About the Film

Doors We Open is an interactive short film that tells the story of Lia, a young Chinese illustrator, on her return home to her single father in their Brooklyn family home.

The pair are distant, divided by their generational differences, individual grief, and changes in their family over the loss of Lia’s Mother. Lia has grown fiercely independent, while her father has stayed home alone, struggling to rekindle his passion as a jazz musician. The pair try to communicate, unsure of each other and sidestepping uncomfortable topics until they approach their shared grief.

We experience their reflections, memories, and dreams through their individual perspectives as they attempt to reconnect, heal, and come to a new understanding of one another.

Narrative Structure

This screen-based interactive film alternates between live action shot sequences and virtual 3D gameplay. The live action scenes depict reality, centering around the domestic drama and tension between father and daughter, while the virtual sequences explore the subconscious mind and glimpses of the memories of our characters. These are stylized dream sequences where the audience will become an active participant that can interact with artifacts and memories that tell a deeper story.

Interactivity is not used here to affect the outcome of the story, but to allow viewers the agency to investigate the deeper emotional architecture at their own pace to develop empathy towards both characters’ perspectives in a clash of culture and generations.

Virtual Bedroom

Technology

The Live-Action Sequences of Doors We Open was produced like a traditional film, using an Arri Alexa Mini LF. The virtual portions of the film were created using Unreal Engine, a real time game engine where we have been able to experiment with textural post processing materials, media players, and spatialized sound.

The characters in these scenes are custom sculpted Metahuman avatars to match the live action actors. Using Optitrack motion capture and motion builder, we can retarget our actors' movements to these avatars. The virtual environment is modeled in Blender and Substance Designer to replicate the space.

Role

Kevin, David, and I have been working closely together to make Doors We Open come to life. As the writer and experience lead for the film, I write and conceptualize both the live action and virtual scripts. Throughout the writing procecss, we are constantly considering the interactions involved in the virtual scenes and how to best tell a story while leveraging the medium. As the experience director, I also focus on the holistic experience of the film. We plan to host Doors We Open as an exhibition before a wider release.

Team:

Director: Kevin Peter He
Writers: Jessica Shen & Kevin Peter He
Producer: David Woon
Cinematography: Isabel Padilla
Production Design: Bethany Yeap
3D Artists & Game Design: Jason Xu, Nick Gregg, Wyatt Zhu
Music & Sound: Cody Dear, Elias Jarzombek, Nick Gregg
Executive Producers: Winslow Porter & Joyce Keokham
Technical Supervisor: Todd Bryant
Illustrator: Jeremy Leung
Assistant Director: Grace Kim
Associate Producer: Zeng Yi
2D Artist: Peter Phan
Unreal Developer: Xuelong Mu
Sound Mixer: Rhea Li
1st AC: Tommy Chan
2nd AC: Mika Lungulov
Gaffer: Viola He
Production Assistant: Jasmine Chang
Set Dresser: Jasmine Chang, Casilda Garcia Lopez, Rebecca Yeap
Hair Styling: Kevin Woon
Makeup: Emma Ando