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Artist brings Jenga tower to life in mind-boggling video

He shared the breakdown of how he made the project by first using motion capture to create the realistic movement of the Jenga block.

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By Jessica Hehir-Smith via SWNS

A talented young artist has brought a static Jenga tower to life as a drunken, staggering mess in a mind-boggling VFX video.

Self-taught Kei Kanamori, 20, used a range of VFX processes to create the hypnotic video, which shows a Jenga tower staggering after "one too man"' blocks were placed on the top.

Kei gave the tower legs, which trip over and stumble constantly as the swaying object tries to maintain balance, before eventually standing still and returning to normal.

He created the unique project after becoming inspired by a motion-capturing class he attended at school.

Kei began his visual effects (VFX) journey four years ago when he downloaded free software called Blender that allowed him to create his own 3D images.

Since then, he has improved his skills using more advanced 3D computer animation and film software, such as Maya and Nuke.

He shared the breakdown of how he made the project by first using motion capture to create the realistic movement of the Jenga block.

Kei then rigged his own body shape onto the Jenga tower before using motion editing to map out, and finalize, how it will move.

He then used simulation, animation and environment modeling software, to create the background and adjusted the lighting, to make it look perfectly real.

The entire video is completely made of computer-generated imagery (CGI) - meaning that the Jenga tower, the background objects - and even the hand - are entirely digital.

Kei, who is a student and a freelance 3D artist from Tokyo, Japan, revealed the project took him about three weeks to plan, create and execute.

“I studied motion capturing at school, during which I made random motion data including a drunk animation," he said.

“I liked the drunk move the most and I wanted to use the data I’d created to make a funny video.

“Then I came up with the idea of making the Jenga tower drunk, and then I created this!”

Kei hopes to work in the film industry in the future as a VFX artist, citing major film studios such as Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Weta FX and Double Negative (DNEG) as companies he would love to work for and share his creative talents with.

This project was created on July 3.

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