p.m., six days a week. The capitalists have never directly forced the employees to comply with this system, they are just stealing the concept of equating this meaningless vicious competition as a way to achieve self-realization.

20220416 final review_slideshow-28.jpg

Study of Power Representative

20220416 final review_slideshow-9.jpg

Utopian Obedient World Map: The entire human race lives in an era where the mind can be monitored for purity by data, the only task of every human is to serve queen ant, the god of this age. Each person has a watch in their hand, always monitoring the purity and loyalty of the user’s thoughts, thoughts are quantified.

 

The entire city is divided into a grid, the center of the city is the big grid, the distribution of the city's several important places, hospitals, police stations, schools, factories, office buildings, and sanctuaries. People are selected and controlled at birth by the queen ant. This hierarchical system is only good for consolidating the supremacy of the queen ants to ensure the proper functioning of the regimented society.

Design Process

Screenshot 2022-03-13 101444.png
Screenshot 2022-03-13 101257.png
Screenshot 2022-03-13 101759.png
Screenshot 2022-03-13 101049.png

The Outsider Character Design

Screenshot 2022-03-13 100417.png

Queen Ant Character Design

Screenshot 2022-03-13 100127.png
Screenshot 2022-03-13 095400.png
Screenshot 2022-03-13 095853.png
HighresScreenshot00005.png
HighresScreenshot00002.png
HighresScreenshot00006.png
HighresScreenshot00004.png

Stills

1_00012.png
2_00158.png
3_00247.png
4_00342.png
5_00512.png
20220421-5_03083.png
7_00604.png
8_00767.png
11_01050.png
12_01135.png
15_01397.png
17_01550.png
10_00893.png
9_00767_00839.png
13_01186.png
14_01300.png
16_01470.png
18_01848.png
21_02132.png
22_02254.png
23_02297.png
30_02787.png
26_02569.png
28_02647.png
32.png
24_02317.png
25_02472.png
20220421-5_03068.png
Ant
00:03
Sanctuary
00:04
Dream
00:03
Obedient work
00:03
Brainwash Slogan
00:04
Incubator
00:04
Fertility Machine
00:03
Collision
00:02
Rebirth
00:04
bottom of page