The Rat Trap Project
- Oluseyi Ekanem
- Jul 5
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 13
Post 1: The Idea That Bit
How It All Started
In December last year, a small idea crept into my mind—and refused to leave.
It was quiet. Almost trivial. A cozy kitchen. A sense of order. A quiet moment disturbed by something small, almost imperceptible. A tear in a net. A shadow. A suspicion.
That single image—mundane and haunting—sparked what would become The Rat Trap: a short animated film, but more importantly, a creative and technical experiment.
The Creative Spark
This wasn’t just about telling a story. It was about exploring atmosphere through silence, emotion through physics, and suspense through light and timing.
I wanted to make something that:
Said more with less—minimal dialogue, maximum detail
Used the camera as a storyteller, not just a viewer
Built tension through realism—the kind of unease you feel when something’s not quite right
It started with a mood. And then came the challenge: how do you bring that mood to life—technically, artistically, and collaboratively?
The Goals Behind the Project
From the beginning, I saw The Rat Trap as more than a film—it was a pipeline exploration, a collaborative lab, and a chance to build something end-to-end using next-gen tools.
Our core objectives:
Use Houdini for layout, simulation, and procedural asset management
Structure the entire scene using USD (Universal Scene Description) for flexibility and collaboration
Implement MaterialX to ensure cross-application shader consistency
Bring everything into Unreal Engine 5.6 for real-time rendering and cinematic control
Animate humans and creatures, leveraging MetaHumans for facial performance
Explore cloth, physics, creature FX, and pyro simulations
Build and run the project with a small team based in Nigeria, working remotely.
Each step was designed to test both the story and the tools—how they function together, and what they make possible.
Why Call It “Experimental”?
Because we’re learning—and documenting—in public.
We’re testing workflows. We’re learning from mistakes. We’re building, breaking, and rebuilding—intentionally. Like my blog on ShuHaRi. This series is a record of that process: raw, honest, and hopefully useful to other creators who want to do the same.
🗓️ What’s Next?
In next week’s post, I’ll share how I assembled the core team through Animation Nigeria,.
#3DAnimation, #HoudiniFX, #AfricanTech, #NaijaCreatives, #NollywoodTech, #MadeInNigeria, #PaitanMedia, #CGNigeria, #DigitalStorytelling, #FilmAndAI, #FutureOfCinema; #AnimationFilm ; #NigerianAnimation ; #UnrealEngine
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