I learnt animation to bring my love of storytelling to the screen
Not Just a Game is my first solo 3D animated film project
Type: Animation, Film Client: Personal Project Outputs: 3D animation, Character Design, Story, Screenplay, Storyboard, 3D models, Sound Design
Type: Animation, Film
Client: Personal Project
Outputs: 3D animation, Character Design, Story, Screenplay, Storyboard, 3D models, Sound Design
Not Just a Game— Preview
Not just a game, preview clip
Not Just a Game is a character-driven animated short (in production), set
in the layered realities of an urban slum. It follows the quiet,
emotionally textured life Billu and his love for the game of Soccer(Football),
capturing his daily rhythms, inner worlds and fleeting moments of joy
amidst external hardship.
It is a non-verbal narrative that relies heavily on body language
and character animation. Reflecting the resilience within an
underserved neighborhood, the goal of the film is to blend
intimate storytelling with social commentary, using animation
not just as entertainment but also as tool for observation
and empathy.
My Role: Solo Creator (Director, Writer, Animator, Character Designer)
Billu texture testing
Experiments that worked
I tried to make a procedural texture to achieve a unique effect which
looks like a mixture of claymation and hand painted strokes to bring
something visually new for the viewer.
Billu texture test
Still from the short
Billu texture test
Still from the short
Inspiration
The initial idea for this short film came to me while commuting to work
when I used to stay in Bengaluru, India.
A residential area in Bengaluru, India
A residential area in Bengaluru, India
This road used to be packed during office hours, giving me time each day
to observe it closely. I often wondered how challenging life must be
for the people living here, where limited resources and facilities
have forced them to dry their clothes right in the middle of
a busy road.
Recalling my childhood attachment to new belongings, I created Billu—
a boy who discovers a licensed sock from his favorite sports club
and strives to keep it clean and safe before wearing it
to watch the game on TV.
The aim of my story is to show that sports embody beauty, emotion,
and human stories that transcend the game itself ;
and also to make people aware and grateful for their privileges.
A residential area in Bengaluru, India
Process
Most of my narrative animation experience has been in team settings.
Taking on this film alone helped me discover the nuances
of solo production — from pacing creative decisions
to balancing storytelling with technical execution.
I began this project using a typical studio-style workflow:
→ Screenplay
→ Full storyboard
→ All characters/environments
→ Materials
→ Lighting
→ Animation
→ Rendering
where each department handles one stage of production in parallel.
But long the way, I discovered that solo work benefits from a
scene-by-scene approach rather than full-film planning.
Completing each scene—from storyboard to render
provided visually tangible milestones and maintained momentum.
Storyboard
Not just a game, Scene 1 storyboard
Character Sheet
Billu Character Sheet
Environment Design
Not just a game, Scene 1 environment check
Procedural Textures
Billu Procedural Texture setup
Process
Most of my narrative animation experience has been in team settings. Taking on this film alone
helped me discover the nuances of solo production — from pacing creative decisions
to balancing storytelling with technical execution.
I began this project using a typical studio-style workflow:
→ Screenplay
→ Full storyboard
→ All characters/environments
→ Materials
→ Lighting
→ Animation
→ Rendering
where each department handles one stage of production in parallel.
Along the way, I discovered that solo work benefits from a scene-by-scene approach
rather than full-film planning. Completing each scene—from storyboard to render
provided clear milestones and maintained momentum.
Storyboard
Not just a game, Scene 1 storyboard
Character Sheet
Billu Character Sheet
Environment Design
Not just a game, Scene 1 environment check
Procedural Textures
Procedural texture setup
Challenges
As this was my first time using Blender for an elaborate project
on top of having very little experience with 3D, I struggled with quite a few things including simulation errors, UV editing, lighting, rigging and combining rig engines. I pushed the engineer side of my mind to find best possible hacks
to make it work.
Cloth simulations broke during rendering - Resolved by baking physics, using close to real life scales and adjusting cache timing while choosing stable start frames for animation
Cloth simulation breaking in viewport
Cloth simulation breaking in render
Mixamo motion mixing and integration issues - Solved by manually retargeting and blending actions in the NLA editor while cleaning up rigs
NLA editor timeline
Combining Rigify face rig and Mixamo body rig - Explored the working of both rigging engines to find a common point to be parented such that both
Mixamo's body rig and Rigify's face rig can work synchronously
Mixamo body rig and Rigify face rig combined
Challenges
As this was my first time using Blender for an elaborate project on top of having
very little experience with 3D, I struggled with quite a few things including
simulations, UV editing, lighting, rigging and combining rig engines.
I pushed the engineer side of my mind to find best possible hacks
to make it work.
Cloth simulations broke during rendering - Resolved by baking physics,
using close to real life scales and adjusting cache timing while choosing
stable start frames for animation
Cloth simulation breaking in viewport
Cloth simulation breaking in render
Mixamo motion mixing and integration issues - Solved by manually retargeting
and blending actions in the NLA editor while cleaning up rigs
NLA editor timeline
Combining Rigify face rig and Mixamo body rig - Explored the working of
both rigging engines to find a common point to be parented such that both
Mixamo's body rig and Rigify's face rig can work synchronously
Mixamo body rig and Rigify face rig combined