As far as your attempts, I can't praise you enough for branching out and experimenting only to create something that is both visually appealing and stylistic. The steps you outlined in your description were definitely worth the time and effort, you've churned out one of the best submissions this year.
The story to this whole thing was utterly fantastic. I thought it might go a bit different as the story progressed, but I was surprised by different choices you made.
I definitely believe you should make it into the top 5.
Good luck and super job well done.