Thesis Work

NCSU MADTech Graduate Program

My Wish – Kim Hak Soon animated documentary

This project investigates how digital doubles, created through performance capture and photogrammetry, can be used to convey emotionally resonant and ethically responsible representations of historical figures—specifically focusing on the story of Kim Hak Soon, a former “comfort woman.”

The term “comfort women” refers to the women and girls who were forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army between 1932 and 1945, primarily in occupied territories across Asia, including Korea, China, and the Philippines. These women were often deceived, coerced, or abducted and taken to military-run brothels, where they endured brutal treatment and sexual exploitation.     

To bring my vision to life, I used performance capture and photogrammetry to create a digital double of Kim Hak Soon, a former “comfort woman” and a central figure in my narrative. Performance capture is a technology that records an actor’s facial expressions and body movements to animate a digital character, while photogrammetry involves creating 3D models from photographs—allowing me to scan and replicate the statue of Kim Hak Soon with precision. I then imported this model into Unreal Engine as a MetaHuman, a high-fidelity digital human framework, because it offered the realism and emotional nuance necessary to honor her legacy. I chose to perform the digital double myself, both as a personal act of empathy and as a way to embody her story from the inside out. To represent her older voice, I recorded my own voice and then manipulated the pitch, tone, and cadence to reflect the weariness and resilience of an elderly woman recounting traumatic memories.

Symbolism played a critical role in the narrative: the butterfly, often associated with transformation and remembrance in Korean “comfort women” culture, represented both Kim Hak Soon’s enduring spirit and the collective memory of the victims. The red ocean symbolized violence, sacrifice, and unresolved pain—a haunting backdrop that underscored the emotional weight of the story. These design and narrative choices were made intentionally to bridge the personal and historical, blending technology with memory in a respectful and impactful way.

Thesis Paper

Thesis Demo Walk-Through