This is really cool, very cinematic! I would love to know more about how this was achieved.
Thanks! I think a big part of the cinematic look comes from trying to ground the renders in a believable camera capture rather than a perfect CG image.
Here’s the render straight out of Blender, before any compositing in After Effects.
I use the excellent Lens Sim add-on in Blender to reproduce the characteristics of real lenses. The rest of the look comes from the compositing process in After Effects, using film emulation, grain, halation, bloom, subtle film damage, compression, and a few other finishing touches.
Color references from real photographs are also key!
Very interesting, thank you for the explanation! The render without compositing and the viewport screenshot are very helpful to understand the process.
I featured you on BlenderNation, have a great weekend!