Training Dez for Escape From Planet Omega-12

The Tragic Turn from Loyal to Lethal

Hey everyone,

Last time, we pulled back the curtain on Tara and the complex, hybrid process I use to bring her to life. Today, I want to introduce you to a very different kind of character: Dez, the captain’s assistant. She is the sinister counterpoint to Tara, a character whose story begins with a seeming loyalty that is violently shattered in a moment of pure chaos.

---

From Assistant to Monster

In a flash of horror, Dez transforms from a seemingly loyal crew member into a murderous red skinned mutant (an homage to the women of Barsoom), her eyes turning a menacing red, void of pupils, and deadly claws erupting from her finger tips. The tragic event that mutates her also brings down Tara’s husband Captain Brio, as well as his crew. What drives her to betray her team? Was her loyalty for the captain truly what it seemed, and why now is she on a relentless hunt to track Tara down and kill her, too?

---

The Anatomy of a Mutant

Dez’s transformation is visually striking and deeply symbolic. Her uniform is destroyed, revealing only the torn and tattered black bodysuit she wore underneath. This violent destruction of her uniform isn't just a design choice; it represents a transition from disciplined and loyal to self-serving and wild. The tears in the fabric are visual metaphors for the symbolic order of her old life ripping apart, unable to contain the destructive force she has become.

---

The Hybrid AI-VFX Process for Dez

As with Tara, I’m using a hybrid approach to bring Dez to the screen. The process begins with creating her face. Just as I did with Tara, I first created her face with AI models, getting different results from my descriptions that I then combined in my own model. From there, I took the results and painted in her menacing red eyes and other details in Photoshop. I also used AI to generate her body, which started out nude, so I could then paint clothing elements over her body, with the goal of creating a consistent base to work from.

However, AI is not a silver bullet for consistency, especially with a character like Dez. I could ask AI to give me images of a torn bodysuit, but the results were never quite what I envisioned. The rips would be in different places or in different shapes with every new frame, which would completely break continuity and take you out of the story.

So, I did what any filmmaker would do: I took creative control. I used AI to generate images of Dez in a simple bodysuit and then meticulously grafted on rips and tears generated from other outputs myself in Photoshop. By creating a single, consistent model of her torn outfit, I can now get her to walk and move in animations. This allows me to create new frames from different angles while ensuring the damage on her bodysuit remains in the exact same place.

---

From Asset to Art

The lesson here is the same as with Tara: AI is a powerful part of the asset pipeline, not a replacement for my creative vision. I’m not relying on AI to create a perfect shot; I’m using it to generate core assets that I can then refine and manipulate using my existing visual effects skills. This approach lets me build a consistent, clean aesthetic and tell the story exactly as I want, without the distortions and errors that plague so much of the AI-generated work you see online.

I’m working hard to bring this vision to life, but my current computer is struggling to keep up with the demands of this complex workflow. If you want to support this movie and all of the incredible work that goes into it, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. You'll get exclusive access to uncensored behind-the-scenes content, early access to articles, and you’ll be directly fueling the creation of Escape From Planet Omega-12! Supporters will also have the option of seeing their names in the movie’s credits.