And finally, what I want it to look like as a straight render from maya (but this was done in PS).
I also tested the light intensity, but that doesn't help. Besides, I would lose the color it casts on objects.
"We don't actually need to know that the main character has a past. All we need to know is that he has an objective and a lot of people are going to die and a lot of innocent inanimate objects are going to be destroyed and blown up before he can complete that objective."