Below you can see the process of creating a VR film in Unreal Engine. I modeled the butterflies in Blender and integrated them into Unreal using a Niagara particle system to simulate flocking and natural flight behaviors. I also created multiple environments using the landscaping tool, and Blender.

Additionally, I am experimenting with Gaussian Splatting, a technique that converts real-world photos and videos into highly detailed 3D point-based representations, allowing for photorealistic scene reconstruction within Unreal Engine. This approach enhances the film’s visual fidelity while pushing the boundaries of real-time VR environments.

My USC Film Senior Thesis was an immersive multimedia project (3 documentaries and a Virtual Reality film) that explores immigration through diverse perspectives across Mexico. Blending documentary filmmaking with interactive exhibition, it weaves together stories of indigenous heritage, environmental conservation, and human displacement. The project delves into indigenous traditions, the urgent ecological battles facing Michoacán’s monarch butterflies and the whales of Baja California Sur, and the ongoing immigration crisis at the U.S. border.