PROLOGUE Central America is a region with a lot of issues, but with a vast and rich culture which gathers different ethnic backgrounds and a mix of different lores and beliefs. Inidigenous groups in Central America are one of the most vulnerable since they have been excluded and even a�empted to be exterminated more than once throughout history. I believe, indigenous peoples of Central America deserve to be valued and represented in order to bring awareness to the mainstream culture about their difficul�es and struggles. Though this project I intend to bring Mayan and Nahuat cultures to the front line of representa�on and at the same �me using Sochi as my main character I want to depict an indigenous girl, (who are probably the mos vulnerable popula�on among indigenous people with low access to educa�on, exposed to early labor and motherhood, and who usually cannot get out of the poverty cycle they are born into) and make hert the hero of our story. Adi�onally I wanted to use the element of water as a main point that drives the story and concept since Central America faces an environmental crisis due to the small amount of resources. I wanted to create an analogy that feels true and honest to the story but that holds true when transla�ng it to the real life event of present �mes. It is also important to note that his story is not 100% literal to historic events or accurate as a whole to indigenous culture and it is only inspired by it. It has transformed some elements into a fantasy and some ar�s�c liber�es have been taken for the sake of originality and making it into something entertaining and cohesive.
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CONTENT STORY.......................................................................... 4 INSPIRATION............................................................. 5 CHARACTERS............................................................ 7 CHARACTER CONCEPTS............................... 8 CHARACTER PROFILES................................... 10 SOCHI................................................................ 11 AXUL................................................................. 15 TOTOT................................................................ 17 ENVIRONMENTS...................................................... 18 CONCEPTS........................................................ 19 MODELS............................................................ 21 TERRAIN MATERIALS..................................... 23 ENVIRONMENT MODEL................................ 24 VFX............................................................................. 25 ICONOGRAPHY........................................................ 27
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Sochi wa a 9-year-old girl who lives in the Nahuat city, she loved birds and playing by the river.
Chac, with great effort, told Sochi to bring her tecomate to him, he touched it, and it started glowing with a magical power. Chac explained Sochi that the Tecomate was now full with the water of life. She now couuld use and control the water inside to give life and power to the earth and the elements of the forest.
That summer had been really hard, and the river had started to dry. Her mother, who was sick, and in bed at the �me, asked Sochi to go with her tecomate to the pond in the middle of the forest to bring water back to her house.
Sochi pooured some water onto a pile of rocks that was near her, and suddenly, they started moving and piling un�l a small creature made of rocks and dirt was running around them. Chac explained that the creatures were not really alive, they would just serve a purpose and then the water of life would dry and they would go back to their original state. Sochi jumped on the small cri�er and it helped her get out of the Cenote.
The usual road to the pond had been obstructed by a fallen tree, so she had to go around it. While walking in the forest, suddenly the ground collapsed and she fell into a dry cenote. In the bo�om there was a very weakened old man. The old man said he had been trapped there for days and he was thirsty. He asked Sochi for a sip of water so he could feel be�er.
Now Sochi has to go through the forest and to the underworld to fight Camazotz and save her land and her people.
Sochi did not have much, but luckily she carried a li�le that she brought from the water that they had le� at home. She gave it to the man and when she did, the Old man revealed to be Chac, the god of the Water and Rain. Chac told Sochi that he had been trapped there since the beginning of the summer by Camazotz, the god of death and evil, and by his power Chac cannot get out of the cenote anymore. Chac said he was very weak and if Camazotz was not destroyed soon, he would vanish, there would be no rain anymore and that would be the end of the nahuat people.
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INSPIRATION
CHARACTER INSPIRATION
ENVIRONMENTS/CREATURES INSPIRATION
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CHARACTERS
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CHARACTER CHARACTERS CONCEPTS LINE UP 8
CHARACTER CONCEPTS 9
CHARACTER PROFILES
SOCHI
AXUL
TOTOT
Her name means Flower in Nahuat Sochi is a 9-year-old girl She lives with her sick mother and her 4 younger siblings in Nahuat City She loves nature, wildlife and rivers Sochi is driven by the love she has for her family She carries a large Tecomate on her back and two small ones on her waist
Axules are small rock spirits that come to life They are used by both good and evil gods
To see real �me rendered version of these models go to: h�ps://sketchfab.com/DanielReyesL/collec�ons/sochi
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Her name means bird in Nahuat It has the shape, size and behaviour of a hummingbird Based on the mayan lore of hummingbirds helping humans to bring the rain. It serves the role of sidekick and mentor She is made of the water of life and helps using it, giving �ps and info
SOCHI FINAL MODEL 11
SOCHI MODEL STATIC POSE 12
MODEL DETAIL 13
MODEL DETAIL 14
AXUL FINAL MODEL 15
AXUL MODEL TURNAROUND 16
TOTOT FINAL MODEL 17
ENVIRONMENTS
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ROCKS 20
ROCK MODELS 21
VEGETATION MODELS 22
TERRAIN MATERIALS 23
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VISUAL EFFECTS
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h�ps://real�mevfx.com/t/how-to-create-realis�c-water-texture-or-anima�on/5707
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ICONOGRAPHY
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