Nomad
Virtual Production Narrative Short film, 2025
Xinyu Cindy Li
Writer/Director/Producer
Logline: In a post-apocalyptic world where time is frozen, a nomad carrying an unfinished videotape arrives at a mysterious mountain filled with caves, seeking the last remnants of time.
Nomad is a narrative short film created entirely with virtual production technology at the NYU Martin Scorsese Virtual Production Center. Developed in collaboration with five other graduate students, the film brings together a range of cultural perspectives and creative disciplines.
As the writer, director, and producer, I led the storytelling and production process—from concept development and fundraising (over $24,000 raised) to managing a five-day shoot with a crew of 30+.
We built immersive virtual environments in pre-production using Maya, Unreal Engine, Blender, and Cinema 4D, and continued our collaboration in post-production with tools like Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Pro Tools, Nuke, and AI-based software for editing and visual effects.
At its core, Nomad explores themes of grief, memory, and renewal—universal experiences that cross cultures and generations.
Pre-Production
We designed and built five immersive 3D virtual environments in Unreal Engine, using custom 3D assets modeled in Maya and Blender. Each space represents a unique emotional and temporal dimension within the narrative:
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A post-apocalyptic exterior world frozen in time
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A surreal mountain of time
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The mountain’s interior, filled with flowing images and fragmented statues
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A surreal void surrounded by televisions
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The same post-apocalyptic world, now reimagined with time restored
Production
Five-day shoot at NYU Tisch's Martin Scorsese Virtual Production Center with a crew of 30+. Filmed on ARRI ALEXA 35 using a Technocrane.
Post-Production
Work in progress. Please stay tuned!
Stills
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