Sifting Through the Remnants of Human Memories Mehdi Hadi takes us on a thrilling journey through a post-apocalyptic world in “Memories.”

What remains in the rubble of a technology-driven world run by robots? Mehdi Hadi’s latest project “Memories,” created for the Motion Plus Design event in Paris earlier this month, explores themes of loss, destruction, and the human experience in a distinctly inhuman setting.

Known for his cinematic style, Hadi has made it his mission to create projects that immerse audiences and spark intrigue. From detailed scenes to intricate characters, Hadi translates his imaginative ideas into captivating visual experiences.

He spoke to us about the creative process behind “Memories” and his transition from motion designer to director.

Hadi: I’ve been working in the industry for about 13 years now. As a motion designer, I’ve always been able to adapt. I’ve learned to work with all kinds of briefs and styles, which helped me develop my workflow and strong visual identity. That versatility is still at the core of what I do today.

Becoming a director wasn’t a planned career move, it just happened naturally. I’ve always tended to manage every step of a project myself, from concept to final image. Over time, people started calling me a “director” simply because I was already creating entire films on my own.

Hadi: Most of my work is in-game cinematics, high-end commercial visuals, and projects with a strong sci-fi or futuristic aesthetic. More recently, I’ve also been creating large-scale visual content for live shows and international DJs, designing concert visuals that blend narrative, energy, and immersive world-building.

Hadi: My influences come from classic films like “Alien,” “Terminator,” “Akira,” “Ghost in the Shell,” “Blade Runner,” and “Se7en”. They struck me for their innovation and strong visual identity - they each have a world you can recognize in a single frame.

Cinematography came later in my career. I started studying how films are lit, framed, and paced, and that completely reshaped the way I build images. Now I spend a lot of time analyzing shots, breaking down color, lenses, mood, rhythm, and then translating that into digital work.

Over the years, I’ve experimented with different pipelines, tools, and visual languages. At some point, all those tests, failures, and obsessions blended into something that felt like my style: a mix of cinematic realism, sci-fi atmosphere, and a slight dystopian tone.

Hadi: It started with the title. I wanted to explore the idea of memory, not just as data, but as something emotional, fragile, and fragmented. From there, the narrative naturally shaped itself around the things I’m most drawn to: post-apocalyptic sci-fi, robots, and dark, high-contrast worlds.

“Memories” is rooted in the same influences I mentioned before as well as a lot of photography - especially industrial and abandoned landscapes. I wanted the film to feel like a memory itself: detailed but incomplete, beautiful but damaged.

Hadi: There are several tools in ZBrush I rely on that really help me add detail to characters — mainly VDM tools and alpha brushes. I use ZBrush primarily to push the detailing phase. It’s an amazing tool for design exploration and ideation. That said, I still feel like I’m only using about 10% of its potential, which is both humbling and exciting — there’s always more to learn and experiment with.

Hadi: For background and secondary objects, I rely on procedural textures and object-based shaders directly inside Cinema 4D with Redshift. Since I often work with a large number of assets, I don’t always have time to unwrap everything manually. Procedural workflows help me keep good visual quality, without slowing down production.

For key elements and characters, I use Substance Painter. I mostly start with smart materials and then refine with some hand-painting to add custom details, storytelling wear, and unique surface imperfections.

Hadi: Kitbashing is something I do almost daily. Over the years, I’ve built a substantial collection of 3D assets. I have my go-to libraries like Big Medium Small and Kitbash3D, plus many smaller packs from different 3D marketplaces. However, lately I’ve been relying more on my own custom-built kit assets to match my style, workflow, and design language.

In terms of process, it feels very similar to sketching, but in 3D. I start by placing simple shapes to explore silhouettes, compositions, and proportions. Once I like the overall structure, I begin refining and modeling on top of it to create a cohesive final design.

Hadi: When it comes to mood, I rely heavily on color grading and LUTs. You can always add some detail in post, but strong color grading will instantly push the atmosphere and emotional tone much further.

I also apply my color grading very early in the 3D process — not just at the end. This way, when I render a sequence, it already carries a specific tone and visual identity, and the final color grade is lighter and faster because 90% of the mood is already built into the renders.

Hadi: For me, the most difficult part was capturing the essence of what the world was like. Deciding on the artistic direction is always difficult.

I also knew that render time could be an issue because there are a lot of objects in my scenes. So, I used a lot of PNG plates to lighten rendering in many shots.

Hadi: My films are an invitation for people to explore and interpret. I love building worlds with their own identity, backstory, and internal logic, and then leaving space for viewers to imagine their own narrative from the universe I’ve designed.

For me, a true cinematic experience happens when the audience feels fully immersed in the world and emotionally connected to what they see, even if the story isn’t fully explained. And if they’re still thinking about it after the film ends, then I’ve succeeded.

Hadi: I’ve never really thought about it, but Bruce Lee has a famous quote, “be like water,” which pretty much sums up how I approach my career. I don’t set goals; I flow into the next opportunity, the next challenge, and the next role. The only rule is that I have to genuinely like the project — if it doesn’t resonate, I simply pass. I’m staying open to whatever comes next, and I’ll see what grows from it.