Balance

A 15 second 3D tennis film in blue and lime: a racket balanced on a plinth, a ball that drops and rolls, and a final rest on the net.

Brand: Balance
Year: 2026
Role: 3D set design, animation, lighting and rendering
Tools

Overview

Balance is a short 3D film about things finding their point of rest. A racket stands upright on a stone plinth in an open pavilion, a ball drops past it and rolls away across the floor, and the film ends with the ball resting on the top of a tennis net.

The challenge

The whole piece hangs on small moments: a racket staying upright, a ball slowing to a stop. The motion had to feel weighted and believable, and the set had to stay calm enough that those moments carry the film.

Approach

I built an airy pavilion as the first set: tall arches, a pale blue stone floor, blue curtains moving in the breeze and a view out to the sea and hills. A palm shadow falls across the walls to keep the light soft and warm.
The palette is two colours: tennis blue for the architecture and court, and the lime of the ball and racket frame, so the eye always lands on the objects in play.
The camera moves from a wide establishing shot to a low, floor-level push behind the rolling ball, then into macro close-ups of the strings and felt, before cutting to the court for the ending on the net cord.
Everything was modeled, animated and rendered in Blender.

The film