Japanese Temple Scene - Relight

In this week’s project, I reimagined the lighting of the Japanese Temple for a nighttime setting as part of my assignment for the CGMA Lighting course. My focus was on mastering baked lighting techniques in Unreal Engine 5, where I challenged myself to balance static and stationary lights—a task made complex by overlapping light sources during the bake process.

This project marked my first exploration into nighttime lighting, inspired by a visually captivating scene in Poor Things by Yorgos Lanthimos. The scene’s surreal, dreamlike quality, particularly the role of the sky in shaping its mood, left a lasting impression on me. I aimed to capture a similar vibe, with a warm, earthy yellow as the primary color and a soft, muted teal as a complementary accent.

I added the lighting layer by layer, beginning with the foreground to accentuate the teal skylight and enhance the moonlit mountains in the background. To create a lively focal point, I illuminated the windows with a warm glow, evoking the atmosphere of a bustling temple. Lanterns placed near the door help draw the viewer’s eye. This layered, stylized lighting approach provides depth, directing attention toward the back tower and surrounding structures, lending the scene an immersive, otherworldly atmosphere.