Thank you so much for your kind words, I can't tell you how much I appreciate it! Regarding your question, the short answer is: It depends. It depends on the scope of what you want to do, and how much CG experience you already have. If you're already familiar with 3D software and know the ins-and-outs of animation, modeling, rigging, lighting, texturing, FX, simulation, and camerawork, then picking up Unreal and using it to assemble a short film from scratch in a year is certainly possible, though it would still require an enormous amount of time and work. This particular short, for example, took me over three years to put together, and that's with a decade of prior experience working with Maya and Unreal professionally every single day. That being said, even if you are starting completely from zero, I would still absolutely encourage you to jump in and give it a go! These days, UE5 has so many tools to make a film that you don't really need to use any other software. It has metahumans, basic in-engine modeling and rigging, and a whole host of free assets that you can download from the marketplace that you can use for sets, props, and animation - more than enough to put something together, even if it's just for fun. And best of all, you can dig into these free assets and use them to teach yourself how a lot of the systems are utilized - from materials to FX to blueprints and beyond. My biggest advice for someone just starting would be to start small. Don't worry about making an entire short film from the get-go, you'll get there in time. Just focus on one shot, one character, one environment. Keep it short, just a few seconds - a gag, a punch, even just a character walking across the screen. And once you've done that, add to it, do something just a little big more advanced, and bit by bit you'll work up your knowledge until, eventually, you can basically create whatever you can envision. And if you have a story to tell, I wouldn't stop at just learning Unreal. I'd also encourage you to study film, cinematography, writing, story structure, you name it. Unfortunately I don't have any specific resources to recommend, as I learned all this stuff so long ago that it's now woefully out of date, but RU-vid is full of incredible creators and tutorials, and Epic also has a good amount of videos going over the basics of the software. I'm sure you shouldn't have any trouble starting out. And yes, you can absolutely make a film on just a laptop. Forlorn was made using UE4.25 and rendered on a GTX1080, which is comedically underpowered compared to what's out there today. Really, PC power isn't what's important, its how you use what you have. Anyway, I hope that was helpful. Thanks again for taking the time to watch my short, and I wish you all the best.

@@projectforlorn Thank you so much for such a comprehensive response! Your journey and your results speak for themselves and are inspiring all on their own... but your message to give it a shot is even more inspiring! A lot of useful information here, and I gotta be honest I wasn't expecting such a long and thoughtful response. Gonna dive in ASAP! Thanks again man

Dude

Neds morrr peen amiright?